Ever wondered why Daine was so cold in her determination of revenge when she was told that the Emperor had killed Numair? - Well I did, and this below is the answer to that speculation.

Superbia?

She caught the movement with a frown and turned her attention too where the man was sitting. She had noticed that something was off, but it wasn't until right now, this every second that she realized why she hated that man so much and why she loathed him for his acting.

Sitting in the middle of the room, placed so she had her teacher on her right and the Emperor of Carthark on her left she turned her head from side to side, to compere the difference. She knew what Numair stood for. What his values was and his very nature, and as she turned her head in his direction she saw everything she could possible imagine wanting for her future husband. He held everything she sought in every swain that tried to take her attention away from everything around her, and every time they failed miserably – leaving her to turn her attention once again in the direction of her teacher.

If she turned her head in the direction of the Emperor however the very second she lay her eyes on him, she hated him. His movements was complete opposite from Numair's and sitting here beside Kaddar, she suddenly realized that the Emperor was showing arrogance in every movement he was making. Such did his nephew and it stuck her that she would never be involved with a man such like him or them, she corrected. She turned her heard in time to see that the voice of a woman she could hear was leaning forward on the opposite side of the table, standing so the dress showed as much as possible of her half concealed breast. Daine grimaced, biting her lips as her hands underneath the table was being pressed together in frustration over the fact that Varice allowed herself to act such. That woman didn't realized that the man that sat on the other side of the table only held his attention too where the Emperor was sitting.

Daine frowned as she once again realized that the woman's performance also showed arrogance – Varice was pretty sure that she could seduce the Black Robed Mage in the middle of dinner and Daine was about to stand and tell her a thing or two about proper behavior, but she couldn't – she was feeling the eyes of Lord Martin lingering in her back of her neck, so she only lowered her gaze down to where the plate of uneatable food stood.

She was startled over the fact that so many people within the court of the Emperor held such arrogance when they talked, when they walked and even when they danced later that evening. She had been in the arms of several men from the council, then she found herself in the arms of the Prince, Kaddar, and later she was being escorted out to the floor by the Emperor himself. Being in the arms of the Emperor she found that he was the complete opposite Numair and she could every well understand why the two of them hated each other so much – or, she corrected as she was swirled around in elaborate dance movements, that the Emperor hated Numair. The man that hold her hand and had placed his other hand on her waist held a high estimation of himself and was showing assertiveness contrary to the humility that Numair showed. Looking up she saw that he smiled down to her and she forced herself to smile back politely, even though she only wanted to bite his head off.

Arrogance was regarded in Tortall as something negative, but here in the warm land; it was certainly being regarded as something that was very much acceptable – and that concerned her. In Tortall a man such as the Emperor would be a problem. If he was living in Tortall the Gods would see his manners as a moral problem; because it was a sin against the divine guidance of mankind. And dancing here, her second evening in Cathark she wondered why a God would put up with a man with such behavior. In Tortall the Gods would strike down hard upon everyone who considered themselves above normal manners, but here? To her the arrogance seemed to be a variant of the basic sin; rebellion against the Gods. He was bowing to her when the music stopped and reluctantly gave her hand to another man.

Looking up she smiled suddenly over the fact that two dark eyes smiled equally down to her and she wondered yet again over the fact that if the Gods wasn't going to put some manners into the Emperor, she would do it herself if he ever harmed one of her loved ones – specially Numair, her one and everything.

To her arrogance was considered one of the so-called seven deadly sins, but as she stood pressed against him, his hand resting on her back - a little lower than normally - and his other hand holder hers as warm spread through her body every thought about sins was gone the moment he swung her around and she laughed happily. Oh yes - she would do the punishment if someone ever harmed her friends, even if it was because they showed too much arrogance.