Sylas swallowed dryly at the unexpected proposal. Not to make him, but his knight, Rey, the heir. At first glance, it seemed like a terrible idea. Despite the lifelong contract, Rey was still Sylas's sworn knight, and the prospect of a knight surpassing their lord in rank was a potential disaster. It could lead to a broken oath and a twisted lord-knight relationship.
It was a tactic the first emperor used often.
A ruthless strategy, designed to weaken bonds between capable retainers and their lords, turning them against each other to strengthen imperial power through distrust. Yet, this was only disastrous if one key condition wasn't met.
Absolute loyalty of the knight.