In the meantime, the prince and the prince-in-waiting are busy preparing for battle. The prince wonders when his highness will take action. He tells the prince that he is afraid that something will happen, and he begs the prince not to take action until he is sure that something is not going to happen. He says that he respects the prince's sacrifice, but he does not want the prince to make any decisions for him. He warns him that if he lets his mother go, the emperor will have even more power, and that the prince will be able to repeat the mistakes he has made in the past, even if they are just "flames." The prince says that if the emperor cannot be ruthless, then he will be ruthless himself. He reminds the prince of how he watched his father become depressed for his mother, and warns him not to repeat such mistakes. He also tells him that some of his subordinates have "murderous intentions," and he fears that they will refuse to let him go. He asks the prince if he is willing to let the prince go, but the prince refuses, saying that he would not let him leave because the prince asked him to do so.