"Could you have..?" Terrence questions, in only two sentences turning the Protector's offensive against himself, seeming to rise in his chair above what his own usual stance would suggest.

"If she was always wrong, then you definitely should have," he offers, doing his best to mimic the Proctector's own usual neutral tone. He's not accusatory, but he's not not accusatory, either..? If the Protector is going to be so judgemental without revealing all the facts, then he's going to have to understand all of the judgement the mortals face, too, even if it happens this way every year.

Mortals aren't known for our empathy.