he needed to return to her good favor ; she was life and light and salvation to all who believed in her and if only he could find a way to show her he was sorry , show her that he was still worthy ; he needed to be penitent , needed to humble himself , accept his faults and go back , and if he died , if she needed him dead , then that was what was needed , because the good of the empire was what concerned her , and if the empire was better off with him dead , better off with someone more worthy wearing the raven talisman about their shoulders , better off without him without him !