One winter, to "honor" Jovan’s loyalty, the Voivode gifted him a magnificent white horse—so pure it was called the . It was a creature of mythic beauty, with a coat like polished marble and eyes that seemed to hold the cold wisdom of the peaks.
"A gift for the most faithful," the Voivode declared. But as the gates of the palace closed, Jovan saw the faint, cruel smile on the ruler's face. One winter, to "honor" Jovan’s loyalty, the Voivode
During a particularly brutal blizzard, Jovan sat in his freezing home. Through the window, he watched the horse standing in its heated stable. He realized that the Voivode hadn't given him a gift; he had given him a . The "White Elephant" was a mirror—it showed Jovan that his vanity was the very thing that had ruined him. But as the gates of the palace closed,
He could not sell it, for to sell a gift from the Voivode was treason. He could not give it away, for who would take a burden that would bankrupt them?. The Empty Treasury He realized that the Voivode hadn't given him