"Saving Lily Ford was nothing more than a coincidence," Issac Monroe said, his voice unhurried, almost lazy, yet every syllable carried a chill that bit deeper than any winter wind. "If your people had simply kept your word, if you had handed over what was promised, I might even have dealt with the Parasite King for you free of charge. I would have given the Martial League a small fortune in opportunity, and called it a fair trade."
He paused, letting the silence stretch until it pressed against everyone's ribs.
"But no. You had to lean on the weight of the Martial League, go back on your word, and then have the gall to pass off a common Snow Lotus as the real thing, as if I were some country fool to be played with at a banquet table." His gaze drifted, slow and indifferent, across the k
