The council session the next morning didn't go as smoothly as Mercer had hoped. Keston stood before the full chamber and recounted his private meeting with Lien, his voice steady despite the visible shame coloring his admission. Priest listened with a deepening frown, and several council members who'd grown wary of foreign interference exchanged troubled glances.
"You confirmed our negotiating position to a man actively working against this council's interests," Priest said, once Keston finished. "In exchange for personal financial relief."
"I understand the severity of my error," Keston said. "I came forward immediately once I recognized the mistake, rather than allowing it to compound further through continued secrecy."
The council debated the implications for the better part of an ho
