The sixth princess's scowl deepened as she abruptly released his hand. The warmth of her touch left as quickly as it came.
"A deal?" she repeated sharply, as though the very word was distasteful.
She rose from her chair, skirts brushing the polished floor, and turned her back to him. "What nonsense are you spouting now? Have you already forgotten?" Her voice was clipped, cold. "You still owe me three silvers. Add the fee for what I just did and the debt climbs to one gold coin."
Keiser couldn't help it, he laughed, low and rich, the sound echoing faintly in the quiet room. "One gold coin, is it? Then perhaps I'll settle it another way."
The words made her shoulders tighten. He saw it. The brief, involuntary stiffening of her spine before she forced herself to relax. Slowly, deliberately, she turned back toward him, the candlelight catching the red in her irises until they glowed like rubies. Her gaze narrowed.
"…Another way?" she asked at last, measured, wary.
