The silence stretched long enough that Alice wondered if the orb had gone dead.
Then Lady Voss finally spoke, her voice quieter now, tinged with steel.
"…You'll hand him over to us? Just like that?"
Alice smiled faintly. "Do you doubt my word?"
"I doubt anyone's word when it concerns that man," Voss said flatly. "He humiliated my house before half the empire. A single duchess's promise isn't enough. What guarantees do I have that you won't keep him for yourself?"
Alice's fingers tapped against the polished table, calm and measured. "Because I have no interest in trophies. I want only one thing—his capture. Once he's in chains, his fate is of no concern to me."
There was another pause. Then a sharp laugh rang out through the orb.
"Interesting. Very interesting. I see you've been burned by him too, Lady Draken. That explains your sudden… eagerness."
