Emma let out a soft laugh, though it carried no warmth.
"You're more stubborn than I remembered, Lady Draken. Possessive to the last breath."
Alice said nothing. She didn't need to. She knew better than anyone how deeply her possessiveness ran—especially when something, or someone, had already slipped through her fingers once.
Emma tilted her head, her smile sharpened by a cruel edge. "Demon or not, it is still a pity. I would have liked to take this Faceless Imposter for myself. Imagine—a thief bound to the Voss name, a servant for three generations. It would have been… amusing."
The air between them grew heavy, sparks flashing in the silence as their eyes locked. For a moment, it felt as though the polished table between them might crack under the weight of their hostility.
