I looked down from the window as the carriages left the castle's carriage houses and parked at the fountain, waiting for their respective nobles to board before leaving the estate.
One by one, they filed out, nobles in their fine silks and expensive furs, merchants with their heavy coin purses, all of them satisfied with the morning's proceedings.
They'd gotten what they came for: a chance to curry favor with the Saint, to spread their influence through SBV's expanding network, and to publicly distance themselves from Cass's weakening authority.
It made me sick.
"Enjoying the view?" a voice came from behind me.
I turned to find Ilya standing there, her arms crossed, glasses reflecting the light from the window.
"Not particularly," I replied, turning back to watch another carriage roll away. "Just wondering how I ended up volunteered for manual labor when I'm supposed to be a guest here."
