But my attention wasn't on him. Every ounce of it was fixed on Elara, and I had no patience to spare for Aldric.
I stared at Elara, unblinking. "You're looking well. Rosy cheeks, bright eyes. My master's bones must be serving you nicely."
Back then, the Ferro Ledger had only granted Elara passage in and out of the Valente compound, a guest pass to the world she craved. Without the Original Oaths, she still could not be elevated. She could attend, but she could not rule.
Aldric had once considered taking my own leverage instead, but the full weight of the Ferro dynasty's accumulated debts and blood oaths was far more than a civilian woman like Elara could wield. The network would have crushed her. He'd been forced to abandon the idea.
It had taken him all these years of searching to finally find my master's Original Oaths, the perfect instrument for Elara's ascension. A neutral elder's custody documents, clean enough for her hands, powerful enough to legitimize her permanently.
My words landed, and understanding dawned across Aldric's face.
"Ah, so it's the Castellano old man's little protégée. I was wondering who had the nerve."