"...Is that how it looks, even to you?"
Nysoi er Valmenf asked gently and Leysah took a sip of her drink to calm down. She hated dealing with people that either knew what you were going to say… or thought they did.
"From where I sit, outside of your family, it looks like he's trying to trade you for shipping contracts."
"That's... not entirely unfair. But it's also how the world works. Established cultivator families form alliances through marriage. Even if there is no basis of bloodlines for stronger children, it still allows them to pool resources for mutual benefit. In that case, what I want shouldn't matter more than what's practical."
"Shouldn't it?"
