Chapter 136

Elara's POV

"It's nothing more than favors handed down from the Vane line," I said, my tone deliberately flat, deliberately unflinching.

The words hit Vanya like claws across her pride. Her face cracked, the smug confidence shattering in front of Zarek's gaze. She hadn't expected me to speak so plainly—not here, not in front of him.

"But those favors," I continued lazily, folding my arms, "are not