I chuckled, stepping up beside Alexander, my silk scarf fluttering in the wind. I felt the three men behind me bristle as I took the Marquis's side.
"Oh, cut him some slack, Maegel," I purred, my voice a silken lash. "After all, Lord Alexander has only been Marquis for about a month or so, hasn't he? We can't expect him to have cleared out every rat's nest in the North quite so quickly."
I looked up at Alexander, my smirk sharp and knowing. I saw the faint, almost invisible tightening of his jaw at my 'defense'. He didn't need a girl to protect him, but he certainly understood the game I was playing.
Julian's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, and Maegel looked ready to explode. They had come here to show Alexander their power, but in one breath, I had made the master of the North my project—and they were already losing their grip on the narrative.
