As Shylock closed the doors to the breakfast hall behind him, the clatter of maids clearing the table echoed faintly in the quiet room. Valks stepped forward, handing Vlad the parchment the guildmaster had signed. Vlad leaned back in his chair at the head of the table, his expression unreadable.
“I didn’t expect it to be resolved so quickly,” Valks said. “Nobles across the continent have been scheming against him for years, but, of course, you handled it flawlessly, my lord.”
“This is just the beginning,” Vlad replied curtly.
He unrolled the parchment and scanned its contents. The document transferred management rights of the Isles Guild to Liliette Isles, Shylock’s eldest daughter. By law, a wife’s property belonged to her husband, making Vlad the de facto owner of the guild. His eyes remained cold as they lingered on the name stamped with Shylock’s seal.
