After exiting the dampness of the dungeons, Ulrich stepped out into the cool morning air of the courtyards. Meera and the hulking Edmar followed closely in his wake.
"That was quite a unique method of negotiating, Count Rubenhart," Meera said, a sly smile curling on her lips.
Ulrich certainly possessed no talent for comforting words or offering genuine second chances. But he was a master at tearing someone down, using their own lingering guilt as a blade against them.
He had perfectly weaponized Shana's regrets. Meera did not doubt for a second that the broken witch would accept the role now.
Shana would see teaching the three sisters as a path to redemption, driven by the resentment Ulrich had just planted against her own Coven. As expected, it was easier to manipulate a woman who had been imprisoned underground for two long years.
"But would you really trust a broken prisoner with your precious little witches?" Meera asked, stepping neatly to match his long strides.
