Theo merely glanced at Gabriel.
''Alright?'' he said, raising an eyebrow.
Even Owen's brows furrowed as he stared strangely at the man.
''What are you getting involved in for?'' he asked. ''I don't think anyone was talking to you...''
Gabriel remained silent for a moment, one of his eyebrows slowly raising.
He glanced at Owen with displeasure for a split second, as though his interruption alone had been an insult.
''As the leader of the main expedition team,'' he finally said calmly, ''every decision regarding the Imperial Church's actions falls to me. That includes Lady Lucienne's separate team.''
Lucienne's brows furrowed slightly, but she remained silent.
Gabriel finally looked back at Theo.
''Besides,'' he continued, ''cooperation is only meaningful between parties of comparable strength. Otherwise, one side simply becomes a burden to the other.''
Silence fell between them for a moment.
Theo's expression didn't change one bit the entire time.
