Of course I was afraid. But I had learned to fear other things more: being despised, whittled down one small piece of myself at a time, smirked at an… - Naomi Novik

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Of course I was afraid. But I had learned to fear other things more: being despised, whittled down one small piece of myself at a time, smirked at and taken advantage of. I put my chin up and said, as cold as I could be in answer, “And what will you give me in return?