Half a King (Shattered Sea, #1)

by Joe Abercrombie

The fool strikes, she had said. The wise man smiles, and watches, and learns. Then strikes.

But enemies, as his mother used to say, are the price of success.

When a wise minister has nothing but enemies, she beats one with a worse.

“You don’t blame me?” he whispered. “Why would I?” She gave him a last parting squeeze, then let him go. “It’s better if you do it.”