How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
"It was my payment […] For more than sixty years of servitude. It galled her to give it to me, but rules are rules, and she would have lost her magic and more if she had not settled up." (10.188)
As Lady Una tells Tristran and Yvaine, she was paid for all her years serving Madame Semele. For whatever reason, breaking those rules would've caused Madame Semele to lose her magic and possibly suffer other nasty consequences. We're not really clear on why, but hey, rules are rules.