Duke Magnus's eyes narrowed as he studied my face, searching for cracks in the composure I had spent decades perfecting.
"The situation requires more direct action. You will cease this pointless distance you have maintained. You will draw closer to him, much closer. You will court him properly, make him believe that you care for him, that this marriage is something more than political necessity."
"Make him fall in love with you," Lady Morrigan added with silky precision, her beautiful features arranged in an expression of cold calculation. "A man in love is infinitely more malleable than one who remains emotionally detached. If he believes you return his affection, he will do anything you ask of him."
The casual cruelty of their plan hit me like a physical blow. They wanted me to seduce Cadiz, to manipulate his emotions until he became willing clay in their hands. The thought of using his trust, his potential feelings, as weapons against him made my stomach clench with revulsion.
"And when his powers stirs again," Lord Eamon continued, "you will guide him carefully. Help him develop his abilities, but ensure that his loyalty remains fixed on you personally and this household. A null omega's gifts are too valuable, do not let him think for himself."
Lord Corvin leaned forward, his soft features showing paternal concern that made my skin crawl. "The boy is dangerous if left alone, nephew. His power could destabilize everything we have worked to achieve if he decides to oppose us. But bound to you through love, genuine or manufactured, he becomes our greatest asset instead of our greatest threat."
The word 'dangerous' hung in the air between us like a blade. They feared what Cadiz might become if he ever fully understood his situation and chose to resist them. Their solution was to chain him with emotional bonds that would make resistance impossible.
"You understand your task," Duke Magnus said, his voice carrying the finality of absolute command. "Court him. Seduce him. Make him love you with such devotion that he would rather die than disappoint you. Once that bond is forged, he will serve our purposes willingly, even eagerly."
The knot in my chest transformed into something darker and more consuming, a rage so profound it threatened to overwhelm the iron self-control that had been drilled into me since childhood.
I had bent to my father's will all my life, had obeyed commands that violated every principle of honor and decency. But this command struck at something I could not bend, could not sacrifice to their ambitions.
They wanted me to break him from the inside. To use his love, if he ever gave it, as chains to bind him. To turn his heart into a weapon against himself.
I thought of Cadiz that night on the wall, hands raised, power flaring bright as snow. I thought of him in the library, whispering to himself that he was not useless. Of the way his voice had cracked when he demanded to know what he was to me.
And I thought of what would happen if my father tried to handle him directly.
I kept my head bowed. "I understand."
My father leaned back, satisfied. "Good. Do not fail me again."
The elders nodded faintly, like executioners approving the blade's edge.
I left the chamber with my face carved into ice.
Only when I was alone in the corridor did I let the breath escape me, sharp and ragged.
Obedience had saved me tonight. But what they demanded, I could not do it.
If I obeyed, I would destroy Cadiz. If I defied them openly, I would destroy us both.
There was only one path left, play their game, wear their mask, and keep him safe in ways they could not see.
For the first time in years, I felt the stirrings of something dangerous in myself. Not fear. Not obedience.
Defiance.
And I knew then, whatever chains they placed on me, I would not let them close around him.