The Marquess lifted his head. "Are you saying this is our fault?"
"I am saying," Sigrid replied without hesitation, "that a bond born of pressure only lasts as long as the stronger party chooses to hold it. And Demian Morvex… was never weak."
He rose and walked slowly toward the sealed window. "From the beginning, he never accepted Ivanka as his choice. Only as his obligation."
The Marquess clenched his fists. "But the bond is real. Morvex blood—"
"Has never been able to be forced into love," Sigrid cut in quietly. "And that was the greatest mistake of the elders long ago. Including myself."
The words silenced the Marquess.
Sigrid turned back toward him. "If you are asking whether there is a way to restrain him now," he continued, "my honest answer is this: any further attempt will only push him farther away."
"And Ivanka?" the Marquess asked softly. "What will become of her?"
