Chapter 56 The impossible Choice
The council reconvened two days after Margot and Garrett departed. Not to discuss murder anymore. To discuss something equally complicated. The mate bond that had been exposed during the trial. The forbidden relationship that could no longer be ignored.
Lila wasn't allowed to attend. She watched from her window as nobles filed into the council chambers. As Adrian entered wearing full royal regalia. As Councilor Thorne prepared to address something the kingdom had whispered about for three years but never officially acknowledged.
Through the bond, she felt Adrian's attention split between the proceedings and her distant presence. Felt him wishing she could be there. Felt him hating that she was confined while they decided her future without her input.
"This council must address an uncomfortable truth." Thorne's voice carried through the windows. "King Adrian and Lady Lila are fated mates. This was revealed during the trial and cannot be ignored. The mate bond is sacred, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. But it's also forbidden by ancient law when the bond connects a man to his deceased wife's sister."
Silence fell over the assembled nobles. Everyone knew about the bond by now. But hearing it stated formally was different. Made it real. Made it something requiring official response.
"The law is clear." Another councilor stood. "Marriage between a man and his wife's sister is forbidden. Such unions are considered cursed. Bring corruption and madness. No matter the circumstances, no matter the bond, the law forbids it."
"The law was written by humans." A different councilor countered. "The mate bond is written by the Moon Goddess. Which carries more weight? Human law or divine will?"
"Human law keeps kingdoms functional. Divine will is beautiful in theory but impractical in governance. If we allow King Adrian to claim his mate despite the law, what message does that send? That kings are above rules? That bonds override every tradition and statute?"
"It sends the message that we respect what the Goddess creates. That we acknowledge mate bonds as sacred. That we don't punish people for destiny."
The debate raged for hours. Lila felt it through Adrian's turmoil. Felt him staying silent while others argued about his future. Felt him letting them tire themselves out before he spoke.
Finally, his voice cut through the chaos. "Enough. You've debated theory. Now hear reality. The mate bond is real. I feel Lady Lila through every moment. Her pain. Her joy. Her existence. That connection was forged by powers greater than any law this council has written. And it will not break no matter what you decide today."
"Your Majesty, we understand the bond is powerful." Thorne's voice was careful. "But understanding doesn't change the law. The statute forbidding such marriages has stood for centuries. Exists to protect kingdoms from the corruption such bonds are believed to cause."
"Believed." Adrian seized the word. "Not proven. Just believed. Based on superstition and fear. Not actual evidence that mate bonds between a man and his wife's sister cause harm."
"The law exists for a reason."
"The law exists because old men feared change. Feared the power of mate bonds. Feared anything that challenged their control." Adrian's voice hardened. "But I am not bound by fears of long-dead councilors. I am bound by the Goddess's will. And she chose Lila for me."
"Then choose." Another councilor stood. "Choose between your mate and your throne. Because you cannot have both while the law stands."
"The law can be changed."
"It can. Through formal process. Requires approval from all twelve councilors on this council. Requires ratification from the High Court of Five Kingdoms. Requires years of deliberation and debate and political maneuvering." Thorne's voice was heavy. "Your Majesty, even if every person in this kingdom supported changing the law, the process takes time. Minimum three years. Possibly five or more."
"Then I have three to five years to convince everyone." Adrian's voice was steel. "I will court every councilor. Will argue before every court. Will do whatever necessary to change a law that punishes people for bonds they didn't choose."
"And in the meantime?" Thorne asked quietly. "While you fight for years to change the law, what happens to you and Lady Lila?"
"We wait. We endure. We prove the bond doesn't corrupt by living honorably despite it."
"You cannot claim her during this time. Cannot mark her. Cannot marry her. Cannot acknowledge her publicly as your mate beyond what's already been revealed." Thorne's words were careful. "If you do, the council will consider it violation of law. Will question your fitness to rule. Some might even move for your abdication."
"So I'm trapped." Adrian's voice was hollow. "Bound to a mate I cannot claim. Ruling a kingdom that forbids me from following the Goddess's will. Living in permanent suffering to satisfy laws written by dead men who feared what they didn't understand."
"We all make sacrifices for duty, Your Majesty." A councilor said gently. "You're not the first king to suffer for his crown."
"But I might be the first to choose differently." Adrian stood. "You want me to renounce my mate and keep my throne. To rule alone and unfulfilled. To prove duty matters more than destiny."
"We want you to follow the law until such time as the law can be properly changed." Thorne corrected. "We're not asking you to renounce anything. Just to wait. To be patient. To let the process work."
"And if I refuse? If I claim Lila tomorrow? If I mark her and marry her and damn the law?"