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“Indeed,” I said flatly. “My cousins were all curious about my wife.”

Yilmaz’s expression slid toward Ada, his contempt poorly disguised. “And your…acquisition appears to be making herself comfortable.”

“My wife,” I corrected him, “does as she pleases.”

“Of course.” Yilmaz’s smile didn’t reach his expression. “Though one wonders how she adapts to shadow customs. Light-bearers are known for their…reluctance to embrace the natural order. Often requiring a firmer hand than most.”

Ada must have heard him, for she paused her conversation with Sarp and turned.

Rather than showing offense, she offered Yilmaz a smile of practiced indifference—the same expression she had perfected at diplomatic functions when dealing with fools.

My gaze lingered on her longer than it should have. She was so beautiful.

“Lord Yilmaz,” she acknowledged with ice in her voice. “Still determined to prove your relevance through poorly disguised insults? How tiresome.”

Sarp snorted into his wine. Melo’s tail lashed once, a clear warning.

Yilmaz’s face darkened with humiliation, flushing red. “Bold words from a woman who spreads her legs for shadow lords.” His voice rose, ensuring all could hear. “Tell me, Lady Ada, did you whore yourself out to our Lord Hakan willingly, or was it merely your father’s light that he found useful?”

The room went deathly silent, and the temperature dropped several degrees.

The icy-cold air of Hell embraced us all like a heavy curtain.

My cousins' attention sharpened like blades, their gazes fixed on me, waiting to see how I would respond.

This was a test—not just from Yilmaz, but from my cousins.

A challenge to my authority, my claim over Ada, my willingness to enforce respect.

The room's energy crackled and shifted as Yilmaz spoke.

The insult to Ada merely skimmed the surface—beneath it lay a challenge to my authority.

He questioned my ability to rule. This wasn't just about her; it was about power.

The Shadow Court respected only strength, and Yilmaz had just shown weakness disguised as bravado. At that moment, his fate was sealed.

Eyes bore into me from every corner—not just my cousins', but those of every shadow lord and lady present. Some leaned forward with anticipation, others calculating behind hooded lids. Lord Kaya’s expression narrowed slightly, as he had long been wary of Yilmaz’s ambitions.

Lady Narin’s lips curved into the faintest smile; she was eager to see blood spilled.

The Karanliko?lu representatives in the back straightened, their collective posture suggesting Yilmaz’s words were no impulsive insult, but a calculated move.

This wasn’t just about Ada. This was about my authority, about whether I would tolerate a direct challenge from a lord with powerful backers. About whether my binding to Ada had weakened my position.

I stepped forward, darkness leaking from my skin like oil. “Ada,” I said, my voice deceptively soft. “Take two steps to the left, so you’re next to Sarp.”

She met my stare. She seemed confused by my simple request, wariness creeping into her expression before she complied without a word, moving to stand beside Sarp.

Yilmaz sensed he was in danger too late. “I seem to forget?—”

I didn’t let him finish. My hand shot forward, shadow magic condensing around my fingers into a blade of pure darkness.

One swift arc, and Yilmaz’s head separated cleanly from his body, suspended momentarily in the air before both collapsed to the floor with a wet thud.

Blood fountained from his severed neck, spraying across nearby courtiers who scrambled backward with cries of alarm.

The execution was necessary—calculated, not impulsive.

Yilmaz had been gathering support among the traditional factions, undermining my position with whispers of my ‘Light Court sympathies.’ His elimination would send a clear message to others who might consider similar challenges.

That it also avenged the insult to Ada was… secondary.

The ripple effect was immediate. I watched the assembled lords recalculate their positions, some stepping subtly closer to show renewed loyalty, others retreating to reassess their strategies. In Shadow Court politics, a single execution could reshape alliances that had taken decades to build.

There was an audible gasp from Ada and a few other servants. Someone rushed out of the courtroom, then came retching. Blood had sprayed across the floor and nearby observers, a stark reminder of the violence that could erupt at any moment in the shadow court.

“Anyone else have opinions about my wife they wish to share?” I asked, my voice echoing in the stunned silence while darkness consumed the spilled blood, erasing all evidence of the execution. No one spoke. No one moved. My cousins watched, appearing slightly bored.

Rezen broke the silence, releasing a low chuckle. “Efficient. Though it lacks the artistry Father prefers.”

“I save artistry for those who deserve the effort.” I made a subtle gesture for servants to remove the body. “Yilmaz was a damned pain in my ass.”

“An annoyance who insulted your light-bearer,” Azra observed, her stare shifting between Ada and me. “How…interesting that you’d respond so decisively over mere words.”

“I protect what belongs to me,” I stated coldly. “Any disrespect to my bound partner is disrespect to me.”

“Of course.” Rezen nodded, though his smile suggested he had seen more than I intended to reveal. “A matter of possession, nothing more.”

“Funny,” Sarp interjected, seemingly unconcerned by the decapitated corpse being dragged away, “I’ve heard dozens insult you directly without losing their heads. Must be nice to have someone so violently dedicated to your honor, Ada.”

Ada was watching me, her expression carefully blank, but her breathing was labored.

For a moment, our bond flickered open, and I caught a glimpse of her confusion before she deliberately closed it again.

Even when I tried to read her emotions through our connection, she kept her thoughts locked away.

"Don't mistake necessity for sentiment." I said and pitched my words to carry throughout the room.

I turned to face her directly, filling my tone with contempt.

"Ada's value lies in her bloodline and the power it brings through our binding.

Nothing more." I ensured everyone could hear me.

"Light and shadow were never meant to mix permanently.

This arrangement serves a greater purpose—one that requires her cooperation, willing or not. "

The flash of pain instead of defiance across her face was precisely what I intended—yet it cut through me deeper than my blade could reach. The bond between us snapped shut when she withdrew, her light retreating behind the mental walls.

Melo bared her teeth at me, a growl rumbling in her throat. Sarp's expression remained neutral, but I knew him well enough to recognize the disappointment in his gaze.

"Thank you for the clarification," Ada said, her voice steady despite the hurt I had glimpsed through our bond. "And the reminder of exactly who you are."

She turned and left the hall, her posture betraying no weakness despite witnessing the brutal execution. Melo followed, shooting me one last venomous glare.

The court erupted into whispers the moment she was gone.

Lords and ladies exchanged glances, some fearful, others calculating.

The representatives of the Karanliko?lu faction withdrew to a corner, their expressions thunderous.

One of Yilmaz’s closest allies, Lord Derin, caught my stare for a moment before averting his gaze, his posture a mixture of fear and barely concealed rage.

“You’ve made enemies today,” Lady Narin murmured while she passed, though her tone suggested approval rather than warning. “The Karanliko?lu will not forget this. Yilmaz was their strongest voice on the council.”

“Let them remember,” I replied, my tone cold. “Let them all remember what happens when they challenge my authority.”

She smiled, darkness dancing around her fingertips. “Oh, I believe they will. The question now becomes: who will they send next?”

“Delightful marital moment,” Azra purred once Ada had gone. “I was worrying you’d gone soft, cousin. It’s good to see Erlik’s blood still runs through in your veins, diluted though it may be.”

I ignored the barb, signaling a servant to refill my goblet. “Was there ever doubt?”

“There was,” Rezen admitted without shame. “We all remember when you defied Erlik over the shadow forge rights. Control of those weapons would have made you unstoppable."

“I was a fool back then,” I stated flatly. “Blinded by sentiment instead of seeing the strategic value.”

“So we see.” Azra smiled, her blackened teeth gleaming in the torchlight. “Though we wondered if perhaps this binding was…sentimental”

“The binding serves a purpose,” I said, boredom heavy in my tone. “And when that purpose is fulfilled, it will be severed.”

My cousins exchanged pleased glances. This was what they verified—that I remained committed to shadow, to Erlik’s legacy. That my human weakness had been excised completely.

“Your message is received, Lord Hakan,” Lord Kaya said later, after my cousins had departed. He had remained behind, one of the few shadow lords whose counsel I valued. “Though some might question if beheading a council member over an insult was…proportionate.”

“It wasn’t about the insult,” I replied. “Yilmaz was moving against me. His connections to the Karanliko?lu faction had grown too strong.”

“And so you eliminated him rather than allowed him to gather more support.” Kaya nodded slowly. “Bold. But now those same Karanliko?lu will seek revenge.”

“Let them,” I said with dismissal. “They’ll find I’m not as easily toppled as they imagine.”

“And the light-bearer? Your wife?” Kaya’s stare was shrewd. “Your defense of her was…notable.”

“She is mine to insult, mine to control, mine to use,” I replied coldly. “No one else’s. The execution ensures that the message is understood.”

“Indeed,” Kaya said, though his expression suggested something else entirely. “Understood by all.”

After ensuring my demonic kin were properly entertained, I retreated to my private chambers, shadow magic responding to the rage that boiled beneath my composed exterior. The execution had been necessary—a warning to others who might think to disrespect what was mine. But my words afterward…

I poured myself a glass of aged brandy, downing it in one swallow in a futile attempt to burn away the memory of her expression.

The pain I inflicted had been calculated—a counterbalance to my obvious defense of her.

I couldn’t allow anyone, least of all cousins, to believe I harbored feelings beyond possession.

But as the liquor burned its way down my throat, memories surfaced unbidden—memories I had spent years trying to bury…