Morphed into Love, Book 2

10- The Man's Ruin

RONAN

"Seduce her." My mother ordered, typical frown etched into the ever-harsh contours of her face, "Blackmail her, for all I care."

"I've always done everything you have asked of me," I inhaled as calmly as I could, "but this is where I draw the line. You are not the dictator of my life, nor my decisions."

My mother had a habit of testing my patience at the best of times, but this was extreme. She'd never asked anything so... Tasking, of me before.

"No. But I am the ruler of your realm. And your mother. So I'm asking you nicely, to do this." She assessed me with a cold and detached stare, the type of once-over glance that let me know she wasn't 'asking' anything of me.

This was a demand. An unequivocal one.

She could dress it up in poorly constructed euphemisms all she wanted, but I knew exactly what was going on here. She was backing me into a corner. Trying to subdue me with sugar-coated words like I was some sort of wild animal. Ferys knew exactly what she was doing. My mother was well aware of my one weak point and I was equally aware of her inclination to exploit it.

There was only one thing I put before myself and that was the preservation of my family and our throne.

Over the years, that had transformed my mother's view of me, her son, from her little boy into a bloodthirsty pawn. The perfect piece of military to maintain control over Morsica. A weapon.

A destructive gift.

I didn't mind the sly murders and assassinations she'd asked of me over the years, (it was easy enough to kill a man with spirits and make it look like a freak-occurrence heart attack.) But this?

No.

No way.

Hell would freeze over before I agreed to this ridiculous 'request.'

I'd long since come to terms with Ferys' nefarious nature, I was at peace with the fact that she saw me as a means to gain more power because, unfortunately, she was my mother and I cared for her. So for that reason alone, I let her control me to a certain extent.

But I'd clearly let her think she had more hold over me than was reality because I was not ruining my life for the sake of a stupid, fucking alliance.

Ferys played her role, and she played it well. To the general public, she was fair and strong but ruled with an iron-fist, admirable and brave in personality with the common man's best interests at heart. I knew better. My mother was one of the most selfish and power-hungry people I'd ever met.

Much like myself. She was my inspiration for such a shitty personality.

Yes, I was self aware. And yet, I had no desire to change myself.

'I am what I am.'

I got my personality from Ferys. Like mother like son. Like father like daughter. Mezola was exactly like Reemus, softer and genial, stable and yet decidedly ambitionless compared to my mother and I.

He clearly wasn't happy about her proposal. One look at my father and I could see he was bursting at the seams to disagree with her.

"This isn't right." He muttered, "You're going to damage everything."

"I'm the only one in this room with any goddamn sense!" My mother lost all sense of propriety, "I see a future, one where the Daxium bloodline rules over not just one continent, but two! You're entirely bone-idle, Reemus!"