"Why not?" Her brass components hummed with barely suppressed frustration. "Every moment we delay gives him more time to corrupt those primitives, to spread his degradation further—"
"I said no."
Elisandra straightened, her violet eyes narrowing. "Then at least let me lead a strike force. Surgical, precise. We eliminate Sebastian and make an example of those who harbored him. It would show the allied houses our strength, our commitment—"
"You want to kill him." Cornelius moved toward her with deliberate slowness, each footstep echoing in the war chamber. "That's what this is truly about. Revenge for your humiliation."
"Of course I want him dead," Elisandra snapped. "He made fools of both our houses. He murdered his own brothers, your sons, and fled to live among beasts. What possible reason could you have for offering him mercy?"
"Not mercy. Justice." Cornelius stopped mere inches from her, close enough that she could hear the clicking of his regulatory systems struggling to contain his fury. "There's a difference."
"Justice?" Elisandra's laugh held a sharp, cutting edge. "Justice would be mounting his head on the citadel gates. Justicewould be demonstrating what happens to those who choose regression over perfection."
"Justice," Cornelius said, his voice dropping to something colder than she'd heard before, "is giving him one final chance to surrender. To submit to proper reconditioning. To acknowledge his error and return to what he was designed to be."
Elisandra stared at him, her components stuttering with disbelief. "You can't be serious."
"Do I appear to be joking?"
"You already gave him a chance!" Her voice rose despite herself. "In the improvement chambers, with the orc's life hanging in the balance. He chose degradation then. How many chances will you give him before you accept what he's become?"
Cornelius's hand shot out, closing around Elisandra's wrist hard enough that her brass components ground against bone. Not violently, there was no loss of control in the gesture, but with absolute, calculated pressure that made her regulatory systems scream warnings.
"Choose your next words very carefully," he said, his voice maintaining perfect mechanical modulation despite the fury beneath. "You are my betrothed, not my advisor on matters concerning my son. You secured political control of the negotiations with other houses. Sebastian is mine to handle."
Elisandra held his gaze though her components were clicking rapidly with stress responses. "And if your handling continues to fail? If he refuses to surrender again?"
"Then he will learn that defiance has limits." Cornelius tightened his grip fractionally, just enough that she felt the pressure points where brass met flesh. "But that choice will be his to make, not yours to take from him. Am I understood?"
For a long moment, they stood locked in silent confrontation. Finally, Elisandra gave a single, precise nod.
Cornelius released her wrist, stepping back. "I will send Lord Cassius with a contingent. Twenty warriors, as you suggested. But their orders are clear, Sebastian is to be given the opportunity to surrender. Only if he refuses will they engage with lethal force."
"Cassius?" Elisandra's tone carried skepticism as she rubbed her wrist. "He lacks the tactical sophistication for—"
"He lacks the personal vendetta that would compromise the mission," Cornelius interrupted. "Unlike some."
Elisandra's jaw tightened, but she said nothing.
"The advance party serves two purposes," Cornelius continued, moving back to the broken display. "They confirm Sebastian's location and assess the settlement's defenses. If he surrenders, they escort him back for proper reconditioning. If he refuses..." He traced a finger along the cracked screen. "Then Cassius eliminates him and anyone who stands in the way. Either outcome provides the closure we require."
"And if he kills Cassius?"
"Then we'll know exactly how far Sebastian's degradation has progressed." Cornelius pulled up new tactical projections, the fractured screen multiplying the images across broken glass. "And I will adjust my approach accordingly."
Elisandra studied him for a long moment. "You still hope he'll come back. After everything."
"I hope," Cornelius said quietly, "that he'll prove capable of rational thought. That some fragment of what I built into him remains intact enough to recognize the futility of his position." His mechanical eyes focused on the settlement's blurred outline. "But hope is not strategy. If he refuses, if he's truly chosen permanent degradation over correction, then yes, he will be terminated. Slowly. Publicly. As an example to every improved child who might consider similar rebellion."
"A comforting thought," Elisandra said, her tone still carrying an edge.
"Is it?" Cornelius turned back to her. "Because you seem to doubt my commitment to this campaign. To question whether I possess the resolve to do what's necessary."
"I question whether your judgment regarding Sebastian is compromised by sentiment," Elisandra replied, meeting his gaze directly despite the danger. "As I warned you before, don't make me regret this alliance."
Cornelius moved toward her again, but this time his approach was slower, more deliberate. When he spoke, his voice held no heat, just cold, absolute certainty. "Let me be exceptionally clear, Elisandra. You are valuable to me because of your political connections, your ability to manipulate other houses, your three potential heirs. But you are not irreplaceable." He paused, letting the words sink in. "There are other houses with heirs. Other alliances I could forge. You need this union far more than I do. Remember that the next time you question my judgment."
Elisandra's components stuttered again, but she held her ground. "And you remember that I'm offering you legitimacy when every other house is calculating how to carve up your territories. We need each other, Cornelius. That means respecting each other's counsel."
