Catherine's POV
Marcus's refusal had done something subtle and deeply inconvenient.
It had introduced an alternative posture.
Not rebellion.
Not submission.
Witness.
"He declined reinstatement," one of my aides said from behind me. Neutral tone. No judgment embedded. That, too, was new. "Publicly. Calmly."
"Yes," I replied. "I know."
They waited for further instruction.
That hesitation told me more than the words had.
"He framed it as a moral objection," another added. "Not personal. Not hostile."
Of course he did.
Marcus had always understood framing better than most. That was why his banishment had been necessary in the first place. You can't allow people who understand the architecture of meaning to linger where pressure points form.
And now.
Now he was visible again.
Not elevated.
Not persecuted.
Just… present.
That was the danger.
"People aren't angry," the first aide continued carefully. "But they are… asking questions."
"What kind of questions?" I asked.
