"What about my father?" I asked during dinner, trying to sound casually curious while my heart hammered with a more pressing concern.
My mother's fork paused halfway to her mouth, and that familiar look passed between my sisters. The kind that meant I'd stepped into complicated territory.
"That's... a long story, darling," she said finally, setting down her utensil. "Your father was a wonderful man, but he's no longer with us. You're the only male in this house now."
That's supposed to be sad but there's a way relief flooded through me so suddenly I almost choked on my food. Thank fuck. The last thing I needed was some feminine patriarch breathing down my neck while I figured out this new world.
"What about you two?" I asked, turning to my sisters. "Any husbands or arrangements for marriage I should know about?"
Cassandra nearly snorted wine through her nose. "Husbands? Marcus, we're Ravencrest women. We don't settle for just anyone."
"When you were ten," Lyanna said, cutting her meat with precise movements, "you lost all your childish features and became... well, the most beautiful male any of us had ever seen. Since then, we've been rather particular about our standards."
"Particular how?"
"We're waiting for someone who measures up to our brother," Cassandra said matter-of-factly. "Someone equally beautiful, equally perfect. Or at least close to it."
"You set the bar rather high," Lyanna added dryly. "We're some of Aetheria's most eligible bachelorettes, but apparently we have impossible standards now."
I stared at them, pieces clicking into place. They were comparing potential partners to me. Their brother. And finding everyone lacking.
"That's not... weird?" I asked carefully.
My mother smiled gently. "Darling, in nobles families incest isn't commonly practiced, but it's not frowned upon either. Especially among powerful noble houses like my Duchess House. Keeping bloodlines pure, maintaining family power... it's quite accepted."
The implications of that statement hit me like a freight train. They weren't just protective sisters. They were potential... competitors for my future wives?
But as I looked around the table – at these three incredibly powerful, stunningly beautiful women who controlled vast wealth and influence – a thought began forming in my mind.
Why was I thinking like a victim?
Yes, this world wanted to pamper me, control me, turn me into a pretty ornament. But I wasn't the same pathetic Marcus Bellweather who got stabbed over forty dollars. I was beautiful now. Desired. Valuable.
And I was smart enough to know that being desired was just another form of power.
I didn't want to be a female in this world – hell no. But I also didn't have to be a helpless male either. I could be something else entirely.
I could be the male who turned the game around.
"You know," I said slowly, watching their faces, "I think I understand now why you've kept me secret."
"Oh?" My mother leaned forward, intrigued.
"When I'm revealed to society, I won't just be another pretty boy from a noble house. I'll be the mysterious Ravencrest son that no one knew existed. The beautiful secret that everyone will want to possess."
Cassandra's eyes lit up with something that looked dangerously like pride. "Exactly! You're going to cause such a sensation."
"But here's what I'm thinking," I continued, my mind racing. "Why should I just passively let people court me? Why shouldn't I have a say in who gets the privilege?"
Lyanna raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"I mean, look at this family. Mother's a duchess with incredible power. Cassandra's got political connections and magical strength. Lyanna's got that brilliant strategic mind." I gestured around the opulent dining room. "Why would I want to leave all this for some random wives who might not appreciate what they're getting?"
"What are you suggesting?" my mother asked, though there was something in her voice that suggested she already knew.
"I'm suggesting that maybe the best women for me are right here at this table." I met each of their gazes in turn. "You already love me, protect me, understand me. You've spent years perfecting yourselves, waiting for someone worthy. Well... here I am."
The silence that followed was electric.
"Marcus," Cassandra said softly, "are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't want to be shipped off to strangers when I've got everything I need right here." I leaned back in my chair, watching their reactions. "I'm saying that maybe it's time for the Ravencrest family to become even closer."
Lyanna's analytical mask slipped for just a moment, revealing something hungry underneath. "That's... actually brilliant. No political complications, no outside interference, complete family unity..."
"And no one would question it," my mother added thoughtfully. "Not with our house's reputation and your... obvious appeal."
"Plus," I said, playing my final card, "this way I get to stay home. Safe. Protected. Surrounded by the women who know how to take care of me best."
That did it. The protective instincts I'd noticed in all three of them flared to life.
"You wouldn't have to leave," Cassandra breathed.
"No strange women making demands on you," Lyanna agreed.
"No one who doesn't understand how precious you are," my mother finished.
I smiled, feeling a surge of satisfaction as I watched them warm to the idea. The dead god wanted me to challenge this system? Fine. But I'd do it my way.
I wouldn't tear down this paradise. I'd make it mine.
Starting with the three most powerful women in it.
But this dream was...
____
A/N: Sorry old man, I gotta do this.