Yield Under Great Persuasion

by Alexandra Rowland

totality. If I could, I’d make everyone change the names they call him. He’s not the Lord of Temptation—he’s the Lord of Free Will. The Lord of Choices and Questions. The Lord of Consent.” Tam flinched. Kel absolutely caught it, because his smile tightened. “Most people don’t find that a very pleasant thought. It’s easy to say ‘I was tempted by Idunet,’ isn’t it? It is much harder to say, ‘Idunet offered me a choice, and I said yes, because I wanted it.’ I might walk into a public house and catch someone’s eye—or maybe they catch my eye, and I flirt with them, because I want them—but if they’re married or promised to another and they still say yes and go to bed with me, I cannot be held accountable for that. It was their choice; it was their decision to say yes. They wanted my body more than they wanted to be faithful to their lover. It is not remotely my place to take responsibility for another adult’s poor choices and weakness of character. If they meet the consequences and are surprised at how unpleasant they are, that’s a shame, and perhaps they’ll learn a lesson about how to make choices that are actually in their best interests, rather than whining that Idunet made them do it when they find that they’re unhappy with how things turned out—but their personal journey is not my business, no matter how much their angry lovers would like it to be.