Duncan regards Cade as his only family

Duncan’s relationship with Cade is one of chosen family: he has no children of his own, but describes Cade as the person who matters most to him and says he could not be prouder of him. That attachment shapes Duncan’s political choices, because he believes Venus would eventually kill Cade to pressure or punish Ava.

Family by Choice

Duncan explains the bond while speaking with Ava on the porch. As Cade pours popcorn into a bowl inside, Duncan watches him through the window and says, “I don’t have any children of my own, Ava. Cade is it.” He adds that he could not be prouder of Cade if Cade were his own flesh and blood. The comparison makes clear that their closeness does not depend on biological parenthood: Duncan considers Cade his family and takes pride in him as such.

Protection and Political Stakes

Ava asks Duncan whether he or Alistair is now head of the Coterie. Duncan answers that he does not want to lead, but did not want Venus to lead either. His explanation ties that opposition to Cade’s safety: he believes Venus would sooner or later have killed Cade, either to spur Ava into action or to punish her. In Duncan’s account, his choices were therefore not driven by ambition; they were bound up with protecting the person he regards as his son.

Ava’s Recognition

Duncan’s explanation changes the emotional terms of the exchange. Ava recognizes in his reasoning something like what she had said to Lock’s mother: Duncan had to protect his family. Though she wants to be angry at him for having helped set events in motion, she cannot sustain that anger; she concludes that she would have made the same choices in his place. Their bond with Cade thus becomes the point through which Ava understands, without excusing every consequence, why Duncan acted as he did.