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“Engagement?”
Aurelian blurted the word after hearing Miles.
Behind him, Catherine’s expression shifted for a heartbeat, then returned to normal so quickly that none of the three Pendragons noticed.
“Father, I am eight.
Eight.
Is this not a little early?”
Once the first shock passed, irritation rose in Aurelian’s voice.
He disliked the idea of a loveless arrangement, and the fact that he was only eight made it feel even more absurd.
“Why did neither of you ask for my opinion first?”
“Because we knew little Aurelian would object if we told him in advance.”
Elaine toyed with a lock of her golden hair as she answered him.
“I disagree.
First, I am eight.
Settling an engagement now is far too early.
Second, I do not even know who she is or what she looks like.
And finally…”
Aurelian slapped his palm against the table.
His gaze flicked over Catherine for an instant before he finished, his stance firm.
“In short, I disagree.”
“Your objection changes nothing,” Miles said, his own tone equally hard.
“As the heir of House Pendragon, you have responsibilities to this family.”
It was the first time Miles had forced a decision on him so directly.
“The other party is the daughter of one of your mother’s school friends.
More importantly, we were the ones who proposed the engagement.
If we go back on it now, House Pendragon’s reputation will suffer, and your mother will have no standing left with her friend.
Think carefully about that.”
With that, Miles left the drawing room.
Aurelian watched him go, his expression grim.
“Little Aurelian,” Elaine said gently, “you have to trust your father and me.
We would never sacrifice your future happiness merely for profit.
Your fiancee is the daughter of my dearest friend from school.
She is a lovely girl, beautiful and kind.
I believe that once you know each other, you will be satisfied with her.”
Elaine saw how angry he was and softened her tone.
“But Mother, could we not meet first and discuss the engagement later?”
By then, Aurelian understood the weight of his position.
Even so, he wanted to resist one last time.
“No,” Elaine said, shaking her head.
“Your father already explained why.
We were the ones who proposed the match.
If we withdraw now, House Pendragon’s credibility will suffer.”
His expression fell.
“However,” she added, softening at the sight of his disappointment, “I can promise you this.
If, in the future, you still find yourself unhappy with the engagement, I will personally go to them and dissolve it for you.
All right?”
Aurelian hesitated, then nodded with clear reluctance.
“Catherine, I will leave Aurelian to you.
Make sure he is presentable before tonight’s banquet.
We cannot have him embarrassing House Pendragon.”
Seeing that he had accepted her compromise, Elaine patted his head lightly, gave Catherine the instruction, and left to oversee the evening’s engagement banquet.
“Master Aurelian, it is time to wash and dress.”
A little later, seeing that he still had not moved, Catherine reminded him quietly.
“Catherine, honestly, I never thought this day would come.”
Once she broke the silence, Aurelian finally spoke.
“Master Aurelian,” she asked after a few seconds of hesitation, hope tucked carefully beneath the words, “why are you so opposed to the engagement Lord and Lady Pendragon arranged for you?
Are you dissatisfied with the girl?
You have not even met her yet.”
“I have not met her, and Father and Mother still have not told me who she is.
How could I already be dissatisfied with her?”
Aurelian shook his head.
His mood had settled by then.
If he could not reject it, then he could only accept it.
“It is only too sudden.
And this is the kind of thing I hoped I would be able to decide for myself.”
“Is that so…”
Disappointment flickered in Catherine’s eyes.
His next words, however, sent a flush straight to her cheeks.
“Besides, having you beside me has always been enough.
Suddenly gaining a fiancee feels strange.”
“Master Aurelian, what are you saying?
Enough.
You need to wash.”
Thoroughly embarrassed, Catherine pulled him to his feet and pushed him back toward his room.
‘A fiancee…
who could she be?
I still object, but I suppose I am a little curious.’ Get faster updates on g.com.
Aurelian looked at himself in the mirror.
After accepting the sudden news, he could not help wondering what sort of girl his parents had chosen for him.
‘Forget it.
No point overthinking it.
I will know tonight.’
…
Time passed.
The sun sank, and night soon settled over the castle.
House Pendragon’s home blazed with light, servants moving through the halls as they guided guests toward the banquet hall where the engagement celebration would be held.
Dressed and ready, Aurelian sat in his room with a book in his hands, turning the pages again and again without truly reading them.
A sharp pop sounded, and Bercas appeared in the room.
“Master Aurelian, Lady Pendragon asked me to inform you that the Delacours have arrived.”
“I understand.
Tell Mother I will be down shortly.”
Once he received the reply, Bercas vanished.
“The Delacours, then?
It seems they are one of the main parties tonight.”
Aurelian understood why Elaine had sent Bercas specifically to deliver that message.
Clearly, House Delacour was the family House Pendragon intended to join by marriage.
“Catherine, they are a French pure-blood family, are they not?”
“Yes, Master Aurelian.
House Delacour rose more than seven hundred years ago.
They have lived in France for generations and hold a high position in the French wizarding world.”
At Elaine’s request, Catherine had committed the details of the leading pure-blood families across Europe to memory.
After a brief recollection, she found the relevant information.
“The current Delacour generation has two daughters.
The elder is Fleur Delacour.
She is eleven this year and, barring any surprises, will enter Beauxbatons after September.”
“The younger daughter is three.
Her name is Gabrielle Delacour.
Your fiancee, Master Aurelian, should be Fleur Delacour.”
“It is also said that Fleur Delacour’s grandmother was a Veela, which makes Fleur one-quarter Veela by blood.”
“Fleur Delacour…
flower of the court, is it?
Then my fiancee must be remarkably beautiful.”
After hearing Catherine’s information on House Delacour, Aurelian checked his reflection, smoothed the creases from his clothes, and turned toward the door.
“Come on.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.