The drawing room was far more crowded than usual. His grandfather occupied the large armchair near the fireplace, with Richard seated to his right and two of Luke’s uncles farther along the same sofa.
Opposite them sat a broad-shouldered man with dark hair, an elegantly dressed woman, and a young woman Luke recognized immediately from his borrowed memories.
Charlotte had her mother’s fine features and her father’s dark hair, which fell over one shoulder in a glossy wave. She wore a fitted blue dress and sat with her hands folded neatly in her lap. When Luke entered, her eyes met his for a moment before shifting toward Richard. Every conversation stopped.
"Luke," his grandfather said, gesturing toward an empty chair. "Come and sit down."
Luke greeted his grandfather and the Blackthorns before taking his seat. Nobody seemed interested in the usual pleasantries, and the untouched refreshments on the table suggested the visit hadn’t been particularly enjoyable before he arrived either.
He glanced at Charlotte, who was still looking everywhere except directly at him.
"Your father told you about the agreement between our families?" Lord Blackthorn asked.
Luke raised an eyebrow. "The engagement? Yes, I’m aware of it."
"Of course." The man adjusted his cuff before continuing. "Charlotte’s progress has opened several opportunities for her. She has received an offer to train under an S-rank mage, which would require her to leave the city for an extended period."
"That sounds like a good opportunity."
"It is. However, given the demands of her training, we believe it would be best to reconsider certain arrangements."
Luke waited for him to finish, but Lord Blackthorn apparently thought that was sufficient explanation. Across the table, Richard’s jaw tightened slightly. His grandfather remained still, watching their guest over the rim of his cup.
"You mean the engagement," Luke said.
"Yes."
"And by reconsider, you mean cancel."
Lord Blackthorn’s expression stiffened. "We believe that would allow both of you to pursue futures better suited to your circumstances."
Luke simply nodded and then turned towards Charlotte. "Charlotte?" She looked at him. "Is this what you want?"
"Luke," Richard said quietly.
"I’m just asking." He turned back to Charlotte. "You want to end the engagement?"
"I do."
The previous Luke had spent years looking forward to marrying her. He remembered choosing gifts, waiting for replies, and reading far too much into the occasional smile. Luke himself had spoken to her twice in three weeks. He wasn’t about to beg her to reconsider.
"All right," he said. "Then let’s end it."
Charlotte blinked. Beside her, Lady Blackthorn lowered the cup she had just picked up.
"You agree?" Lord Blackthorn asked.
Luke shrugged. He did not care. He just wanted the whole thing to be over with. "If Charlotte doesn’t want to marry me, I don’t see much point in arguing," he said. "What do we need to do?"
Lord Blackthorn glanced toward his grandfather before opening his system interface. "We’ve prepared a dissolution agreement. You’ll receive a request shortly."
A notification appeared in front of Luke.
[Engagement Dissolution Agreement Received.]
[Review Terms?]
He opened it, expecting a few lines confirming that they were no longer engaged. Instead, several sections filled the panel, covering everything from the return of betrothal gifts to the wording of a public announcement. Apparently, even a marriage that hadn’t happened yet required considerable effort to get out of.
Luke scrolled until a heading caught his attention.
Compensation.
He went back up a little and read that section properly.
"The funds will be transferred upon acceptance," Lord Blackthorn said, noticing where his attention had settled. "You may also select one item from the collection specified in the agreement."
Luke kept his expression neutral with some effort. Until a moment ago, he had been quite happy to leave this room unmarried and find something to eat. Being paid for his cooperation was an unexpected improvement.
"One item from your treasury?" he asked.
"From the available collection," Lord Blackthorn clarified. "You’ll be given access to the catalogue."
His grandfather set down his cup. "And the selection will belong to Luke personally. It will not be counted toward any existing arrangements between our families."
"Of course."
Luke glanced at the old man, a little surprised that he had bothered to make the distinction. One of his uncles shifted on the sofa but said nothing.
Then a thought occurred to him. A catalogue would tell him what the Blackthorns thought their treasures were worth, but wasn’t the whole point of having ridiculous luck to find something everyone else had overlooked? He could hardly stumble across a dusty old relic while scrolling through a list of neatly appraised equipment.
"Could I visit the treasury in person before choosing?" he asked.
Lord Blackthorn considered the request. "That can be arranged in ten days. I’ll have someone prepare the collection for your inspection."
Ten days sounded excellent to Luke. By then, his luck would have increased from one to eleven, which had to improve his chances of finding something worthwhile.
"Ten days is fine," he said. "Please add that to the agreement."
His grandfather gave a small approving nod as Lord Blackthorn amended the terms. Luke reviewed the updated section, then returned to the compensation amount for one final, thoroughly enjoyable look.
Once he was satisfied, Luke selected Accept. Charlotte glanced down at her own interface and did the same, bringing an end to an arrangement their families had apparently spent months negotiating.
[Ding! Engagement agreement dissolved.]
[Compensation received.]
[Treasury visit scheduled: Ten days.]
Luke checked his balance before dismissing the notifications. He had never earned anything close to that amount in his previous life, and all he had done was agree to remain single. If someone had offered him this deal back then, he would have asked whether they had any other daughters who didn’t want to marry him.
"We appreciate your understanding," Lord Blackthorn said as he rose. "The announcement will be released this evening, using the wording we agreed upon."
"See that it is," his grandfather replied.
The farewells were brief. Lady Blackthorn offered a few polite words about wishing him well, while her husband assured Richard that their other business arrangements would remain unaffected.
Charlotte lingered beside his chair while her parents moved toward the door. "I hope you don’t think I wanted to humiliate you."
Luke glanced toward the collection of relatives who had watched him get dumped. "You could have picked a smaller audience."
"I asked to speak to you first."
"Then I suppose neither of us got the conversation we wanted." He shrugged, finding that he meant it when he added, "Good luck with your training, Charlotte."
"Thank you." She hesitated, but her mother called her name from the doorway.
Luke watched her leave before sitting back down, relieved that the whole business was finally over. His grandfather waited until the doors closed. "You handled that better than I expected."
"I didn’t realize everyone expected me to make a scene."
"You have been rather attached to that girl," one of his uncles said.
"Was there something else?" Luke asked.
"Yes," his grandfather said. "We need to discuss what happens now that you won’t be entering the academy’s combat program."
Luke settled back into his chair. Of course there was more. His family had gathered everyone in one room and apparently intended to get their money’s worth.
"You’ll be moving out of the main estate," his grandfather said. "We have a residence in the western district. It’s furnished, and the household expenses will be covered until the end of the year."
Luke looked at him for a moment before turning toward Richard. His father’s expression hadn’t changed, which suggested this had been discussed well before Luke walked into the room. Apparently, they had scheduled the end of his engagement and his eviction for the same afternoon.
"When you say moving out," he asked, "is that a suggestion?"
"It’s been decided," Richard said.
"Right. Just checking."
His uncle leaned forward. "You’re eighteen, Luke. Your cousins have already started contributing to the family. Those who aren’t in the guild are learning to manage our businesses."
"And which business am I going to manage?"
"That will depend on what you demonstrate an aptitude for. Your allowance will continue for three months," Richard replied. "Your awakening treatments and private combat instruction will end immediately. If you wish to pursue a civilian qualification, we’ll cover the tuition."
There it was. Luke had known the family wouldn’t keep throwing money at his awakening forever, but he hadn’t expected to lose his home along with the treatments.
"Can I stay here while I work out what I want to do?"
His grandfather shook his head. "The residence is ready. You’ll move tomorrow."
Luke’s fingers tightened against the armrest. He had asked partly to see whether there was any room for discussion, and apparently there wasn’t. Whatever pleasant language they wrapped around it, he had effectively been kicked out of the house.
"I understand. I will leave tomorrow."