KnockKnock
"Your grace, the lady has arrived."
"Let her in." A voice commands from the room. The butler pushed open the door, revealing a neat room with organized documents on a small desk. Tall shelves of books surround a desk in the middle, with a large window showing the castle's distinguished view behind. There, in the middle, sat the duke. His black hair was kept untidy, his demeanor was cold, but one thing that I vividly remembered was his eyes. Those bright green eyes that shone like emeralds, but behind those was a sharpening gaze that could pierce through anything.
"Good morning, your grace." I greeted him with a slight bow.
"Good morning, Celeste," He replied without even looking up from the pile of paperwork. "I shall skip the pleasantries and make this quick since I know you must be wondering why I called you this early in the morning."
"Yes, your grace."
"Count Ashen's son, Sebastian Ashen, has asked for your hand in marriage."
"But-"
"The wedding will be held after you turn seventeen," His grace cut me off. "In the meantime, you should prepare for your debutant ball. I will call that designer lady to the castle for the dress fitting."
"You mean Baroness Cynthia?" "Yes, I'll have the butler notice you later on this matter. Also, Count Ashen and his son will be visiting tomorrow. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Is that noted, Celeste?"
"Yes, your grace."
"You may take your leave now. And the next time we meet, call me father instead of your grace."
"Yes, your grace."
I took the chance to quickly escort myself out of the room. Never in my whole life would I have thought someone would want to marry me. But now, I am faced with another matter concerning the debutante ball. Well…I have to debut in high society one day. And now, it seems the moment I turn seventeen. I shall bear no peace of my own anymore.
I walk back to my room, my mind wandering aimlessly about the future. A familiar voice echoed from the end of the corridor. Nathaniel was standing by the window, talking to the servants. I sometimes envy him. People usually avoid me. I'm the cursed princess after all.
Nathaniel turned and spotted me. His expression shifted to a relaxed one. "Cel!" he called out loudly. I pretended to ignore him and quickly walked past the corridor. Instead of letting me be, he ran up to me, acquiring what I just discussed with the duke.
"Cel…Are you well? You look down." Nathaniel asked with a worried expression.
"It was nothing, brother."
"I'm sure something happened. Shall we go out for a stroll in the garden? The weather is quite fine today."
"Yes, brother. The weather is quite good in autumn."
My brother ordered the servant to go get me my coat. While waiting for the servant, he tried striking up conversations on the topic of marriage.
"You know, Celeste, there's this one girl I've recently met at a ball. She's really the opposite of you. She's really bright, cheerful, and always has a smile on her face. But I don't think I should bother swarming over her like the other young lords, right? I have my little sister to take care of after all," He chuckled a little. "You don't need to get married, Celeste, if you don't want to. When I become the head of the house, I'll make sure my dear little sister is well-cared for." He smiled at me warmly. I spotted the servant coming back with my coat.
"Brother, shall we go outside now?" I asked, putting on my coat.
"Yes, Celeste. Let's head outside."