My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 3- Marriage?!

My mouth stayed open like a fish for a while and certainly was not a great sight to behold. But I didn't fucking care.

What in hell, were these people thinking?! I was 8!!! (my real age doesn't matter- they don't know about it!)

"No. This is an outrage!!" I managed to voice out,  the utter disgust at this stupid idea fully audible as I rested my teacup on the table with violence. 

"Lucreatia watch your manners. You are a lady of society, you cannot throw things in such unsightly way." warned the Duke as he went for some tea as well, yet in a much more composed manner than me.

I couldn't believe this calm attitude! His daughter got asked in marriage and he just sips his tea!!! Useless... no...no... I won't go down this easily you bastard.

"Papa..." I approached softly, afraid of what my instinct was telling me. "You are going to refuse right? Right?? " the urgency in my voice made him look and stop his tea drinking.

The room went deadly silent way too long for my taste. And Jenni, watched paled and mortified at all that was happening.

"Unfortunately..." started the duke in a mix of anger and disappointment. "I cannot refuse a candidate proposal if it's coming from the Great Duke of the North. At least not without proper justification."

Oh, great. Fantastic. Amazing... There were not enough words to transmit how so greatly fucked up was all of this!!

Jenni who saw both mine and the (useless) Duke's angry face, had now a face of deep thinking. Her thinking must have brought her some realization because she turned to the duke after some time.

"You are right father, it is not easy to say no to the Great Duke of the North. But even though this is only a candidate proposal and not an actual engagement, which could only be done if accepted by the two parts..." she gave me a reassuring look as to put me at ease. "Isn't it a protocol breach?"

The duke looked at her in silence, while my interior self was dancing with joy. Maybe there was a way out of it! You go, Jenni!

"Shouldn't they have waited for me to be engaged first before trying to pursuit Lucretia? Also isn't the norm to do it when we have our second blessing?" Asked Jenni with an uncharacteristic dry face, going for a bite of a chocolate cookie.

Yes!!! I have the best sister!! Jenni to the rescue!!

The Duke however just let out a big sigh. NO. DON'T YOU DARE Gobbie!

But he did...

"While not the common practice... One can extend a proposal of engagement early on. The proposal can last longer than the engagement itself, which is also normally done after the Second Blessing when both reach adulthood, yet this also can be different as long as the two parties accept to engage. However, as long as the engagement is set, the lady would have to move to her future husband's house to train herself to be a wife in his household..." he said as he gave an angry look into nothingness, his teacup now secured in the table. 

But this was crap... more than crap... super crap...no... no... infinite super crap...

"It is true that they should have waited for you Jennifer to get a proposal of engagement, however, both the Temple and the Emperor have accepted the breach." He had a hand on his head, looking as if a migraine had attacked his left side of the face.

I was the one having a migraine! Those old fuckers!!

....

So aunt Belladona was right, they were watching and now decided to act. It would be the perfect way to control me, as I would lose my independence and be married to a fervent believer of the Temple's religion. Of all the Duchy houses, the Great family of the North was the most religious of all.