Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 56 | No Way

14K reads and 2K votes? I'm in shock - thank you all so much! I love all of you readers <3

"What?" Mia asked, completely and utterly dumbfounded as she stared at her mother in disbelief, her happy mood deflating down to the floor.

"The word is 'Pardon', Euphemia. Don't say 'what', I raised you better than that," Cassiopeia reprimanded her daughter but Mia couldn't care less, she sunk to her seat, her heart beating loudly in her chest as a wave of panic and disbelief engulfed her.

Cassiopeia had called Euphemia to the drawing room after the girl had returned to the Black Manor after visiting Florean and Pomona in Diagon Alley.

Mia had thought nothing of it at first - she had been in such a happy mood that she couldn't think of anything negative whatsoever. Which made her perfect to take advantage of, in Cassiopeia's opinion.

However, once Euphemia had entered the drawing room, she had immediately been filled with a sinking feeling when she saw her mother's face as she beckoned her daughter over to sit down.

"What is it, Mother?" Mia had asked, dread pooling in her stomach. "I need to talk to you about something very important that regards your future," Cassiopeia had told her which instantly had set off alarm bells in Euphemia's head.

Gulping, Mia had started to pay more attention, feeling her nerves practically overtake and engulf her body in a wave, drowning her completely.

"Once your cousin, Orion, leaves Hogwarts, myself and your Aunt Melania have decided to marry the two of you," Cassiopeia had told her carefully and slowly and Euphemia had felt like her heart had dropped out of her chest.

Now, Mia continued staring in disbelief at her mother as Cassiopeia corrected her use of the word 'What?' instead of 'Pardon?' But could you blame her?

What on earth was Cassiopeia playing at? Euphemia was only just turning fifteen this summer and yet she was expected to marry Orion when she was still underage and still a child....

This time next year she was going to be married to her cousin, her disgusting, slimy cousin who she didn't even like! Orion had always been horrible to her and yet now Mia had to marry him? Where was her choice in this?

"Do I not have a choice?" Euphemia asked rather shakily and Cassiopeia scoffed harshly, a scornful laugh coming out of her mouth.

"Choice? Why would we let you have a choice? It's proper Black family procedure to be married to a respectable pure blood man!" Cassiopeia told her, frustrated that her daughter wasn't more excited at the prospect of getting married.

Mia was anything but excited - she didn't have a choice in who she was marrying and she would be stuck in a loveless marriage for the rest of her days instead of marrying a person that she loved.

The worst thing about the entire situation was that she didn't have a choice - her mother and aunt had already paired Orion and herself up without even consulting either of them.

It was like she didn't matter anymore, Euphemia physically felt like she was an object only there for one purpose - to sustain the pureblood line and uphold the Black family tradition.

Mia would be nearing sixteen when she was to be married but the girl was still pretty certain that that age was way too young to be making such life changing commitments like marriage.

She would still be in school, for goodness sake! Euphemia knew that her parents were tying her down with a husband now because then she wouldn't be able to get away or escape from the family in any way, shape or form.