An Arranged Union(1)

The pressure to get married was well intense.Mothers scheming and strategizing to secure advantageous matches for their daughters.

And the unmarried sons?

Well, let's just say they're facing their fair share of parental nagging and scrutiny.

One such young man was Edward Knights,the grand duke of Britannia,whose bachelorhood days were numbered.

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The ballroom was alive with music,with the maidens twirling and spinning in the arms of their suitors.

Edward stiffly stood at the corner of the room; alone and uninterested in the ongoing drama.He was nursing a glass of brandy,with his friends cajoling him to find himself a match.

"Come now,Edward.If you continue to stand there you'll be the only bachelor left in this town." Nigel chided.

"And you know mother won't let you off the hook."

He,just as his brother, had been brought there to find a match for himself and to find one for Edward.

Edward scowled."You know I do not desire to wed.All these simpering young ladies are the same - vapid and uninteresting."

"That's why you must be discerning,Edward.Find one with a challenge,a spirit to tame."Reginald,his friend clapped his back.

The group erupted with laughter and he merely rolled his eyes.Little by little,his friends were getting busier with the dolled mannequins on their arms.

'Ugh!'.

He was disgusted to even look at the sight.They walked around in their heavy layered ball gowns and their faces painted with different layers of make-up; ogling at him and waiting for him to approach.

He remained in his position.He had been able to escape the other seasons and kept himself unwed,but now,he was caught in a tangled web.

His mother had turned herself into a matchmaking host, inviting the women of other houses just so he would choose from.

This irritated him.

Does a man necessarily need a woman?

With that,he had promised her to come back home with a debutante on his arms while he had been secretly planning to wait for the ladies to be matched with other suitors.

As the music swelled,he made his escape, slipping out of the ballroom and into the cold night air.

When he returned home,his mother was waiting for him.Her eyes locked on the door to find out if he brought a lady.

Disappointed,she sighed.

"You think you are smarter than I? You have been waiting for the ladies to be matched so you will be the only man left out,do you take me for a fool?" Her brows angrily arched.

"I am your mother.I know you too well than you know yourself." She began her lecture.

" I will not watch you galavanting around the town like a wayward youth in search of cigar and shaming the family name by remaining unwed."

"I already told you I was not interested in getting married.Now the ladies are all matched,what should I do as a bachelor?" He smirked,mocking his angry mother and feigning pity for himself.

"You don't need to worry about that.I have already arranged a little meeting for you.Go to the Ritz and you shall find her.The season's already over and you are the only one left."

His smirk was instantly wiped off.

"How could you do this mother? I am not getting married to anyone" He groaned, remaining obstinate and choosing not to visit those dolled up ladies. That was not what he was born to do.That was not his dream.He was born to be rich,and that too without a lady.

"Nonsense!" She tutted.

"I asked her mother to keep her solely for you as the other women are already out of season.I have discussed the venue for the wedding and everything.You just have to appear."

"But-"

"If you go against my words,you are doing the same to your father. Go now before I lose my mind."

Reluctantly,he made his way to Ritz where he found the young lady seated at the front in a faded brown ball gown.

The already engaged women turned their attention to him;looking away from their suitors.

He was charming and a sight for sore eyes.

Every mother had tried intertwining him in their matrimonial web,but he was able to wriggle his way out.

Unfortunately,his mother was one step ahead this time.

As he approached her,he couldn't help but look around at the other women in the room.They were all beautifully dressed;the same couldn't be said for the lady he was meant to meet.

Truly,he was the only bachelor left and the fresh ones were gone.The leftovers were the only thing he could pick.

He pulled the chair to sit across her,waiting for her to smile or at least just look his way...but she didn't.

"Excuse me,miss.May I know your name?"The girl shifted her attention from the menu to the man seated across him.

She stared at him for a while and turned back to the menu.

Annoyed by her rudeness,he kept quiet the entire period,patiently waiting for her to say something.

To his dismay,she didn't utter a word.

She was wasting his time.

All the women in Britannia would die to speak to him,but here she was - plain with her mousy brown hair,playing hard to get.

He looked at his watch that seated peacefully on his wrist waiting for the time to pass so that he could leave.

"Do you need anything? A drink, perhaps?" He asked the lady.Suddenly, she slurped her juice noisily,to indicate she had one.

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Realization dawned on him and his eyes widened with fear.

"Y-you are not mute,are you???"

Had all the women in Britannia finished for him to marry this lady?

The girl ignored him and stared blankly at him.Her expression was unreadable.As if on instinct,she dug her index finger deep inside her nose.

His eyes twitched at the horrible sight.He wanted to puke.

Surely, his mother had gone too far.

When he reached home,he found his mother with his elderly sister seated on the sofa and happily drinking.

"Well,how did it go?I heard mother announce the Knights' great bachelor was off the market." His sister asked eagerly.

"Dreadful,Kate!" He replied."The girl is utterly uncouth - digging her finger in her nose the entire time." He cringed.

"Good! I can already hear the wedding bells." Kate teased.

"I am not marrying such an unclean creature.You cannot agree to this marriage mother!You know I have mysophobia."

"Sure!" Lady Beatrice rose up."I will not accept the marriage,because I have already paid the dowry and done what must be done." His mother declared.

"You cannot do this to me mother.Shall I live with her till death do us apart? With her fingers in her nose?"

Kate fell into uncontrollable laughter,amused at her brother's reaction.

"I-l am a Duke for dad's sake.Do you wish for our family to be embarrassed? I will not marry her."

"You do not need to marry her because I shall find someone to marry her in your stead and bring her to your home as the Lady of The House. You will not tell me to wait for the next season.I have been growing impatient."

He stared at his mother's retreating back as she gracefully waltzed into her room,singing songs of praises and already blessing her son.

Kate looked at her brother with pity.Nothing could stop her from laughing.

Had he found himself a bride a long time,he wouldn't be stuck with the lady.