Please Marry My Son

CHAPTER 9

“Pretty? Bright?

 2022.11.01.”

A few days ago, when Eric went to tell his parents that he would propose to Alicia, he realized his mistake when he saw his father intending to give him the aristocratic ring.

It occurred to him then that it was an arranged engagement, and while the idea of a signet ring from a noble family seemed burdensome, he felt obligated to comply. He was curious about Alicia’s opinion.

“Ring?”

“Oh, if you don’t want it, it’s okay. We haven’t officially had the engagement ceremony yet.”

“Well, you can check out ——.”

Even though they hadn’t formally had the engagement ceremony, it would seem odd for the news of their engagement to spread without a ring.

Alicia opened her mouth, fiddling with her empty fourth finger.

“Since we’ve decided to do it, we should do it properly. Yes, the ring.”

“Here?”

“This is mainly used by the royal family and nobility. It’s quite a historic place; rumor has it that it’s been around since the founding of the empire.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Today, there won’t be any other guests besides us, so feel free to choose comfortably.”

“Oh, okay.”

Thinking that the shopping level of nobility was indeed different, she followed Eric inside.

“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”

“Thank you.”

“Nice to meet you, miss.”

“Hello.”

“We’ve prepared in advance based on what we’ve heard, but if you could let us know your preferred style, we can recommend a few options for you.”

“Hmm… I prefer something simple. Not too flashy, but easy to wear and move around in.”

“I see.”

The unexpected response prompted the shop manager to ask again without realizing it.

Usually, customers would mention their favorite jewelry or trending designs.

However, she quickly regained her composure as a professional salesperson and put on white gloves.

“Then, let me show you a few options. Please wait just a moment.”

As she busily moved back and forth, she began to arrange the rings on the glass display shelves.

Meanwhile, Alicia started to look around the store.

She had never really been interested in jewelry, so she casually glanced around until her gaze momentarily stopped at one place.

“Butterflies?”

It was an ornament adorned with various blue-hued gemstones intricately set into butterfly wings.

Overall, it shimmered with a subtle blue hue, and even at a glance, it didn’t seem like something recently made.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, this.”

“A butterfly?”

“Doesn’t it look quite old? I wonder if the story about it being around since the founding of the empire is true.”

As they conversed, the manager approached.

“Shall I show it to you?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Just have a look.”

Taking the butterfly ornament from the display, the manager handed it to Alicia.

Reluctantly accepting it, Alicia took the ornament, and as it glistened in the sunlight, one of the butterfly wings detached and fell.

“Oops-.”

Alicia, flustered, looked at the manager and quickly placed it back on the display shelf.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to break so easily-.”

“It’s okay, miss. It’s already quite old, and the design isn’t exactly modern, so it needed repairs anyway. I apologize for causing you any concern.”

“Are you sure it’s really okay? Even for the repair cost-.?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. It’s already old anyway. It would have been strange if it hadn’t broken by now. Shall we look at the rings now?”

The manager chuckled and then gestured for Eric and Alicia to follow her to the other side.

“I’ll go with this one. How about it?”

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Yes, I like this one.”

It was a simple ring without any attached jewels.

Of course, Eric preferred this one, but he found it puzzling, knowing that women generally liked something small and shiny attached to their rings, as he’d heard once before.

“What about Eric, won’t it be uncomfortable to hold the sword?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, and even if he is, we shouldn’t leave it out.”

“Right, right.”

Eric smirked, and Alicia nodded in agreement, turning her attention back to the ring and glaring at it.

“?”

“It’s just two small circles, but it feels more secure than a signature, doesn’t it?”

“Ah.”

“Oh, miss, you’re quite something. Try signing your marriage vows later. It might feel more binding, if not constraining, right?”

As both of them looked at each other simultaneously, the shop manager coughed awkwardly and offered the packaged ring box.

“It’s not always about marriage, there are many other good things.”

The shop manager laughed as she made excuses, and Eric and Alicia smiled awkwardly and accepted the ring box.

***]

“Lord, is it true?”

As soon as he entered his home office after arriving at work in the morning, Callen burst in.

“What’s up?”

“I heard you’re getting engaged?”

“…Yeah.”

“Who is it?”

“Lady Alicia Lancaster.”

“Oh, is she pretty?”

“…Hmm.”

I don’t know why that matters to him. Whether she’s pretty or not, it’s none of Callen’s concern anyway.

Then, the sound of another door opening was heard, and other subordinates also rushed in.

“So, sir, are you engaged?”

“Not yet, but soon.”

“To whom?”

“The young lady of the Earl of Lancaster.”

“Is she pretty?”

“…Hmm.”

“If I had to say, it’s, uh…”

“Yeah, yeah?”

“Radiant.”

“Wow.”

Honestly, they hadn’t expected Eric’s response.

They had expected Eric to either scowl and tell them to leave as usual or simply ignore them altogether.

But to their surprise, Eric calmly made such a statement. It was less surprising than if a wizard or a demon had appeared after ten years.

As they came to this realization, they suddenly started to engage in an animated discussion amongst themselves, completely forgetting Eric’s presence.

“Is it like a halo? Like a visible halo?”

“Yeah, exactly. It was like something was shining right in my eyes.”

“It seems like it. Wow, seeing the Director like this, it’s something you don’t get to witness often.”

“Does that mean we don’t have to work overtime now?”

“These guys, they hear everything.”

Feeling hesitant to interrupt their conversation and unsure of what to say, especially since they were laughing and looking at him, Eric felt a bit awkward.

“I thought getting engaged would bring some peace and quiet, but why does it feel even more bothersome?”

Eric sighed and began to gather the reports that would be needed at the palace.

“Is what I heard true?”

“What do you mean?”

Eric encountered William on his way from the imperial palace to the conference room, where he was going to report on the upcoming joint knight training.

Considering how unlikely it was to run into each other by chance in the vast palace, Eric assumed William must have been waiting for him and asked bluntly as William approached with a solitary smile.

“You’re engaged to Lady Alicia Lancaster.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Is she pretty?”

“…”

William chuckled nervously as Eric simply remained silent.

“No matter what, isn’t that something important you should tell me yourself? It’s a bit hurtful.”

“It was a delicate matter to address with my parents first.”

“Ah, I see. So when will the engagement ceremony be?”

“We’re planning to have it when my father returns from overseas.”

“Oh, your father.”

Seeing William chuckle and tease him, Eric furrowed his brow, thinking that it wouldn’t end until he properly teased him back, and he ran his hand through his hair.

That’s when William noticed the ring.

“Oh, wow, a ring.”

As William grabbed Eric’s arm to inspect the ring, Eric pulled his arm away, asking what he was doing.

“You did it. You’re truly Britannia’s number one groom.”

“?”

“Her nickname is the illustrious Lady Swan. That’s Lady Alicia Lancaster.”

“Is that so?”

“You didn’t know? She’s known as the Iron Lady, so famously tough that it’s hard to attach any labels lightly.”

“I didn’t know.”

“How did you even meet if you didn’t know?”

“…It just happened.”

“Well, they say where there’s a will, there’s a way. But you just happened to meet her? People were going crazy trying to set up meetings left and right.”

“It wasn’t easy.”

He recalled being refused twice firmly in the past.

“Hehe.”

Suddenly, a laugh burst out.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Swan, huh, hehe.”

It was a fitting nickname.

Alicia seemed so elegant and regal, like a swan gracefully paddling beneath the water’s surface, constantly moving her feet to keep afloat. Yet in reality, she was diligently living up to her role as a magistrate.

But the fact that no one, including himself, had noticed this at all…

“Hehe.”

“What’s up with you? Are you so happy you’re about to die just thinking about it?”

William looked at Eric, who was leaning against the wall and chuckling, with a puzzled expression.

It was a meeting to report to the emperor about the joint training of the First Knight Division and the Edinburgh Guards.

“Well done. Keep up the good work to prevent any incidents.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, by the way. Count Russell.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we have a cup of tea?”

“Ah, yes.”

As the emperor rose from his seat, he gestured for William to follow him, and then he took the first steps.

After that, William, who shrugged his shoulders with a puzzled expression, followed suit, along with Eric, who also seemed unsure.

“So, you finally did it. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

The emperor chuckled as he looked at Eric’s puzzled expression, as if wondering how he found out.

“Lord Gloucester came by and left after bragging about it. Haven’t seen him that excited in a while.”

“I apologize.”

Seeing Eric bow his head in embarrassment, the emperor laughed heartily once again.

“While our princes are still like this.”

“Ugh.”

As Eric lightly rebuked William, who was chuckling beside the emperor, the emperor laughed and teased him.

“You’ll be doing it soon, won’t you?”

“Hahaha. It’s not my concern now, so I’m relaxed.”

“That’s right. Lord Russell, show him how it’s done. I’ll be watching closely to see how you live your life, so set a good example.”

“If you want to get William married, you should start by managing yourself. I’ll keep an eye on you too.”

“…”

Under the emperor and William’s combined teasing, Eric eventually fell silent.

“Well, it’s in the past now, but I did consider how it would be as a prince consort.”

Eric’s unexpected statement made both William and the emperor look at him simultaneously.

“Harry would be quite disappointed.”

But in the following words, Eric turned his head towards William, who shook his head slightly, indicating that he hadn’t heard of it either.

Regardless of their reactions, the emperor nodded as if he understood something.

“However, considering your status, like the Gloucester Duke and Duchess, you might be able to handle it.”

“?”

Feeling a bit concerned about the words that were bothering him, Eric watched the emperor, but the emperor just continued to laugh as if amused.

***

“Hey, Eric.”

At William’s call, Eric stopped and turned to look back.

“Hey, forget about what I said earlier. It’s all in the past anyway.”

“I understand.”

“Come to think of it, I happened to overhear Harry talking to Her Majesty recently. At the time, I was wondering what they were discussing about women, but I guess that was it.”

“I see.”

In truth, Eric didn’t have much interaction with Prince Harry, even if it was because of William.

However, his perpetually dark complexion didn’t leave a good impression, and his stepmother, the Empress, had a strong personality that was difficult to accommodate. 

So, Eric didn’t think he would make a good match for Alicia.

“What’s up? I was worried you just went ahead and got engaged because of all the pressure, but it seems like you’re serious?”

“Really?”

“But still, Harry is a prince. It would be awkward if you blatantly showed that you wanted to kill him.”

“When have I ever done that?”

“Your expression completely said so, though.”

“No way.”

He simply thought that Prince Harry wouldn’t suit Alicia. That was it, just for a brief moment.

At Eric’s firm response, William reluctantly nodded.

“Okay, let’s leave it at that. So, what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to the Duke’s residence. To see my fiancée.”

“Wow.”

Ignoring William’s bewilderment, Eric continued walking.

While heading to the Duke’s residence, he thought about discussing his father, the Duke of Gloucester, and Prince Harry.