Page 54 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
Perhaps I needed to start exercising. Though I did seem to have some book character plot armour that meant I could eat whatever I wanted and barely gain weight, so at least I had the luxury of not having to put in too much effort.
I shuffled my way downstairs. The light in my father’s office was on, and the door was cracked open the tiniest amount, allowing it to peek through and illuminate a sliver of the hallway. The towering grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs read almost midnight, and I paused, gripping the railing.
Why was he up so late, and in his office, to boot? If he stayed up this late it was usually in his bedroom or the library where he could have a quiet drink, not in his office where he was surrounded by work.
“How can you allow this, Lucien?” My stepmother’s clipped tone filled the air.
“Because it’s my decision, Annalise.” Father’s voice was tired. “We went over this after I received the proposal.”
Were they talking about me?
Eh, of course they were. I was the only thing that could work my stepmother up like this, and as far as I knew, I was the only one with a proposal on the table.
“How can you agree to let her go off to Stein and be a Grand Duchess? I disliked the idea of her marrying into the ducal families, never mind this!” Her tone held an uncomfortable shrillness. “What about Sophia? Don’t you care for her at all? Didn’t you consider her?”
“The proposal was not to House Vermillion for a daughter. I’ve told you this. The proposal was directly for Alicia, so I couldn’t force Sophia as a match even if I wanted to.”
“If you wanted to? Are you saying you don’t want Sophia to have a good marriage? You’ve already made it clear that the Emperor isn’t considering her for the position of Crown Princess! How can you allow that child to have a better marriage than my daughter?”
“This has nothing to do with Sophia’s future marriage. It has everything to do with Alicia, and I cannot refuse a proposal from the Grand Duke without good reason. To do so would be an insult to the Imperial Family. How many times must I repeat that to everyone?”
“Use her health as a reason! Stein is a bitter, cold place. She’ll find it difficult.”
“There’s nothing wrong with her health, despite what you’ve been telling people. In fact, Sophia is the one who would struggle in such a place. She’s not nearly strong enough nor qualified enough to be a Grand Duchess, Annalise. If you were to be honest with yourself, surely you know this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Alicia applied herself to her lessons when she was a child. She was always destined to be a duchess or marchioness and worked hard to make sure she was prepared for a marriage to a prestigious house, if not the Royal House. Sophia didn’t have the same constitution, and you allowed her to skip her lessons in favour of socialising. The girls had vastly different educations because of it.Thatis why I say she’s not qualified for this position.”
“What are you saying? That Sophia is only eligible to be a lowly noble’s wife? I will not have my daughter married off to a low noble or as someone’s second wife! I will not allow her to be in the position I was!”
There was a loud noise, as if my father had slammed his hands on the desk. “Then perhaps you should start by reminding Sophia of her etiquette lessons and reign in her sly and uncouth behaviour. Since Lady Georgina’s tea party, word has spread about both of your actions towards Alicia. As it is in this moment, no high-ranking noble would accept Sophia as their daughter-in-law, even if we begged.”
“How can you say that? No—how can you allow this marriage for Alicia and have her lord it over Sophia? Even Vincent would have to bow to her after becoming the marquess!”
There was another loud noise, one that presumably came from the banshee instead of my father.
“I will not allow this to happen!”
“That is enough!” Father bellowed. “You may be the lady of this house, but you have no say over Alicia’s marriage. You’ve had more than enough say in her life since you entered this household, but no more. I’ve already spoken to Duke Lovett and received his agreement for the engagement, so your opinion is unnecessary. Nothing you say will change my mind.”
Duke Lovett.
My mother’s brother and my uncle.
Why did he have a say?
“Why does that broke scoundrel get a say and I do not?”
“One of Ivelle’s last wishes was that House Lovett be consulted on Alicia’s marriage. I promised her I would maintain a relationship with them, and I am a man of my word.”
“I still cannot—”
“Leave it, Annalise. You have no power to change this, no matter how loudly you shriek at me.” His voice weakened slightly, presumably a sign of his sheer exhaustion with the whole thing. “A marriage between Alicia and the Grand Duke is a good thing. It strengthens the Vermillion ties to the Imperial Family and is politically and financially advantageous. I will gain more power in the empire, and that will result in better marriage offers for Sophia when the time comes. Especially if you can teach her how to behave properly, instead of this intolerable brattiness she’s currently exhibiting.”
Of course.
It was always about what I could bring to the table for them. A child of House Lovett and House Vermillion, one that could potentially pass down both divine power and mana strong enough to produce an aura sword master, was a precious bargaining tool in this world. Just because House Lovett hadn’t produced a divine power user in three generations didn’t mean that power was lost forever.
