THE CHILD OF THE PROPHECY [EDITED]

CHAPTER 3

03 : A step forward.

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THE MEETING ENDED WITH the nobles and priests acknowledging Eris' suggestion. And the news about her benevolence spread across the empire like wildfire. Everyone who knew her praised her kind heart, except her family.

It was another morning for Eris and unexpectedly, her father had requested for her presence in the dining hall. She had just finished dressing up and hadn't eaten breakfast yet when the news came from the head butler's own mouth.

Eris wanted to reject it when she remembered something important. With her flowery, pink dress, Eris entered the dining hall. She greeted her father and brothers then took the second seat on the left, beside Caius, the eldest.

Their breakfast was silent, and even if the atmosphere felt heavy, Eris ignored it as if she was used to it. She was cutting her steak to bite sized pieces when her father spoke.

"Another marriage proposal arrived. This time, it came from the Duchy of Auberon."

Eris tried to hide the smile that's forming on her face by wiping the side of her lips with her napkin. Her head turned to her father, indicating that she was listening to him. Then he continued.

"Since your coming-of-age ceremony is just around the corner, I thought of asking you for your opinion about it." He sounded proud and firm, as if he had done his daughter a great favor by giving her the right to personally reject the proposal, like what she usually did with the other ones.

But Eris felt different this time. She took a sip of orange juice from her glass before showing her smile to them. "Thank you for your consideration, father." It was all the same to her, the past, the present, or even the future. So, she had decided to stop altogether and forged another path for herself.

"Father can send the documents in my room after dinner. I'll accept the proposal." Her smile grew wider as she heard a few silver utensils falling on the dining hall's marble floor.

"What?! Are you kidding?!"

"How can you accept a marriage proposal from a stranger?!"

"Shouldn't you devote yourself to the Church since you're the Child of the Prophecy?"

Those were a few reactions from her brothers. 'As expected, they're only spouting nonsensical things.'

"Are you sure this time? You won't take it back at the last minute?" Her father asked. She had a past issue of canceling an engagement before. But surely, she won't do that again.

Eris shook her head. "I'm serious this time, father."

She couldn't quite read her father's reaction, but she brushed it off, knowing that his reaction doesn't always end well for her.

Her brothers were still throwing their unwanted opinions to her as she left the dining hall. Eris tried her best not to respond to them and continued to pretend that she's not hearing any of them.

An envelope came to her room and Eris read its contents while Alois gave her a shoulder massage.

"Are you really thinking of accepting the proposal, my lady?" She asked.

"Yes. Do you also think that I'd back out again?" Eris teased her.

Alois was flustered when her master found out about what she was thinking.

"Forgive my insolence, my lady."

"Don't worry. I won't do it this time."

Eris was true to her words. She had tried to devise a plan to bring her fate in action, but all those plans' ending were either her death or a fatal blow on her. If she'll remain in this house, she won't really gain any freedom to fulfill her fate. The fate entrusted to her by that voice.