The Duchess' Enchantment

Chapter 4

The General Prince was bored. He had no desire to place himself in a nest of vipers in fanciful dresses, nor had he any inclination to debate about eligible single women to any of the young lords who enjoyed themselves too much. He avoided all the stares of surprise or astonishment he received once he set foot in the extravagant room, as he never attended such wasteful celebrations. He had been hoping to blend into the background, which was so unlike him, if only so not to draw attention of the eligible young ladies of marriageable age and their ferocious mother sharks who were sure to corner him for his attentions behind their simpering gazes and words.

But that had not worked. It didn't exactly help that he was a towering hunk of a man or how his regal demeanor and posture that screamed of royalty brought the attention of every single being in the room. His stance was rigid as always like a man awaiting the impending danger on the battlefield, his gaze fierce like a predator hunting for its prey. But no matter what his strong, powerful and graceful movements and his commanding presence of a military general always drew attention. Usually he reveled in it. But not in this circumstance. The whole room grew silent as they watched him approach, exchanging incredulous glances with other nobles. The only one who seemed unfazed by his presence was his sister-in-law, who beamed at him, patting her slightly swollen belly. He scowled at her, showing his obvious displeasure at being invited to such a delightful and horrendous event. Her smile grew even wider as she gestured for some ladies to join her- daughters of foreign nobles he assumed as he had not met them yet. He panicked, which he rarely ever did. He was known for being level headed and calm in face of any tension, always being the voice of reason in his brother's council and on the battlefield. But when it came to the opposite sex, he found that he did not understand them at all. He thrived on reading- people, geographies, battle tactics- anything. Anything but women. For the life of him, he could not ever figure them out.

So he started walking in the other direction when a tiny, slender hand clamped on his shoulder and asked him, "Cassius, aren't you going to greet these wonderful ladies?"

Without waiting for an answer, it continued, "This is Lady Karissa Lynd, daughter of a prominent Sallerian noble." She gestured to an overly eager girl behind her, decked in a frilly crimson ball gown, the neckline a bit low to be appropriate, however still respectfully high enough. She was drowning in jewels, especially in her neck area, which drew attention to her bosom. If he were any other male, he would have been mesmerized by her perfectly formed cheekbones, her plump pink lips and the way she so innocently batted her lashes at him. But he was not any other foolish man besotted with a beautiful woman, nor was he oblivious to the glint in the corner of her eye or her smile, bright but sure that she would be the object of his affections.

Cassius glared at his sister-in-law, who chuckled silently at him before bowing his head to place a kiss on her gloved hand. With careful, measured practice, he said, "a pleasure to meet you, milady. Would you like to join me for a dance?"

She beamed at him and fluttered her lashes and obliged. They took their place on the dance floor, and she was indeed every bit the graceful dancer and the prim, proper lady every noblewoman aspires to be. But he found such traits incredibly boring and cliched. She made some small talk about her gown and jewelry, her wealth, complemented Cassius's dancing skills and looks and subtly hinted that she'd make an excellent match for him. In short, she was everything he was not interested in. He was forced to endure yet another dance as the noblewomen lined up after his first dance, preventing him from going anywhere but the dance floor. So he selected the closest random girl to dance, yet another conversation about her family's wealth and holdings, yet another complement on Cassius' graceful dancing and yet another hint about marriage prospects and the benefits of their marriage.

The two conversations were so enchanting that he had to prevent himself from crying out. At last when the dance ended, he hurriedly placed a kiss on the back of her hand and praised her beauty and dancing skills like he did with his previous dance partner and looked to escape. However, his sister-in-law had other plans and introduced ladies every time he finished another dance. So he danced, skillfully concealing his discomfort behind a veneer of polite conversation, an art every member of the royal family had to perfect; something he did excellently, keeping in with his calculated facade.

After finally having danced enough to satisfy his sister-in-law, Cassius located his brother, wanting to give him a lecture about all this pointless coercing to find a wife and settle down. Unfortunately, he was ambushed by old Lord Bridham, one of his brother's most trusted advisors. He grabbed onto Cassius and called out to some of the Lords on the council.

"Prince Cassius! fancy seeing you here! What prompted the change?" Lord Bridham inquired, as the General Prince's presence at balls were very scarce.

Cassius gritted his teeth and replied, "I was unfortunately obligated to attend as there are many foreign nobles visiting"

"Ah of course. All work and no fun I see. Just like always" Another Noble retorted.

"Speaking of which, have you found any potential wives yet?" Lord Bridham asked curiously. 

Cassius stiffened. He did not want to marry, and it was common knowledge, but the lords forced it upon him because his brother was newlywed and childless as of now, and as such Cassius was his brother's heir. And of course, as a prince, it was his duty to marry well and produce more heirs than he can count. Or at least that was the hope. So far he had resisted. But their pleas were growing, and he did not know how long he would hold out.

He looked around to escape, but it became clear that he would not get away anytime soon. The vipers in suits had closed in.