Ordained

Chapter Fifteen

Cassius' parents were exactly where he expected them to be after dinner. He had stepped out for some fresh air after his pair had been dismissed. The entire meal had been unbearably awkward. His parents had grilled the Elva girl and while he didn't care much for her, he did feel bad for anyone who had to suffer the intensity of his parents' interrogations. It had been unnecessary, uncomfortable, and frankly exhausting. Sucking in a final deep breath of cool air he returned inside, knowing where his parents would be.

His father's drawing room had become almost like a private snug for the pair, Cassius often finding his mother and father snuggled up on the sofa in front of the fire. Carmen was frowning, her eyes closed as she massaged her temples, a tell-tell sign of a headache.

"Mother, father." He greeted, settling himself into a chair.

Victor looked up, looking equally troubled. "Son." He nodded.

"I don't know if I should've brought her here or not." Cassius began. When he had heard his pair's name, and it hadn't been a commoner, he had panicked. It was supposed to be an almost certainty that nobles were paired with a member of the lower class. Their entire plan had been formulated with this unshakable fact as its foundation. Well, consider the plan shaken because there was a noble woman in one of the bedrooms upstairs, very much his ordained pair despite how much he wished she wasn't.

There wasn't anything wrong with her per say. She just wasn't what she was supposed to be.

"It is a shame that things have worked out like this." Victor sighed, watching his drink as he swirled it around his glass.

Carmen pouted, huffing her dismay. "I told you he should never have gone to that damn pairing in the first place."

Victor rubbed his eyes with the hand not holding his wife. "What could I do? Virgil insisted."

Cassius rolled his eyes and gestured for the waiting servant to pour him a drink also. He would need it if his parents were to again rehash this same argument.

Carmen sighed dramatically. "He's your brother, you could've tried harder to dissuade him."

"He's also the king my love." He said with a finality that invited no further argument. He couldn't disagree with the king, brother or not.

Cassius had also resisted the pairing when his father had announced his uncle's command. At best it would besmirch his personal honour, at worst it would be a stain on the honour of his entire house.

The duchy of Marcelia was where the royal family had originated, and was therefore tied to the monarchy inextricably. The arrangement that had been precariously passed down through the generations was a curious mix of selective childbearing and unwavering duty.

Ideally, the arrangement went like this: The monarchy would have two heirs, just two. An heir and a spare. One would become the next monarch, and the other would either inherit the duchy or be married abroad to secure alliances. The Marcelia duchy was allowed to produce only one heir per generation. If they did not survive to adulthood, or died prematurely, then the spare royal heir would become the new duke or duchess and pass on the title to their singular offspring.

Cassius' father, Victor had been the second born prince to the previous king and queen, and when his uncle's son had died, the duchy had passed to him. It was complicated and sometimes a little messy but it ensured that the most powerful duchy and the crown had co-existed and supported one another for centuries.

Cassius felt like the collective weight of his ancestors so often threatened to crush him beneath their illustrious reputations, and he would not allow himself to be the one to bring dishonour to such a long-lasting and illustrious house.