Theodore's POV
She was taunting him.
He was sure of that. Somehow, she had figured out the effect she had on him and was using it to her own advantage. It was obvious.
He didn't know when it had happened, convinced that he had always been very careful, very closed off around her. But perhaps, not careful enough.
She now knew of a weakness he had and she was using it. This...show she had put on earlier in the day, showing up to what? Help him? Offer him comfort? His fingers curled into fists at the memory. He didn't need it.
He could see right through that.
But, he had to give it to her, it was clever. The way that she had managed to rile him up during dinner yesterday...he didn't see it coming. It was like he wasn't in control of his actions when she was around. It only took a look, a smirk, to make him act like a complete idiot.
He had made a fool of himself. In front of his grandfather.
That was probably her goal. He should've known that when he had asked for her help back at school it had been a mistake. To show such a weakness in front of her, ask for her help? He didn't know what he was thinking at the moment. It had been one of his many mistakes regarding her. Looking weak, lowering his defenses.
He deserved everything that his grandfather had said to him. Every little bit.
A chill ran down his spine just remembering it.
"Tell me," he said, voice low and sharp as a blade, "when exactly did I teach you to behave like some... lovesick schoolboy?"
Theodore's jaw clenched.
"I wasn't—"
"Oh, you were." His grandfather's voice cut across the room. "Murmuring like a child in class. Smirking. Letting her get the better of you with every little quip. You made a spectacle of yourself."
Theodore stood straighter. "It wasn't like that—"
"You think I care what it was like to you?!" His grandfather's voice thundered now, cane slamming against the polished floor. "You are not here to indulge yourself in petty games with some spoiled girl. You are here to build alliances, to uphold the legacy of this family. That girl is a tool, and you are making a mess of things."
The words hit harder than they should have. Still, Theodore didn't move.
"She is not your equal," Lord Nott hissed. "She is your obligation. And obligations do not warrant smirks and whispered jokes. They demand control. Respect. Power. Do you intend to hand it all away because some pretty face knows how to rile you up?"
"I know what I'm doing." Theodore ground out, quiet but firm.
"Do you?" Lord Nott stepped closer now, and for a second, Theodore almost felt like a child again. He refused to flinch. "Because from where I sat, you looked like a boy in over his head."
Someone touched Theodore's shoulder and he was brought back to the present. He gave a polite smile and shook hands with another associate of his grandfather before he decided enough was enough. He excused himself claiming to go grab a drink and without waiting for an answer he left.
The loud music was getting on his nerves by the time he reached his destination, which was the other side of the ballroom. As far away from his grandfather as he could manage. If he never had to shake hands and listen to old men discussing things they didn't know about, it was still too soon.
YOU ARE READING
Pulling Strings - Theodore Nott
Fanfiction"Do not doubt it, you're the most insufferable," she poked her finger into his chest. "Self-centred," Again. "Shallow and-" He caught her hand before she could continue, looking down at her with a crooked smile. "Aw, darling," he bopped her nose, fo...
