"Come, sit here beside Alicia." Edgar gestured eagerly.
Resigned, Arthur sighed and took his seat beside Alicia, who, to his surprise, appeared visibly flustered. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her dress, and her face was tinged with a soft pink hue.
’What’s with her now?’ he wondered.
Before he could dwell on it, a sultry voice reached his ears.
"They look so wonderful together, don’t they?"
Arthur turned his head to see Isolde smiling warmly. Her voice was rich, velvety, carrying an almost teasing undertone.
"Indeed," Elona chimed in, her own smile growing.
Iliyana chuckled lightly, nodding in agreement.
Lucious, ever the silent observer, simply sipped his tea, while Edgar grinned from ear to ear.
Alicia, on the other hand, squirmed slightly, her blush deepening.
Arthur blinked. "What’s this about?"
His confusion only grew as everyone exchanged amused glances.
"What do you mean, what’s going on?" Iliyana smirked, crossing her arms. "Oh, don’t play all innocent now."
Elona leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "You’re not under the illusion that we don’t know what you’ve been up to at the academy, are you?"
Arthur’s brow twitched. ’Wait… what exactly do they know?’
Before he could think further, a rich, sultry chuckle filled the air.
"Hmm~ so stop acting clueless, dear." Isolde’s emerald-green eyes gleamed with amusement. "Or… are you thinking of bailing out on my daughter?"
Arthur turned his gaze to Alicia, who was practically hiding her face behind her hands, her ears glowing bright red.
At that moment, realization dawned.
’Oh. So that’s what this is about.’
A slow smirk formed on his lips. Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around Alicia’s waist and pulled her closer—right in front of everyone.
"Of course not, Aunt." His voice carried unwavering confidence. "I told Uncle Edgar before, but I’ll say it again here—Alicia is mine, and I’ll take care of her till the end."
Alicia let out a soft squeak, burying her face against his shoulder in embarrassment.
Edgar burst into laughter. "Ha! Ha! Ha! That’s my boy!" He pounded the table in approval.
Isolde smiled, her expression carrying both pride and amusement. "Excellent. Since both parties are in agreement, then we should not delay it any further."
Lucious, who had been mostly silent until now, finally spoke, clapping his hands once. "Indeed."
At his signal, the head butler arrived, carrying a tray covered in fine velvet.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed as he watched the butler approach.
Arthur’s gaze fell on the tray as the head butler lifted the velvet cover, revealing two exquisite rings. One was a sleek silver band with intricate engravings, while the other was a delicate yet elegant ring adorned with a sapphire gemstone.
Before he could say anything, Edgar clapped his hands together. "Alright then! Without further ado, let’s make this formal."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Wait, wait, wait. What’s the rush? No preparations? No ceremony? No guests?" He looked around at the gathered family members in confusion.
Iliyana sighed, crossing her arms. "You don’t have that much time, Arthur."
Elona nodded. "You only have a week of leave, and organizing a proper engagement ceremony isn’t something we can just throw together overnight. Guest lists, invitations—they need to be sent out at least two to three weeks in advance. Nobles have their own schedules; they can’t just drop everything and come on short notice."
Arthur frowned. "Then why not postpone it until my semester break?"
Isolde chuckled, sipping her tea elegantly. "Oh, don’t worry, dear. There will be a proper engagement ceremony then. This is just to make your relationship official for now."
Edgar sighed, rubbing his temples. "You have no idea how many marriage proposals I receive for Alicia every month. It’s fine when they come from lower noble houses, but when it’s from a Marquis or even other Dukes, it gets… complicated."
Arthur finally understood. "Ah, so my engagement with her will put an end to those pesky proposals."
"Exactly," Edgar said, nodding. "You don’t want your fiancée being courted left and right, do you?"
Arthur glanced at Alicia, who was still red-faced, her fingers nervously gripping the edge of her dress.
He sighed, shaking his head with a small smile. "Fine. Let’s do it."
With that, the butler presented the rings.
Arthur took the sapphire ring, gently holding Alicia’s hand. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he slid the ring onto her delicate finger.
Alicia, still blushing furiously, picked up the silver band and, with trembling hands, placed it on Arthur’s finger.
A round of applause erupted in the room.
"There we go! Finally!" Edgar boomed, laughing heartily.
Lucious gave an approving nod. "Good."
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Iliyana sniffled, wiping the corner of her eye dramatically. "My son is all grown up~"
Elona sighed. "It’s just an engagement, not a wedding."
Meanwhile, Isolde was smiling in satisfaction, her gaze filled with motherly pride.
Alicia, unable to handle all the attention, hid her face in Arthur’s shoulder. He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her.
Just then, a servant entered with a photographer. "Shall we take a few pictures to commemorate the moment?"
Arthur groaned. "Ugh, really?"
"Of course!" Edgar grinned. "It’s not official until there are pictures!"
Despite Arthur’s reluctance, they ended up posing for several pictures—some proper, some playful, and some with Edgar dramatically wiping fake tears while Lucious shook his head in exasperation.
After a few more moments of teasing and congratulations, the engagement was officially sealed.
And with that, Arthur realized…
His life had just taken another major turn.
****
The atmosphere in the room remained lively as the small house party kicked off. Servants moved around, bringing out the finest wine and refreshments. Edgar was already on his third glass, laughing heartily with Lucious, while Elona and Isolde chatted excitedly about future wedding plans.
Meanwhile, Iliyana was busy with something else entirely—holding up a communication crystal, her face beaming.
"Emily, dear, can you see us?"
A flickering light brightened the crystal before stabilizing, revealing a young woman with striking golden hair and emerald eyes—Emily Ludwig, Arthur’s older sister.
She blinked at the screen, her expression confused. "Mom? What’s going on?" Discover hidden tales at Freewebnovel
Iliyana grinned. "Guess what? Your brother just got engaged!"
For a second, there was silence.
Then—
"WHAT!?" Emily’s voice nearly shattered the crystal.
She pouted, arms crossed, a dramatic look of betrayal on her face. "You’re telling me you got engaged while I wasn’t even there!? Arthur, how dare you!?"
Arthur sighed, rubbing his temples. "It’s not like I had a choice, alright? They sprung this on me out of nowhere."
"Still! I missed such an important moment! Unforgivable!"
Iliyana chuckled, shaking her head. "Relax, Emily. This was just a formal engagement. The real ceremony will be held during his semester break. You’ll be there for that one."
Emily narrowed her eyes. "Hmph. Fine. But you owe me, Arthur."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I’ll make it up to you."
Emily pouted a little more before sighing. "Well, where is Alicia."
Alicia nervously waved from beside Arthur, her cheeks still slightly flushed from all the attention. "Hello, Emily."
Emily studied her for a moment before grinning. "Hah~ You’re so cute when you’re flustered! Arthur got lucky there!"
After a few more exchanges, Iliyana finally ended the call, leaving the party to continue.
******
A while later, Arthur pulled Alicia aside into a quiet hallway, away from the crowd.
He crossed his arms, staring at her. "Alright, explain. What was all that?"
Alicia fidgeted under his gaze. "I… I don’t know either."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So, you were just as surprised?"
She sighed. "I only found out when I reached home. My parents just… dropped the news on me."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "So, you knew about it yesterday, but you didn’t think to give me a heads-up? I was standing there like a fool while everyone else was in on it."
Alicia hesitated before pouting. "Well… it was supposed to be a surprise."
Arthur smirked, stepping closer. "You’re getting bold, huh? Hiding things from me?"
He suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His voice dropped into a husky whisper.
"You need some punishment, it seems."
Alicia’s eyes widened as she quickly placed her hands on his chest, trying to push away. "Hey! Watch out! Someone might see!"
Arthur chuckled, his grip tightening. "Let them see. You’re officially my fiancée now."
Before she could protest further, he tilted her chin up and captured her lips in a deep kiss.
Alicia let out a muffled squeak, but soon, her resistance melted as their tongues intertwined.
She clung onto his shoulders, her body heating up under his touch—until—
"Cough~ Cough~"
Alicia’s entire body stiffened.
Arthur let out a low sigh, already guessing who it was before turning around.
Sure enough, standing with her arms crossed was Iliyana, staring at them with an amused yet exasperated look.
Alicia let out a small squeak and immediately turned away, walking off in embarrassment, her face completely red.
Arthur, trying to slip away as well, took a single step—
Only for his ear to be snatched by his mother.
"Aww—Awww! Mother! That hurts!"
Iliyana smirked, tugging a little harder. "I know."
Arthur winced. "Seriously! You can’t let me have a single moment, can you!?"
Iliyana finally released his ear, shaking her head. "You just got engaged, and you’re already making out in the hallway? You really can’t stay put, can you?"