Chapter 41: Shopping With Rumia!
"You know about your engagement to Count Sevrin’s son, don’t you?" I asked Rumia to be sure.
"And?" Rumia asked.
I couldn’t help but laugh, though there was no humor in it. "And? You’re asking me ’and’? And it means we can’t be together, Rumia. Your father has been planning this marriage for years to restore his Baron status. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had you specifically for this purpose—a beautiful daughter to trade for political advancement."
The words came out harsher than I’d intended, but they needed to be said. Someone had to inject reality into this fantasy she seemed to be living.
"I don’t care," she said, crossing her arms defiantly. "I don’t care about any of that."
"Really?" I gestured toward her expensive gown, her carefully styled hair, the obvious signs of her privileged new life. "Yet here you are in the capital, studying at the most prestigious magical academy in the kingdom, all thanks to the Sevrin family’s wealth and influence. You’re wearing silks that cost more than most people see in a lifetime, Rumia. Don’t tell me you don’t care when you’re already reaping the benefits of this arrangement."
Her face flushed. "My father chose this path, not me! I never asked for any of it. But I wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to learn from the most talented mages in the realm just to spite him."
"And that’s exactly my point," I pressed. "You’ve never disobeyed your father, not once in all the years I’ve known you. You won’t start now. Within the next few years, your engagement will become official. When you turn eighteen, maybe nineteen, you’ll marry Count Sevrin’s son. You’ll become a proper noble lady, bear his children, and live the life your father planned for you. Do you understand that? Do you truly comprehend what your future looks like?"
Rumia bit her lower lip. When she looked up at me again, her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
"You like me, don’t you, Hal?" She asked.
"What kind of question is that?" I laughed.
"Don’t laugh and tell me!" She grasped the front of my shirt with both hands, her fingers trembling. "I need to hear you say it!"