BEAUFORT MANSION
DINNER TIME
" MARRIAGE ? ― HAHAHAHAHA ! " reynold guffawed , slapping his thigh under the table . persephone scowled at him , not bothering to hide her displeasure at his attitude .
" reynold , behave . " the duke scolded , taking a small sip of his wine . with teary eyes , reynold glanced over to persephone , wiping the stray drop that escaped out of the corners .
" I can't believe it ! this rude little dog will marry someone out of her own will ?! are you sure you're not just planning to bite the obelian emperor , persie ? " he asked , another immature bout of cackles left him .
" at least I'm marrying . unlike someone who doesn't even have a girlfriend yet . " persephone quipped back instantly , stabbing a cherry tomato with her fork and lifting it up ― devious grin on her face ; take that , bastard .
" kegh ― ahem ― it's not like I'm in a hurry anyway . koshar is older than me , it'll look weird if i have a girlfriend before he gets married . " his defense was instant , albeit hesitant . but it earned a VERY awkward cough from a quiet derrick who was sitting beside him .
persephone chuckled , clicking her tongue at the pink haired man with an expression that said 'how could you throw your own brother under the rock like that?' ―― and much to her unsurprise , reynold replied with sticking her tongue out at her .
" very eloquent . " she sighed .
" you all need to stop acting like children now , you're all of marriageable age ! it is very unbecoming , especially you two , reynold and persephone . do you ever plan to grow up ? " the duke reprimanded both his children , getting them to stop immediately and whisper things like 'sorry' and 'she started' . However one could clearly see that wasn't exactly something he wanted ― the duke , in fact ― quite enjoyed their childishness and found it highly amusing .
not that he'd ever admit to it , of course .
" but seriously , why did you even agree ? you're so picky with dresses , and you choose a husband without even seeing him once ? " reynold broke the silence , raising a brow at persephone who was suddenly finding her salad a surprisingly interesting thing at the moment .
i bet he's better than you for sure , she thought , before giving him an overly sweet smile that he was too clever to bot understand the meaning of .
" I'm trying to improve myself . besides , i might be looking for more power which i could gain through him " she shrugged , continuing to eat her salad .
" well .. yeah , that's much more like you anyway . " reynold answered , eyes wandering around . he looked like he had something more to say , but he didn't . it was painfully awkward to watch . although those two were now on better terms than the time they had started , persephone couldn't really decipher his thoughts sometimes .
" do you have something you'd like to say ? " she questioned , not really interested in his thoughts , but out of courtesy .
" well ― " he started , brows furrowed into that one grumpy expression that was classic reynold , trying to appear casual as he could . " its a foreign country you'll be marrying into , so i was wondering if you'd like me to go with you for some time to make sure you don't act like the crazy woman you are in front of astocian ministers and ruin our name . "
OH ― ! so he was worried after all . during all these times , persephone had learned that her brother was the type to not openly mention his concerns ― for some reason , that idiot was embarassed of them ― so this revelation left her feeling quite touched .
" if you want to visit astocia , do it on your own . I don't want you to follow me around like a lost dog there . " persephone snarked back , her tone more playful than condescending .
" that isn't a bad idea , per se . " the duke chimed in , adding to the conversation .
" since i cannot visit you because of my duties , reynold can go as my replacement ― " he looked at his son , then back at persephone " although a rather poor , hot-tempered one . but we can make sure to visit you ever year , so you don't feel lonely in astocia . "
reynold gasped , offended " excuse me ? I'm not ― ! " koshar cut his sentence midway , looking up at persephone .
" if she gets time , which i doubt . Being an empress is hard work , you have many duties to fulfill as the mother of an empire , let alone one as big as astocia . I suggest you start taking lessons on diplomacy and management , persephone . " he advised , adding " if you want , i can hire you some of the best tutors in inca . "
persephone grinned in response , somehow not really worried . it was for the first time in years , she had felt as if it were truly her family she was talking with , not her benefactors .
" i would like that very much , koshar . "
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SHORT UPDATE !
Mainly because it was just a filler chapter of sorts that will lead us to the big big event . also eckart family fluff ! I absolutely love the dynamic penelope and reynold have lol so cute . they're like the siblings who fight and throw insults at each other and will together beat up anyone who insults either one .
next update in a bit, until then !