"Mother, really… this is not a priority to me. I have so many things that I have to take care of and I don't have time for marriage," Nicholas still tried to insist. "I promise I will find myself a wife when the time is right."
"Nicholas… there will never be a better time than when your last remaining parent is still alive…" the queen replied in frustration. "Don't you want to see me take my last breath feeling at peace and relieved, knowing that my only child finally finds happiness?"
Nicholas looked at his mother flatly. Happiness? How could his mother associate happiness with marriage?
He had seen many couples around him who were in loveless marriages. Their unions were part of obligation, political deals, and were seen as chores. His parents' marriage included.
Nicholas was aware that for nobles and the royalties, it was part of life and to be expected. So, he never associated marriage with happiness from the beginning.
