"That stinky old fox. How dare he!" Duke Henry growled once he was inside his study and the doors were closed.
He was in a bad mood due to the gift that Prince Aiden had given her daughter. He and his wife were watching when the prince put that necklace around Stella's neck.
Duke Henry just watched it with gritted teeth because he could not possibly scare Stella by showing up. The emperor's knights were also watching.
"That snotty little prince dares to mark my daughter as his when he was still such a crybaby!" he massaged his temples. If it were up to him, he would prohibit the two from ever meeting again. But his wife would surely get angry.
He knew that Prince Aiden might have just innocently given the necklace as a get-well gift. But with how valuable it was, it was synonymous with an engagement gift. It was like he proposed right then and Stella accepted without knowing.
The prince may not have realized it either and was just giving a gift out of goodwill but the emperor must have had calculated it. Perhaps he wanted a connection by marriage due to the fact that Valyenor kept growing in power and influence. He was trying to keep them in check.
The emperor was his friend but acting like that was out of line. Duke Henry decided that he had to visit the capital. He had to tell the emperor not to involve his daughter in any of his schemes.
"Should I just go and - " Hendrick made a slitting sign to finish what he wanted to say. He dared suggest personally assassinating the prince.
Duke Henry glanced at his daredevil of a son. Hendrick always looked like an angel when Stella was around but he turns into a psycho once she was not there. Henry admitted to himself that it might have indeed been his fault as his wife had said.
Hendrick was a good son and did everything perfectly well that it was a bit worrisome. He knew that his son was hardworking and was doing his best to learn about everything. It worried him that at the rate he was going, he might burn out someday.
Stella was Hendrick's only solace. But Amelia had to forbid their son from seeing Stella too often since Hendrick was too dependent on Stella for his happiness. And he was even more of a worrywart than the duke ever was.
Hendrick prohibited Stella from doing almost everything due to his worries. He also acquiesced to everything she asked for and he erased whatever the little girl said she did not like. Whether it be plants, animals, or their servants.
If Stella said that she did not like a servant, Hendrick would have had the servant fired. If someone would have accidentally bumped into Stella, Hendrick would have had that person severely punished or killed instantly.
Hendrick was always into the extremes when it comes to Stella. Henry agreed of protecting Stella from anything that may harm her, but even he, admits that his son was just too much sometimes. He tends to over-react about every little thing.
"You are too hasty. That is exactly why your mother keeps scolding you. Think of the possible aftereffects of your actions first. He might be naive, but he is Stella's first and only friend. How do you think Stella would feel if something happened to him? Do you want to make her cry that much?" the Duke scolded.
"No. I'm sorry. I was shortsighted. It was because he was becoming annoying," Hendrick responded and the duke sighed in response.
"Ah, then perhaps I should marry one of his younger sisters," Hendrick suddenly said like he was thinking out loud.
"What do you mean?"
"Since he is stealing my only sister, I should just steal one of his sisters as well. They seemed to have taken a liking of me, after all," Hendrick confidently said. He knew his good points.
"If he marries my sister, I will marry one of his sisters. That way he could not hurt Stella since I have his sister as a hostage," Hendrick continued.
Duke Henry stared at his son. He was not wrong. Nobles often do that. But at least he did not want his only son to marry that way. He wanted him to marry someone he liked.
Henry got married to Amelia because she was the best candidate for him. But he fell in love with her not long after they were engaged. Thus, their marriage worked out well.
But he was not sure it would work out for Hendrick who did not even show any interest in women. Hendrick got their good looks and his mother's warm demeanor and flowery aura. A lot of women would pine for him.
Even now that he was fifteen, nobles kept sending portraits of their children that Duke Henry was starting to get annoyed with it. He wanted Hendrick to choose whom to marry.
He was not about to give Stella to just whosoever and that was the same for his son. They were both very precious to him. They were his only children after all. He had wanted more but they were both too busy to have time for another baby.
Picking up Zafir seemed to have been a great encounter. At least he had another son even if not by blood. He knew that Zafir would want to go and look for his own roots someday, but at least he was still with them and he was quite more helpful to Stella than his biological son ever was.
"You are young indeed. You do not yet understand the importance of marriage. Do not take it so lightly that you think you can choose someone for that reason alone," Duke Henry sighed.
"It would also help with the duchy since she's a princess," Hendrick countered.
"Yes. But that does not mean she would be truly helpful like your mother does. What if she ruined the duchy instead," Duke Henry warned his son.
"I'll make sure that does not happen," Hendrick confidently replied.
"Arrogant little brat. They may like you for your looks now and they might be willing to get engaged with you. But once a prince from another kingdom approaches them, they would be more than willing to leave you in the dust. You are not royalty. Our family line is one of the oldest in the empire but royalty is royalty. They would choose someone of better lineage and standing. Do you understand?" Duke Henry crushed his son's overconfidence.
"Yes, Father. I was too conceited, I will reflect on my thoughts." Hendrick was quick to admit his mistake.
"That's not the only issue. You have to choose someone you are willing to live with your whole life and have children with. Are you fine with just anyone? It would be better if you found someone you liked. Have you ever encountered one?"
"Not yet," Hendrick admitted.
"Your sixteenth birthday will be in three months. You should try looking for someone you like during the banquet. I shall ensure that many young ladies are invited," Duke Henry smiled. He was going to test his son and check his preferences. He would also be solving one of his wife's worries. Two birds with one stone.
"Yes, Father," Hendrick obediently agreed.
"I will take care of the matter with Prince Aiden so leave it to me. I'll head to the capital soon and visit the emperor," Duke Henry said with finality.
"Yes, Father." Hendrick looked reluctant but could not argue once his father used that tone.
"Good. I raised you exposed to this world's reality so do not be naive like that snotty little prince. I have high expectations of you. You are to rule the duchy after me so widen your horizons more."
With all the yes that his son had said, Henry was getting even more worried. He was too responsible for a child.
"Yes, Father. I will do my best to meet your expectations. I'll return to my room and study some more," Hendrick responded.
"No. Take several days off. You had been overworking yourself lately. There are dark circles under your eyes. You should just go and rest today. Do not just focus on Stella. Make sure you are taking care of your health as well," Duke Henry said with a rare gentle smile and ruffled his son's hair.
"Y-yes, Father," Hendrick responded with a blush. His father rarely showed affection so he felt so happy and embarrassed at the same time. Hendrick got out of his father's study with a red face. He felt like he was being silly and too childish for feeling happy at his father's gesture but he could not help it.
He only ever got attention from his mother who pampered him a lot especially since she prohibited him from being with Stella. He knew he was important to his father but the duke rarely showed affection. He was not used to being smiled at by his father that way or getting his head patted when he did not do anything special or praise-worthy.