"We received an invitation to attend the royal family's ceremony for Alphonse." Lucas threw the elaborate invitation on the desk.
"The ceremony the queen mentioned?" Eva was feeding Arya on the sofa across the room.
Lucas got up from his desk abruptly and crossed the room to sit next to Eva and Arya. There was a frown on his face, but his touch was gentle as he brushed the side of Eva's cheek.
"Are you still upset about the engagement?" Eva sighed.
"I just don't see why I should give away our precious daughter. Elves choose their own partners." He sulked.
"She will be able to choose as well. It is more a formality than anything."
She burped Arya and placed their daughter into Lucas' arms in order to placate him. He was being stubborn about this whole process. After the New Beginnings Feast he had studied up on noble customs and was disturbed to find that betrothals were commonplace, even expected among the nobility.
