Archduchess Margarite frowned when she heard this. "Who would reject you? My son is perfect!"
"Who is she? Is she someone we know?" Archduke Vern Dupont asked cautiously.
"Yes you both know her. She is the eldest daughter of Admiral Frederick Jones, Emelia. You met her during Mother's birthday party last year." Aaron didn't hide his intention and directly revealed his choice of bride to his parents. It's better to tell his parents directly, lest they would think he was just trying to buy time.
"Emelia? You mean, Captain Emelia Jones??" Suddenly the Archduchess felt a headache coming.
Although she wasn't the type to dwell on looks or background as required of her daughter-in-law, Captain Emelia Jones was different. Aaron was right, Emelia was different from the other young woman in the elite social circles.
For one, she had chosen to be in the military as her career choice and therefore she had forced her father to send her to the military school alongside her brother, Emmet when she was young. Upon graduation, she was trained as an air force officer and was highly skilled in flying any fighter jets there was. Emelia was also a trained martial artist, and was a very disciplined person.
Rumours had it that she did not engage in social gatherings and would rather clean her fighter jets at the air force base than being dragged to mingle with the other socialites in town. The first and last gathering she attended was the Archduchess' birthday celebration last year and the reason she attended was because the official invite came from the palace itself, requesting all immediate family members of the Admiral to be present.
She had grudgingly adorned a dark blue dress, minimal make up and was seated alone by herself the whole night. Although she tried to dress low key, her beauty still shone through and many young men at the party tried to engage in a conversation with her, some even asked her for a dance. However, she would always asked them some basic questions about military and when they couldn't answer, she had advised them to study more and don't waste her time.
She left a deep impression on everyone who approached her, most of them felt embarrassed for their lack of basic military knowledge. Eventually her reputation as a strict military officer spread and no one dared to approach her anymore at the party. Obviously as the host, the Archduchess eventually heard of Emelia's reputation as well.
Aaron witnessed all this and couldn't help but to admire the young lady. He was kept busy entertaining the other guests and therefore had no chance to speak to her. However, something about Emelia struck a chord in his heart, a feeling which had long forgotten many years ago. The mischievous smile on her eyes which didn't match her cold and disciplined demeanour when she stumped all those young lads with her knowledge made his curiosity grew and he wondered if she really was as how she portrayed herself to be in public. Hence, Aaron didn't hesitate to choose Emelia as his potential bride. He knew that Emelia had her own merits and probably she was indeed his best match.
Looking at his worried mother, Aaron laughed and tried to lighten the mood. "Mother, don't believe in rumours. I'm sure Admiral Frederick has raised his daughter well. From what I see, she is so much better than those ladies who only think about looks, money and power. I happened to know Emmet well and I can see that he admires his sister. He once told me that his sister was not arrogant as people said, she only loves her job and takes it very seriously. Other than that, Emmet said Emelia is kind, loving and reliable. I trust Emmet. I'm sure Emelia is the right choice."
Both the Archduke and the Archduchess exchanged looks upon hearing this and after a moment of silence, probably weighing the whole situation, the Archduke smiled and said, "We trust your judgment son. It seems that you have not successfully woo her yet. Once you have, bring her home to meet us."
"Or…even if you can't woo her, fear not, inform your Grandfather and he would ask Uncle Louis to issue a decree!" Archduchess Margarite suddenly exclaimed and voiced her thought. This statement was so hilarious that everyone couldn't help but laughed.
After their parents left the hospital, Benjamin looked at his brother and asked, "Are you sure about Ms Jones?"
"Yes, I'm sure she is the right one for me. Don't worry Benjamin. I know what I'm doing. I've been thinking about her since I saw her at the party. Although she's military trained, but she still retained her charisma and charm as a young lady of a prominent family. Besides being beautiful, she can also fly the jets. How cool is that?!" Aaron said with a grin.
"Then I wish you all the best brother." Benjamin hugged his older brother and sincerely hoped Aaron would be able to tame this Ms Jones.
"How about you? Did you contact Alex? What did she say? Was she angry at you for leaving abruptly?" Aaron asked him non-stop. He felt guilty for dragging Benjamin back to the country due to his accident. Before the accident, Benjamin had told him that things between him and Alexandra were progressing well. However, he had left her without saying anything. Any girl would be upset and angry over this.
"I…I haven't contacted her yet. I don't know what to say. I can't go back there, Brother. Father and Mother have instructed me to stay. Since I can't go back, what's the point of explaining things to her. We are not in an actual relationship and I have no right to demand things from her. A much as I want to be with her, it's probably better this way. She has her whole life planned in Azteria." Benjamin said with a quiver in his voice.
"But Benjamin, why don't you just tell her who you are and explain it to her? You've been in love with her for so long. Are you willing to just let it go?" Aaron asked, not agreeing with his brother's action.
"She's not in love with me. And I know she would never go against her father's decision. She has been arranged to marry someone else." Benjamin said dejectedly.
On the other side of the city, unaware that she had somehow become the unofficial daughter-in-law of the royal family, Emelia Jones was working on her computer when she was called in by her superior. She immediately left her desk and reported to her boss.
"Emelia, the new fighter jet arrived yesterday and is ready for initial testing. We want you to conduct the test. Get ready for take-off at 0800 tomorrow morning." Liutenant Skip instructed her.
"Understood." With that, she saluted and left the office.
At 0800 the next morning, Emelia's eyes gleamed when she saw the new fighter jet before her eyes. After receiving further instructions from her superior, she take off and flew the jet at the highest speed it could go. She was exhilarated. Nothing beats being so free like this in the sky. However, when she thought about freedom, her mind wondered to the conversation she had with her father last night.
Admiral Frederick Jones was a man of few words. Therefore whenever he spoke of something, it would be important matters which everyone needed to listen to. Last night, Emelia was called into her father's study. She figured her father must have something important to discuss therefore she sat there patiently waiting for him. After asking some general questions about her well being, Admiral Frederick didn't waste any time and simply informed her that it was time for their family to consider arranging a marriage for Emelia and asked whether she had any prospects in mind.
Emelia was stunned. She didn't expect her father to discuss this matter with her directly. Looking at her father's strict face, Emelia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She always knew that despite his strict demeanour and words, his father actually loved her very much and always seek her opinion before deciding anything for her. Therefore, Emelia had never feared him, in fact she respected and loved her father dearly. This must be one of those awkward moments for him but he tried to conceal it by being stern instead.
"No Father, I don't have any prospects in mind. As you know, I don't have time for that. You may decide what is best for me." Emelia finally said what she truly felt and smiled at her father.
Admiral Frederick Jones looked at his beloved daughter for a long time, trying to find any clues as to whether what she said was true. Upon seeing sincerity and no trace of sadness in her clear brown eyes, he finally heaved a sigh of relief and went over to pat her shoulder. As expected of Emelia, the daughter who had never caused him to worry since young. She was determined, disciplined and knew what she wanted in life. On top of that, she was also kind, pure and generous.
"Good, good. Don't worry, Father will choose the best husband for you." Admiral Frederick assured his obedient daughter.
"Make sure he is good looking too!" Emelia couldn't help but to tease her Father. Both father and daughter laughed at that remark.