“M-M-M-M-M-Marriage?!”
Shortly after Nadir and I became bona fide lovers, he’d made arrangements for us to meet with his parents. And upon being told of our impending marriage, his father, Duke Curtis of House Dorman, was astonished.
Incidentally, his parents didn’t live in the main Dorman residence in the capital. They were retired, Nadir had told me, and so they lived in another estate, about two days away by carriage.
“Oh my,” said his mother Shelly, her serenity a stark contrast to her husband’s panic.
Curtis looked me straight in the eye and yelled, “Are you out of your mind?!”
“What do you mean, father?” Nadir asked.
“Eep!” The duke’s dignity evaporated immediately. He recoiled, intimidated by his own son. “I-I mean, this is no minor thing! Are you being threatened? Blackmailed?!”
“Father?”
“I-I mean...” Curtis mumbled, tearing up as he hid behind his wife. He looked like a small, frightened animal.
I gave Nadir a soft tap on the back to calm him down, and got him to take a step away. Clearing my throat, I gave his parents a serious look and said, “Um, there are no threats or blackmail involved, I assure you. I genuinely adore your son.”
Shelly nodded in acknowledgment, but Curtis still looked at me like he couldn’t believe his ears. “Truly?” he asked. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“Stop pestering her, father,” Nadir interjected, glaring at the duke.
“Urk...” Curtis, now on the verge of tears, hid behind his wife again.
“I apologize for my husband, Brianna,” said the duchess.
“Oh, it’s fine,” I assured her.
“You see, he’s frightened because Nadir’s always scolding him for something or another, but truly, it’s his own fault.”
“Sh-Shelly...” Curtis whined, giving his wife a resentful look.
She tilted her head. “Did I say something wrong?”
“N-No... You...didn’t...” he mumbled, deflating now that his wife too was chastising him.
I found myself wondering if a man this meek had any business being the head of a household.
“You see, because of the way my husband is,” Shelly explained, “Nadir’s had to handle all of the duchy’s affairs from a young age.” The duchess exhaled softly. She looked too youthful to be a mother of two. “Oh my! I never offered you a seat! Please, sit.”
“Thank you, Lady Shelly,” I said.
At her urging, we sat down for tea. Shelly took a seat as well, and Curtis reluctantly took his next to her, clearly still intimidated by Nadir, who sat beside me.
The moment had been tense, and I was grateful for the reprieve.
Smiling warmly at me, the duchess continued speaking. “I wish I could’ve been of help, but unfortunately, I have neither the knowledge nor the talent. I tried to excel at socializing, at least, but...I don’t think I was very successful at even that much,” she said, her eyes slightly moist as she recalled the past.
Curtis seemed uncomfortable. “Yes, I believe I’m at fault as well,” he mused. “I was born when my parents were already getting on in years, and they spoiled me rotten. So when I came of age, I was completely useless. I’ve caused nothing but problems for Nadir...”
“Indeed,” Nadir agreed. “Nothing but problems.”
Curtis looked down, stifling a sob.
“I worried that Nadir had become too calculating, too uncaring of others, but...” Shelly wiped at her tears with her beautiful, slender fingers. “He found himself a bride! Oh, what joy!” The duchess beamed so brightly all of a sudden that it was a bit startling. Unable to contain her joy, she leaned closer to me, and said, “Don’t worry. We won’t be living at the main estate, so by all means, think of us as distant figures. Although it would be quite lovely if you could visit sometimes...”
“I may not be able to visit very often, but I’ll make an effort to come by on occasion,” I told her.
“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” she exclaimed, the sparkle in her eyes making me smile in spite of myself. “Ah, of course, the wedding! Have you decided on a dress? If you’d like, I could help with a tailor—”
“I’ll be handling all of that from start to finish,” Nadir cut in.
Shelly stared blankly at him for a moment, then chuckled. “Oh dear, possessive, aren’t you? You’ve always kept people at arm’s length, but now that you’ve found someone you love, it’s quite something!”
“Mother,” Nadir said, his cheeks a soft shade of pink.
“Oh, pardon me,” she said, not looking contrite in the slightest. Perhaps she’d hit the nail on the head?
Come to think of it, Nadir had been handpicking all my outfits for some time now. Had that been a sign of possessiveness too? Huh...
A little embarrassed by the thought, I looked down. Shelly laughed softly. “How delightful,” she said, gently taking my hand in hers. “Brianna?”
“Y-Yes?”
“Nadir may be a bit difficult to understand, but he’s a good man at heart. Do try to get along with him, hmm?”
I smiled back at her. “Yes, of course. I love even the awkward side of him.”
Shelly’s smile widened, and she looked relieved. “It sounds like Nadir has everything under control, but if there’s anything you need from us, be it for the ceremony or otherwise, by all means, do let us know. You two will be sharing a life together, after all.”
“I will.”
“And should you two ever argue, please feel free to come to me. I know it may be difficult to go to your mother-in-law for advice, but I married into this family too. I’m on your side.”
“Of course, Lady Shelly. I will,” I repeated with a nod.
Shelly suddenly closed her mouth as if she’d just realized something. “Oh my, one does tend to talk overmuch as they get older. Apologies for being a nag.”
“Oh, not at all!” I understood both her love for Nadir and her concern for me. I was genuinely happy that she felt that way. Surely this was what it meant to truly join your spouse’s family.
“Right! I almost forgot. Please just call me Shelly,” she said.
“Huh?”
“Oh, is that too soon?” she asked, looking at me with innocent eyes.
I shook my head. “N-No, of course not, um, Shelly,” I said a bit sheepishly.
The duchess covered her mouth as if moved by the display of familiarity. “Oh, how lovely! Could you say it one more time?”
“Shelly.”
“How lucky I am that my daughter-in-law is so willing to drop formalities around me,” she said dreamily. “You see, Nadir was always a very independent child, and always treated us very impersonally, calling us father and mother from a young age. He’d only ever call us mom and dad in front of Leticia, as if to teach her that was what she was supposed to do.” She paused, seemingly realizing something, and looked down, disheartened. “Come to think of it, even Leticia’s upbringing was largely left to Nadir. Oh, what sad parents we were...”
“Um, but Nadir doesn’t seem to have a bad relationship with Leticia,” I said. “I think he likely didn’t really mind.”
“I wonder,” she murmured, lifting her head but still seeming a bit anxious. “I hope so.”
“I’m sure of it,” I assured her.
Shelly smiled warmly at my words and took a sip of her tea. “Please, do be happy with him. You’ve been through quite a bit yourself, haven’t you?”
“You’ve heard?” I asked, surprised that she knew.
Shelly laughed at my lack of awareness, like a child who’d just successfully pulled off a prank. “I told you I’m good at socializing.”
What a formidable social network she had. Thinking about whether I had what it took to survive in high society made me uneasy.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Socializing isn’t that frightening. You’ll get used to it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Besides, Nadir will likely always be right beside you. You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s true...”
Nadir would have my back, of course. But I wanted to have his too, if I could. I resolved to absorb as much knowledge as possible from now on so that I’d become someone he could lean on.
Sherry seemed to understand my resolve; she smiled at me for a moment before her gaze drifted sideways. “And I’d appreciate it if you could occasionally spend some time with a certain someone who’s busy arguing with Nadir over there.”
I looked to the side as she spoke, and saw Curtis with his head between Nadir’s palms.
“Drop this already, father,” Nadir said.
“But I mean, what if she doesn’t really want this?” his father asked. “The poor girl!”
“Poor girl? Poor me for having a father who thinks I’m the sort of man who’d do something like that.”
“Well, I mean...think about it, right? What would you have done if Brianna hadn’t reciprocated? You’d have locked her up somewhere, wouldn’t you?”
“...”
“There! See?! I was right! You— Ow! Ow ow ow ow! Don’t squeeze me so hard!”
Ah, what fun they seemed to be having, horsing around.
Shelly turned her gaze back to me. “I wouldn’t say they get along swimmingly, but it’s not so bad,” she mused. “My husband is simply a tad insensitive and a tad incompetent, is all.”
“My wife is bad-mouthing me!”
“It’s not bad-mouthing when it’s true, father,” Nadir said mercilessly.
Shelly and I exchanged glances and chuckled.
I hoped to spend the rest of my days peacefully like this. And with Nadir by my side, I was certain my wish would come true.
Joy swelling in my heart, I smiled once more.