The Reason for Marriage - Chapter 2.1

Iveca felt a little like she was drowning. The words were finding her ears and hitting her brain; but it was being relayed to her in slow motion. He had proposed, she knew that was a fact. That in and of itself was crazy. But then somehow, despite the competition, he’d managed to say something even crazier. 

 “…I’m sorry?” 

King Daniel was a sea of calm. Ten days, he had said. A royal wedding in ten days! Suddenly, the very slight feeling she’d had before that he cared about her opinion of the matter evaporated as quickly as it had come. One absurd question about her fiancée was all he had deigned to bother asking her, then straight in with the question that was a solution to all his problems. He had even replied as if he had guessed what she wanted to say just by looking at her expression. 

“Since you were born as a noble, you said you’d marry as your family decided, right?”

Iveca knew that her father would be pleased all night with the achievement of his third daughter, as though she had finally amounted to something useful. He would have the wedding ready in three days if he could. 

King Daniel had adapted a tone, as though he knew the answer to her next question. Of course he would; he had her on the ropes now, didn’t he? 

“Of course, you can refuse my proposal if you don’t like it. Maybe you don’t want to be a Queen?”

“We…Well, it’s not like that. How could I…”

Iveca needed a minute to think. This was all beyond sudden, a slap to her senses. She couldn’t clear the foggy clouds from behind her eyes no matter how hard she shook herself.

The King had all the information he needed. Smiling by way of a goodbye, he stooped into a shallow bow, before straightening up.

“See you later, then.”

King Daniel turned around. Iveca started after him, a thousand questions trying to force their way out at once. But it seemed he did not have any intention of taking her back to the Judicial Bureau as he strode away, leaving her with a barrage of thoughts he had stirred up in her. Only Anriq looked into her eyes for a moment before passing by. And then she was alone.

She remained in the garden and tried to organize her thoughts, but there was no path to a conclusion. No, she thought, the conclusion is already decided. If the King wants to marry to a noble family, there wasn’t any need to think about anything else. Or, much to the point, really anything she could do.

The idea of returning to the Bureau and facing a second barrage of questions from her curious colleagues was a little too much to bear. Perhaps the King had done her one consideration there; to leave her in the garden alone and return by himself first. That way no one would dare ask too many questions and once he had gone, the excitement of the situation would surely have calmed down.

She didn’t walk so much as she tumbled back to her office, tripping over endless thoughts of the situation she now found herself in. This really was a new half of her life. Whatever dreams of a free and independent life she felt sure she had harbored before her memory was erased were gone now; replaced instead by royal proposals from out of the blue. Not to mention another marriage she would now have to break off. It hadn’t even been a month since she had been wiped and now she was set to be a Queen.

She sighed as she swept her long black hair back from her eyes. Did she really want to be a Queen at all?

***

“You proposed to the Esselburn daughter?”

Daniel’s close friend, Kayden Ruthe, was employed in the Bureau; a natural talent of the sort of magical interest the Bureau had. He looked the King over with dark black eyes; the tone was sour. Daniel smiled gently and nodded, gripping a file in his left hand.

“There is no reason not to do it,” the King replied.

“I hardly think…”

“There is a revolution going on right now. Republicanism is sweeping the continent, threatening to unseat the monarchy, and science and engineering is emerging on behalf of magic. I am tired of having someone of faith staying next to me.” He glanced over Kayden as he informed him. “Didn’t everyone expect me to marry a neutral noble daughter, or an affiliated worker?”

The file Daniel was holding was shifted from left to right hand. It was a personal investigation, and the words “Iveca der Esselburn” could just about be seen poking over the top of the folder it was in. A black and white graduation photo taken in college was attached to the front by a clip.

“Iveca is both,” Kayden replied. He had already known she came from a neutral aristocrat family; her job at the Bureau was the cherry on top for Daniel, he thought. “I know your angle, but it won’t be easy. Even though Lady Esselburn is an employee of the Judicial Affair Bureau, if it’s because of that…”

King Daniel made a noise under his breath, which interrupted Kayden’s words. He tilted his head and turned back. 

“Anriq.”

“Yes.”

Daniel sighed. Anriq was his escort secretary and personal bodyguard. He protected his brother, William, who originally was the First Prince, and also the Crown Prince. But after William’s death he had come to him. The King turned to look at Anriq, who was doing a good job of hiding the fact he had been mentioned in the conversation, if he had heard it. Anriq’s job was to chase him like a shadow and guard his back, stony and unmovable. This bit of information had the best, if any, chance of shaking that exterior. 

“The file mentioned Iveca’s first love, Anriq. Do you have anything to say on the matter?” Daniel probed.

Silence.