I stared at my mother, wondering if I misheard her. My throat still burned from the wine I almost choked on. Prospective bride? What was she talking about? I thought that whole marriage business was over and done with. It wasn’t necessary anymore. My mother hadn’t mentioned it at all over the past month. Why was she bringing it up now?

I glanced at everyone else in the drawing room. No one else seemed surprised by my mother’s words, meaning they already knew about it. A bitter taste filled my mouth when I realized this, or maybe that was the wine. My father looked somewhat apologetic, Caitlyn gave me an amused smirk, and Joanne wore an indifferent expression.

When I focused on my mother again, she returned my gaze with a calm expression on her face. Silence fell over the drawing room as we stared at one another.

“I’m sorry,” I said, breaking the silence, “Could you repeat that? I thought you said something about my prospective bride.”

My mother nodded.

“Yes, you heard right.” She said. “In two months, you’ll be meeting your prospective bride.”

Well then.

“Why?” I asked, flabbergasted.

My mother raised an eyebrow at me.

“What do you mean why?” She asked. “Do I really need to explain it to you?”

“Yes! The whole point of marrying a woman from a Clan was so I could start learning martial arts. However, that isn’t necessary. Not anymore.”

My mother sighed.

“The problem is the Martial Arts Alliance.” She said. “Sooner or later, they’ll find out about you. At first, they’ll suspect me of teaching you. However, when they realize the truth, they’ll either believe that someone else taught you or that you’re a transmigrator.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“And that is a problem?” I asked.

My mother shook her head.

“Not in and of itself, no.” She said. “There are some who will want to take advantage of you, but that’s the extent of it. However, my Clan still bears a grudge against me for disobeying their wishes and they hold a great deal of influence in the Martial Arts Alliance, as well as Murim as a whole.”

Ah. So that’s how it was.

“You fear that your Clan will retaliate against me because of their grudge against you?”

My mother nodded, a guilty expression on her face.

“Yes. Marrying a woman from a Clan of equal or greater status will help protect you from my Clan’s wrath.”

Caitlyn snorted.

“The Martial Arts Alliance is full of opportunists.” She said. “The moment they realize who you are, they’ll go after you to curry favor with your mother’s Clan.” She snorted. “Hypocritical assholes. They claim to be righteous, but are greedy, petty, and small-minded.”

Joanne nodded in agreement.

“This is part of the reason why Caitlyn and I followed Claire when she married into House Sturm.” She said.

My father regarded me with a serious expression on his face.

“We’ll protect you as best we can, Gabriel.” He said. “However, our influence is limited. Your mother was exiled from Murim, and I was never a part of it to begin with. While I can keep you safe while you’re here in Sturm Manor, you’ll be vulnerable once you leave.”

I looked at the four of them in turn, before letting out a sigh.

“I understand where you’re coming from. However, is marriage the only option? That’s a lifelong commitment.”

Arranged marriages and marriages of convenience were common for House (and Clan) scions, but I wanted to avoid that if I could. I wanted to marry for love, or not at all if possible.

“It’s the best solution I can come up with at the moment.” My mother said. “Your father and I aren’t powerful enough to protect you, and you’re not powerful enough to protect yourself. At least for now. This means we need to borrow the strength and influence of others.” She paused. “However, nothing is set in stone yet. Whether or not you marry the woman I have in mind is entirely up to the two of you. Like I said before, your father and I would never force you into a marriage you didn’t want.”

I snorted.

“No, you’ll just arrange a meeting behind my back.” I smiled, to take the sting out of my words. “Fine. I’ll attend this meeting, since you went through all this effort for my sake. However, I can’t promise anything more than that.”

My mother looked relieved by this.

“Thank you, Gabriel. That’s all I ask.”

Who knows? Maybe something would come of this meeting. I doubted it, but the possibility existed.

“Who is she, by the way?” I asked. “The woman you want me to meet, I mean.”

My mother grinned at me.

“Lady Annabelle Thorne.” She said.

I blinked at her in surprise.

“As in, House Thorne?” I asked.

My mother nodded. Well, that changed things a bit. Like House Sturm, House Thorne had a long history and an impeccable lineage. They specialized in Fire and Plant magic. As their name suggested, they had a rose motif going on. They wielded a great deal of influence in high society, more so than House Sturm even. In the past, when we were in our prime, our two Houses were equals. However, that was a long time ago. While we fell, they continued to rise.

“I didn’t realize that House Thorne was a martial arts Clan.” I said.

“One of their collateral families is, yes.” My mother said. “Lady Annabelle was born into House Thorne’s main family. However, like you, she had more talent for martial arts than magic and chose that path instead. That’s why people consider her more a member of Clan Thorne than House Thorne.” She reached for her inventory ring. “If you want, I can show you a portrait of Lady Annabelle. Her family sent it over when I reached out to them.”

I shook my head.

“I don’t see the point.” I said. “I’ll see her at the meeting.”

My mother raised an eyebrow at me.

“Are you sure? You might change your mind once you see her appearance.”

“I’m sure.”

My mother studied me for several moments, before nodding.

“Very well,” she said, smirking, “If that’s what you wish.”

Her smirk irked me, but I ignored it. Afterwards, the five of us moved on to another topic, drinking and chatting well into the night. When it neared midnight, I said my goodbyes, before heading back to the Northern Annex.