Chapter Text
Felix was nervous. He didn’t often have reason to be nervous. He had plenty of other emotions to cover that particular one up. Today his nervousness was paired with a dash of anxiety. He’d feel calmer facing a demonic beast without his swords than he would standing in front of the Dominic property in Fhirdiad.
It wasn’t everyday he bared his soul to people he didn’t respect but that held his future in their hands. Growing up he anticipated either escaping the whole marriage ordeal entirely by running away, or his Father stepping in to arrange something on his behalf. He’d never imagined traversing the treacherous waters of courting and betrothal at all, much less by himself.
Annette was worth it though. She wasn’t traditional herself, if he had proposed to her on one of their outings she would have been happy. Felix wanted more than just happy and going the traditional route would make her ecstatic so he prepared himself to do this for her. He needed to prove to her that he without a doubt wanted to be with her and would suffer through whatever her family required of him.
It wasn’t uncommon for families, crested families in particular to set their own betrothal requirements. Requirements that could change at the whim of the head of the house depending on whether or not they liked the suitor. Given how unreliable her father had been concerning her, he’s unsure who exactly would be establishing the betrothal requirements he must meet.
Taking a deep breath, Felix opened the ornate gate and strode up to knock on the door. The flowers that lined the path from the gate to the front door waved pleasantly in the slight breeze. Felix imagined that they were bidding him ‘good luck’. He wasn’t sure if they were authentic in their wishes or sarcastic, but he’d take what he could get.
Summoning his courage, Felix lifted his hand and knocked using the dog head knocker on the door. The resounding ‘thud thud thud’ of his knocking echoed throughout the property.
Well, that was unexpected and definitely nerve wracking. Now everyone within a league’s radius knew that the Duke of Fraldarius was calling on the Dominic household. Subtlety seemed to be diametrically opposed with House Dominic. Annette never stood a chance.
Felix was suddenly pulled out of his reverie by the sound of footsteps approaching the door. His palms were sweaty, his legs tensed in preparation to move and his heart beat so heavily in his ears he hardly heard what was sure to be a loud clang as the door was opened.
Goddess, what he would do to have his Father with him. Or Sylvain, literally anyone.
Was he breathing? It didn’t feel like he was breathing.
“Hello, how may I be of service to you today sir?” A portly older gentleman with greying brown hair, a penetrating set of ice blue eyes and perpetual frown asked with all the politeness befitting a stranger.
“G-Good day,” Felix paused to clear his throat, “I would like to speak with the Head of house Dominic if he is available.”
The butler stared him down, which was an impressive feat considering that Felix was taller than him.
“Who is our guest that I may inform my lord?”
“O-ah, Duke Fraldarius” he answered, a flush blooming in his face and ears. Annoying.
“Please, wait here a moment sir while I inquire with my lord.” The dour man intoned. His demeanor unchanging in light of Felix’s title.
Good. He felt gross when people treated him differently because of his title. It didn’t feel like he had earned or deserved it, especially after running from it for so long.
After what felt like an eternity, although he was sure it was an adequate amount of time, the Dominic butler returned and silently gestured for Felix to follow him into the estate.
He did his best to inconspicuously study the decor while keeping up with the surprisingly fast butler. At first glance it was very clear that Dominic was a titled house of Faerghus, with the weapons on display and the warrior motifs, but interwoven were delicate features that spoke of art and whimsy that belied the territory’s proximity to Adrestria.
It matched Annette perfectly.
To calm himself down from the inevitable confrontation he delved into a topic he never thought he would ever consider, interior design.
Felix placated himself as he imagined what design changes Annette would implement across his properties. The exercise proved fruitful as the pounding in his ears quieted it down as he envisioned how Annette would leave her mark for future generations to admire, so that they would know that Felix had been brave and brought in a truly fascinating woman into their lineage. Goddess knew his castle was nothing more than utilitarian. It was in desperate need of a—
“Good day Duke Fraldarius! How do you do? Please join me in my office.” Baron Dominic greeted once they had reached what looked to be a recently cleaned up dining area, his statement much more jovial than the cold glint in his blue eyes.
Felix nodded before following the older man, whose countenance reminded him so much of Gilbert he had struggled to control his facial features.
Felix had never really liked Gilbert.
He continued his study of the interior design until they arrived at a decently sized study that had a large window that overlooked what seemed to be a luscious garden.
Once Felix tore his eyes away from the view and looked around the new room he found himself being studied by another pair of piercing blue eyes. These were mischievous instead of standoffish, and they belonged to a young man, not much older than himself if he were to guess.
“Please, have a seat, Your Grace.” Baron Dominic suggested as he motioned toward an ornate chair in front of his massive desk.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to stand.” Felix insisted. His spine straight and his jaw clenched as he took measured breaths.
“Very well. I would like to introduce my son, Simon.” The Baron said after settling into his own seat. “How may we be of assistance?”
Short and straight to the point, a Dominic trait he appreciated.
He took a deep breath before looking at the keeper of his happiness and answering. “I would like to formally ask for Annette’s hand”.
The Baron’s face didn't flinch, even as his son, who had been watching silently from the corner, tried and failed to muffle a chuckle. After a moment of some of the most intense and unpleasant eye-contact Felix had ever experienced, the Baron let out a deep sigh and turned away.
“I had hoped you would have come sooner.”
Felix felt his face and hands go cold, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as if all of the moisture in his body had evaporated.
“Relax, Your Grace,” a voice from the corner piped up, clearly far too amused for Felix’s liking. “Dominic courting rules are specific. My father is about to return to the barony in a couple of days, so he’s unable to oversee the courting period.”
The warmth returned to Felix in increments. “I see, what does this mean? I am unaware of what the Dominic’s betrothal rules entail, I attempted to ask Annette, but she would not tell me.”
“Good,” the Baron spoke up, “If she had told you, it would have disqualified you from seeking her hand.”
Felix nodded, his arms crossed in front of his chest in an effort to hide how he clenched his fists. Another poorly muffled chuckle from the corner proved his efforts fruitless.
“Our rules are not as elaborate as some houses, but they are no less important,” the baron continued. “From this moment until you have completed the trial you are forbidden from seeing or speaking to Annette in any way.”
Felix dropped his arms, no longer attempting to hide his clenched fists. He opened his mouth to object but the Baron continued before he could. “ The trial lasts three weeks. Each week, you are to provide the head of house a gift for Annette that proves your devotion to her and your ability to provide for her. Should the head of house deem your gift insufficient in any way more than once, the trial period ends and your petition for her hand is officially declined.”
“How does my poor timing fit in with all of this?”
“I will not be returning to Fhirdiad for another six months. Since Annette cannot return to the barony because of her duties, any betrothal requests cannot be fulfilled until I return to supervise. This means that you may not see or speak with Annette in the time that I am gone.”
“Six months?” Felix asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. He tried to imagine what six months without Annette would look like. Six months of not hearing her voice, seeing her face, speaking with her, who would catch her when she inevitably tripped and fell? Who would get the books off the top shelves for her? How was he expected to keep living without the knowledge that after a stuffy meeting he would be rewarded with a bright smile, and engaging conversation?
“Father,” the voice from the corner spoke up, interrupting Felix’s descent into Annette-less madness, “what if I oversaw the courtship trial in your stead?”
Felix felt like he could breathe again at the possibility of not going six months without seeing Annette.
“Do you think you are ready for the responsibility? Are you prepared for the commitment taking on this role entails?” The Baron asked, his tone steely and his eyes doubly so. “This is your cousin’s life, Simon, her future would rest on your shoulders, are you ready to face the consequences of that?”
He wanted to interrupt and say that Annette was more than capable of seeking out and maintaining her own happiness should the need arise, but he felt as though there was more being communicated in that moment that he was not privy to. Not to mention, he was beginning to find blue eyes unnerving. The less they tried to penetrate into his soul, the better.
The young man, Simon, looked out the window to the clear blue sky before shaking his head and releasing a breath.
“Yes Father, I am ready.” his voice was firm and his chin set, his eyes returned his father’s pointed stare.
After a few more moments the Baron turned to Felix once again, “Very well, Simon will be representing me as the Head of House in relation to Annette’s betrothal requests. As such, he will be escorting you out. Good day, Duke Fraldarius” The Baron nodded towards him before leaving him alone with his son.
“Well, you heard the man, let's go, Your Grace, I will fill you in on some additional details as we walk.”
Felix nodded as he turned to follow the new dragon that was guarding his princess. Ugh, he needed to stop appeasing Ashe in his Knight’s Tales discussion, the frivolity of those stories had begun to rot his mind.
“My Father already explained most of it,” Simon began, his pace purposeful as though he were in a rush to get him out of their home, “you are forbidden from seeing or contacting Annette in any way, shape or form. If I catch you attempting to be sneaky, you will be denied. For each of the three weeks, you must provide one gift a week for Annette to me. Regardless of what the decision is, unless it is to harm her, Annette will receive the gift.” Simon looked back towards Felix to gauge his reaction, he nodded to show that he was listening.
“The gifts are to prove your devotion to Annette and to prove you can provide for her. I decide if it's good enough or not and no I’m not going to give you any hints. A week from today we will meet at a location of my choosing where you will present the first gift to me and I will tell you then if it's good enough.”
They had finally reached the front door, the dour faced butler opened it and bowed ever so slightly at Felix before closing it behind them as soon as they were over the threshold. Simon led him towards the gate, his pace unwavering.
“You only get to fail once. If I deem your gift insufficient more than once, your betrothal request is denied and you are forbidden from seeking Annette’s hand ever again. Any questions?” Simon asked as he pulled the gate open and motioned Felix through.
“When will I hear from you on where to meet?”
“The day before. I will send out a missive with the time and location. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Now begone! You are barred from nearing the Dominic domicile from this moment until your trial period has ended.” Simon ended his statement with a mocking salute before turning on his heel and walking away from him.
Three weeks, three gifts, and the whim of one man were all that stood between him and his happiness. He had faced worse odds, he could do this.
Felix turned to make his way back towards the castle, he had a meeting with the King and his advisors concerning maritime trade. As he walked he mulled over his conversation with the Dominics, he wanted to make sure that he was doing everything right moving forward. The last thing he needed was to be barred from ever seeking her hand due to a stupid mistake.
No pressure.