Wife of The Demon Prince
Chapter 315: Marriage proposal

Chapter 315: Marriage proposal

"Yes, I am here... To formally ask for your hand in marriage lady Eadlin, I’d like to make you my wife, if you are willing."

Hearing his words Eadlin was dumbstruck. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?"

Eadlin took a few moments to let his words sink in, looking at his handsome and calm face, he didn’t seem to have been joking or just saying it out of amusement, realizing he seemed to have meant his words, Eadlin was brought back to her senses.

"I’m sorry to ask this lord Derian, but on what basis do you wish to marry me? You barely even know me." She asked calmly, why would he want to marry her when they only just met yesterday?

Derian smiled, "Time is not the only means to know a person, you could spend a lifetime thinking you know someone only to realize you don’t, so also can you spend a moment, but feel like you’ve known them for a lifetime." Derian said in a steady voice, before he gave a pointed looked adding seriously, "Those are words uttered by the ignorant, you are right my lady, I do not know you, nor do I know anything personal about you, however I am certain of this, you would make a suitable wife... So if you are willing, I’d like to ask for your hand in marriage." He did the Eringdalle bow to show his sincerity before standing straight again.

Eadlin looked lost for a moment before a bitter smile crossed her lips, "I’m afraid you’re mistaken lord Derian." She pulled up the sleeves of her dress making sure to show him her disfigured arm so he would clearly see, though he had seen it last night, for him to come and propose marriage to her, he must not have clearly seen how useless her arm looked, for in her mind, she thought no man would want to marry a woman with a single arm, "I’m a one armed disabled woman, I do not see how I’d make a good wife," she gazed gently down at Crispin, the look in her eyes apologetic, she then added, "Or a good mother to your son."

Now she had come to realize why the little boy had said those things to her, though the sadness in the little boy’s eyes made her feel sympathy for him, she couldn’t bring herself to accept and make it worse for him, the little boy not just wanted a mother, but as a child, he needed one as well, however how was she going to be a good mother to him with her being in such circumstances, and her disabled arm, if not a terrible mother, she would end up a huge disgrace for him.

Derian stared at her arm for a few seconds, his expression calm without a hint of disgust or degrading he looked away, the exact same reaction Crispin gave as he saw her arm yesterday, he then said with a soft expression, "Appearances are an illusion my lady, what matters is what lies within, being one armed or having no arms at all does not matter, as long as you’re willing to marry me, I’ll gladly take you as my wife."

Eadlin was taken aback by his words, did he really not mind the fact that she was one armed?

"It is easy for you to say those words since you haven’t properly thought about the consequences," She decided to lay the facts before him, "Would you be able to introduce your one armed wife to the public? Wouldn’t you feel ashamed to have people see you with me? How would you feel when people would call you the husband of a disabled woman? They will make a mockery out of you, will laugh at you, and sour your name, would you want that?" She was sure he would change his mind if he realized the gravity of his decision to marry her, Just like all her other suitors after seeing her arm.

However to her astonishment, he said.

"Yes, if I make you my wife then you would take my name, as your husband it would be my responsibility to make sure no one ever says a bad word against you, if anyone dares to sour your name then I will take the due action, you are not a disabled woman, you are just like every other normal woman out there and you deserve as much as they do, my lady."

At his words Eadlin was momentarily dumbstruck before tears gleamed in her eyes, she raised her head slightly to push the tears back.

Why were people thinking so highly of her? They claimed she was good enough and that she deserved the best when all her life her mother had made her believe the very opposite. She had been termed as stupid, naive, useless and a disgrace by her very own birth mother. And now, people who were mere strangers to her were telling her such warm words and making her feel worthy.

"My lady, please do me the honor of accepting my proposal." Derian once again said.

She gazed down at Crispin who was looking up at her, eyes glistening hopefully, as if he was pleading with her to agree. She couldn’t deny the fact that she had grown fond of the boy in just a single night. But marrying his father was another different case, marrying him would mean she would also have to live in Eringdalle, a foreign kingdom, and would never be able to see... Henry again. But would he even allow her to marry this man?

Eadlin was momentarily silent, her gaze fell on Henry who was standing behind. He had a deep frown on his face, but other than that, he looked rigid and indifferent.

Her heart ached subtly at the indifferent look in his eyes.

Though she had desired to go to the Bimmari mountains and live as a nun, she couldn’t deny the fact that if... If there ever was a possibility for her to live a normal life, with someone who would appreciate her despite her fatal flaws, where she could live like any other normal person putting the pain of her past behind her, then there was no harm in accepting it.

However, she had confessed her feelings to Henry, though by mistake she wondered what he thought of it, did he loathe her for feeling that way towards him, or would he... By chance accept her? She knew that was a distant imagination, she was more than certain it wouldn’t happen, but she wanted to confirm it so she could extinguish the small flicker of hope from the curiosity that had built up in her heart all this while.

"This decision is not entirely in my hands, since I’m now under the care of the Boxtons, someone has the right to approve or reject the proposal on my behalf, and because I feel eternally grateful for all the support he’s given me, I’ll leave this decision up to you, Lord Henry." Saying this, she gave Henry a small bow, but looking up other than slight shock, his expression still remained rigid, "What do you think lord Henry, will you accept this proposal on my behalf, or will you reject it?"

She kept her gaze steadily on him, hoping to catch just a tiny flicker if his expression were to change, anything that could make her catch a hint that he was reluctant to have her accept the marriage.

It took a few seconds before Henry finally spoke up, he said the words that were against his heart, the words that made his heart ache like a thousand needles were piercing through his chest, but then he swallowed those emotions and said, "This is a very good proposal, since you have no objections, I’ll be glad to accept this marriage proposal for you."

Eadlin felt her heart sink, she continued to stare at Henry for some time with a steady gaze, however there was deep pain in her eyes. Her eyes stung from holding back the tears, her throat clenched tightly as she stared at Henry, who still looked indifferent.

It was just as she thought, she meant nothing to him, absolutely nothing at all, which was why he would be more than ready to marry her off to anyone else.

Her love was one sided, this was a fact she had come to accept for some time now, but there was no greater pain than that of a rejection from the one you loved, and this form of rejection was even more painful than that of thousand needles piecing through ones heart.

She meant nothing to him, so he would rather give her away to anyone else, than have to face the brunt of her silly affections for him.

Once more Eadlin braced herself and pushed back the tears gathered in her eyes, she maintained a steady gaze, "Then it is settled lord Darius, I will marry you, and If you don’t mind, I will like the wedding to take place as soon as possible, then after that, I would be more than glad to move back to Eringdalle with you."