Chapter 2: A Proposal Accepted

Annalise sat at her small vanity, the dim candlelight casting long shadows across the room. Her hands moved automatically as she brushed through her long hair, but her mind was far from the simple task at hand. Her thoughts were tangled in the events of the previous night—the proposal she had made, and the weight of Ethan's response.

His words still echoed in her mind, his voice filled with disbelief, tinged with something deeper she couldn't quite grasp. "I will think about it," he had said.

Annalise's fingers stilled on her hairbrush, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm the nervous flutter in her stomach. He would think about it. That was something, wasn't it? He hadn't rejected her outright, hadn't dismissed her as so many others had when faced with her plainness and lack of title. There was a chance—however small—that he might consider her proposal.

Her proposal was practical, rooted in survival. She had offered him a future, a legacy, one that could outlive his disfigured face. But it wasn't just his future she was securing—it was her own as well. She could already see the ripple effect of their union: a child born of both their bloodlines, immune to the coming plague, a future for the kingdom. A chance to prevent the horrors she had seen in her vision.

But there was so much she didn't know. So much she couldn't tell him. How could she explain the weight of her visions? How could she tell him that she had seen their marriage, their child, and the disaster that would come without it? She feared that if she spoke of such things, he would cast her away as a madwoman. And yet… she couldn't shake the feeling that this marriage was their only hope.

The vision had come to her in the dead of night, vivid and unmistakable. Ethan, standing in the ruins of the kingdom, his silver eyes filled with grief as he held their child in his arms. The child—their child—would be the key. The one immune to the plague, the one with the power to stop it. If they married, if they succeeded in continuing the Vornhart bloodline, they could change everything. She would do whatever it took to make that happen.

Her reverie was broken by a knock at the door. Annalise quickly stood, smoothing down her dress and stepping toward the door.

"Yes?"

It was one of the other servants, a young girl with wide eyes and a nervous expression. "The master requests your presence in the dining hall, Miss Annalise."

Annalise's heart skipped a beat. Ethan had asked for her? She hadn't expected him to call on her so soon after their conversation. Her breath caught in her throat, but she quickly composed herself and nodded. "I'll be right there."

As she walked down the hall, her heart raced with uncertainty. She had no idea what Ethan was thinking. Had he come to a decision about her proposal? Had he rejected her, as she feared he might?

The dining hall loomed ahead, its grand doors a reminder of the power that Ethan held in this house. Though he was a noble by birth, his father's legacy was tarnished by the disfigurement Ethan bore, the mark of his father's failed experiment. Annalise knew the weight of that legacy, had seen the way people in the court shied away from Ethan, and the disdain that others treated him with. He had built his own isolation, though, not just from others but from himself.

As she entered the room, Ethan was seated at the long table, his back to her as he gazed out the large window. He didn't turn as she entered, but she could feel the tension in the air, the stillness of a man deep in thought.

"You called for me, my lord?" she asked, her voice soft but steady.

Ethan turned slowly, his gaze meeting hers with an intensity that unsettled her. His silver eyes, cold and distant, studied her for a long moment before he spoke.

"I have thought about your proposal, Annalise," he began, his voice low and measured. "And I have come to a decision."

Annalise's heart seemed to stop in her chest. This was it. The moment of truth.

"I will marry you," he said simply, and for a long moment, there was nothing but the heavy silence between them.

Annalise's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't expected him to say it so quickly, so decisively. She had thought he would take time to weigh the pros and cons, to push her away and make excuses. But he had agreed.

Her hands trembled slightly as she clasped them together in front of her. "You will?"

Ethan nodded. "It is the only logical solution. My future is already sealed—without heirs, without a family, I am nothing but a shadow. This marriage, though born of necessity, will ensure that the Vornhart name continues. Our bloodline will survive."

Annalise swallowed, trying to push back the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. This was it—this was the moment that would change everything. Not just for Ethan, but for her as well. She would bear his children, she would create the future he could not have alone. She would be the key to their survival.

"I will do my part," she said quietly, her voice full of resolve. "I will bear your heirs, my lord. I will carry your bloodline forward, for both our sakes."

Ethan studied her for a moment, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. "And you are certain of this?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "You know what you are agreeing to? A marriage of convenience, nothing more."

Annalise nodded, her heart steady despite the nerves twisting inside her. "I am certain. We are both bound by duty, and I will not falter in my commitment."

He looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and something else—perhaps gratitude, perhaps something deeper that he himself was not ready to acknowledge. After a long pause, he rose from his seat and walked toward her. His steps were slow, deliberate, and as he reached her, he stopped.

"You are a brave woman, Annalise," he said, his voice quiet but filled with an unexpected warmth. "I do not know what the future holds, but I will honor this decision, and I will see it through. For both of us."

Annalise's heart thudded in her chest as she looked up at him. His disfigured face, though scarred and marred, did not seem so grotesque at that moment. Instead, there was a vulnerability in his eyes, a rawness that made him seem more human than the distant, aloof lord he presented to the world.

She reached out, placing her hand lightly on his arm. "We will face whatever comes together, my lord. And we will see it through. For our future."

He nodded, and in that simple gesture, Annalise felt a flicker of hope.

The future was uncertain, yes, but perhaps, just perhaps, they would be able to face it together.