Margaret's nerves were on edge; her father looked at her with intrigue. They were both in the hall when the butler informed them that the guest had arrived. Great was the surprise of Duke Vitaly when he saw Archduke Chevalier and behind him, a caravan of fifty carriages.
"Good evening, Duke Vitaly. My presence in your home is due to the fact that I come to request your approval to marry your precious daughter. Behind me is my dowry; I hope it is to your liking, Lady Vitaly." For the first time in his life, Duke Vitaly saw Archduke Chevalier so formal. He observed the panorama carefully; the man had made an effort to have his approval.
"Let's have dinner; it will be a topic that we will discuss after dinner," said the Duke, walking ahead to the dining room.
"My Lady, will you allow me to accompany you?" The Archduke was showing himself as Margaret had known him in her past.
"Of course, Your Excellency, I think you have left my father speechless," Margaret said calmly. She knew her father was weighing the advantages and disadvantages of such a marriage.
They both continued on their way in silence. Upon reaching the dining room, dinner was served; the Duke was at the head of the table, Margaret to his right, and Archduke Chevalier to his left.
"Archduke Chevalier, tell me, how did you meet my daughter?" The Duke asked the question with intrigue. If anything is public knowledge, it is that the Archduke had been a widower for fifteen years and never wanted to remarry. Everyone thought it was because of the immense love he had for his late wife, but Margaret's father knew the truth, and that left him thoughtful. What really worried the Duke was the exorbitant dowry that the Archduke gave Margaret; he did not even give the deceased something so magnificent.
"We are all aware of the flower of society. Although I was not present the day she made her society debut, I have seen her several times at court. Her impressive beauty and the fact that she is endowed with such intelligence made her steal all my attention. For this reason, I come to request permission to marry her."
"Isn't it better to court my daughter first? It's the right thing to do," the Duke said harshly.
"You will understand that, with my reputation, I can tarnish Lady Margaret's; that is why I am requesting marriage at once. The celebration would be in style at the castle."
The Duke was somewhat thoughtful. Although the Archduke was right, he didn't want to override Margaret's wishes.
"Margaret, what do you think of the Archduke's proposal?"
"There is no more suitable man in the empire than Archduke Chevalier. I am completely flattered, Father. I think it would be better if His Excellency takes charge of the wedding preparations and the identity of the bride remains a surprise; we don't want malicious rumors."
"Does that mean that you accept His Excellency's proposal?" the Duke asked with interest.
"If I have my father's approval, I will gladly accept." Margaret looked at her father with hope; Although it didn't seem like it, his approval was very important to her.
"I will finalize details with His Excellency after dinner."
Dinner continued peacefully; the three of them talked peacefully about various topics. When dinner was over, the Duke and the Archduke left the dining room to chat animatedly in the study.
Upon entering, the Duke offered the Archduke a drink, and his characteristic gentle smile changed to a stern expression.
"Something I promised my late wife was to always respect Margaret's decisions. I know that she is interested in you; I could see it in her eyes. I only ask one thing: love and respect my daughter. I don't care if you have the support of the king himself; For me, my daughter is my greatest treasure and her reputation comes first."
"I know what you mean. My previous marriage was arranged by the late king; that woman was never of interest to me. I promise you that Lady Margaret will have my full support and protection."
"I hope so. I must admit that you put a lot of effort into the dowry; that will be talked about throughout the empire for years."
"The ring will give more to talk about; I propose that the wedding take place in a month."
"Six, a month is too soon," the Duke protested angrily, not wanting to give up his princess so soon.
"Four, being royalty. I can speed up the whole process." The Archduke would not give in; he wanted to marry Margaret as soon as possible.
"It seems good to me. Margaret wants you to be in charge of making all the wedding arrangements, from the ceremony to the party that will be held at the palace. I don't want you to expose my daughter to being attacked on her wedding day by your enemies."
"Don't worry, we'll be covered by my battalion. I don't want anyone ruining the wedding. Margaret is my most precious treasure."
"I hope so."
The men signed the engagement between the two families. As he left, the Archduke knelt before Margaret, handing her the engagement ring.
"Lady Margaret Vitaly, I give you this ring, which has been the heritage of the empresses of this empire for generations, as a token of my affection." Although he was not in love with Margaret, he felt that this jewel belonged to her. Margaret was fascinated; that jewel was a historical heritage of the empire.
The Duke almost fainted when he saw the ring; That ring was more important than the Empress's own crown, and it was public knowledge that the ring was given to the Archduke by the Empress before she died, in the hope that their marriage would be as lasting as the foundations of the empire. The Archduchess died and the ring had never been seen. There was no longer any doubt that this bloodthirsty man was hopelessly interested in his daughter.
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