Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Dillon seemed bewildered when confronted with Graham’s playful tone. It was similar to how she had looked at the ball last night.

“Of course,” she said after a moment.

The memory of seeing this young lady step on Cedric’s toes all night the previous evening was still fresh in Graham’s mind. He had laughed about it, but it seemed Dillon was still young enough to have felt bashful.

“Um, I brought a gift for teatime,” Dillon said. She solemnly presented him with a small tin case and said, “These are dried mountain flowers.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

“It cleanses the blood, so it’s good for your heart, and can even help prevent heart disease.”

“You seem to be very knowledgeable about flowers.”

“Please steep it in water over seventy degrees for twenty minutes and drink a cup each day, without fail,” Dillon pressed.

“I will, thank you,” Graham replied, pleased. He was delighted that she was showing concern over his health. “Your grandmother loved flowers too. She really enjoyed gardening.”

“I’m more interested in plants with medicinal properties,” Dillon said. “As for flowers, I like ones that smell better than they look.”

“Your grandmother was the same way.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not as well-versed in horticulture as my grandmother was,” Dillon said with a slight wave of her hand.

Graham nodded. There were always flowers in full bloom around Lila. Even now, when Graham thought of her, he imagined a vast field of flowers. Dillon seemed much more pragmatic than Lila had been, which made her a good match for Cedric, and that only pleased Graham more.

“Seeing as you like medicinal herbs, are you interested in medical botany?”

“It’s more of a hobby I picked up from taking care of my little sister. She used to get sick with minor diseases all the time,” Dillon replied, then smiled faintly. “Even now, if she coughs even once, I automatically start pulverizing apricot pits.”

Graham liked it a great deal that she seemed to care so much for her family—she was a good kid. He suddenly realized that he had been so focused on Dillon’s lack of a physical resemblance to Lila that he had forgotten how kind-hearted Lila had been. How deplorable of him! In any case, things seemed to have worked out well. Graham was satisfied.

“I’m so glad I’ll be able to see Cedric get married before I die.”

“Um, so, I actually have something to say,” Dillon said at the same time.

They both froze. All the color left Dillon’s face.

“Hmm?” Graham encouraged. “What do you have to say?”

“N-never mind, it’s nothing. Please, continue.”

Dillon wasn’t convincing, but Graham decided not to dwell on it—being nosy was a sign of getting old, after all.

“Cedric can get overly engrossed in his work, so frankly, I was a little worried,” Graham admitted. “I’m glad you’re such a good kid—not that I expected anything less from Lila’s granddaughter.”

Dillon paused. “You’re too kind,” she eventually said.

“Please,” Graham dismissed. “I’m only calling it as I see it. So I want to ask you—” Graham cleared his throat to cover his mild embarrassment. “Will you take good care of Cedric going forward, in my place?”

No matter what, Cedric was still his beloved grandson. He couldn’t help being a little old-fashioned about the prospect of his impending nuptials. Graham had worked hard to fill the gap left by the untimely death of Cedric’s father. However, he couldn’t stay in this position forever, so he had hoped Cedric would find a caring companion.

“I...” Dillon kept opening and closing her mouth as if she was about to say something. Finally, with a vague smile on her face, she said, “I share your hopes for Cedric’s future. I also want him to have a happy ending. I hope he finds the happiness he is destined to enjoy.”

Graham felt the sincerity in Dillon’s voice, which trembled slightly.

“And I will do my absolute best to make it happen,” she finished.

Her light brown eyes looked directly at him and were filled with determination, purpose, and wisdom. Now that he had been assured of his grandson’s future happiness, Graham let out a hearty laugh. I really am glad she’s such a good kid.

“I’m happy I was able to meet such a good partner for my grandson before I depart from this world,” Graham said.

“If your grandson is important to you, then you mustn’t say such things,” Dillon urged him. “Saying that you’re going to die is too sad. You must live a long life, Your Grace.” Dillon continued, now firmly scolding the duke. “Your grandson says you often skip your medical examinations, which has your family doctor worried. Please refrain from skipping them anymore, Your Grace. Your health is extremely important.”

“You really know how to go for the jugular,” Graham chuckled. “All right, I’ll do as you say.”

Dillon’s lecture made it seem like they were already family. Graham became even more eager to expedite the wedding. It was a good thing he had hurriedly filed the marriage license with the archbishop. He mentally patted himself on the back for his sound judgment.

“Speaking of Cedric, did you come here with him?”

“Yes,” Dillon answered. “On the way over, we talked about... any number of things.”

“Will you call him over? I have something to tell you both.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

She nodded and got up to retrieve Cedric. As soon as Dillon left the sitting room, Graham took the document out from his inner jacket pocket—Special Marriage License. It would normally take two weeks to get this, but he had pressured the archbishop to prepare one right away. Now, once he submitted the application, Cedric and Dillon’s marriage would be immediately valid.

You did well, Graham Hayworth. As they say, you have to strike while the iron is hot. With a pleased smile, Graham drummed his fingers on the piece of paper in his hands.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cedric was seated in a mahogany chair on the first floor while he waited for the conversation taking place on the second floor to finish. The oil landscape hanging on the wall across from him seemed crooked. Or was he just imagining it? He leaned forward, squinting to get a better look, then heard the soft sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

Dillon walked slowly, her steps heavy, her face uncharacteristically serious.

“So, how did it go?” Cedric asked, smiling broadly.

Dillon didn’t answer right away. “It was a valuable conversation,” she finally said.

“And?” Cedric asked.

Dillon hesitated again. Then she said, “Let’s get married.” Her eyes were filled with resolve.

“I knew you would say that,” Cedric responded with a nod.

As he well knew, Dillon’s answer was decided for her before she had even entered the sitting room.

* * *

This was the only result that could have been expected. Cedric knew better than anyone how stubborn his grandfather could be. Not only did stubbornness run in the family, but Graham had also grown much bolder and more outspoken since retiring from the front lines. Before, he had restrained himself for the sake of his public image, but lately, he had devoted himself more steadfastly than ever to getting his way. That was why Dillon would never have been able to win against him.

“You’re a good person,” Dillon said.

“Aha.”

“You’re a good person, so I understand why you didn’t want to disappoint your grandfather,” she continued, her voice feeble. Cedric furrowed his brow. Their conversation had made her think he was a good person?

That wasn’t how he had imagined the conversation would go. He had figured Dillon would tell his grandfather why she didn’t want to marry Cedric, and the duke would say, “I see, you’re absolutely right,” before pretending not to have heard her. After all, that was how he always treated Cedric, and because his grandfather had weathered a long lifetime of many hardships, it was especially difficult to go against his will. So what was this about him being a good person? It was a far cry from what he had predicted.

“Also, His Grace called for you,” Dillon added as if she had just remembered. “He says he has something to tell the both of us.”

“All right,” Cedric replied, and got out of his seat. He had also expected his grandfather to call for him after talking to Dillon, and he had expected him to be smiling with delight when Cedric entered the sitting room. What Cedric didn’t expect was the item in his grandfather’s hands.

“What’s that?” he asked, affecting a nonchalant tone.

“It’s a special marriage license,” his grandfather replied. “If you fill it out and turn it in today, your marriage will be immediately validated.”

The duke still wore a pleased smile on his face. Cedric stifled a sigh. Anyone who could read would have known what the document was at a glance. That wasn’t the problem.

“When did you—” Cedric began, but Graham cut him off.

“I sent for it the day you left for the Langton estate.”

He sounded as if the answer should have been quite obvious. Cedric smiled, his lips pressed firmly together. He was glad this was how things had turned out. If he had attempted to go against his grandfather’s will when it was this strong, his future could have been very tiresome indeed. He could see it clear as day: If Cedric hadn’t proposed, then whenever a problem arose at any point in the future, his grandfather would undoubtedly say, “If only you had gotten married back then...”

He would never have let Cedric live it down, so doing his best to avert such a situation was really a no-brainer. Graham ignored Cedric’s stiff smile and turned his gaze to Dillon.

“Personally, I’d like the wedding to happen as soon as possible,” he said. “Every young lady wants to be a spring bride. Wouldn’t you like to be married during that beautiful time of the year too, Dillon?”

“Grandfath—”

“Of course, it would be impossible to organize such an event in just a day or two,” Graham continued, unperturbed. “A grand wedding such as this can’t just be thrown together in the blink of an eye. In order to get everything perfect, we’ll have to spend at least a month preparing. And if we wish to invite guests from the royal palace, it might even take as long as two months. As for the location,” Graham paused to think, then continued, “yes, how about reserving one of the smaller royal palaces for the day? I think the McClaren Palace would be lovely for a spring wedding.”

“A simple ceremony would be nice,” Dillon said suddenly, putting down her teacup. Graham closed his mouth, bringing his long stream of fanciful utterances to an abrupt stop. Dillon beamed before explaining, “I haven’t made my debut in high society yet, so many of the people you’re talking about won’t even know me. I would rather not meet such important people for the first time at a wedding. If possible, I’d just like a small ceremony with only our families in attendance.”