She was taken aback by what Rowan said, but his doubting question didn’t sit right with her. "What are you trying to imply, brother Rowan? Let make it clear that my decision has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Swear on my na and say you do not have feelings for Lucian?" Rowan demanded, his tone and gaze determined to make his sister talk at all costs.
Erin felt a surge of annoyance. "I don’t have to do this when I am doing nothing wrong. I don’t understand what is the aning of this talk at all. I won’t swear for anything."
"But I want to," Rowan insisted. "I want you to swear on my na that you are not doing this out of anger and being heart broken by that Lucian Rainier."
"Rowan," Euron and Rafal interjected, trying to stop him, but he persisted. "Let speak. You two always want to paint as the villain. You two can stand to her taking a wrong decision but I can’t. I will do anything to stop her, even if ans turning a villain in her eyes."
Euron and Rafal stayed quiet, knowing Rowan wouldn’t relent.
"Tell you didn’t feel hurt when you heard he rejected marrying you," Rowan pressed, urging his brothers to say sothing, anticipating Erin would react to a bit of provocation.
"Erin, didn’t you first agree to marry because Father was going to propose your marriage to Lucian?" Euron asked gently.
"It’s ti to be honest and tell us what’s on your mind, Erin," Rafal added. "Your brothers don’t want you to make a decision on a whim and then end up regretting it."
Erin, gripping the armrests of her chair, listened to her brothers. She released her grip and inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. "So you three think I agreed to this marriage because I was angry when Lucian rejected ? You think I am that kind of a person to plan revenge on soone who did nothing wrong?"
Rafal swallowed nervously at her words. "We don’t exactly an that, but..."
"No," she interrupted her brother, "The way you three co to showing your worry all the ti, it shows what you think about your sister," her eyes glared at the three, her displeasure at their behavior clear. "I will say this one last ti, and you have to listen to it. My decision has nothing to do with Lucian Rainier. This is what I have decided for myself with sane mind."
They had never seen Erin like this before; she had never looked at them this way. By being protective brothers, have they made a mistake of misusing her?
She continued, "You want to be honest? Fine. Yes, when I heard he rejected , I felt hurt. I don’t even know why I felt hurt, but it did..." Her eyes turned moist, her voice faltering. "Are you three happy to hear it from now. Yes, I was hurt like a fool. A man’s rejection managed to hurt , a man who I hardly know for a while and till few days before I was doubting for having wrong intentions for coming to our ho?"
"Erin," Rowan stood up and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his while the other two brothers watched, pained by her distress.
Erin didn’t pull her hand back, knowing how much her brother loved her, but she spoke firmly, while not letting the tears make their way out, "Let finish."
"Say it. We will listen and accept whatever you say. We don’t want you to keep it in your heart and feel suffocated," Rowan urged, looking into her teary eyes.
She nodded, her voice choked with emotion. "I was hurt...," she inhaled deeply to calm her emotions, "...but I have no reason to be angry at him or make such a huge decision based on anger. It would benefit no one. Why would I be angry at him? He never led on; he respected and always maintained boundaries making things clear from his side. We never had anything going on between us for to feel anything bad and feel angry towards him.
"Maybe it was just my pride hurt by the rejection from soone I started to have soft feelings for, but it’s nothing much. Maybe it was a montary thing I felt towards him, but it’s not to the extent that I would think about taking revenge on him at the expense of my own future. I can get over it.
"He and Aaron are brothers, and doing sothing reckless will only leave with a lifeti of regret. Trust , I didn’t make this decision to affect Lucian. In fact, I know he would co and congratulate and Aaron on our wedding, still having no feelings in his heart for . He is not made for that and I should not expect anything from him. And I know I will forget about him as well."
"I am glad you can think of it like this," Rowan said softly. "Then, why did you agree to it? Was it because of our father? You should still reconsider. Our family is not the kind to force their daughters into sothing they do not want. We want you to marry soone you love, not out of duty as a daughter."
"Father is one of the reasons," she admitted. "He had given his word to the King, and I didn’t wish him to go back on it. But that’s not all. I have to marry soone sooner or later, and instead of marrying just anyone, I chose to marry a man who is not a spoiled son of a noble family but has a goal in his life. I have known Aaron through brother Rafal, and I know he is the kind of man who won’t restrict my freedom. He will allow to work by his side as he becos a new lord. With him, I would continue to live my life as I do here at ho. I am selfish about my future and want nothing but the freedom I’ve always had. With him, I would have it."
The three brothers exchanged glances. They didn’t doubt her words, knowing she valued living on her own terms. They knew she was right; with Aaron, it was possible.
"But we want you to marry soone you love. It’s important," Rowan pressed.
"It doesn’t matter what I think if no man loves that way," she said, her expression tinged with sadness. "So, I can only look forward to marrying a good man who I might fall in love with or at least will allow to live the way I want."
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