10 - Blair discusses shipping

                                        

                                              
Blair stared at the Letters of Intent that had been delivered for her, eyes quickly picking out the wax seal of each Family that had a third or fourth son, or sometimes cousin, who would make her a perfect Suitor. Her parents, and her eldest brother Alaric, had all promised that she had no obligation to marry, though none of them truly understood why she was so adamant against it. Even little Gavin thought there was some great trauma or heartbreak behind her actions.
But truthfully, Blair had a hard time trying to imagine a life long relationship with any of these strangers, who most likely wanted her beauty and the Briggs' money. So, unless a Letter of Intent came from a first born who would inherit their own name and fortune, or maybe one of the Ducal Princes, Blair had no intention of opening them. And she avoided the Social Events with the same strategic accuracy as most used to lure a Suitor; if someone truly wanted to get to know Blair for her own sake they'd find a way. If they only cared she existed at the Marriage Season, it told her all she needed to know. 
So, unless Alaric decided he was a monk, or unfortunately passed away, she was free to act like it didn't matter. But given that they were on their way to the newly titled Earl Clayton Wignell precisely because his elder brother had unexpectedly passed away, Blair hadn't burned the Letter of Intent like she normally would have. Because if something happened to Alaric, she'd was the one who would become Countess instead, and that would mean selecting a husband for herself. 
"Thank you," Alaric broke into her thoughts, "for helping me help Clayton, I know Social Events aren't your thing."
"Yes, but this isn't the typical Social Event; he's got no Debutant. Besides, he may be your best friend but that doesn't mean I want to leave him at the Queen's Mercy," Blair shrugged Alaric's gratitude off. 
After the catastrophe her 'refill' caused at the Alchemy Bureau, she'd been told to take some time off to explore this new aspect of her magic. Logically, it made sense and yet it still stung like a rejection from the one place Blair had found that suited her. And it wasn't like they were telling her she couldn't come back, she just had to learn the newer limits to her abilities now. The only issue being that she had no idea HOW to go about doing so. So instead of struggling her way through the unknown, Blair had volunteered to help Alaric and Clayton Wignell out. 
"That's where you're wrong Blair, Clayton is his own Debutant," Alaric corrected, "he may have turned an adult when I did, but now he's being presented as Earl Wignell; this is how the Queen is addressing that."
"What did she ask you," Blair blurted the question out, "the night you Debuted? You've listened to the rest of us share our experiences, but you had no one to share yours with." Such was the burden of being eldest. 
Instead of making Alaric turn serious, or somber, the question garnered a wide grin, "ask that again when we get to the Wignell House, you'll enjoy it more."
That only made Blair want to demand an answer now, but she bit her tongue and waited. Thankfully, they were already almost there; her own issued forgotten as she rushed to debark the carriage and go get some answers.
Earl Wignell came to the door to greet them, looking tired and full of sorrows. Blair felt a swell of sympathy, this man had lost a sibling young and then his parents, and now his last sibling; he may have become an Earl, but Blair knew Clayton had never wanted the title. So, she did the only thing she could think of to help distract him.
"Alaric told me I had to wait until we were here to find out what Queen Akiyama asked him the night you two Debuted," her outburst took Clayton visibly off guard for a heartbeat before he started laughing. 
"And here I thought you wanted to go your whole life without reliving that night," Clayton teased Alaric. 
"If neither of you will tell me, I'll refill every glass you drink today with piss," she warned, not actually certain she could follow through.