But? Charles' thoughts caught upon the word having expected anything but a but from her, especially after how she'd started the sentence. She'd been the one impatient for him to propose, had all but given him an ultimatum over a week ago, and yet she wasn't prepared for it? He couldn't believe it. She was all but saying 'yes', that much was true, but what possible 'matter' could she have to see to? She hadn't needed to ask two of his relatives for his hand, she hadn't had to buy a house, procure a ring, plan the date, or duel her cheat of a cousin! What possible impediment did she have that she couldn't have taken care of by now?

He'd done all he could to make this as perfect as she was and it was already tainted by his injury but now she wasn't even giving him a whole-hearted 'yes'? Merlin, he needed to sit down, he needed to process this, he needed someone to fucking take care of the bullet hole in his stomach before he bled out and none of this mattered anyway.

Charles couldn't help the fact that his face had fallen like a ton of bricks it was the least of his concerns now. "Dare I ask?" He didn't mean to let an undertone of snark ripple through his words but his composure was slipping now that he'd lost control of the situation. Fuck this wasn't how it was supposed to happen, this had gone from vaguely nightmarish after losing the duel to full on hellscape now that he didn't technically have the answer he'd wanted, the answer he'd expected. Was this too Macnair's doing? Was his sly little proposal at fault for this?

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