Note: I once posted this on tumblr but deleted it afterwards.
Gray Fullbuster was coronated The Duke of Tuly when he was only nineteen. Now three and twenty, to say he was annoyed to be pressured into marriage by his Aunt was a mere understatement.
If he was a disrespectful bloody bastard, he would not attend this sickening ball to find a lady he could marry. But he was not, and as much as he denied, he loved his Aunt like he was his mother. She had raised him since he was a babe, his biological mother died when she gave birth to him, and he grew up with her for years.
Still, it did not change the fact that he was utterly irritated by the situation. It was not just because he was forced to take part in the ball, but because the west part of his land could not be inherited until he got married. And he needed that land to expand his business.
It was maddening, to say the least. He was The Duke, he should have the right to inherit everything. But his father left a foolish will to prevent that from happening. It was beyond his ken as to why he would do that.
"Your Grace,"
Gray eyed the individual who had the bravery to greet him in his fuming stupor. He rolled his eyes when he saw Loke, the knight of Lady Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of The Marquess of Magnolia. He was also his friend since they both attended Fairy Tail School for Lords. They bonded under the same master in their swordmanship class.
"I do remember I have told you not to address me in that way, Loke. You are my friend."
Loke Regulus was not part of the nobility, but the gentry. His family was one of the richest under nobility as all the Lords served as knights. They had the chance to climbed up the ranks but they humbly declined as they did not wish to govern a land.
Loke smiled. "We are in public, Your Grace. I am afraid that would not be possible."
"You are increasing my ire. You should go." he said and took a sip of wine from his glass.
"And what might be the reason for your ire, Duke Gray?"
He glared at his friend and the latter chuckled. It was evident he was just annoying him when he addressed him formally.
"Apologies. But you appeared to be really displeased, I could not help but tease."
"That is the last thing I need, Loke."
"Do tell the reason. I am curious."
Gray groaned as he recalled his plight. He, nonetheless, told his friend about it.
"That is quite an interesting will. But worry not. May I remind you that you are talking to one of the most handsome bachelor in town. I do have a lot of knowledge about ladies who have yet to marry. As well as connections." the rake winked. He did not lie with his statement.
Gray shook his head. "I should have guessed you would focus on the marriage part."
"Because that is the important part. Oh, we could start now. Look in the middle of the hall, do you see Natsu dancing with someone?" Loke asked.
"I was not aware Natsu could do the quadrille," he replied, disinterested, as he put his glass on the table nearby. He did not want to be drunk at the first ball he would attend that week.
"You bastard. That is not what I am pointing out. Look at the lady in his arms. That is Lady Lisanna, she do not have a husband. One and twenty, with a good reputation. She is the younger sister of Her Grace, The Duchess of Alvarez."
Gray winced at the mention of the Duchess. He was familiar with her and have met her a few times. She was but a daughter of a baron before she wed the Duke of Alvarez, Laxus Dreyar. It was quite a scandal when it happened.
"She is out of the option."
Loke looked startled. "Why? If I may comment, she is one of the best candidate."
"She is Duchess Mirajane's sister. That said Duchess is bloody scary, I do not dare." he said the last sentence in a whisper.
Loke laughed. "I have heard the rumours, but if it is coming from you, I may really need to believe it now."
"You should. She-" Gray's words were caught up in his throat when he saw a woman approaching. He stopped himself from eliciting a groan.
Loke gave him a knowing smile. "I may not need to help out at all."
"If you dare leave, Loke, I swear I am going to bloody pummel the hell out of you. This is not a jest."
"That must be painful. I should stay, then."
"Duke Gray, Sir Loke." the woman curtsied when she reached them. She turned her gaze to Gray. "I was not aware of your arrival. Have you been well?"
"Lady Mary," Gray acknowledged. "Yes, I have." he answered, not trying to pursue a conversation.
If he were to be honest, Mary would be the best option he had. She was practically family and frequented the Fullbuster estate when she was young. He would not worry about conspiracy as he had known her all his life. She was also a noble by birth, daughter of The Count of Alteir. There would not be any upheaval or opposition from either side.
But for some reason, he did not like the idea. He knew of her feelings but what he felt for her was merely platonic. He could imagine himself marrying a stranger but he could not imagine marrying her, who he treated like a sister.
"I have heard from Lady Ur that-"
"I do not wish to discuss that with you." he cut her off, guessing what she was about to say.
Pain flashed her golden eyes and he could not help but feel guilty. Since the moment she tried to attain a relationship other than friends with him, he had treated her harshly. He wanted her to realize that they were nothing but family.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," she curtsied before walking away from them.
"Do not comment, Loke." Gray threatened when he saw Loke opened his mouth to say something.
"I am not going to. And I do think you do not need my help in finding a bride. I have forgotten your fame since you left Magnolia and stayed in the North. I am certain it would not be that difficult to find someone."
"I did not ask for your help in the first place." he shrugged.
"Touché." Loke grinned. He rose an eyebrow when he noticed someone not too far away from them. He followed his friends gaze. "That is Lady Erza, the one Sir Jellal is marrying. Oh, she is with..."
Gray was not listening anymore, his eyes were drawn to the striking blue-haired woman who was talking with Erza. The mentioned lady wore a blueish gown that complimented her hair and pale skin. She had slanted eyes with a color he could not discern from where he stood.
He had been away for years from the city and had not been on many balls recently, so it would not be surprising that he had not known her. Who was she?
Of all the ladies present in that place, she was the only one who managed to catch his interest. Was it the way she sauntered through the crowd, with grace and elegance? Or was it her indifferent gaze as she glanced around?
"She is going to melt, Gray."
His head snapped at his friend. "She will not."
"Or so you say. Do you know her?"
"No." he answered flatly. Loke stared at him for a while and with gritted teeth Gray asked. "Who is she?"
Loke grinned at his expression. Bloody hell, this guy was messing with him.
"Lady Juvia, daughter of The Marquess of Oaktown. She is currently the highest ranking noble lady who have yet to be engaged and one of the most sought after. She has a long list of suitors, but she only entertained them at most. She is too picky, been to three seasons and still no prospective husband. I also tried to charm her but I was only politely smiled at."
Gray was amused. Loke was by far the most rakish man in Fiore. It was refreshing to know there still exist a sane woman in this country.
"The quadrille is almost ending, the waltz would start soon. You should ask her for a dance."
"I do not need you to tell me that." he replied as he leisurely strolled to Erza's direction, leaving Loke behind.
"Ladies," Gray greeted when he reached their side. The two turned their heads toward him and curtsied when they realized who he was.
"Your Grace," said the two ladies simultaneously.
He and Erza knew each other so he was not surprised when she recognized him in seconds. But Juvia greeted him without confusion, exactly the same time as Erza uttered hers.
So, she knew him.
"No need for that." he stated and both of them straightened their postures.
Erza smiled at him. "You have been away for a long time, Gray. I am glad to see you have come back."
"I feel the same, Erza." he answered her, his eyes glancing at the woman beside her.
For a moment, he forgot what he was going to say as his dark blue eyes met hers. She had long lashes that seemed to flutter as she blinked at him mysteriously. He did not expect she was this alluring.
"Oh where are my manners. Gray, this is Lady Juvia, a friend of mine. Juvia, this is Duke Gray which I do believe I have mentioned before." Erza introduced.
"I did not forget, Erza." said Juvia, chuckling, her voice like a cool breeze in a hot summer. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Duke Gray."
"The pleasure is all mine." he replied as he tried to hide his embarassment. The bloody hell he was staring at her for? He was acting like a starstruck fool.
When he heard the music changed, he looked at her and asked, "May I have this dance with you?"
Juvia did not answer for a while until Erza nudged her in the waist. Gray pretented to cough to conceal a laugh.
"Yes, you may, Your Grace." she finally agreed.
He offered his arm and her gloved hand held it as they made their way to an available space.
"How come I have not seen you before? Were you staying somewhere far?" he asked as they started the dance, his hand hot under the gloves as he touched her waist. He caught a whiff of her perfume and it reminded him of freshly picked white jasmine - sweet and pleasant.
She smiled at him. "I have always stayed in the capital whenever the season starts, Your Grace. I have seen you a few times, years ago, but you were always surrounded by other ladies or lords and I did not have the chance to greet you."
He snorted. "One of the reasons I dreaded attending balls. They do not leave me alone."
"But it is fun. You get to meet a lot of people."
"If you put it that way, yes. But if they do converse with you with the words like marriage or engagement, it is a misery."
Juvia giggled and he wondered why they have not met before. With her beauty, he would have noticed her from across the room, not to mention her prominent blue curls.
"You are popular, Your Grace. No woman could resist you." she said before turning around.
He smirked at that. "Does it also applies to you?"
She smiled mysteriously. "Mayhap. I have never seen you this close."
"Was it disappointing?"
"Not at all. You are a handsome man, even better than I had imagined."
It was odd, but Gray did not feel any discomfort with her blatant compliments. He have heard lots of them from the mouth of many, and not once was he affected. He had become accustomed to it that he would not pay attention anymore.
But coming from her appealing pinkish lips as she looked at him with those dark blue eyes that gleamed innocence, he found himself pleased by it.
"You are good with words, My Lady."
A shade of pink appeared in her cheeks. "It is what we call honesty." she stuttered and his lips slanted into a smile.
"I heard you have just returned from your land, Tuly. Is it really cold there?" Juvia asked in curiousity, changing the subject.
"It is, for the most part of the year. People could get frostbite if they are not covered enough."
"That is chilling." she remarked in a worried tone.
"An appropriate adjective, I must say." Gray pointed out which made her redder than before.
"You must stop teasing me, Your Grace."
"Apologies. It was not my intention."
"Oh no, it is fine." she answered in panic. She lost her balance but she handled the mishap by holding tighter on to him. "Sorry..." she said awkwardly as she unintentionally leaned on him.
Gray held his breath when her face neared his. She had the most interesting eyes he had seen. It gazed at him without the desire nor greed the other ladies had.
His eyes travelled down to her lips and he wondered what would it feel like to kiss her.
Bloody hell! He did not just have this thought for someone he just met!
The music was nearing its end and they were left to stare at each other as they danced. No one talked between them, savouring the enchanting mood.
When the dance ended, he bowed as she gave a curtsy. He escorted her back to Erza who was looking at them with a beam of satisfaction.
"Have you been practicing, Gray?"
"Erza..." he warned, a bit embarassed. He turned to face Juvia. "Are you expecting any visitor this week, My Lady?"
She blinked, confused. "None at all, Your Grace." she replied.
"Expect me tomorrow, then." He bowed before excusing himself leaving the two ladies in their perplexed state.
Gray could not help but grin. He found a good candidate for the position of his wife. If she would have him, he would be willing to marry her. It was a good thing that he found her pleasing to his eyes, she also had a good background and was friends with someone he trusted.
In fact, he had not expected to found someone like her. He would be satisfied even if the woman was not a noble. The important thing to him was to get the land he needed. He might have lucked this out.
He hoped that Juvia would not refused him. She did not have any reason at all, did she?
