Engagement

Venisa studied the three of them in silence.

There was something beneath the agreement.

Something they had not said aloud.

She slowly leaned back in her chair, her eyes moving from Don Fernando to Doña Isabella before settling on Alejandro. None of them looked particularly surprised by her observation, which only confirmed what she had already suspected.

Venisa gave a faint, knowing smile.

" It is rather obvious."

Doña Isabella lowered her gaze for a moment, while Don Fernando remained composed. Alejandro, however, seemed almost amused by how quickly Venisa had seen through their carefully prepared explanation.

Venisa rested one hand against the arm of her chair.

"If this were simply about connecting your estates in Spain with the Greymore holdings, you would have sent lawyers, accountants, and representatives. You would not have brought your entire family here to discuss it with me personally."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"So tell me the real reason."

The silence that followed was enough of an answer.

Venisa's gaze shifted toward Alejandro once more.

"And I have a feeling," she added calmly, "that whatever you are about to say has something to do with him."

Don Fernando remained silent for a few seconds, his fingers resting calmly against the arm of his chair. There was no point in prolonging the matter now that Venisa had already seen through their intentions.

At last, he exhaled quietly.

"You are correct, Lady Venisa."

Venisa waited.

"The arrangement between our estates is only part of what we came here to discuss."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Alejandro before returning to her.

"Our families have considered a more permanent alliance between the De Valcárcel and Greymore houses."

Venisa's expression remained composed, though her eyes sharpened.

"A permanent alliance?"

Don Fernando gave a slow nod.

"An engagement."

The word settled heavily across the room.

Venisa did not move.

Don Fernando continued in the same measured tone, making no attempt to disguise the seriousness of his proposal.

"We are proposing an engagement between you two. The union would formally join our two noble houses, while the connection between our estates in Spain and the Greymore holdings would be strengthened under the same alliance."

Venisa's eyes remained on him.

"So that is the purpose of the agreement."

"Yes," Don Fernando replied. "The estates would be connected through the families, and the engagement would establish the personal bond that would make the alliance permanent."

Doña Isabella spoke gently from beside him.

"Your grandmother understood the importance of preserving the strength of the Greymore name, Lady Venisa. She and Alejandro had spoken before her passing, and she was aware of his interest in you."

Venisa's gaze slowly moved toward Alejandro.

He had remained quiet throughout the conversation, his expression unusually serious now.

Don Fernando added, "We are not asking you to make a decision this moment. We wanted you to hear the proposal directly from us rather than through rumors or arrangements made behind your back."

Venisa remained still for another moment, her thoughts moving rapidly beneath her calm expression.

An engagement.

Venisa smiled faintly, though there was something thoughtful behind it now.

"Don Fernando," she said, her voice gentler than before, "may I ask something?"

"Of course."

"Did you know my grandmother for a long time?"

The Don nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. Donna Victoria and I had known each other for many years. Our families crossed paths on several occasions, and there were matters of business and noble affairs that brought us into contact long before you inherited the title."

Venisa lowered her gaze for a moment, a quiet thought passing through her mind.

"Then perhaps you know something about my family that I do not."

Don Fernando's expression became more attentive.

Venisa leaned back slightly in her chair.

"My mother never had a husband."

The statement came without bitterness, almost as though she were presenting a fact that had puzzled her for years.

"And before her, my grandmother was the same."

Her gaze moved toward the old Greymore paintings hanging along the wall.

"The women who came before us were all Greymores. Baronesses, one after another. They ruled the estate, carried the family name, and somehow the name continued through every generation without being changed."

Doña Isabella listened quietly.

Venisa continued, her voice measured.

"For generations, there were no husbands recorded beside the women of my family. No other surname replaced the Greymore name. It remained exactly as it was, passed from one woman to the next."

She gave a small, almost amused smile.

"Even now, people find it strange."

Her eyes returned to Don Fernando.

"My grandmother never explained it to me."

The room grew quieter.

"She only spoke with Alejandro."

Alejandro's expression shifted slightly at that.

Venisa noticed.

"But she never mentioned an engagement," she added. "Not to me, and apparently not to anyone else."

Don Fernando slowly nodded. "She did not."

Venisa's brows lifted.

Don Fernando answered honestly. "She spoke to Alejandro about you, about your family, and about the Greymore legacy. But she never told us that she had arranged an engagement."

Venisa's smile returned, faint but knowing.

"Then this proposal did not come from my grandmother."

Alejandro remained silent.

Venisa looked toward him, studying his expression carefully.

"Whatever she told you, she left something behind without explaining it to me."

Her fingers lightly touched the edge of the table.

"A clue, perhaps."

For a moment, her gaze drifted toward the Greymore crest displayed on the wall.

The same name.

The same lineage.

Generation after generation of women carrying it forward.

And somehow, her grandmother had chosen to speak about that legacy with Alejandro before her death.

Venisa looked back at the family before her.

"That makes this meeting considerably more interesting than an engagement proposal."

Venisa allowed the silence to linger for a moment before finally speaking. Her expression remained polite, but the softness in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by the composed authority she carried whenever matters concerning the Greymore family were placed before her.

"I understand the value of connecting the Greymore holdings with your estates in Spain," she said. "And I am not opposed to strengthening relations between our families."

Don Fernando listened carefully.

"The Greymore house has always been open to alliances, trade, and cooperation with other noble families. If the purpose is to establish a legitimate connection between our estates, I am willing to discuss it."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Alejandro.

"But there is one matter I want to make clear."

Alejandro met her eyes.

"I do not want Count Alejandro involved in the internal affairs of the Greymore family."

The room became noticeably quieter.

Venisa continued before anyone could misunderstand her.

"The Greymore estate, its enterprises, the Guild, and everything connected to the family name are responsibilities I inherited. They are not matters I intend to surrender simply because our families establish a connection."

Don Fernando gave a slow nod, showing that he understood.

"I am not asking you to surrender them."

"I know," Venisa replied. "But I would rather establish the boundary now than allow misunderstandings later."

Her voice remained calm, almost formal.

"Your estates may have their traditions, and the De Valcárcel family may have its own expectations, but the Greymore family has survived for generations because its affairs remained in the hands of its own bloodline. I intend to respect that."

Alejandro remained silent, watching her carefully.

Venisa folded her hands on the table.

"If there is to be a connection between Spain and the Greymore estate, there are many ways to establish it. Trade, investment, shared ventures, diplomatic relations, even long-term agreements between our holdings."

She paused.

"But Alejandro does not need to be part of the Greymore family's internal decisions for any of those things to happen."

Doña Isabella exchanged a brief glance with her husband.

Venisa's expression softened slightly, but her words remained firm.

"I am willing to discuss a connection between our houses. I am not willing to give anyone authority over mine."

Don Fernando regarded her for several seconds before giving a small, approving nod.

"I understand, Lady Venisa."

Venisa smiled politely.

"Good."

Her gaze moved once more toward Alejandro.

"Then at least we understand each other."