-

"Good morning, Miss. Did you sleep well?" Miranda asks as she opens the curtains of Elena's room. She groans as the brightness of the sun burns her eyes. "Oh dear, my lady. You do not sound so well."

"I think I've had a little too much of champagne, Miranda." Elena rubs her eyes.

"I shall fetch you a cold glass of water. It will help you. " Miranda says.

"That would be pleasant, thank you."

Miranda nods with a smile and heads downstairs to the kitchen. A few moments later Lady Bennet comes in the room with some sort of weird liquid. Elena frowns at her.

Her mother sits on the side of the bed and hands her the glass. "Drink." She commanded.

Elena finished it in one gulp and gagged. "Ew, what is that?"

"Doesn't matter. What does, is that you'll feel better tomorrow." She tucked Elena in bed. "Sleep, my darling." She kissed her forehead.

-

"I am engaged." Daphne directly said.

"Oh! Well, that is wonderful news. So you will be a princess." Lady Bridgerton said, sounding not very amused.

"No."

"No?"

"No, I will not. Mama, I am engaged to the Duke." Lady Bridgerton's face turned into a shocked one. "The duke asked for my hand, and I accepted."

Lady Bridgerton gasped happily but raised eyebrow. "You do not seemed pleased. Whatever is wrong?"

"Oh no. No... Nothing is wrong. It simply happened so quickly. I've not had a moment to take it in. But I am overjoyed, mama, truly." Daphne explains without emotion.

Lady Bridgerton stands up and walks to her daughter. "Of course you are. You are to be a duchess." She exclaims and hugs Daphne. "Oh, darling! I knew there was something between you... ruse or not! Oh, tell me. Tell me everything! How do you feel?" Lady Bridgerton fans herself.

Daphne thinks before answering. "So in love. I'm unsure how I can be expected to wait an entire month to marry. Could we not obtain a special license to marry this week?" Lady Bridgerton's face falls. She looks at her daughter weirdly. "I do not wish to lie to you... But the Duke and I-

"You do not need to tell me anything. Whatever happened between the two of you, it is all right." She chuckles lightly. " I know good society makes quite a fuss about such things... but when it comes to love, search things happen more frequently than one might expect. Even your father and I, we had trouble controlling our passions as well."

"Your drink, ma'am." Wilson comes into the room with a cup of raw eggs and garlic.

"Will not be necessary, Wilson. I am feeling much improved. We have a wedding to plan in three days. My darling girl, you are getting what you've always wanted. You are marrying for love."

-

The next day...

Elizabeth knocked on Elena's door and entered, expecting her dear sister to be in bed but she sees her putting on her dress.

"Elena, you could've called for a servant to help you." Elizabeth said helping her with the ziper on her back.

"I am not four, Lizzie. I can get dressed on my own." She said, lifting up her hair.

"Well, you sound better than yesterday. Why are you up so early anyways?" Elizabeth asked turning her around.

"I think the champagne helped me, Lizzie." Elena stated as Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "I thought about what you said before the ball and I realized while dancing with Benedict." She sat down on her bed as her sister did the same. "I got drunk, because I was scared of falling in love. But after that night, I realized that I have nothing to be afraid of, Benedict has a sweet soul and I know he would never hurt me. That is why I decided, I'm going to confess my feelings for him today."

Elizabeth squealed and took Elena's hands. "Finally, sister. You are doing something for yourself." She said and tightly hugged her sister.

-

"Brother, I must speak with you." Benedict said as he entered Anthony's study. He was sitting on his chair reading the latest Whistledown.

"Go on." Anthony said keeping his eyes on the paper.

Benedict was sweating. Nervous, about the question he was about to ask his older brother.

But he was ready, he's been meaning to tell his brother for a very long time.

"I have fallen in love, with Elena Bennet." Anthony gazes up to his brother. "And I wish for her to be wife. I just came here, to know if you would support me. But even if you don't, I do not care. I love her and she means the world to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And if that is not enough to convince you, then I do not know what is. But I will propose to her today, after I get her father's blessing. "

Anthony just sat there, dumbfounded. He glances back to his paper and nods. "Brother, I have nothing against you wanting to marry Miss Bennet. She is a very good woman and I am positive that you will be happy with her." Anthony proudly smiles at his brother but it soon fades away. "But I believe you are too late, I'm sorry."

Benedict frowns, stepping closer to Anthony's desk. "I do not understand... what do you mean I am too late?"

Anthony stands up from his chair, picking the paper and giving it to Benedict. He takes it and starts to read it. And when gets to that one sentence, his heart instantly drops.

-

After her conversation with Elizabeth, Elena rushes down the stairs and gets ready for departure. "I shall need a carriage, straight away." She tells one of the servants.

"Your destination, Miss?" The servant asks, following her from behind.

"To the Bridgerton's, it is a very important matter. Someone fetch me my coat!" She yells loud enough for everyone in the house to hear.

Another servant passes her, her coat and they open the door for her. She was about to get out of the house but a voice stops her.

"Elena." Her mother calls coming down the stairs.

Elena turns around. "Yes, mama?"

"Where are you heading this early in the morning?" Lady Bennet asked as she puts a hand on her hips.

"I'm visiting the Bridgerton's, mama. I must speak with Benedict." Elena answered while she fidgeted with her fingers.

Lady Bennet exhales and shakes her head. "I want to see you in my study, please.

"But, mama!"

"Now!" Anastasia says and goes up the stairs.

Elena puts her arms to her side and growls, stomping her feet as she makes her way to the study.

As soon as she enters her mother's room. Lady Bennet harshly closes the door, making Elena jump.

"I shall like to know why you are acting so mad." Elena says while crossing her arms.

Anastasia turns around and points her finger at Elena. "You are to never see that Bridgerton boy ever again!"

"I beg your pardon ?! You cannot just tell me to never see Benedict Bridgerton without a reasonable explanation!" Elena yelled at her mother.

"The reason I am not telling you is because I am protecting you!" Anastasia yelled back.

"Oh please. Do not give me that protecting bullshit. Mama, why are you acting like this? You want me to get married as soon as possible so you force me to like someone who I do not love. Now that I've actually found someone who I truly love, you're telling me that I can't see him anymore?"

"I have a very complicated past with The Bridgertons and I want nothing to do with them!"

"Yet most of your children are basically friends with them. What is the big difference?!"

"Yes! Because they are friends but even so I'm not very comfortable with it. But you're literally falling in love with him!"

"And so what if I'm falling in love with him?! At least I feel comfortable around him, at least I can be who I am when I'm with him and not pretend to be someone I'm not. This man understands me." Elena started to lower her voice. "Yes, I am in love with him... and the past you've had with that family will not change the relationship I have with them now. Lady Bridgerton has already treated me like a friend and has completely forgotten about the past... You should too." Elena sighs and starts to walk away towards the door.

"I am confessing my feelings to him today, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." She was about to turn the doorknob but what her mother says stops her.

"It is too late for that."

Elena stopped moving. She slowly turned to her mother to see her eyeing the ground, avoiding eye contact. "What do you mean?" She asked, slowly approaching her. But Anastasia didn't answer. "What did you do, mama?"

Anastasia finally looked at her. "I promised you to the prince."

Then, everything felt weird for Elena. Her body felt numb and weak. Tears started to form in Elena's eyes. She couldn't believe what her mother just did. She couldn't believe that her own mother would do such a horrible thing.

"I promised to the prince, that if he doesn't end up with Daphne Bridgerton, then, you shall marry him."

Elena released her tears. They started falling down her eyes one by one. "You're insane." She chuckled a little. "You promised me to the prince without my consent. Why- why would you do that? Daphne just got engaged to the Duke and now the prince has to go through another turned down proposal?" Elena raised her voice again.

"No, he will not because you will accept it! You will not turn down his proposal, I forbid you!"

"Oh watch me do it, mama." Elena yells one last time and heads out of the study, slamming the door, making all of the servants and maids look at her with wide eyes.