Page 38 of Novice Girlfriend

I cursed the gods. That was how they saw this? Truly?

The day after the big female student meeting, Father had me come home and made me sit with several other of the men of the family. The head of the Dotson family, and they all studied me as if I was suddenly valuable.

Which was honestly terrifying.

My uncle studied me like an underappreciated asset but also with something sick that I didn’t like and had always unnerved me.

“How well do you know Bevin Shaw—Millen?” he asked me.

There was no point in lying when he had a bespelled pocket watch that would let him know. He didn’t hide what it was from family and had already set it on the table.

I glanced at Father who nodded for me to go ahead, annoyance in his eyes that I had hesitated. Funny, because he’d be mad if I hadn’t checked. The game was always rigged that way.

“She is the one who helped me that day when my fiancé threw a tantrum and went to slap me in front of fifty people on the quad of Morrigan. She’s checked on me since asking if I need help from his abuse. She talked to me once when I went to the treat truck and invited me to join her running club.”

He studied me. “You’re hiding something even if not lying.”

“I don’t know the goal here, Uncle,” I said honestly. “You don’t like when I talk too much and teach women to be silent unless asked, so I feel I will lose either way. Forgive me for saying that but yes, I feel there are maybe other details you might want.”

He actually wasn’t upset but seemed pleased like I knew my place? That I’d learned well or thought things could progress as he wanted. “I would like any details you think I would like to hear, Madeline. Then I can elaborate.”

“I’m acquaintances with two of Winter Green’s friends even against my parents’ objections,” I told him, hurrying on when Father slapped his hand against the table. “Orphans or not, they’re well liked in our program and my advisor uses one as a teaching assistant. I’ve never sought them out or acted overly friendly, but we’re classmates.

“They’re smart. I’ve worked on projects with them and I prefer a peaceful school life without trouble. And poking that group brings trouble as others from top-tier families my age have learned. There was never a need to be rude to them. None have flirted or asked me out. They’re cordial and I’ve been the same.”

“As a polite, elegant woman of the Dotson family should be,” he praised. “She’s done nothing wrong.” He glanced at Father and made it clear that should be his position.

“No, you’re right, and it was in the realm of schooling,” he agreed and calmed down, genuinely meaning it. “What else?”

I thought about it and struggled. “I know Clare Shaw some. I don’t know if that helps?”

“Yes, anyone in Bevin Millen’s circle would be helpful,” Uncle confirmed.

I swallowed loudly. “Without reproach?”

“What did you do, Madeline?” Father seethed.

Uncle held up a hand to Father. “As long as you haven’t sullied yourself, yes, you have my word.”

I swallowed bile. What a pig. “I was friends with Bevin’s attorney before she graduated. Jasmine Hough was my assigned ‘big sister’ freshman year when that program was still active. I didn’t demand someone different as my parents wanted.”

“We told you to get rid of that trash, Madeline,” Father snapped. “You dare say that you do everything I want and then confess something like this.”

Asshole, but he wasn’t wrong. I twisted my hands and stared at them. “I’m sorry, Father, but sometimes what you want is a direct conflict and it’s hard to communicate it with you. I do the best I can and sometimes make the choice I think is best for your goals in the long run. I truly do. Yes, we became friends, but in that moment freshman year, I thought of our family.”

“That’s the truth, so explain,” Uncle pushed.

I told him that the old program was a disaster and why it was gone. Half of the hate between top-tier families stemmed from that program and the older students bullying people when they were freshmen. I’d instantly seen it at orientation when a second-year master’s student from a top-tier family had come after a freshman from a top-tier family.

I knew it would make trouble for our family later because of which families had female members in the master’s program in Morrigan. If I switched like my parents wanted, I knew it would bring headaches and worries that I didn’t think I could escape and would embarrass the family. Jasmine was outside of all of that and like Winter and his friends.

Basically, too smart that people didn’t want to piss her off when she could maybe help them later.

“Your daughter is smarter than you’ve given her credit for,” Uncle praised. “And that will help us now.”

“Maybe,” Father accepted. “I will forgive you for what you did then, Madeline. I believe you did your best for the family. You did lie and—you want out of your mating and we have an idea of how you can—”

Uncle cleared his throat and redirected the conversation back to asking me more questions… While making sure the pocket watch was moved off the table. I pretended not to notice, but it wasn’t the first time I’d seen him pull this move.