of all people he was instructed to court by his mother, mattheo riddle was least anticipating you.

coming from the prestigious houses of the riddles & the lestranges, and being the eldest and only son, mattheo was expected to find an equally deserving wife. he was often pushed to court a lady or duchess here and there, but mattheo never sympathized with long-term relationships, especially a marriage at only twenty one.

it had never occurred him to mind that he could possibly be a suitor for you. he'd known you since you were children, though he had not necessarily liked you. infact, he recalled many a few times when he'd picked on you as young pupils.

looking back, it made sense why his mother encouraged him to court you — you were from a wealthy family and had a large amount of land and a fairly high dowry — but what had shocked him the most when his mother handed him a list of ladies was you were the first he should court. once the social season began, the first lady whom a suitor pursued made a large impression for how it would play out.

before the queen would select the diamond of the season, there was a ball held, hosted by none other than the lestranges themselves, when each lady and lord had an opportunity to introduce themselves to eachother.

mattheo, leaning against a floral printed wall with his cousin draco, had his arms crossed as he winked at passing ladies. a dance was being held in the center of the room, the music was lively and glasses of wine were being passed around. after he saw you float past him toward a group of socialites, he pushed himself off the wall and made his way towards you.

"care for a dance?" he asked, reaching his hand out and bowing ever-so-slightly. he'd played these games before, he knew how to work around any objections. "before you say anything, it was my mother's idea for me to ask you."