Lin Fan knew he would not be staying on this planet for long, so he could have someone else oversee and manage things for him. Sha Si was the best choice.
He summoned Sha Si and Marian to his office. Lin Fan looked at them both with a cheerful grin and asked a question that startled them.
"Do you two want to get married?"
Marian's face immediately turned red. He lowered his head, not knowing what to say. Sha Si, meanwhile, jumped up in delight and looked at Marian with expectation in her eyes.
"I'll be leaving this planet soon to join the expeditionary fleet. So while I still have some influence, I want to make sure the two of you are settled."
Marriage?
Marian looked at Sha Si. He truly liked how it felt to be with her. He liked watching her smile and listening to her sing for the orphans. Every movement, every frown and smile of hers intoxicated him.
But when it came to marriage, to becoming partners beneath The Emperor's gaze, Marian was not prepared.
He spoke with some guilt. "I... I don't know..."
"You don't love me, Marian?" Sha Si looked somewhat dejected, mist gathering in her eyes. Her heartbroken appearance made the guilt in Marian's heart weigh even heavier.
"Of course I love you... but my duty to The Emperor... does not allow me to devote my energy to romantic attachments..."
"Oh!" Sha Si rose angrily and looked at Marian in disappointment. "The Emperor! The Emperor! Then spend the rest of your life with your damned Emperor!"
Watching Sha Si slam the door and leave, Marian's thoughts became a tangled mess. As a bishop, he instinctively felt displeased by Sha Si's disrespectful words, but then he remembered that Sha Si was a saint personally