Volume 3, Chapter 40

"...Right," she didn't remember those words that had driven him out of his mind.

"Could it be that when I pushed Your Majesty into the moat, he got amnesia?"

"...Do you think you'd still be lying safely in my bed if that were the case?"

"Then why on earth did he suddenly issue an imperial decree telling you to marry me?!"

"Because you can't marry me." He naturally settled her onto his long lap, mimicking the exact gesture she had used on the brothel girl yesterday. With one hand supporting her waist and the other lifting her chin, he scrutinized her closely. "Because I quite want to marry you."

"...Stop messing around. Do you even know what getting married entails?"

"I'm all ears."

"Once you marry someone, you belong to their family. You have to wait on your parents-in-law, support your husband and teach the children, live in their estate, and enter their ancestral hall when you die. They're allowed to take multiple wives and concubines, but you must remain faithful to one. They can carouse and squander away outside, while you have to stay home and be virtuous."

"I'm marrying you, not 'they'. What does it matter to me if other people have multiple wives or carouse outside?"

"...You—what gives you the confidence to be so sure about me?"

He suddenly fell silent, staring at her, the corners of his lips curling upward. A smile as radiant as spring blossoms, autumn waters, warm mountain springs, and precious jade bloomed right before her eyes, leaving her utterly enchanted and her heart pounding wildly.

It seemed he wasn't just confident in her; he was extremely confident in himself... When on earth had he mastered this exclusive secret weapon for dealing with her?

"In that case, then... when should I go and