The prince of the Ren Empire was a pillar of confidence. What he said had some merit. Lingsha was a Renese princess—a political marriage to the crown prince of Elshaid was highly desirable.
In other words, Liu’s true aim with this absurd accusation of kidnapping was to arrange a political marriage. He was trying to make Eric marry for political reasons. After coming to Elshaid under the pretense of attending our wedding, this proposition was beyond insane.
“Oh, and while we’re at it, if the royal family of Elshaid were to give Linny their full backing…that would empower the Fang clan quite a bit. Two birds with one stone! The best of both worlds, wouldn’t you say? Ha! Ha! Hah!”
Liu’s shrill laughter echoed through the room. There was no low this guy wouldn’t stoop to in his quest for power.
Well, there’s no way I can accept Lingsha being used as a bargaining chip like this.
Without realizing, I was shaking and I’d balled my hands up into fists. I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Prince Liu! Don’t you feel the least bit remorseful that you’re using Lingsha like this?! I know you don’t share the same mother, but she told me that you were raised together like true siblings! Where’s your brotherly love?!” I shouted, unable to contain my rage any longer.
Prince Liu grinned at me. “Oh, what a disturbing accusation. I have plenty of love for her. That’s why I’ve done everything I did to gain power for my clan. Could you blame me? Lingsha was kidnapped because I was weak. If the Fang clan had been more powerful, she would be living the good life in the Ren Empire right now.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Lingsha’s imprisonment was indeed the result of a power struggle, but forcing her into a political marriage to atone for that was simply outrageous. If he really loved her, there was no way he would do such a thing.
“Well, I guess it’s a feeling you wouldn’t understand, Sainty. In the Ren Empire, power is everything. Gotta use any tool ya got to get power. If we mix Elshaid’s blood into our dynasty, the Ren Empire will grow even more powerful. This is how we’ve gained power for generations, by joining together a myriad of bloodlines…”
His words were met with silence, so he continued. “And it’s a good deal for Elshaid too. If Eric makes Linny his wife, the Ren Empire will support Elshaid in all matters. Naturally, the opposite will be true if you refuse. The political gains from this union are huge. You know that, don’t you?”
I’m not even sure what I should say. Huge political gains… Given my position in all this, I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for me to say anything.
But one thing was clear: No matter what happened, I would take Lingsha’s side. Once she found out her own brother was trying to use her like a bargaining chip, she would be hurt. And when that happened, I would need to be there for her…
“So, Crown Prince Eric…do you accept my offer?”
Just as before, his gaze was intense—murderous, even. Like a predator stalking its prey. But Eric was not the sort of man who would bend easily. He looked Liu dead in the eye, inhaled slowly, and said, “I refuse. Why do you feel the need to undermine my wedding?”
Liu looked surprised, as if he didn’t expect Eric to say no. “Er, well, I know about your upcoming wedding, and I support your union. So, what’s the problem? If you also marry Linny, I won’t have any complaints.”
Dead silence filled the room.
Uhhh…could it be that Liu doesn’t understand how marriage works in Elshaid?
His countenance was sober when he suggested that Eric should simply take two wives. Ignorance of our marriage customs seemed quite likely.
“Um…Prince Liu, my brother cannot marry two women,” Dale told him gently. “In Elshaid, a man cannot take more than one wife, even if he’s royalty. We aren’t polygamous like the Ren Empire.”
“Oh! Oh, really?” Liu angled his head, perplexed. He really didn’t know. “Hey, Tailong, did you know that? Even a king can’t have more than one wife in Elshaid!”
“It’s common knowledge, Master. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t embarrass yourself like this during negotiations.”
Tailong stared daggers at Liu. Apparently, he was done with Liu’s ignorance—and I didn’t blame him one bit. I was losing patience faster than Eric, and it was taking everything in me to not lose my temper.
“Sorry about that, Crown Prince Eric. Wow, I had no idea your kingdom had such silly hangups about marriage.”
“No, it’s quite all right. This is a good opportunity for you to learn about another nation’s culture. I’m not offended.” Eric smiled suavely.
Yeah, he’s about to explode.
Even Eric couldn’t contain his anger when Elshaid’s royal family was mocked to his face.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that, but I really do feel bad. I mean, it’s your special day! It was wrong of me to suggest you swap out your bride at the altar after you marry the first one. Well, let me rephrase: Crown Prince Eric, break your engagement with Sainty here and marry Linny instead. Can ya do that for me?”
Liu wasn’t giving up.
“Out of the question!”
“Okay then, I’m taking Linny back to the Ren Empire with me.”
“I adamantly refuse that as well!”
Eric didn’t back down. He couldn’t back down.
“Say…Crown Prince Eric? Marrying someone else will be a boon for your kingdom and you can avoid needless war. And think of how your subjects will benefit. C’mon, what’s your reason for marrying some daughter of a count or a saint or whatever? You’re going to be king, aren’t ya?”
To Liu, it was an innocent question. If you were to rule a nation, it was only logical that you put your nation’s prosperity first. But the more Eric listened to Liu, the angrier he became.
“What’s my reason, you ask? My reason is that I love Leia Westoria! Nobody in this world could replace her! And that is why I cannot accept your demands!”
“Uh, Eric?”