"What is it? Tell ?"
Ery leaned slightly forward as he spoke, his tone calm but attentive, yet the mont he saw Tessa's expression falter-her usual composure giving way to hesitation-his thoughts began to drift. Whatever she intended to say carried weight, perhaps even sothing personal.
"I am going to ask it directly then..."
Tessa drew in a slow breath, as though steadying herself against sothing she had already rehearsed countless tis.
"What do you think about a second marriage...."
For a brief mont, Ery simply gazed at her, noticed completely off guard.
Of all the possibilities he had considered, this had not even crossed his mind. He had expected complications-financial strain, political tension, perhaps new pressure from the Magus Alliance-but certainly not this.
Silence settled between them, thick and awkward.
The confidence that Tessa usually carried so effortlessly had vanished, replaced by sothing far more uncertain. Even her gaze, which was normally steady and sharp, wavered ever so slightly.
Ery's thoughts began to race.
Unconsciously, his mind drifted to Klea.
Her recent behavior. The way she reacted whenever Tessa was ntioned, the faint, knowing smile she wore when he spoke of this eting, the quiet way she seed to hold sothing back.
Klea knew sothing.
And she had chosen not to tell him.
"Do I really need to answer this?" Ery asked
Tessa's reaction was imdiate, her composure cracking just enough to reveal urgency.
"yes... this is important"
There was no room for evasion in her tone.
Ery exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts. After a brief pause, he selected to answer as honestly as he could.
"I have nothing against a second marriage..."
The response clearly caught Tessa by surprise.
For a fleeting mont, she fell silent, her eyes widening slightly before a faint smile began to form-an expression that seed to bloom instinctively, almost beyond her control.
But before she could respond-
Ery continued.
"Did anyone think less about my marriage with Klea? Who is it?"
This ti, it was Tessa's turn to be stunned.
Confusion replaced whatever expectation she had held just monts ago.
"..er... what... no.. why would anyone think that?"
Ery frowned slightly, clearly puzzled by her reaction.
"Well.. that's what you were asking, wasn't it? About my second marriage... one with Klea..."
The realization struck her all at once.
Tessa froze, montarily speechless as the misunderstanding unfolded in her mind. Of course-Klea was technically Ery's second marriage, following his earlier union with the Ouroboros woman, Shinta's mother.
A simple misalignnt of aning.
And yet, in this mont, it felt anything but simple.
For a brief second, Tessa almost laughed at herself, the absurdity of the situation brushing against her thoughts, but the weight of what she truly intended to ask quickly returned.
She straightened slightly, regaining her focus.
"I an.. second marriage as if you willing to take a second wife..."
Now Ery understood.
The shift in his expression was imdiate, clarity replacing confusion.
And his answer ca without hesitation.
"No..."
The word was simple.
Firm.
Unambiguous.
For Tessa, however, its impact was anything but simple.
A mixture of emotions crossed her face-subtle, fleeting, yet impossible to fully conceal. Disappointnt lingered beneath the surface, accompanied by
sothing quieter, sothing more personal.
Ery, observing her reaction, felt a sudden unease.
A mory surfaced.
During his ti at the Karat family's golden palace, he had heard whispers-
rumors about their treasured lady, Tessa Karat. How she had repeatedly refused marriage proposals, how she had turned away influential suitors
without hesitation.
There had even been talk that she had left everything behind in search of soone... a lover on a distant world.
At the ti, he had dismissed it as nothing more than idle gossip.
Now-
The thought returned with uncomfortable clarity.
"What is this about...?"
He asked carefully, his tone asured.
Tessa seed to pull herself back from wherever her thoughts had drifted, her
expression tightening once more into sothing controlled.
"This is about Dawnstar..."
Ery felt a quiet sense of relief settle within him.
So it was not what he had feared.
He listened closely as she began to explain.
Over the past three years, their carefully executed moves-hidden, calculated,
and tid with precision-had led to a significant breakthrough. They had successfully negotiated with the three fractured branches of the Red Dawn faction, securing legal ownership of the eastern wasteland.
The scale of the transaction was imnse.
Five billion spirit stones.
A move that elevated them to the position of the fourth-largest landholder on
the planet.
More importantly, it granted them legitimacy under Magus Alliance law, recognizing them as official stakeholders of Dawnstar.
However, this was only the beginning.
It was still far from full ownership-sothing Ery needed if he intended to
elevate the Earth faction into a Grade 3 faction.
The agreent had also provided temporary relief to the Red Dawn faction,
easing their overwhelming debts and granting them so asure of
independence from the Moonlight Syndicates.
But that very outco had triggered a reaction.
The syndicates had begun to move.
They applied pressure where it mattered most-on key figures within the three clans-tightening their grip and effectively stalling further negotiations.
The situation had reached a standstill.
Ery let out a slow breath as the pieces ca together.
"let guess you want to arrange a political marriage between and the red
dawn?"
Tessa nodded, her expression steady despite the tension beneath it.
She explained further, speaking of the Red Dawn's legitimate princess-a rare
beauty, both politically valuable and symbolically significant. Given Ery's rising status and their current position, the faction would be willing to accept
her as a secondary wife.
Ery remained silent.
Sensing his hesitation, Tessa quickly added,
"i have asked Klea about this matter... and she told to ask you directly... and
will agree with whatever you decided on.. so..."
The explanation struck deeper than expected.
Ery exhaled slowly, the pieces finally arranging in his mind.
So this was why Klea had been acting strangely.
She had known. And she had chosen to leave the decision entirely to him.
"My answer is No, let's think of another solution"
The refusal was calm, but firm.
Tessa's expression dimd, disappointnt surfacing more clearly this ti. Still, she gathered herself, pushing past her hesitation to speak once more.
"multiple marriage is a common thing when you wish to expand your domain....
Please reconsider"
Ery shook his head slightly, his resolve unwavering.
"no i have no intention to take another wife"
"I see..."
The conversation ended there.
Or at least, on the surface it did.
Because unbeknownst to Ery, his answer had not only closed a political
option-
It had struck sothing far more personal within Tessa.
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