"You must have noticed, right?"
"I've been teasing you the whole way here."
Lisa didn't bother to hide it; she openly stated exactly what she'd been doing.
"I did notice. So what exactly are you after?"
"Don't tell me... you actually like me?"
Rowan had indeed realized something was off, but he could never figure out what Lisa was aiming for.
Going by how she was in the original game, Lisa was never that kind of fickle woman.
Honestly, there were hardly any truly sleazy characters among that game company's cast to begin with.
So why was Lisa acting this proactive now?
Rowan had been turning this question over in his mind the entire way, watching her carefully.
Yet even now, he still didn't have an answer.
"It's simple. I want to keep you here,"
"and I want you to keep helping Mondstadt."
Smiling with half-lidded eyes, Lisa stepped up behind Rowan, wrapped her arms around his waist,
her soft curves pressing firmly against his back.
"Haven't I been helping you all this time already?"
"There's no need to use this kind of method to keep me here."
Rowan tried to pry her hands off, but Lisa simply refused to let go.
He was a little baffled. Was all this really necessary?
Rowan was a man who honored his promises. Since he had already agreed to Venti's request to become Mondstadt's Knight King,
there was no way he would quit halfway, nor would he abandon Mondstadt.
So he just couldn't understand why Lisa insisted on using this sort of method to keep him.
Why go that far?
"That's only what you think. You feel you'd never leave Mondstadt."
"But we don't dare bet everything on that. Under your lead, Mondstadt has already risen completely."
"If you went to another nation, couldn't you do the same there? So to bind you and Mondstadt together, we have to make some sacrifices."
Lisa whispered by his ear, and when she finished, she even gave his cheek a teasing little kiss.
Rowan's expression stayed composed, but it actually turned a little grim.
"Is this a decision from Mondstadt's upper echelons, or...?"
If this was a unanimous decision from Mondstadt's leadership, then no matter what anyone said, Rowan would probably be unable to stay here.
Using something as cheap as a honey trap to keep him—wasn't that going too far?
What did they take these girls for?
If Lisa was acting of her own free will, then he had nothing to say.
That would be her personal choice, and there would be no need to blame Mondstadt as a whole—
he would just have to keep a bit more distance from Lisa.
Rowan did like beautiful women—and he certainly liked Lisa.
But, as the saying went, a gentleman loves wealth but takes it by proper means.
Just because he liked women didn't mean he would accept anyone throwing herself at him without restraint.
Real feelings were the best seasoning of all.
"Of course this is my own idea. What, do I not fit your tastes?"
"Or is it that you already have someone else in your heart?"
Lisa asked, her tone clearly hinting at something.
"Obviously. Ishtar is already my queen—you know that better than anyone."
"And even so, you still insist on pursuing me?"
"So what if you do?" Lisa replied as if it were only natural.
"Among Mondstadt's nobles, hardly anyone has just one wife—having several is the norm."
"As long as you have the ability, whether in Mondstadt or in the other nations of Teyvat, having multiple wives is perfectly normal."
"Especially over in Liyue. Any man with a bit of mora there has three wives and four concubines. For you, the Knight King, having several women is nothing at all."
Lisa said it like it was the most reasonable thing in the world, leaving Rowan momentarily speechless.
Well then. He really hadn't expected the social norms of Teyvat to be this liberal.
On second thought, it wasn't that strange.
Wasn't it the same back in his own homeland?
Ordinary people spent their whole lives struggling just to marry a single wife—but what about the rich?
They had their legal spouses, and who knew how many mistresses on the side.
The more money and power a person had, the more women tended to gather around them.
It might look like a monogamous system on the surface, but among those whose power shook nations, how many were truly faithful?
"Alright, that's enough for today."
"You should go home and deal with the one waiting for you there."
"See you next time."
Lisa left a light kiss on Rowan's face, then finally released him.
With languid steps she walked out of the library, leaving behind a back view that set his imagination wandering.
A short while later, Rowan returned to the royal palace.
After dinner, he made his way back to his bedchamber—
where Ishtar was already sitting on the bed, quietly watching him.
The "one at home" Lisa had mentioned, of course, was her.
Ever since dinner, Ishtar had been monitoring Rowan and Lisa's every move.
It was no exaggeration to say that Lisa's every gesture had fallen under her watchful gaze.
Ishtar was so jealous she was practically cursing up a storm in her heart.
If she hadn't been worried about embarrassing Rowan in public, she would have rushed out long ago and trampled Lisa underfoot a hundred times over.
"What's wrong...?"
Rowan had just opened his mouth to ask when Ishtar suddenly lunged at him without a word.
"Mmph—"
"What's gotten into you today? You're awfully proactive," he murmured after a long bout of lip-locking.
After that intense exchange, Rowan couldn't help asking in confusion.
"You're mine."
"I don't want anyone else eyeing you!"
With that, Ishtar pushed Rowan back onto the bed.
Soft gasps and faint, wet sounds filled the room.
And so, the two of them spent a wild, tangled night together.
When Rowan woke the next morning, he spotted the faint patch of red on the sheets and the still-sleeping Ishtar beside him.
He could only give a wry smile before quietly getting up and heading to the bath for a shower.
Even after he finished bathing, Ishtar still showed no signs of waking.
Rowan didn't disturb her, slipping out of the bedroom instead.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, the "sleeping" Ishtar opened her eyes.
She glanced shyly at the crimson mark on the sheets, her heart bubbling with delight.
The only downside was that Rowan's "abilities" were a bit too strong.
Her lower abdomen still throbbed faintly—sometimes, being that powerful wasn't entirely a good thing.
It seemed she really might need to find a few people to help "share the fire."
She had originally thought she could stop Rowan from looking for fun outside, but now she realized she had overestimated herself.
Maybe that person from last time wasn't a bad candidate at all.
What had happened between Rowan and Jean, of course, could never be hidden from Ishtar.
She was, after all, the Time Archon, ruler over the flow of time itself.
Knowing about Rowan and Jean's encounter a few days ago was only natural for her.
In light of the fact that Jean had saved Rowan's life, Ishtar hadn't gone to make trouble for her.
Compared to Lisa, who kept trying to seduce Rowan, Ishtar actually preferred Jean.
So if it came down to it, bringing Jean into the harem wasn't out of the question—
as long as the position of queen was hers alone.
In the council chamber, Rowan was calmly eating his breakfast while, below the dais, Seamus was giving a work report.
Just then, Jean hurried in.
"My king!"
"There's a merchant from Mondstadt requesting an audience with you!"
"He claims to be an underling of the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing—a man named Ding!"
(End of Chapter)
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