Death... and me

After Sister Orb told the story in the worst way possible, Rean finally got some time to focus on the formations in front of him. In any case, Roan just nodded in the end. After all, he knew Sister Orb's personality.

'Alright, we'll talk about it later. Make sure to resolve this thing with that Qia girl.'

Roan said after hearing everything.

Time passed as Rean and Roan did their own things. At some point, Droman closed one of the books on the table they were using before saying to Rean.

"Alright. That concludes the parts you should focus on for the next few hours. Let's take another break. Take this chance and see if you can talk with that girl as well. You said that she usually takes breaks at this time, right?"

Rean sighed but nodded in the end. He had put this issue at the back of his mind while he was studying with Droman. However, he couldn't postpone it for too long.

"Alright, I'm going there now."

Rean got up and returned to the tea shop from before. However, he was quickly stopped by Milo and the others on the way there.

"Ah! Rean! Was that true? Did you really impregnate Qia? For real?"

Rean shook his head vigorously.

"Of course not! Stop spreading these rumors. There is no such thing as a child! I, your grandfather, am a virgin!"

They couldn't help but think.

'Is that something you should be this proud about?'

"Ahem... So there is no child, huh? Does it mean that you are not really getting married? First of all, are you two in a relationship for real?"

"Idiot, is that even a question? Would you kiss someone in front of everyone else if you were not in a relationship?"

"This..."

"Milo's right. But... Why did you say that Qia might even be pregnant now, then?"

Rean didn't know what to say.

"Cough, cough... Well, that was just a joke both of us were playing. Sure enough, look at all of you. You guys fell for it way too easily."

The others felt that something wasn't right with what Rean was telling them. Would someone really try such a joke by using a princess? First of all, would a princess like Qia accept participating in such a prank?

Everyone looked intently at Rean. If looks could kill, Rean would have been dead many times over already.

"Suspicious..."

"Very suspicious..."

"You are definitely hiding something from us, aren't you?"

Rean scratched the back of his head helplessly.

Sule, another young Formations Master that was going to participate in the exam, asked.

"Alright. Let's assume that there is no such thing as a kid then. However, are you two really not a thing? I still feel like there is something between the two of you."

"This..."

Rean didn't know how to answer that either. After all, he hasn't talked with her yet. In the end, he simply smiled before saying.

"Well, you will know the answer to that question real soon. It just so happens that I'm going to talk with Qia now. Anyway, see ya!"

Rean then hastened his steps so that he could arrive at the tea shop faster. Sure enough, he immediately spotted Qia at the same table as before. It was just that she was surrounded by quite a few female cultivators as well. As soon as she saw Rean, she smiled at him.

"Sorry, girls. I can't give you an answer now. You will know more about it in the future."

Qia then quickly grabbed Rean's hand before pulling him away, leaving everyone behind. Naturally, that only made people more certain about their relation.

After they got to a private space, Rean asked her what all of that was about.

"Oh, the girls came to me after hearing that I got engaged. After all, the conversation between our masters was seen by many other Formations Masters in the repository."

Rean nodded.

"Well, women love this kind of talk, after all."

Qia didn't even try to deny it.

"Hahaha! That's true. Those girls looked more like hungry wolves who felt the smell of blood. Not to mention that this is the territory of the Formations Guild, so they didn't need to be afraid of being disrespectful due to my status as a princess. Well, it's not like I'm any better."

Rean couldn't help but laugh a little.

"No wonder you could do such a thing as suddenly say that I'm your boyfriend. You quite like to act freely, don't you? Oh! Could it be that you wanted to come to the Formations Guild because you didn't like all that traditional treatment?"

Qia was taken aback for a second.

"Errr... I won't deny that it was part of the reason. However, I do really love Formations, okay? It's just that the fact that the side occupations guilds' territories are like this helped make up my mind in becoming a Formations Master."

Rean smiled.

"That's good, then."

Seeing that the mood improved a little, Rean finally decided to talk about why he had come.

"Alright, let's go back to the main topic, shall we?"

Qia took a deep breath in response.

"Yes."

Rean then started first.

"You know very well what I want, information so that my sect can be ready in case a war starts or a new emperor goes up to the throne. I know that the main reason for your Imperial Family to like the Communication System so much is how good it would be if a war really starts. If we really marry, I will definitely use this status to pry into the Imperial Family's information."

Qia nodded. She already knew it from the very start.

"I know. I also have a proposal for you. As you know, Imperial Family members have very little freedom when it comes to their personal life. Whether it is men or women, we are all expected to live and die for the empire, including political marriages. Gender has no meaning in our family."

"I want to confirm something with you. Are you intending to have a family, or do you want to leave me alone if we marry?"

Rean was happy to see that they were on the same page.

"I intend to leave you alone. If you are afraid of me forcing my way to impregnate you, then you can rest assured. Just the advantages I get from the marriage itself are more than enough. In exchange, you can have your freedom. I don't even mind if you fall in love and start living with the man you like while at it either. You can even start a family with him as far as I'm concerned."

Qia was supposed to be happy to hear that. Rean was indeed giving her total and complete freedom to do whatever she wanted. However, she couldn't help but feel angry with that total lack of interest in her.

"Do you need to say it like that? I feel like you would rather die than have a family with me."

Rean looked at Qia with a puzzled expression as he asked.

"Woman, wasn't total freedom what you wanted?"

Qia nodded.

"It is, but you could put it in a better way. All those details were unnecessary."

Rean shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Well, those words are not far from the truth either. That being said, we might as well ignore each other's existence when we don't need to be present together. Of course, your freedom will be limited at the start since I will need your presence when I participate in the Imperial Family's business."

Qia gritted her teeth as she looked at Rean. What does he mean by 'it's not far from the truth?' He already healed her body completely, so she was back to being a beauty both in and out of clothes. He could at least show a little interest, no? As a princess of the Empire, Qia's pride couldn't help but get a little hurt.

Rean didn't notice that as he continued to talk, though.

"But don't worry. Once the issue with the throne succession and the war is over, there will be no need to stay close to each other anymore. People can keep thinking that we are married as much as they want. Both you and I will simply follow our own paths and do whatever we want after that. I simply won't care about what you do at all."

He came from Earth, a modern world where this kind of thing was not a big deal to start with. He simply couldn't care less about what others might think about him since he and Qia would never really be in a real relationship to start with.

However, he soon noticed Qia's dark face as she stared at him.

"Hum? Is there something you didn't like? This should be a pretty good deal between the two of us."

It was at this moment that Rean received a message from Roan.

'Are you not finished yet?'

That sudden question made Rean lose his focus for a moment as he answered Roan.

'I'm almost finished. I should go back s-'

However, that small lack of attention made him fail to notice Qia approaching him.

*Pah!*

Suddenly, Qia grabbed both of Rean's cheeks, much to his confusion. But just as he was about to ask what she wanted, Qia forced a kiss on him, just like what he did to her back in the Tea Shop!

Rean's eyes opened wide as the girl didn't hold back. As far as he could remember, that wasn't part of the plan.