"Why do you have to be so familiar with the woman you marry?" Lucia Lu asked with mock seriousness. "You’re close with me—so, are you proposing to me now?"
Soren Lann was just about to respond when Lucy burst out laughing. "Are you really going to marry me? Could you even say those words out loud? Oh please, wouldn’t you die of embarrassment?"
Soren’s face darkened.
"Junior Brother!" Lucia Lu patted his shoulder. "I’m telling you, you need to marry early. Wait too long, and all the best girls will be snatched up! Next time, let the Queen Dowager arrange more matchmaking banquets—if you spot someone you like, strike fast and true! Don’t hesitate! If you’re too shy, just tell me—well, actually, I’m swamped, so tell my Mother Goddess and let her handle the matchmaking!"
Soren sat down across from her, poured her a cup of tea with deliberate slowness, and changed the subject: "Senior Sister, you don’t need to worry about that. How are things at the Palace Guard Barracks?"
"Three years of cramming books! The place is overflowing. Honestly, we all feel like living libraries—our heads are bursting at the seams! I swear!"
Soren chuckled, "If you stay there a few more years, are you going to start thinking you’re the smartest person in the world?"
Lucia Lu laughed too.
Soren said, "Senior Sister, I heard Fifth Highness is in closed-door cultivation?"
Lucia Lu’s smile stiffened for a moment. "...Why bring him up out of nowhere?"
"Even though I’ve only met him once, he left a strong impression on me," Soren said.
"What kind of impression?"
"He’s dazzling—handsome beyond compare!"
Lucia Lu blinked. "Huh?"
You’re a guy—why do you care how good-looking he is?
"And..." Soren handed her the tea. "He’s young but already crazy strong. When that Demon Beast snuck in, I didn’t notice a thing—he did."
"Mm." Lucia Lu’s lips curled up slightly.
"And more than that..." Soren added, "he’s truly shrewd."
Lucia Lu was startled. "Shrewd?"
"Does he like you?" Soren suddenly asked.