Chapter 143: A Conversation Between Husband and Wife

After leaving Christina upstairs to reflect on the proper common sense he had instilled, Klein went downstairs.

Tina, held firmly by Perlin, could not escape and kept her head bowed, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Tina!" He walked up to his wife and beckoned her with a crook of his finger.

"Klein..." Tina carefully stepped toward him.

"You little fool!" Seeing her timid appearance, Klein couldn't help but laugh as he pulled her into his arms. "You were clearly worried about me forcing myself on Christina before, but then you did everything in your power to make her my woman. What is the meaning of this contradictory behavior?"

"I'm sorry, Klein..."

"I don't want an apology; I want the reason!" Klein gently stroked her golden hair. "Tell me, what are you actually thinking?"

"Because... because I know you will only grow more powerful!" Tina looked up at him with her beautiful blue eyes. "And those mighty lords, kings, or even mere mayors have so many women around them. I know this is something I cannot stop! No matter how much you dote on me now, there will surely come a day when you are forced to accept more women for various reasons. Klein, that is a hard truth to change!"

"Who says so? Having you and Perlin is enough for me!" Klein smiled and tapped her on the head.

"That's not true!" Tina sighed. "I may be a country girl who doesn't know much, but I've heard many stories! I am certain that as you become more powerful, there will be countless superior women competing with me. By then, a simple country girl like me will have nothing to offer, and I will be forgotten by you!"

"Silly girl!" Klein was caught between laughter and tears. "Who told you that? You are my wife, the person who is going to spend a lifetime with me! Don't fill your head with such nonsense. No matter what happens in the future, I will never abandon you. You will always be the most important person in my heart!"

"Really?" Tina was moved to tears, clutching him tightly and burying her face in his chest.

"I swear it!" Klein smiled, leaned down, and kissed her lips. Then, looking at Perlin standing nearby, he added, "And you, too, Perlin! I won't abandon you either; you are both meant to spend your lives with me."

Perlin remained expressionless, but she walked over, knelt down, reached out to take Klein’s other hand, and gently placed it upon her own head.

Taken by surprise, Klein smiled and stroked her soft, short blue hair for a moment.

After a quiet pause, once Tina had wiped away her tears, Klein asked, "Now, can you tell me why you insisted on pushing Christina toward me, despite being jealous?"

Tina remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Klein, you aren't allowed to laugh at me!"

"Fine, I won't laugh." Klein stroked her golden hair gently.

Tina looked up at him, clearly enjoying the feeling of his fingers tracing through her locks. "I did it because I felt that more and more women would appear around you in the future. Perhaps by then, a plain country girl like me wouldn't be able to compete with them and would be forgotten in some corner. I was afraid of that, so I felt I had to plan ahead. But I'm not very smart, so I could only come up with a foolish method."

"What foolish method?" Klein asked curiously.

"I thought, since you will have many women around you later, I would be at a disadvantage if I were alone! So I had to build my own little circle," Tina whispered. "Perlin goes without saying; we get along well. Besides you, she listens to me the most. And Christina is easy to handle because she’s so naive, so I could easily take her under my wing and make her 'one of mine.' See? That makes three of us, right? Then, when a fourth woman appears, the three of us will unite, and she will have no choice but to listen to me. Then the fifth, the sixth... eventually, everyone will listen to me..."

"Who called you stupid? You're craftier than a monkey!" Klein was both exasperated and amused. "Always letting your imagination run wild—you'd be better off spending that energy learning Chinese!"

"Oh..." Tina replied, keeping her head low.

"I've already made things clear to Christina and corrected the misinformation you gave her," Klein said, shaking his head. "So don't go misleading her or doing these inexplicable things anymore. No matter what happens, you are my only wife, understand? Aside from Perlin, I have no intention of seeking other women, you hear me?"

"Mm!" Tina nodded vigorously.

"Good! Remember my words: don't mislead Christina anymore. If you want to teach her something, teach her real common sense, not these made-up stories."

"Mm!"

"I have to go out and supervise the construction. I want to finish the outer wall in the next two days to expand the city. You and Perlin stay home and stay out of trouble. You can move around the city as you please, but absolutely do not wander outside the walls!"

"Mm, I know!" I will behave, and Perlin will too.

"That's more like it!" Klein finally relaxed and kissed Tina on the cheek.

"Hmm!" As he moved to stand up, Perlin tugged at his hand, tilting her head and pouting.

Although it was clear she was also asking for a kiss, her lack of expression made the gesture seem slightly awkward.

Klein leaned down and kissed Perlin on the lips before releasing them both. "I'm off to work now. Behave yourselves!"

"Take care!" Tina hurried to pull Perlin along, escorting him all the way to the door.

"Gone," Perlin said expressionlessly, watching Klein disappear from sight.

"Christina!" Tina immediately turned around and ran lightly toward the stairs.

Perlin hurried to follow. "Lord Klein said you aren't allowed to feed Christina wrong information anymore."

"Mm! That's why I'm going to teach her the right things now," Tina giggled as she ran into Christina's room. Seeing her staring blankly, she called out, "Christina~"

"Ah! Lady Tina?" Christina finally returned to her senses.

"What are you thinking about, Christina?" Tina sat beside her and asked with a smile.

"Hmm... love? Lord Klein explained it so complexly, I'm still pondering it," Christina replied honestly.

"Love, is it?" Tina's smile grew wider. "Christina, when it comes to who knows the most about love here, who else could it be but me?"

"That's true! Lady Tina, could you explain to me carefully what exactly love is?" Christina's eyes were filled with eagerness to learn.

"Of course! I will tell you everything, clearly and completely!"