Chapter 484   - Proposition

"I am not marrying you!" The more Wang Ruoyun looked at Li Qiang’s smiling face, the more her temper flared. "Stop smiling!" she hissed as she grabbed the hilt of her sword.

It had been a few days since the King declared in front of everyone that she is marrying this idiot. Until now, Wang Ruoyun still could not fathom this decision. She had spent days being sleepless and angry. She felt as if her heart was about to burst from rage every time she remembered Li Qiang’s lecherous face.

"Why not?" Li Qiang titled his head towards the chests of Dowry that he just brought in the Wang Residence. "Lady Wang... do you intend to decline the edict of the King?"

"Shut it!" Wang Ruoyun rose from her velvet seat and walked towards the chests. "I don’t need this!" She kicked one of the chests.

"Then what do you need? I can give it to you." Li Qiang smiled, his eyes crinkled.

"I said... I am not marrying you!"

"And you think... I want to marry you?" Li Qiang snorted. "I am a changed man, Miss Wang. I am only doing this because I want to impress my brother."

As expected Wang Ruoyun turned towards him. She narrowed her gray eyes and walked towards Li Qiang. "You sure can act Duke Li." She said, her voice low. "You can’t fool me."

Mirth flashed in Li Qiang’s eyes as he lifted an eyebrow. "Don’t think too highly of yourself, Lady Wang." Lady Wang Ruoyun’s temper was the exact opposite of his Wang Ruo’s. This woman was cold-blooded and feisty. Known to always say what’s on her mind, Lady Wang is known for her strong personality.

Wang Ruoyun, stared at the smirk on the Duke’s face. "In front of me. You are nothing. I could kill you with just the snap of my finger." She uttered as she stared at the man’s straight nose, then into his perfect lips. "I could kill you right now without batting an eyelid." Her eyes went back to his brown orbs.

"Then..." Li Qiang’s smirk widened as he leaned closer, his face a few inches away from hers. "Then... would you like to take a bet with me?"

"What kind of bet?" She could smell mint coming from his mouth. She frowned. "Are you trying to fool me?"

"I am not." Li Qiang answered. "We clearly do not want to marry each other."

Wang Ruoyun found this sentence hard to believe. She might have lived in the borders for years. However, this does not mean that she does not know the news from the Capital. This man is a lecherous fool. She had women — more than ten of them surrounding him. A fool and a cowardly man. Duke Li was a dandy master who only uses the name of his brother to scare people.

This man could not even use the elements properly!

That marriage declaration was the greatest insult that she had ever received in her life. How could she lower her head and allow this madness to continue? Wang Ruoyun had been provoking this man since he arrived. She called him names, curses, and showed her temper.

She wanted him to snap. Threatened to kill her or perhaps attack her. Then she... could end his life. This was her only way to stop this marriage.

"Defeat me in a duel and I will ask the King to cancel this wedding." Li Qiang’s words immediately made her laugh. She took a step away from him as mockery laced her eyes.

"You?" she held her laughter. "You wanted to fight me?" Disbelief covered her words as she laughed. "You think you can defeat me, Duke Li?" she went back to her seat. Who would have thought that this man is not only lecherous but also idiotic?

"The opposite." Li Qiang answered. "I wanted you to win. So... I could ask the king to cancel the wedding."

She looked at the slight smile on the man’s lips. "And if you win?" she asked.

"Then... we marry each other."

"Hah! That is impossible!" She asked one of her servants to pour some wine for her. "You can never beat me."

"Give me a month. The day before the King will announce our engagement to the neighboring kingdoms. Let’s fight."

Wang Ruoyun drank a mouthful of wine before she looked at his right-hand man who was standing a few feet away from her. "Do you think this man is serious?" she sneered. She shifted her gaze back to Li Qiang. "So you really do not like to marry me."

"I do not." Li Qiang said without batting an eyelid. "I am a changed man. I would rather spend my time reading than see a brute woman like you everyday."

"What did you say?"

"Ouyang Jing... calm yourself." Wang Ruoyun held her hand towards her right-hand man. "He is only here to entertain me." She smirked at Li Qiang. "Brute woman, you say?"

"You lack elegance and poise. You are a beauty and you can wield a sword, but that is the only thing that you have." Li Qiang said. "I would never marry someone like you."

"You — " Ouyang Jing removed the sword from his scabbard, as fire wrapped his sword. "Apologize! Apologize to Lady Wang now!"

"Jing." Wang Ruoyun frowned. "The man cannot use elements." She reminded him. "Fighting him would be an insult to you." A smile bloomed on her face as she looked at Li Qiang. "Alright then... Duke Li, I would agree with your proposition. I will fight you. But don’t blame me... if I accidentally injure your... treasured parts."

A spark of unfathomable expression immediately flashed in Li Qiang’s eyes. He stared at her familiar face for a few seconds before he presented a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "I already signed it with my blood as ink. This is a contract. If you defeat me... I will tell the king to cancel this engagement. If I defeat you... you will marry me and become my only woman in this lifetime. What do you say... Lady Wang?"