"Er..." An awkward look appeared on Erwin's face, and he didn't know how to reply.

The question was so direct and blatant that he was at a complete loss for words.

Tears of dejection began to well up in Faya's eyes. "Can't I stay by your side, even just as a lover?"

For a man like Erwin, he was naturally very much receptive to the idea of having such a proactive lover by his side. However, he couldn't quite gauge her objective. In particular, her identity was rather sensitive as she was Onen's daughter, and he was unsure of whether she was harboring ulterior motives.

"But I already have a wife. Wouldn't it be very strange for you to stay by my side?" Erwin countered in an awkward voice, reflexively bringing up Onean as a shield.

"I know!" Faya said in a stubborn voice with tears swimming in her eyes. "I know your wife is extremely beautiful, and I know that I'll never be able to compare with her, but I just want to be by your side. I won't disrupt your relationship, all I want is to stay with you. You can treat me like a servant if you want. You don't know how much I've missed you since the tea party. All I want is to be with you..."

Her voice was becoming quieter and more dejected as she spoke.

She was like a pathetic little pet looking up at her owner with a pair of teary eyes, hoping desperately to evoke some sympathy within Erwin.

Erwin placed a finger under Faya's chin, tilting her face up so she had to look at him, then asked, "Did your father ask you to do this?"

"What?!" Faya clearly felt extremely insulted by this question.

"Do you think so little of me because I'm an immoral woman?" Faya slapped Erwin's hand away before turning her face to the side.

A hint of guilt flashed through Erwin's heart upon seeing this. "No, it's not like that..."

"So this is what you think of me." Faya was unwilling to look at Erwin.

Erwin was temporarily at a loss for words.

"My father doesn't know anything. All he agreed to was for me to meet you," Faya said as she lowered her head.

"Then why does it seem like he already knew everything?"

Thinking back to what happened on that day, a deep blush appeared on Faya's face again, and she said, "Do you think I would've told him everything that happened between us?"

Erwin thought about this for a moment, following which an amused smile appeared on his face. "That's true. I would find it very difficult to confide to my own father if I had such a unique fetish."

"That's not..." Faya immediately tried to protest, only to be cut off by Erwin.

"Don't try to deny it!"

Faya didn't dare to protest any further. Whenever she saw that cold look in Erwin's eyes, she always felt like he was able to see through her entire being, as if she were laid bare, both physically and spiritually to him.

She was even feeling a little steady on her feet and was struck by the impulsive urge to lean against his chest to regain her bearings.

Damn it! Why am I so shameless? He literally insulted me just a second ago! Faya thought to herself, viciously berating herself for her own shameless urges and compulsions.

Erwin had no idea what Faya was thinking, and he asked, "Did your father really not make you do this?"

Faya was snapped out of her train of thought upon hearing this, and she shook her head vigorously in response. "My father isn't the type of person to be able to think of these plots, nor would he be willing to use me as a tool."

Erwin was rather unconvinced, but he didn't argue.

"Besides, look at me: I'm so plain and unremarkable. What are you so worried about?" Faya asked as she looked directly at Erwin.

Erwin was temporarily at a loss for words upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but think to himself, She's right, what do I have to be scared of? It's not like I'll actually fall for her seduction.

Erwin carefully inspected Faya's face, but was unable to detect any hint of deception or falsehood in her expression. Erwin didn't know if this was because she was too pure and naive, or if she was simply a master at hiding her emotions.

"Shouldn't you be playing hard to get now? You could pretend to give up on your original idea because you feel insulted by me," Erwin said with an amused expression. "Then, you can lure me in with some reverse psychology."

A perplexed look appeared on Faya's face upon hearing this, and she clearly didn't understand what Erwin was suggesting.

"But what's the point in doing that?" Faya asked with a puzzled expression. "All I want is to be able to sleep on the same bed as you, so why don't I just make my intentions clear? Why would I go around playing mind games that would only complicate the situation?"

Erwin's eyes widened with shock upon hearing this, not expecting Faya to be so direct and blatant. After recovering from his shock, a faint smile appeared on his face as he asked, "So your only objective for staying by my side is to be able to sleep with me?"

Faya lowered her head as she replied, "I want to take you all for myself, but I know that's not possible. I'm not so naive that I think I can lay sole claim to you. I don't know anything about tactics in politics or strategies in battle, but I know that someone like you needs a woman like your wife, who possesses beauty and talent in equal measure. For someone as ordinary as myself, it would be wise not to harbor any excessive ambitions. All I want is to be able to stay by your side and serve you."

"But how do I tell her about this?" Erwin murmured in a quiet voice, seemingly raising the question to himself. Of course, he was referring to Onean here.

Faya pouted slightly upon hearing this, then said, "I don't think she'd see me as a threat at all... If you don't want to bring up the matter, how about I go and beg her to take me in?"

Erwin immediately slapped a hand to his own forehead, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that brain of Faya's.

"If you go and find her, she's most likely going to reduce me to ashes on the spot," Erwin said with a wry smile.

"Then what should I do?" Faya asked with a frustrated expression.

"Do you really want to stay by my side so badly?" Erwin asked as he cast his gaze toward Faya.

"Are you that reluctant for me to stay by your side?" Despite what she was asking, the tone of Faya's voice was very calm and collected.

Upon first meeting Erwin, she had completely lost her composure, forcing a kiss upon him before bursting into tears. However, now that she had calmed down, she was beginning to realize just how unreasonable her request was, but she had no intention of giving up.

Erwin had already discovered something about Faya: she wasn't very intelligent, nor very beautiful, but she was extremely stubborn.

It seemed that no matter what she had her mind set on, she would pursue that goal with single-minded determination, developing extreme tunnel vision in the process.

"Hold on, let's back things up for a minute here," Erwin said with an amused expression. "You do realize that your entire family is about to be banished, right? Aren't you concerned about that at all? How are you still in the mood to be discussing something like this with me?"

"Aren't you advocating for universal equality? You're only stripping us of our title as nobles, isn't that right? It's not like you're going to kill us," Faya said with a naive expression.

A resigned smile appeared on Erwin's face upon hearing this. "You know, your family is really lucky that I'm the one overseeing this revolution."

"I know you won't kill us," Faya murmured as she lowered her head.

"Why is that?" Erwin asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

Faya faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied, "I don't have any concrete evidence, it's just a gut feeling. Yesterday, when I heard that you were the one who led those men into the city, I consoled my mother and sisters, telling them that everything was going to be alright, but they didn't believe me."

"Why do you have so much faith in me? Is it just because of what happened between us that night?" Erwin asked as he raised an eyebrow.

A deep blush immediately reappeared on Faya's face, and she replied, "Of course not. It's just that I feel like..."

"Go on," Erwin prompted.

Faya took a deep breath to muster up her courage, then raised her head to face Erwin as she said, "I feel like you're the type of man who can't bear to hurt women."

"Is that right? I recall that I didn't hold back at all that night," Erwin said as he glanced at her with a debaucherous expression.

This was the expression from Erwin that Faya felt most vulnerable to. Whenever Erwin displayed the cold and forbidding side to himself, the unbridled killing intent in his eyes would always strike her with a sense of fear, but also the urge to cling to him. In contrast, the teasing expression that Erwin currently wore made her feel as if heat were flowing through her entire body, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms in a limp heap and allow him to do with her body as he pleased.

"So you think I'll definitely spare your family just because I can't bear to hurt women?" Erwin asked with an amused smile.

"I can't really articulate it properly. It really is just a gut feeling," Faya replied with a shake of her head. "On top of that, my father doesn't really pose any threat to you."

Erwin offered no reply to this.

In reality, Faya's gut feeling was correct. She was indeed a major contributing factor to Erwin's decision to spare Count Onen and his family.

Erwin cast his gaze toward Faya, and he was at a loss for what to do. He was considering all of the issues that he would face if he were to allow Faya to stay by his side.

Faya looked back into Erwin's eyes, and she wasn't feeling anywhere near as conflicted. Her feelings were very pure, and as she looked into Erwin's hesitant eyes, she was unable to maintain her self-restraint any longer as she dove into Erwin's arms with all her might. This was the embrace that she had been yearning for day and night, and the scent of Erwin filled her with an immense sense of satisfaction. Tears began to well up in her eyes again as she sobbed, "I don't care what my father thinks... All I want is to be able to stay by your side. I just want to stay with you and serve you. I'll be extremely grateful even if you only keep me around as a servant. Even if you only treat me like a prostitute that you use to vent your lust, I won't have any complaints."

Faya's tears were beginning to drip down onto Erwin's clothes. "Please, I'm begging you, just let me stay by your side..."

Erwin looked down at Faya, who was grabbing onto him with all her might, and he couldn't help but heave a forlorn internal sigh.

For the first time, he was beginning to regret his rash actions on that night.

Was Erwin really that reluctant to allow Faya to stay by his side? Of course he wasn't.

Ever since that night, Erwin had discovered that there were some emotions in his heart that could only be fully vented with Faya.

Hence, he didn't actually regret what he had done.

However, at the same time, he cared a great deal about Onean. In his heart, the only other woman in this world who could compare with Onean was Lana. Aside from these two women, every other woman in this world was of secondary importance to him. Hence, he had to think of an excuse.