"I like strong women."

Emma and Xion almost spouted their wine when they heard Therius' words.

"Shameless," Emma grumbled. She sneered at Therius and responded curtly. "I will never like you."

Therius' pair of topaz eyes glint dangerously as he heard Emma's words. Nevertheless, he tried to hold back and sip his wine calmly as usual.

"Don't think too highly of yourself. You are not a strong woman," taunted Therius. "I can easily kill you."

"You...!" Emma clenched her glass with anger and had to hold back from breaking it to pieces.

Xion hiccuped at Therius's words.

'You should write the book "101 WAYS TO MAKE THE GIRL YOU LIKE HATE YOU",' Xion muttered inwardly.

It seemed like Therius was so good at making himself look bad that Emma hated him more and more.

Emma pursed her lips and finished her wine. She then stood facing Therius and spoke in a stern voice.

"I understand my position, and now I know the best option is to work with you," the girl said, staring intently at the prince. "So I will do so. I will work hard and become stronger than you. I will defeat you in five years and make you pay for everything you did to me."

"Good. I'd prefer to see you infuriated and do something than crying and only blaming others for your misfortunes," commented Therius. "I will give you access to go anywhere on this ship. For the next six months. You can do whatever you please. You can even train your abilities and learn everything you will need to survive in Akkadia."

"I want to go and study at the academy once we are there," Emma said. "I will not waste the opportunity to learn from the best teachers and become stronger than you."

"Good. Then you also will need to learn about Akkadia before you enter the academy. Other students will be suspicious of you if you don't know anything about our planet. I don't want them to know who you really are. I cannot guarantee your safety there if they know you are Princess Arreya's daughter."

"How can I learn about Akkadia before we get there?" Emma asked in surprise.

"I will prepare private teachers to teach you stuff in this ship. You will learn everything about Akkadia, its culture, life system, and history. After we arrive back in Akkadia, you and I will enter a fake engagement to defuse conflict and make plans for the country. We will not get married for the next five years until you can defeat me. If, after five years, you still cannot become stronger than me and beat me in a fair fight ... then you have no choice but to marry me."

Emma was stunned. "I never said I'd agree to marry you. I'd rather die!!"

Therius' forehead twitched when he heard Emma's words. His feelings were hurt by her constant rejection.

"All right then ... It's up to you. Five years from now, we will fight fairly. If you win, you can leave and get everything you want. If you lose, you must marry me. Or you can also choose death."

Therius' expression darkened after he finished his words. He walked out of the lounge and didn't look back.

Xion could only sigh, while Emma was stunned to hear those chilling words.

Scummy prince! You can only force people and threaten them with death, she growled inwardly.

After pondering for a while, Emma finally decided to make Therius regret what he had just said.

You'll see, I'll work hard and become stronger than you. I will advance all my powers. I will beat you up and go as far away as possible from Akkadia, she muttered to herself.

She took the wine bottle from the table and poured it back into her empty glass until it was full. Then she downed the contents in one go.

She was really furious.

"Wow ... you're quite a drinker!" Xion commented. "I don't think I need to teach you drinking alcohol .. hehehe."

Emma turned her head to Xion and immediately remembered that this young man was an extremely skilled aeromancer.

"No. You don't need to teach me how to drink. I'm quite good at it. But I need you to teach me aeromancy ..." She held Xion's hand tightly, and her face showed a pitiful expression. "How could you let your friend, an older man, abuse a weak and helpless teenage girl? Are you a man or not? Why are you only standing by when you see a girl being bullied??"

Xion went silent at Emma's words. Her tone was accusing. He looked at his hand that was held tightly by Emma, and his heart fluttered.

Luckily Therius wasn't here, he thought. The prince would beat the crap out of him if he saw the girl he liked touching Xion like this.

Hmmm ... honestly, Xion felt guilty because he couldn't do anything when Therius tried to kill Haoran and then forced Emma to come with him back to Akkadia. He had promised his best friend that he wouldn't interfere.

But he also did not desire to be Emma's master because that meant he would be involved in their problems even deeper.?Right now, all he wanted was to return to his mountain.

He wanted to resume his peaceful life as a hermit immediately after they arrive on their planet.

"I would do anything if you are willing to teach me ..." Emma said earnestly.

"Anything?" Xion asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma swallowed. "Anything that doesn't involve sex. I'm not that kind of woman."

"Oh ... too bad," Xion said, pretending to be disappointed. "I have everything you can possibly imagine. I only need sex."

"You jerk ..." Emma grunted. She stomped her feet and walked out of the lounge, looking enraged. "I don't want to have a perverted master like you anyway!"

Aaarrrgghhh ... both Therius and Xion always made her angry!

Gosh.. how much she missed Haoran, the only decent man in this ship.

Xion only looked at the girl's departure with a complicated look. He then massaged his forehead.

"Nope. I am not going to involve myself in politics," he muttered to himself.

He poured more wine to his glass and sipped it slowly.