Shisui landed on a secluded reef near the edge of the underwater kingdom's dome, cloaked beneath a bubble of vacuum-space created by Astradríga.
Liryssa stumbled, eyes wide with fury and confusion. "You kidnapped me?!"
"I saved you," Shisui corrected, "and myself."
"You made it worse!" she snapped. "Now they'll mobilize the entire army to retrieve me—"
"Then tell me," he cut her off, eyes glowing faintly with his Aetherion Eye, "how do I stop them from killing me?"
Liryssa crossed her arms, cheeks slightly flushed. "You can't. The laws are sacred."
Shisui stepped closer, his voice low. "There must be a way."
She hesitated.
"…There is one path," she said finally. "But it's insane."
"I'm listening."
She turned to face him, eyes serious. "If you marry me, the law of violation is nullified. It becomes… a royal union instead."
Shisui blinked. "Marriage?"
"And you must defeat our kingdom's strongest warrior in ritual combat—the one who was supposed to marry me."
Shisui exhaled, looking up at the rippling sea above.
"Guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?"
Liryssa looked away, muttering, "For what it's worth… I don't hate the idea."