Acceptance
“Now, don’t take it the wrong way, Haoyu… But you are a Foppoof, you are cute, you are beautiful, and you are exotic–All that on top of being extremely talented in a very niche, rare, and useful branch of cultivation… Considering that you’ve been pretending to be a woman, it is frankly flabbergasting that no one before has tried to actively court you. Or even hire you for that matter”
“I just want you to understand that even if not right now, you will eventually be very coveted by men–And some of them might not be as nice as me. I am being very calm and patient despite my–Frankly–Incredible lust for you. There are several reasons why it isn’t the case, but in many other scenarios, I would already be balls deep inside of you regardless of what you wanted”
Edrick clapped his hands.
“I want you as my sixth wife, and I want it officialised right now. In fact, I’ll be extra kind to you since I like you so much… We don’t even need to consummate the marriage immediately–Just accept and put on the ring. Tell everyone that you are mine. That will be enough. We can take things slowly. We are cultivators, it isn’t like a little bit of time scares us, right?”
Haoyu was visibly panicked at the barrage of words Anoteros was throwing his way, some of which were strung up into concerning sentences… However, it wasn’t like it was a big surprise that Edrick would be willing to skip the ‘agreement’ portion in some cases... If one dug deep enough, they would quickly find out how he had treated the poor people of the town he had been the lord of during his exile. In fact, you could just ask his third wife.
Hui would frame it like a magical experience, with her as the princess and Edrick as the prince charming. However, her retelling of the beginning of their relationship would be unfiltered and would quickly reveal that the noble was far from opposed to using coercion, violence, threats, and the like to get what he wanted.
He had charm, status, looks, and everything else to be successful without using such means... But he still did.
Digging a little bit deeper would swiftly unearth that he had nearly no limits in terms of what sort of depraved acts he was willing to partake in.
If he were a commoner–Hell, even if he were a high-bourgeois, he would be branded an absolute monster and easily be found guilty by the court, where he would subsequently be sentenced to one of the more torturous kinds of executions… Edrick was a high noble of a great clan, however. So he could get away with it even if it were widely known.
“Y-Young Master… I… I don’t know what to tell you! I am only into women! I swear I am… Can… Do you even want a wife who wouldn’t be able to love you properly…?”
Anoteros smiled slightly. He quite liked how combative Haoyu was about this. The Foppoof wasn’t caving in easily, no matter how meek and scared he appeared. He was confident in his preferences and was actually bringing up a good point: Edrick absolutely wouldn’t want a wife who wouldn’t fall in love with him completely. Even before he placed the crest.
He had standards for his wives. Even if using a crest could make things easier, he found it necessary to carve a place inside their hearts and minds without having to use any crest or anything else of the sort.
Crests locked positive feelings toward him in place, and then intensified them–So although the love could be cultivated afterwards, he simply found it more ‘rewarding’ to max things out even before then. It was his pride as a ‘hunter’, as some might call it.
“Haoyu… Have you ever been with a woman?”
“I… Huh… No…”
“Of course you haven't. You’ve been pretending to be one, so you couldn’t even fathom the idea of trying anything. What if your cover was blown and you were revealed as a Foppoof? But then... Why are you so certain that you like women over men? Let me tell you something–Foppoofs may be men by the most important metrics, but they are inherently geared toward pleasing other men”
“My second wife–Linmin–Is a Foppoof, as you certainly know. I have bedded him probably more than a thousand times already. I know every millimeter of his body. I know everything about him, both inside and out. I have also bedded countless twinks, so I know the difference between these two kinds of effeminate men, Haoyu”
“What is it, Young Master…?”
“Foppoofs have more developed and more sensitive prostates. It is like their secret pits are intended to be used for pleasure… I am just making a theory there, but I strongly believe that Foppoofs are all about social dynamics. We humans, are animals, after all”
“Sex is primarily about reproduction, but just like Bonobos, we do it recreationally and for many other purposes as well… By these standards, Foppoofs are simply perfect mates for males, wouldn’t you agree? They can’t get pregnant, have more stamina than the average female, and are always available for some fun”
Of course, sapient species are too intelligent for their own good and tend to forget the fact that they are full of base instincts and are subject to many of the same things as non-sapient beings. Thus, most people tend not to even think about the possibility that the reason for something is purely bestial, and does not require any grand philosophical question or deep knowledge about the truth of the world…
“Listen, Haoyu. Accept my proposal, and I’ll gently teach you the true pleasures of being a Foppoof later… I plan on taking care of some business somewhere. On my return, I’ll come back, and we’ll finalise making you into my sixth wife”
“I…”
Haoyu was hesitant, but he was starting to feel like he was pushing his luck by constantly rejecting and arguing with Edrick. The core disciple was speaking with a greater noble from the clan he technically served. He was lucky that Anoteros wasn’t one of those young masters who got easily upset at the slightest bump in the road.
‘I… Don’t really have a choice, do I…?’
His sect wanted him to accept, and thinking about it… It was the optimal choice for his future, wasn’t it? This was wife status that was on the table. This was an incredible offer, so even if he wasn’t really into it, he should suck it up and seize the opportunity as a cultivator should.
‘...I guess he is handsome too…’
“Y-Young Master… I won’t make you wait… P-P-Please take me!”
“Are you sure?”
“...Yes…”
Anoteros reached and caressed the core disciple’s beautifully tanned face. The dark skin contrasting nicely against his white skin.
“Then, let’s get comfortable in your room”