Was this why she hadn't said anything? Tang Moyu still wasn't sure of what he truly felt for her?

  "Moyu, what else do I need to do for me to prove that I hold you in my heart. Heck, I'm not even sure if I have one." Feng Tianyi said out of frustration. He was trying so hard to understand her, alright. But it was just so hard.

  He wasn't a psychic or a mind reader. How was he supposed to know what Tang Moyu was thinking if she wasn't saying anything?

  He heard the empress heaved a sigh and shook her head.

  "It's not you, Tianyi." She told him.

  "Then what?" His frown deepened. "Please help me understand, Moyu. I don't want to jump to conclusions or to make assumptions that could only hurt the two of us." He insisted.

  The empress was a bit ashamed that she'd been only thinking about marrying him lately just because of her inheritance. If she hadn't had a talk with Lady Song a few weeks ago, she might have actually lured the devil into marriage without him knowing about her intention to secure her inheritance.

  "Moyu, I'm not asking you to marry me right now. I just want the two of us to be engaged until we are ready to hold a ceremony." He told her, his eyes staring at the engagement ring Tang Moyu didn't even bother to look at.

  This wasn't what he had in mind when he decided to propose to her. Her silence was killing him from the inside. Heck, Feng Tianyi had never felt ashamed of himself until now.

  "Tianyi, if you are asking me for marriage because you want to take responsibility for Baobao and Little Star, you don't have to force yourself to do this…"

  "Who said, I'm forcing myself, Moyu? In my head, you are already my wife! But I wouldn't be satisfied with that and want to give you the honor, the title you deserve as my other half. Unless if you deemed me unworthy of you…" His words trailed off, not daring to finish what he was thinking.

  "I hate it when you demean yourself like that." Tang Moyu stepped forward, invading his private space. "Look at me, Tianyi, and tell me what kind of person do you take me for? Do my words mean nothing to you? Do you not take me seriously?"

  Feng Tianyi was rendered speechless. One moment he was proposing to her, the next thing he knew they were arguing. Could this day get any worse??He just wanted to propose to the woman he loved. Goddamnit!

  There was an awkward silence between them as they gauged each other's expression, but Feng Tianyi knew he was losing this battle. He knew he cannot resist Tang Moyu and would never dare to spite her, to hurt her.

  He just wanted her to understand that he was dead serious about this and not just because he wanted to be responsible for their twins.

  "I take you seriously, Moyu. Very. That's why I wanted to make things right for the two of us. I'm not asking you to marry me for sake of Baobao and Little Star. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you, Moyu. Is that too much to ask?" He answered her, refusing to break their eye contact to show her the sincerity in his words.

  How did his romantic proposal end up in a lover's quarrel between him and Tang Moyu?

  "I just want you to be my wife, Moyu. I can't imagine life without you and the twins in it anymore. I just know that I want the three of you for eternity." He repeated.

  Because he looked away, he missed the glint that crossed the empress's eyes from his admission. Feng Tianyi suddenly felt being dragged forward, his eyes widening as he felt his whole body being pulled towards her.

  The next thing he knew, the empress was holding both sides of the lapel of his coat and was kissing him. Ah, women, so unpredictable! But hey, who was he to complain when she was kissing him like this?

  Pulling his shoulders, Tang Moyu brought her face closer to his, pressing her lips against his. She loved the way Feng Tianyi languidly slipped his tongue between her lips, taking his time to prolong their kiss.

  When they parted, she was almost breathless, her eyes smiling unto him.

  "I'm sorry for doubting you, Tianyi. But know what I feel for you is true." She told him. "but…"

  "But what?" He raised a brow at her. He mentally chanted, hoping that she wouldn't straightly shut his proposal down.

  "Tianyi, I don't want to get engaged." Tang Moyu said casually, not batting an eyelid, leaving a gaping hole in the devil's c.h.e.s.t. He froze for a moment then recovered.

  This… how was he supposed to accept this without being angry at her? How was he supposed to explain to their twins that their mother didn't want to marry him?

  As Tang Moyu expected, Feng Tianyi's expression turned to the worse upon hearing what she'd said. She could feel that even when the sun was still up at three in the afternoon, the temperature had dramatically dropped from where she was standing to the freezing point.

  She could see complex emotions passing through his eyes as his jaws hardened.

  "Why?" He asked her solemnly. "Give me one reason why you don't want to." He demanded.

  Instead of answering his question, Feng Tianyi saw the empress check the time on her watch before taking the black velvet box in his hand, confusing the hell out of him. Didn't she already turn him down? Why did she still take the ring from him?

  "I don't want to because I'd rather marry you right away." She said, not looking at his face but at her watch. "We still have enough time to reach the civil bureau to register our marriage."