Chapter 7332

Maria looked at Charlie, a shy smile on her lips. "I don’t know exactly how many. But you have so many confidantes. If they all chose to follow you, I think there really would be quite a crowd living here."

She grinned playfully. "But I wouldn’t mind at all. Honestly, I’ve always liked a lively home. My father was devoted to driving out invaders, so he only married my mother and never took concubines. My mother passed away early, so I grew up an only child. But in southern Yunnan, many of my childhood friends had lots of siblings—one family even had four siblings all the same age. It was always bustling."

Charlie asked without thinking, "Siblings the same age? Cousins?"

Maria covered her mouth and giggled, looking at Charlie with sparkling eyes. "Young Master, you’re so dense. Of course I mean half-siblings. Her father had seven concubines, plus the main wife—eight women in total. Five of them gave birth in the same year. It’s not that unusual, is it?"

Charlie finally caught on and gave an awkward smile. "I guess I’m just not from that era. It never even crossed my mind."

Maria blushed and smiled. "Young Master, you should think about it more. Better yet, think about how to make it happen. If… if one day you could make me your concubine, my life would be complete."

Maria didn’t care much about status, but as a woman, she knew having a title was always best. She never dared hope Charlie would marry her as his main wife. As long as she could be his concubine, she’d be content. After all, in her era, once a man was married, being a concubine was the highest honor she could hope for.

Of course, even back then, some men divorced their wives and took a new main wife, but Maria had never considered that. After all she’d been through, she understood that a man like Charlie—no matter the era—would always have many women around him. She was just one among many flowers in his garden, and being able to bloom by his side was enough. If Charlie ever needed her to, she’d even help him turn this private garden into a place where all the flowers could flourish together.

Charlie felt a little awkward about the topic.

He’d mostly figured things out in his mind, but he wasn’t ready to talk openly about taking concubines with Maria. So he just smiled and said, "Let’s talk about this after we deal with Victoria. Once she’s gone, everything will be easier. Even if you asked me to become a monk, I’d do it willingly."

Maria laughed. "Young Master, you’re not allowed to become a monk! If you did, all of us girls would have to visit the temple every day just to see you. That would disturb the monks’ peace."

Charlie gave an embarrassed chuckle, scratched his head, and quickly changed the subject. "Alright, let’s get going. This time, I’m going to make the entire Left Army Governor’s Office mine."

Maria could tell Charlie was feeling shy, so she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she slipped her arm through his and smiled, "Do you think Youngheart will willingly submit to you?"

Charlie smiled. "Don’t worry. That man is greedy beyond measure. This time, he’s bound to fall hard. When the time comes, I’ll use a mix of carrot and stick—he’ll have no choice but to accept, even if he’s crying while he does it!"