Marken smirked as he listened to her. She thought he was stupid, that he'd spent the past three days brooding instead of planning. Did she honestly think he was just going to capture her and not have a plan for anything that may come up? He was about to say something when she took his cup, and filled it before his eyes. "I er... Thank you..." He was surprised the girl was actually doing something for him, considering he'd practically arrested her. Perhaps she was trying to get on his good side. He took a drink of the bitter tea regardless, leaning back into his chair.

"Dull sex lives? I think I should be offended, however... I cannot speak for my father, so perhaps you're right." He thought for a moment, sighing internally. "Perhaps you should have thought about that before you decided to come to my ball, knowing full well its purpose, attracting me to you, and then trying to steal from me." His cold tone had diminished somewhat, as he finished off his second glass of tea, setting the cup down on the table. "However, this marriage wouldn't be something I would expect you to hold yourself to. I doubt I could trust you for a lifetime. No, this is something different, this would be a facade. You marry me, act like a good wife in public, hate me all you want behind closed doors, and it keeps me out of this war. You stay free from harm, and in the end, as I've said before, I may let you leave, to do whatever you want to spend your life doing."

He sighed again, refilling his own glass before picking up back up. "I would not force you to lay with me, Within the bounds of reason, you would be free. Or, I can simply toss you into the dungeon for a decade and see how that treats you, if that's your preference." Marken sipped at his bitter tea, waiting for a response. By now, the cold tone from his voice had vanished. It seemed to hold a sense of resignation to it, strange considering he had what he wanted in the palm of his hand.