"That'd be really something." She turns her face against his shoulder. "We're managing without, I think? Some?"
"We're managing just fine," assures Edarial. "I'm mostly just stuck on the idea out of solidarity now."
"Well, you, I'd thought. But also with the idea of not letting my father win. In any form."
"Mm. True. But I - like you being my queen. So. I'm not petty enough to make myself lose because I don't want him to win."
He smiles at her. "Realistically, if I wanted to properly win, I'd need a time machine and go back to before he thought you were a good queen candidate, then send past-me to your shop to romance you while keeping you as far away from him as possible until the wedding."
"And I'd say, 'Edarial, if you don't like that man, why did you invite him to our wedding in the first place?'"
"I would of course reply, 'Because I wanted to rub his loss in his face, I picked someone excellent as a queen on my own and he has no power over me.'"
"And probably since in this timeline we were conducting enough of a relationship to get married deliberately I would want to know why I was not informed of this apparent feud."
"And then I would explain everything and say how he was a terrible person and such. Along with the time machine, of course. Communication's important for a healthy relationship."
"I - probably would have mentioned that within fifteen minutes of meeting you, really. Because I don't see myself good at seduction."