There was no way that this was making sense. "Son?" she asked, knowing full well that her face was twisted in confusion. "But… I met his mother."
"She didn't mean it that way," Prince Qui clarified with a roll of his eyes. "She meant it in a way that she adopted me because she had to."
"You see," said Raesina and set down the porcelain pitcher. "The men from our group of people were not the friendly type with strangers. We've suffered a lot outside of the walls and they were ready to chop someone's neck if need be. They didn't exactly liked the idea of this empire absorbing us.
"But as the person leading them, I had to listen to what this empire could offer. If I had declined, you probably do not have a husband right now. I took the liberty of adopting him into my family—"
"It's not valid," said Prince Qui.
"It is on our terms."
"Not on Heping laws."
