Chapter 198
"They certainly are," Lin Wan agreed, her expression softening. "They always seem to become extra active whenever I come out to sit in the open air."
Sister Yun smiled warmly at her. "They already share their mother’s love for the outdoors."
Lin Wan turned her gaze toward the sharp, snow-capped mountain peaks rising beyond the high palace walls. "I wonder..."
"What are you thinking about, Lady Lin?" Sister Yun asked gently.
Lin Wan remained silent for a long moment, watching the clouds drift by. "Do you think... the people on the outside know that I am here?"
The sudden question made both maids freeze in place. Lian looked nervously toward Sister Yun, but neither of them answered right away. Lin Wan noticed their hesitant reactions immediately.
"You do not have to answer that," Lin Wan said softly, saving them from the awkwardness.
Sister Yun let out a quiet sigh, stepping closer. "I think... someone is very likely searching for you with all their might."
Lin Wan smiled sadly, her eyes misting over slightly. "I only hope they do not do anything foolish."
Lian blinked in surprise. "Do you not want them to come for you, Lady Lin?"
Lin Wan lowered her gaze to her lap. "If they come here, they will fight a terrible war. And innocent people who have never even met me will die because of my existence."
A solemn quiet descended upon the pavilion. Even the birds perched in the surrounding pine trees seemed to stop their singing. Sister Yun reached over and poured another cup of warm herbal tea.
"You carry far too much weight on your shoulders, child," Sister Yun said softly.
Lin Wan offered a faint, tired smile. "I suppose I always have."
At that exact moment, the quiet rustle of heavy robes announced an arrival. Cassian stepped into the pavilion grounds.
His surrounding Shadow Guards halted several steps back, and with a simple wave of his hand, he dismissed them.
"I will walk alone," Cassian instructed smoothly.
The guards bowed sharply before retreating to the perimeter. Lin Wan noticed his tall figure almost immediately. The faint smile vanished from her face, and she slowly stood up from the stone bench to greet him politely.
"What brings Your Majesty to the garden today?" she asked.
Cassian came to a stop several paces away. "I wished to speak with you."
She maintained her calm demeanor. "About what?"
"About the children," Cassian replied.
Lin Wan instinctively folded both of her hands over her stomach in a protective motion. "The royal physician already came by to examine me this morning."
"I am aware," Cassian said. "Then?"
Cassian looked at her quietly, taking in her posture. "You have been coming out to walk every single day."
"Yes," she answered carefully.
"Does it help you?"
Lin Wan seemed slightly caught off guard by the genuine question. "A little bit. The bedroom feels... smaller with each passing day."
Cassian gave a subtle nod. "I expected as much."
An uneasy silence settled between them, neither appearing eager to force the conversation. Finally, Cassian broke the quiet.
"I met with someone today."
Lin Wan looked up, her interest piqued. "Who?"
Cassian held her gaze steadily. "Patriarch Wang."
Everything around her seemed to freeze in an instant. Even her breathing hitched for a brief second. Her fingers slowly tightened, clutching the fabric of her dress over her stomach.
"...He came here?" she whispered.
Cassian nodded once. "He did."
Lin Wan looked away toward the ground, a storm of a dozen different questions crashing inside her heart. ’Was he injured? Was he furious? Did he... still even remember her?’ She swallowed down her rising emotions before asking the one question that weighed heaviest on her mind.
"...Is Wei Xiang with him?"
Cassian remained silent for a brief moment, observing her reaction closely. "Yes. He arrived right alongside Patriarch Wang."
A soft breath that Lin Wan had not realized she was holding slowly escaped her lips in a wave of immense relief. "...He is alright?"
Cassian nodded. "He has recovered remarkably well."
A genuine, beautiful smile finally spread across her pale face. "That is good. I was so worried about him."
Cassian watched her carefully, a strange sensation settling in his chest. She had smiled—not because Wang had marched all this way for her, but because Wei Xiang was safe. The quiet realization hit him with unexpected weight.
"You were more worried about him?" Cassian asked softly.
Lin Wan looked back at him, her gaze clear and unwavering. "He nearly lost his life trying to protect me. I do not know how I could ever forget something like that."
Cassian did not offer a response. Instead, he turned and walked over to the stone railing overlooking the courtyard, resting his hand against the cold masonry. The silence between them stretched out, comfortable yet filled with unspoken words.
Finally, Lin Wan took the initiative to speak again. "...How is... Wang?"
Cassian answered with complete honesty. "He looks well. He appears to have recovered completely from his previous battle."
Lin Wan lowered her head slightly. "I see."
There was no joy in her voice upon hearing the news, nor was there any visible excitement. There was only a quiet, gentle acceptance. Cassian noted the reaction with a raised brow.
"You do not seem particularly happy to hear that," Cassian remarked.
Lin Wan smiled faintly, looking down at her shoes. "I honestly do not know what I am supposed to feel anymore." She slowly lowered herself back onto the cool stone bench. "So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I do not even know where to begin sorting through it all."
Cassian remained standing by the ledge, looking back at her. "He asked about your
well-being."
Lin Wan’s fingers paused on her lap. "...Did he?"
"He demanded to know whether I had harmed you in any way."
A complex flurry of emotions flashed through her dark eyes. She looked down at her hands, her tone wistful. "That certainly sounds like him."
Cassian studied her features. "Are you not going to ask what my response was?"
Lin Wan slowly shook her head. "I already know what you said."
Cassian raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued. "You know?"
"If you had truly harmed me," Lin Wan said, raising her eyes to meet his, "I would not be sitting here comfortably in this garden."
The absolute trust in her logic caught him completely off guard.
Lin Wan let out a slow, steady breath. "You have taken away my freedom, and you have made me immensely angry. You have caused me to cry many times. But..." She hesitated for a second before continuing with utmost sincerity, "you have not treated me cruelly."
Cassian remained silent, staring at her. He had fully anticipated bitter accusations or sharp resentments, not quiet honesty.
Lin Wan sighed softly. "I despise being kept inside these walls. But I am not going to sit here and lie about how I am treated."
Another comfortable silence descended upon the pavilion. Seeing the mood, Sister Yun discreetly gestured for Lian and the other maids to step further back toward the garden path, giving the two total privacy.
Cassian finally spoke up, breaking the calm. "I made him a formal proposal today."
Lin Wan frowned slightly in confusion. "What kind of proposal?"
"I proposed that both of our armies withdraw from the border completely."
Her eyes widened in absolute shock. "...What?"
"I stated that after the children are safely born," Cassian explained, "you will be allowed to decide for yourself where you wish to live."
Lin Wan stared at the King, her mind struggling to process the words. For several long moments, she said nothing at all.
Cassian waited patiently for her reaction.
Finally, she whispered, "You... truly said that to him?"
"Yes."
"You would actually allow me to choose my own path?"
"I gave my official word as King."
Lin Wan searched his golden eyes, looking for any trace of a trick, a hidden catch, or a clever lie. But she found none. Her voice became remarkably soft. "What was Patriarch Wang’s response?"
Cassian answered smoothly, "He said a single thing to me."
"What did he say?"
"He said that I had never bothered to ask the one person whose answer actually mattered."
Lin Wan offered a sad, tender smile. "That sounds just like him as well."
Cassian folded his arms over his broad chest. "He did not accept my proposal, but he did not outright refuse it either. He intends to continue his march."
The small smile on Lin Wan’s face slowly faded away. "So... the war has not been stopped."
"No, it has not."
She closed her eyes tightly, her shoulders slumping. "I knew it wouldn’t be that simple."
Cassian watched her solemn expression. "You believe that all of this is your fault, don’t you?"
She opened her eyes, looking up at him with a heavy heart. "Is it not? If I were not trapped here inside this palace, their armies would not be marching toward your gates."
Cassian’s voice remained calm and commanding. "Even if you were not here, Lin Wan, I would still be defending my kingdom’s borders. And Wang would still be looking for a reason to challenge my power. None of this grand conflict began simply because of a single choice you made."
Lin Wan turned her gaze back toward the misty, distant mountains. "I just do not want anyone else to die on my account," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the breeze. "I have already lost far too much in this life."
Cassian followed her line of sight toward the horizon. "So have I."
Those simple three words made her turn to look at him again. For the very first time since her arrival at the Citadel, she truly noticed how exhausted the Manticore King appeared.
She saw the subtle dark circles beneath his striking golden eyes, and the deep weariness hidden just beneath his calm, unshakeable facade.
Neither of them said anything for a long time. The gentle mountain wind continued to move softly through the flowering plum branches, dropping delicate pink petals onto the stone floor.
After a while, Lin Wan slowly stood up from the bench. "I have one single request to ask of you."
Cassian turned his head to look at her. "What is it?"
"If..." She hesitated, taking a quiet breath to steady her nerves. "If the opportunity ever arises... I want to see Wei Xiang."
Cassian’s composed expression did not shatter, though his golden eyes grew perceptibly quieter. "And what about Wang?"
Lin Wan lowered her gaze to the stone floor.
"I do not know. I do not think..." She cut herself off mid-sentence, unable to finish the thought.
Cassian waited patiently, not pressing her.
Finally, she finished in a soft whisper, "I do not think I am ready to see him."
Cassian understood the weight behind her words completely. He gave a single, firm nod of his head. "I will remember your request."
He turned on his heel, preparing to leave the garden. But after taking only a few steps down the stone path, he paused, speaking over his shoulder without looking back.
"The royal physician mentioned that you should retire to bed earlier tonight."
Lin Wan blinked in surprise, a faint spark of amusement flashing in her eyes. "Did you truly walk all the way out to the garden just to remind me to sleep?"
A very faint, rare smile touched the corner of Cassian’s lips. "...Partly."
Without another word, he continued down the winding path, his tall form disappearing into the palace corridor. Lin Wan watched his retreating figure until he was completely gone. She slowly brought both of her hands up, resting them gently over her bump.
"Wei Xiang..." she whispered into the cool breeze. "Please stay safe out there."
Far beyond the towering walls of the Supreme Citadel, the vast Silver Leopard camp was settling in for the night.
Standing on a rocky outcrop near the edge of the perimeter, the young Azure Lightning Roc stood beneath the darkening, snowy evening sky. He was dressed in his simple traveling clothes, leaning against his spear as he watched the mist roll over the valley.
For a reason he could not quite explain or understand, a sudden, sharp warmth bloomed in his chest. Wei Xiang lifted his head, his sharp eyes turning to stare directly toward the southern horizon where the Supreme Citadel stood hidden in the mountain haze.
His heart tightened with an inexplicable intensity, almost as if a soft, familiar voice had just whispered his name across the freezing wind.