Chapter 205
"I am aware," Wang replied, his tone remaining composed. "But rushing forward carelessly will only put her in greater danger."
Wei Xiang stared toward the distant silhouette of the Citadel. "So... we continue to hold?"
"For now."
A younger officer stepped forward, unable to contain his anxiety. "Patriarch... what if they are mistreating her?"
A heavy stillness fell over the group. Every captain turned toward Wang.
Wang slowly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them, his gaze was remarkably steady. "If Cassian intended to harm her... he would have done so long ago."
Wei Xiang looked at him sideways. "You trust his restraint?"
"No," Wang answered plainly. "I trust her." He looked back toward the snowy peaks. "She will find a way. She always does."
Before the conversation could continue, an elderly physician carrying a wooden medicine box shuffled up to the group. "Young Master Wei Xiang!"
Wei Xiang blinked, looking over. "Doctor Han?"
"I have been searching for you," the old physician huffed. "You skipped your bitter tonic yesterday."
Wei Xiang looked slightly embarrassed under the gaze of his subordinates. "I am fine."
Doctor Han snorted. "That is precisely what every stubborn patient says before collapsing."
Several captains stifled quietly amused smiles. Wei Xiang rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I have been busy."
"As has every wounded soldier in this camp," Doctor Han countered, opening his kit and pointing to a stool. "Sit."
Wei Xiang let out a defeated sigh. "...Yes, Doctor Han."
As Wei Xiang obediently sat down to take his medicine, the heavy tension hanging over the command post briefly eased.
For a moment, surrounded by faint laughter, they looked less like an army preparing for a bloody siege and more like a tight-knit family holding the line together.
Inside the Citadel, Lin Wan followed Captain Rhys through the quiet stone corridors. The guards had clearly been doubled along every major walkway, standing at rigid attention.
"They still haven’t advanced," Lin Wan observed quietly as they walked.
"No, my lady," Rhys replied.
"Does His Majesty believe they will attack soon?"
"His Majesty prepares for every outcome."
They soon arrived outside the private military quarters. Rhys knocked once, and at Cassian’s command, the heavy bronze doors swung open.
Instead of standing over strategic maps, Cassian was seated by a low wooden table near the window, where two cups of warm tea were set out.
"Sit," Cassian instructed calmly.
Lin Wan walked over and took a seat across from him. He poured a cup of tea for her, then one for himself, before sliding a small plate of sliced winter fruit toward her side of the table.
"You did not finish your breakfast," Cassian noted.
Lin Wan looked up in surprise. "You know that?"
"Sister Yun informed Doctor Elias, and Doctor Elias informed me."
Lin Wan let out a small, breathless laugh. "So everyone reports my every move to you?"
"They report because they are responsible for your well-being," Cassian replied matter-of-factly. He watched until she picked up a piece of fruit before continuing. "The Silver Leopard army has not advanced. They have maintained their current camp since yesterday."
Lin Wan nodded slowly. "Wang is waiting."
"You state that with great certainty."
"I know how he thinks," she said quietly.
Cassian looked down at his tea. "I thought I understood him as well. When we were younger, he fought without hesitation. If anyone threatened his people, he struck immediately. But this time... he stopped. He holds his position." He tapped his fingers lightly against the porcelain cup. "That is not the man I remember."
"People change," Lin Wan said softly.
Cassian raised his eyes to meet hers. "Did he change because of you?"
Lin Wan lowered her gaze. "I don’t know."
After a quiet pause, Cassian asked unexpectedly, "If the gates were opened today and Wang stood outside... what would you say to him?"
Lin Wan took her time, considering the question deeply. "I don’t know. I have imagined that moment countless times. I thought I would yell at him, ask why he disappeared, or tell him how furious I was."
She offered a faint, helpless smile. "But now... I honestly don’t know. I think I would simply look at him. I don’t know if I would even find the words."
Cassian turned his focus toward the frosted window. "I have wondered something else as well. If you had never encountered me... would your life have been happier?"
Lin Wan blinked, caught off guard by the sudden vulnerability in his voice. She thought carefully before shaking her head. "No."
"No?"
"My life has always been complex and full of hardship," she explained gently. "I have lost people, met people, cried, and laughed. I cannot erase one part of my path without altering everything else." She smiled faintly, touching her stomach. "If I had never met you... I would not have these children."
As if responding to her words, a gentle kick pressed against her palm. Lin Wan chuckled softly. "They seem determined to join every conversation."
A rare softening appeared around Cassian’s eyes. "They are active."
"Very," she agreed. "I think they already know they are loved."
Cassian remained silent, though his gaze lingered on her hand for a long moment.
A sharp knock broke the quiet as Captain Rhys re-entered, bowing low. "My King, the council has assembled and awaits your presence. However... the elders are divided."
"Divided?" Lin Wan asked.
Rhys nodded. "Some insist on launching a preemptive strike before the Silver Leopard Clan receives further reinforcements, while others argue that maintaining our defensive perimeter is wiser."
Cassian rose slowly from his seat. "So they continue to argue."
"No consensus has been reached, sire."
Lin Wan looked up at Cassian. "If the council formally votes for an attack... will you yield to them?"
Cassian answered without a second’s hesitation. "No. I am the King. It is my duty to listen to counsel, but the final command rests entirely with me."
"And what is your decision?" she asked softly.
Cassian walked toward the window, looking out over the frozen horizon. "My decision... depends entirely on what Wang does next."
Far across the valley, inside the Silver Leopard command tent, the senior officers were gathered around their own strategic table. Quartermaster Shen reported eighteen days’ worth of rations and ample ammunition, though Doctor Han warned that medical supplies were dangerously limited.
"Then we must make any potential clash swift," Commander Yu asserted, folding his arms.
"There will be no battle," Wang stated calmly from the head of the table.
The officers froze in surprise. "Patriarch?" Yu asked.
"There will not be one," Wang repeated steadily, his eyes fixed toward the mountain peak where the Citadel stood. "...Because someone inside those walls is working just as hard as we are to prevent it."
The officers exchanged bewildered glances, but Wei Xiang remained quiet, a subtle look of understanding dawning on his face.
Miles apart, separated by steep mountain passes and heavy stone fortifications, Lin Wan stood by her window while Wang looked out from the edge of his camp.
Without a word spoken between them, both held onto the exact same resolve: to halt the clash of steel before a single blade could be drawn.
—————
Morning passed quietly inside the Supreme Citadel. For the first time in several days, no war horns blared, no urgent footsteps echoed through the corridors, and no generals rushed in and out of the strategic halls.
The silence felt almost unnatural.
Lin Wan stood beneath the plum tree in the inner courtyard, walking slowly along the stone path while Sister Yun followed a few paces behind.
A cold winter breeze gently brushed against her face as she paused beside a frozen pond, looking down at her reflection beneath the surface.
"It reminds me of home," she murmured.
Sister Yun smiled softly. "What was your home like?"
"It wasn’t as grand or as beautiful as this," Lin Wan replied gently. "There were no spiritual flowers, no giant palaces, and no floating mountain peaks. But... it was warm."
She crouched down slowly, her fingers brushing the smooth ice. "My children played outside every day. Xiao Chen always tried so hard to act like the responsible older brother—he was so serious. He even tried copying Wang whenever he thought no one was watching."
Sister Yun chuckled. "And Xiao Jue?"
Lin Wan laughed a little louder. "A complete troublemaker! He couldn’t stay still for a single second. If the house ever became quiet, everyone immediately knew he had done something wrong."
"And Xiao Rui?" the older woman asked softly.
Lin Wan’s gaze softened with deep nostalgia. "He stayed close to me. He loved sleeping... he would quietly climb into my lap whenever he grew tired." Her voice gradually trailed off. "I wonder how much they’ve grown."
Sister Yun placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "They are waiting for you."
"I know," Lin Wan nodded.
A sudden, strong kick pressed against her stomach from within. She smiled helplessly. "Are you three becoming jealous now?"
Another small movement answered her, making Sister Yun laugh. "I think they are simply asking about their older brothers."
Lin Wan gently stroked her belly. "You will meet them one day. I promise."
Footsteps approached along the stone pathway. Captain Rhys bowed respectfully. "My Lady, the King wishes to escort you to the eastern terrace."
Lin Wan stood up, looking confused. "The terrace? Why?"
"His Majesty did not explain, my lady," Rhys answered honestly.
Lin Wan let out a small, amused sigh. "He rarely does."