A’Luo happily found Liu Ying and asked, “Where are my mother and Xiao Yu?”
Liu Ying answered respectfully, “Did your lord agree to let you see them?”
A’Luo’s eyes widened. “That lord of yours is waiting for me to be in a good mood so I’ll cook for him — right now it’s him lying in bed unable to move, not me!”
Liu Ying held back a laugh and led A’Luo to see the Seventh Madam and Xiao Yu. They went around the courtyard, passed through a small inner courtyard, and entered through the moon gate. The Seventh Madam and Xiao Yu were sitting in the courtyard. Seeing A’Luo enter, the Seventh Madam smiled happily. “Third Child, is the young prince treating you well?”
“Mother, are you well?” A’Luo hurried over and embraced the Seventh Madam.
The Seventh Madam patted her hand, clearly already aware of what had happened these past few days. Xiao Yu pouted, glaring resentfully at Liu Ying. “What are you doing here again?” Liu Ying gave an obliging smile. “Wasn’t it just to bring the Third Miss over?”
Xiao Yu snorted and ignored him, pulling A’Luo close with reddened eyes. “Miss, I was so worried about you!”
A’Luo laughed helplessly at Xiao Yu, then glanced at Liu Ying’s flushed face and said loudly, “Mother, the young prince was wounded by a sword — I want to make him something to eat. Xiao Yu, I’ll write out a list, go with Liu Ying and buy what I need!”
Delight flashed in Liu Ying’s eyes. Xiao Yu glanced at him, her face reddening slightly, and said in a low voice, “Do I really have to go with this guy? So annoying, always stopping me from coming to see you and the Madam!”
A’Luo laughed. “It’s not his fault. If you must blame someone, blame the young prince. If he wants to eat what I make, it depends on his appetite.”
Liu Ying startled, then lowered his head with a sigh — how had his lord’s fate turned out to be so hard!
After Xiao Yu and Liu Ying left, only the two of them remained in the courtyard. A’Luo’s smile faded. She sat close beside the Seventh Madam, resting her head on her lap, and said softly, “What should I do, Mother?”
“Third Child, you’re not young anymore. I can see the young prince truly treats you well — you’re in his heart.”
“But we’d have to go back to Feng City, Mother. We only just managed to get out.”
If she really married Liu Jue, she would follow him without hesitation, staying by his side no matter what. But that would mean facing all the entanglements and troubles of Feng City and the Ning Prince’s court as well; the idea of living a carefree, cloud-drifting life would become difficult. A’Luo couldn’t help but sigh.
The Seventh Madam looked down at her, her gaze drifting into the distance. “Third Child, trapped within those four walls of the Chancellor’s residence, my only hope has been you. I want you to be happy. Aside from you, whenever I felt sad, I would always think back on the beautiful romance I once had. It’s rare to find a young prince so devoted to you — don’t let it slip away. Sometimes I think, life is short, and being with the one you love makes any hardship bearable. If you give this up, where else in this world would you find someone who can protect you, who is devoted to you wholeheartedly? Talk it over properly with the young prince — don’t be willful for a moment and regret it for a lifetime.”
From the first bitter resentment between them, to their provoking confrontations, scene after scene of Liu Jue’s vivid expressions flickered through her mind. It had always been her who refused to trust him, who exhausted every effort trying to leave Feng City, avoiding the marriage, hiding from him. Coming here, after three years apart, she felt no distance from him at all. He cared for her this much — after only a few short days, she felt as though they had been together for a long time. She couldn’t help but be moved, couldn’t drive away that deep, domineering shadow from her heart. His deep devotion drew her in; thinking of it, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. She loved his occasionally childlike temperament, always enjoyed bickering and sparring with him, as if she truly were seventeen years old.
These past few days, Liu Jue had made her feel safe — a sense of safety she’d never had before. When had he become, in her heart, a true man? That presence made her want to stop wandering, stop running.
If she didn’t marry him, would she run away again? Thinking of how devastated and hopeless Liu Jue would look, a bitter ache churned in her chest. She couldn’t bear to leave him. Everywhere in her mind and heart was filled with his figure. To leave him would surely mean unbearable longing.
The two competing thoughts kept alternating in her mind. A’Luo found it very difficult. She thought that if one truly loved someone to the bone, there probably wouldn’t be so many hesitations. Deep down she cared for him — she’d realized it the moment she saw him lying there, seemingly lifeless from his injury. But to give up everything she’d held onto and follow him completely, she still hesitated.
The Seventh Madam said, “In these two or three years out here, I’ve come to see how vast the world is. I’ve made up my mind — I want to spend the rest of my life devoted to Buddhism.”
A’Luo was startled and held the Seventh Madam tighter. “But I can’t bear the thought of you being alone. All these years, you’ve been the person closest to me.”
She looked up at the Seventh Madam, those beautiful eyes shining with tender affection. A thought stirred in A’Luo’s heart — someone like the Seventh Madam, whose heart had once turned to ashes, who had only after leaving the Chancellor’s residence felt the world was vast again — if she herself married Liu Jue and returned to Feng City, Chancellor Li would never let the Seventh Madam go. Keeping the Seventh Madam in the residence was like holding a card that could be used as leverage against her at any time, something he could exploit whenever it suited him. Taking only the Seventh Madam away wasn’t realistic either — this was the Kingdom of Ning, ancient times; society wouldn’t allow the Seventh Madam to stay away from the residence for years on end. A’Luo’s heart twisted with conflicting emotions. “Mother, is this for my sake? You don’t want to go back to the residence. But if I marry Liu Jue, you’d have to go back?”
The Seventh Madam looked at her gently. “Third Child, you really are clever. I don’t want to go back, and I can’t go back. But it’s also true that I want to devote myself to Buddhism. After all these years, I only wish to live out my days by the eternal lamp, to release the soul of the one who died wrongfully for my sake. He’s always been in my heart. With him accompanying me, how could I be lonely? Besides, you can still come visit me often!”
The Seventh Madam gave A’Luo a playful smile. “I’ll just live in Nanny Zhang’s back courtyard, devoting myself to my prayers!”
A’Luo nestled into the Seventh Madam’s embrace. “Let me think about it a bit more. I can’t decide right now.”
A Black-Robed Cavalryman entered and bowed. “Third Miss, my lord requests your presence.”
Only then did A’Luo remember she had been so absorbed in talking with the Seventh Madam that she’d left that sick cat impatiently waiting. She stood up and said with a gentle laugh to the Seventh Madam, “Mother, I’ll go see him.”
Liu Jue had slept again, taken his medicine, rested a while, and eaten the pork-liver dishes, having found out A’Luo had ordered them. He ate with quite an appetite. But once finished, he couldn’t sleep. He waited and waited but A’Luo didn’t come, so with a cold expression he ordered someone to fetch her. Feeling restless inside, he couldn’t help but throw on some clothes and get up.
A’Luo walked in and saw that Liu Jue had actually gotten out of bed, leaning on the couch reading a book. “Why did you get up? Lie back down!”
“We’re not even married yet, and you’re already ordering your husband around?” Liu Jue said lazily, not moving, raising an eyebrow.
“Fine, I won’t bother then. I’ll just leave — it’s not like I’m the one injured, why should I worry.” A’Luo paused, then replied irritably. She turned as if to leave.
Liu Jue jumped up in alarm and grabbed her, a sharp pain shooting through his chest, but heedless of it he pulled A’Luo down onto the couch with him. A’Luo bumped into him, and he winced in pain. “From now on, you’re staying right here with me — not one step out of this room!”
As A’Luo moved, Liu Jue drew a sharp breath. “Move any more and my wound will split open.”
A’Luo didn’t dare move again, nestling into Liu Jue’s embrace. His warmth felt just like her mother’s and the Seventh Madam’s back when she was little. She indulged in this warmth, unwilling to let go. But should she go back? She truly didn’t want to. She closed her eyes, feeling his breath, saying nothing more, just staying like that for a while.
She stayed quietly. Liu Jue’s heart eased, thinking of all the heartbreak and pain he’d endured over the years because of her. Finally, he could hold her in his arms. A wave of emotion, both wistful and moved, washed over him. He tightened his grip slightly, holding her closer, afraid that if he let go even slightly, she would vanish. He paid no mind at all to the wound on his chest — he was grateful for that sword strike, regretting only that he hadn’t taken a blow sooner; otherwise, A’Luo wouldn’t be lying obediently in his arms now. His gaze settled on the ice pendant hanging by the window, and he said with a low laugh, “The ice pendant you gave me is beautiful. How did you come up with the idea of freezing the city in ice like that?”
A’Luo wouldn’t admit it. “It’s just that you forced open the begonia blossoms in the dead of winter, so I gave you a small gift in return, to make us even.”
Liu Jue smiled bitterly — she still wouldn’t admit her feelings. His heart suddenly clenched with unease, and his voice turned cold despite himself. “Don’t think about running off again. Before, you got away because you found a loophole in the Chancellor’s residence. Now, you’d best not consider that idea again. Don’t even think about it.” He sighed and softened his voice. “Look up at me, A’Luo.”
A’Luo raised her head and gazed steadily at him. Tears welled in her eyes again. In this other world, she truly had no power of her own. At this moment, she thought of the black-clad assailants who had attacked, and felt only helplessness and weakness. Liu Jue gently wiped away the tears at the corners of A’Luo’s eyes. “Unless I die, trust me, A’Luo. I will protect you for the rest of my life.”
A’Luo closed her eyes, tears streaming down without stop. “I don’t know. Don’t ask me. Not now. Don’t ask me now.”
Pain kept surging through Liu Jue’s chest. He looked down at her, closed his eyes, and made up his mind — he couldn’t keep letting her have her way any longer.