The moment Ye Jingyu stepped out of the training grounds at the Yunjing Town Prefecture, he saw Luo Ling'er bounding towards him in a white gauze dress. Her dark, long hair was styled into several braids that swung behind her as she moved, and her innocent eyes sparkled, making her look utterly adorable...
Every time he met the gaze of those captivating eyes, Ye Jingyu felt his heart settle completely, as if nothing in the world could stir a ripple within him...
"Ling'er, so early? What brings you here?" Seeing Luo Ling'er approach, a faint smile touched Ye Jingyu's lips as he spoke softly...
"Hee-hee, I missed you!" Luo Ling'er’s face broke into a bright smile, though a restless light flickered constantly in her eyes...
Missed me? Huh, she probably missed my help...
Observing the glint in Luo Ling'er’s eyes, Ye Jingyu mused. He knew well that if she didn't need something, she would simply call him ‘Little Ye,’ rather than the intimate address of ‘Brother Jing’ she was using now...
"Heh, since you missed me, let your brother give you a kiss then..." Ye Jingyu teased outwardly, though he was thinking something else entirely. He reckoned he was probably the only one who dared to tease the Princess of the Shu Yun Kingdom this way...
"Brother Jing, you're so wicked! Be careful, or I’ll tell Father King you’re bullying me," Luo Ling’er’s sweet, tender voice piped up...
"Heh, if I could just steal a kiss from Ling'er, I’d die without regret, even if the State Lord were to tear me limb from limb," Ye Jingyu continued his playful banter...
His gaze was entirely fixed upon Luo Ling'er. He could faintly catch the unique fragrance of youth emanating from her, sending a wave of pure refreshment through him...
"Father King isn't that harsh. Brother Jing, are you free today?" Luo Ling’er shot him a playful, delicate glare before asking plainly...
Here it comes, the request...
"Let me think... What day is it today? I..." Ye Jingyu deliberately adopted a contemplative pose, deliberately omitting whether he was busy or not...
"Well, are you free or not?" Seeing Ye Jingyu seemingly lost in thought but saying nothing, Luo Ling'er grew anxious...
"I am..." Ye Jingyu answered in one go...
"Ah... Do you have something else to do?" Luo Ling'er’s eyes dimmed slightly upon hearing his affirmative...
"Of course, I have something incredibly important to do," Ye Jingyu declared with utmost sincerity...
"What is it? Can you tell me?" Luo Ling’er’s eyes were filled with disappointment...
"It's to keep our lovely Princess Ling'er company, naturally," Ye Jingyu chuckled loudly...
"Oh..." Luo Ling'er paused, then her face instantly lit up with joy...
"Brother Jing, you’re such a tease, deliberately making fun of Ling'er." As she spoke, Luo Ling’er playfully hammered her small pink fists against Ye Jingyu’s chest. Ye Jingyu's physique was already so formidable that this slight force was meaningless; in fact, he wore an expression of enjoyment, constantly reinforcing the thought that gentle hitting meant affection...
He looked entirely like a masochist...
"Heh, go on then. What did you come to me for? To go eat roast duck, or perhaps to go hunting?" Ye Jingyu grinned. Somehow, spending time with Luo Ling'er had become the happiest part of his life, especially seeing the shifting expressions on her face brought him a profound sense of bliss...
If he could choose, he truly wished to spend his entire life just like this with Luo Ling'er...
To simply live out his days alongside her...
Often, simplicity was the truest form of happiness...
"It's not for roast duck, nor is it for praying to the gods. I want you to accompany me to draw lots for fortune," Luo Ling’er said, her face flushing faintly as she spoke...
"Draw lots? What kind of lots?" Ye Jingyu appeared completely bewildered...
"It’s... it’s... that kind of lot," as she said this, Luo Ling’er buried her head low, her face turning completely crimson...
"That kind? Which kind?" Ye Jingyu's confusion deepened, yet an ineffable pain surged within his heart, like a knife slowly piercing his core...
"The marriage lot!" Luo Ling’er blurted out, apparently summoning immense courage...
The moment those words struck him, the knife in Ye Jingyu’s heart drove deep. She... she was actually going to seek a marriage fortune? Did she truly have no feelings for him? If she did, why would she need to draw lots?
Ye Jingyu failed to grasp that, in the Shu Yun Kingdom, any woman reaching the age of eighteen was required to visit the Matchmaker Temple to draw her fortune. As a princess, Luo Ling’er should have had no say in her own marriage, but being a young maiden at heart, she still wanted to try her luck...
It was akin to infatuated young girls who obsess over idols, fully aware that their idols could never be with them, yet they still prayed to every deity for a chance at love...
This was simply a girlish fancy that Ye Jingyu, with his modern sensibilities, could not comprehend. He interpreted her desire to draw lots as proof that she held no affection for him whatsoever...
Indeed, having originated from modern society, his emotional maturity far surpassed that of his peers in this world, especially regarding matters of the heart. Luo Ling’er, having grown up entirely within the palace walls, had only been taught strict codes of conduct. Even approaching eighteen, her understanding of romance was hazy; drawing lots was merely an exercise driven by curiosity and playfulness...
At this moment, Ye Jingyu’s face was stark white, his eyes fixed upon Luo Ling’er in shock, filled with endless bitterness and sorrow...
"Brother Jing... are... are you alright?" Seeing Ye Jingyu’s sudden change in expression, Luo Ling’er looked utterly lost...
"N-nothing..." Ye Jingyu forced back the agony gripping him and managed a strained smile...
"But your face is so pale... paler than a washed-out complexion," Luo Ling’er remarked with the unfiltered honesty of childhood...
"Pfft..." Despite the turmoil in his heart, Ye Jingyu couldn't help but laugh at the pure sincerity of her words...
Looking into Luo Ling’er’s wide eyes, gazing at her lovely, beautiful face, Ye Jingyu made a silent resolution in his heart...
If your destiny is me, I will spend my life guarding that bond. If your destiny is not me, I will defy the heavens and force myself to become that fate...
You are my princess, and I will claim every part of you...
There is a kind of love called waiting, and a kind of love called letting go. But the love of Ye Jingyu is called possession...
Though domineering, this was the truest sentiment deep within Ye Jingyu’s core. He was not a prudish man, nor was he weak. To entrust the happiness of the woman he loved to another—to let someone else provide the happiness for Luo Ling’er—who knew if that person would truly make her happy? He could not fathom the intentions of others, but he could certainly command his own heart...
The love of possession is selfish, yet it is also grand, and above all, it is a profound dedication...