Fan Fiction ❯ Guard My Heart ❯ Realization ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are based off of historical figures that now belong to Koei, and the Dynasty Warriors series.

Summary: A young warrior girl seeks employment in the armies of Shu, earning a place as one of Lord Liu Bei's personal body guards. But will she earn more than that from the virtuous Emperor of Shu? And what will it cost her when he discovers the secret she has been hiding from him? Guard My Heart
Chapter 3- Realization

Sun Shang Xiang stared at the portrait that was hanging on the wall in Liu Bei’s study. It was a picture of two very beautiful women, that hadn’t been there when she had last stood guard over her master. They both wore flowing robes of delicately colored silk, and their hair was intricately piled on top of their heads. The whole painting was done in soft pastels that gave the women a serene, dreamlike quality. They were the kind of women that every court lady strived to appear as, the kind of woman Sun Shang Xiang knew that she herself could never be.

She reached out a hand and lightly traced the picture with a finger.

The strange ladies reminded her strongly of gentle Da Qiao. The sudden reminder of home sent a sharp pang through her heart, even as it brought a tiny smile to her lips. Gan Ning was probably drunk this very instant, and Lu Xun was probably locked away in his study, ruining his eyes over old worn out scrolls. Quan would be trying not to fall asleep through the harangues of his advisors, and he had no one there to kick his shin when he got too obvious about it.

Shang Xiang hoped everyone was okay back home. She wasn’t there to keep any of the guys out of trouble, or beat any sense into them when they needed it. Tears prickled the back of her eyes, and she blinked them back hastily when she heard someone enter the room behind her.

“I see you have found Kan and Mi.”

She turned abruptly, startled by how close the voice was. Liu Bei stood almost right in front of her, his eyes focused on the painting now at her back. Shang Xiang studied his face carefully, noticing that he looked tired and worn out. She felt her eyebrows draw together in a beginning frown. Surely she would have noticed if he looked like this she saw him yesterday. Perhaps the painting had something to do with whatever was troubling him?

“I hope you don’t mind my admiring them. May I be so bold as to ask who they are, my lord?”

“Who they were,” he corrected sadly. “They were my loves, my late wives.”

Sun Shang Xiang stared at him.

She felt the world waver for a minute before it righted itself, and even then felt slightly lightheaded. She didn’t want him to see her reaction so she turned around to stare blindly at the colors that were bleeding together before her.

She hadn’t expected to feel that sharp stab of jealousy over the emotion in his voice when he mentioned his wives. Nor had she been expected to get slapped in the face with a very vivid reminder of just how much of a life he’d had before she had entered the picture. The man had been happily married for crying out loud, and had at least two sons besides.

And he had loved his wives. After all, he’d had nearly twenty years with them both. While she logically understood that he was older and had been married she was used to thinking of things only from her own perspective- that of a never-before-married and childless woman who was marrying an older man. How could she have never before considered that he was going to be as much a victim of this alliance as she herself was?

“They were very beautiful, my lord.” Her lips felt numb as she spoke the words. Not because she didn’t mean them, for she had been thinking that they were before she found out who she was admiring. She was still trying to recover from the realization that had just hit her. “But why haven’t you had their painting up the whole time?”

“I received word today from Wu, offering the Princess Sun Shang Xiang’s hand in marriage to cement the alliance between our countries.” Sun Shang Xiang almost reeled at this bit of news. “I wished to speak with my wives about it, but since they are both… I had this brought to my study so that I could have company while I considered my decision.”

‘How dare he?’ she thought furiously, frantically. ‘I’m not even there for him to offer, and he has the nerve to offer what he doesn’t have?! Oh Quan just wait until I’m there in person. You’ll wish you didn’t have me on your hands!’

She knew that she was the only person in all of Shu besides Yue Ying who knew that she had been selected as part of an alliance contract. Very few in Wu would have been told, as they wouldn’t want it to get out that she had ran away from home the minute the discussion about her marriage began. But now the news was out, and it was going to be very difficult to find a way out of her current situation without hurting any of her new friends in Shu, or shaming her family’s name.

“Forgive me. It must seem silly to you that an emperor would wish the company of a painting while he considers his decisions.”

“Not at all. It’s no different from anyone else standing at a graveside and speaking to the marker. If they weren’t here to tell you what they felt about the situation, then it is understandable that you would worry over what they would think. Especially since you obviously cared for them,” she demurred faintly. She began to systematically squash all of her shock and rage back into the back of her head. Now was not the appropriate time for it. She would take it out later and nurse it until she could get her hands on her rat brother.

“Ah, thank you for understanding. I have not told anyone else, except for Zhuge Liang and my brothers so far about the proposal that was sent. He supports the union, but I am fairly positive I know what everyone else would say about it. They would want me to, for Cao Cao’s threat would be too great for Shu to withstand on our own.”

Shang Xiang could understand feeling jealousy over the women who had occupied his heart before. She couldn’t quite reconcile the jealousy she felt over the thought that he was going to marry her, rather than her. That thought didn’t make any sense… But it was true, even so.

She jerked her attention back to her lord’s problem. Sun Shang Xiang cocked her head curiously. “And you’re wives? What would they tell you to do?”

“Kan was very clever, loyal, and had a clear view of what was best for everyone. She had always supported me, and my dream of restoring the Han. She would be among the first to tell me to accept this alliance. And Mi,” he smiled faintly, “was very sweet and every bit as loyal. I know she would have been the first to greet the princess and welcome her to the family.” He took a deep breath. “That is why I have decided to accept.”

“They supported your dream of restoring the Han.” The princess stared at the painting, trying to picture them in person welcoming her into their home, and into the arms of their beloved husband. If their loyalty could lead them to be content with each other and another woman for the sake of their lord’s empire then they were better women than she herself was, she realized in shame. Not even for the kingdom of Wu could she imagine herself happily sharing the man she loved with two other women. Why did they believe so strongly in his dream anyway?

“Did they ever ask you why?”

“I beg your pardon?” Liu Bei asked, staring down at the back of her head. She was staring fixedly at the painting so he couldn’t see her face, or her reaction to his news. He didn’t know why, but her reaction was important. Perhaps he was hoping that since his wives weren’t there that Lian Jing would be the female voice that would tell him that his decision was alright. Or perhaps he was hoping that she would refuse to hear of him marrying some stranger that none of them knew? He honestly didn’t know what he was hoping for from her when he told her that he had decided to do it.

“Did they ever ask you why? Why you want to restore the Han I mean?” Jing turned to look at him over her shoulder. There was some emotion in her eyes that he couldn’t quite read, and her face was carefully showing nothing.

“I am a loyal member of the Han, I have a duty to try and restore it to its former glory,” he answered, wondering what brought this on.

“Yes, of course you are. You’re the Imperial Uncle. We all know that. What I mean is,” she turned her head to look back at the painting, “what I mean is, the Han Dynasty is failing, and has been for some time. It is, or we wouldn’t all be here now, fighting this war. Why do you try to restore something that has already failed once? You have established Shu as a kingdom on its own, so really what you’re seeming to do is building a whole new kingdom, on the remains of what was the Han. What makes what you’re striving for different from the ambitions of Lord Sun Quan, or even Lord Cao Cao?” She stiffened with a tiny gasp, seeming to realize what she had just said, and to whom.

She turned around, sinking to her knees in a deep bow, her forehead pressing against the tiles of the floor.

“Forgive me, my lord! I did not mean that how it sounded. Forgive my impertinence in questioning you.”

Liu Bei stared down at her kneeling form for a second, wondering how many of his other followers asked themselves these very same questions. He looked up at the painting, and allowed himself to wonder if Kan and Mi had ever thought something similar. Then he turned his attention back to his trembling bodyguard, who awaited his judgment.

“It is good that you question my motives. Having such clear sighted followers will keep any ruler on the path of virtue. And I will even gladly answer your question of what sets my ambitions apart from those of the other lords of this land.”

She slowly raised her head to stare up at him in wonder.

He gave her a pointed look before continuing, “When you will tell me, and be completely honest, about why you left your home to join my army as a mere bodyguard.”

~~~~~

‘Was there something my husband needs of me?’

Had he only imagined the heated look in Yue Ying’s eyes? Surely his calm wife hadn’t spoke to him in voice that brimmed with invitation. Surely not. But… she had. Hadn’t she? He couldn’t possibly have mistaken the way she had flowed toward him, or the way she had spoken those words, so full of promise. Or was he just being hopeful?

Zhuge Liang strolled slowly through the palace gardens, his mind whirling over his earlier encounter with his wife. That little minx that guarded their master surely knew that Yue Ying would be bathing, and that was the reason for her amusement when she sent him after her.

‘Bested by a woman,’ he mused with a deep sigh.

It was a sharp reminder not to underestimate any opponent. Although, he wasn’t sure Jing should be considered an opponent in this particular situation. After all, the encounter she caused had the potential to do… interesting things for his marriage. He had never expected anything more from her than that she follow his orders and provide him her skills. Which brought him back to the questions that he kept asking himself.

Was Yue Ying really interested in deepening their relationship? Just how did he feel about changing his expectations?

The question brought a crystal clear image of her naked flesh to the front of his mind. He shook his head to try and clear it. Ok, so he wouldn’t exactly object to changing their relationship from a platonic alliance to a true union between them.

But that still left the question of what Yue Ying would expect from any changes in their relationship. This was all assuming that she wasn’t drunk when he talked to her earlier and she really was interested in exploring their relationship a bit more. And assuming that, just how was he going to find out for sure what she desired from him?

“Master Zhuge Liang! Our lord requests a meeting with you.”

“And where is our lord?” he absently asked the boy who walked up behind him.

“He is still in his study, Master.”

Zhuge turned to stare at the messenger. It took a second for him to process the summons, but when he did he bowed his head, and thanked the boy for brining the message to him.

That reminded him, he never did get a chance to discuss the news of the alliance that Wu was proposing with his wife this afternoon. It would have to wait, either way. He couldn’t make keep his lord waiting.

With a sigh he made his way toward Liu Bei’s study.

~~~~~

“I have a problem and it’s all my fault!”

“I have a problem and it’s all your fault!”

Yue Ying and Sun Shang Xiang blurted out as soon as they saw each other. They both blinked.

“Wait, why’s your problem my fault?” Sun Shang Xiang questioned at the same instant Yue Ying asked, “What’s your problem and why’s it your fault?”

“You first,” Sun Shang decided when it was apparent that the conversation was going nowhere quickly. “Now what happened with you, and why are you blaming me?”

“Ok, after practice I went to the lake, just like I normally do, right? Then Zhuge Liang showed up, and I was very naked. Very embarrassing. Which is bad enough, but then I started flirting with him, while I was naked, and that’s why it’s all your fault!”

“Er, how exactly is this a problem? And my fault?” the red head questioned in confusion.

“Because, I was perfectly happy with my marriage the way it was until you came along and made me want more. Now I’ve probably freaked the man out and he’s never going to want to speak to me again, and I’m scared!” Yue Ying wrung her hands, pacing back and forth in the small room that they always talked in.

“Well, in this situation I think that being scared is a good thing. It means you care enough about the relationship to actually get scared. Although I don’t think you should be afraid. Most men would enjoy a free peep show if the opportunity presented itself. Besides, just think, if he never looked at you as a woman before maybe now he‘ll start to wonder what all he’s missed so far. Although I don’t think that he was expecting that when he asked where you were this afternoon.” Shang Xiang smiled smugly.

“You were the one who sent him out there! It’s even more your fault than ever!” Yue Ying exclaimed, rather over dramatically given the situation Shang Xiang decided. After all, she didn’t know what the little scene at the lake would mean to her marriage, so she really had no reason to worry just yet.

The princess waved her hand dismissively. “You were going to talk to him about your marriage anyway right? Now you have a reason to talk to him.”

“But, I don’t want to talk to him now! I don’t even want to look at him! Or be in the same room! Do you know what it’s like to want to run away from your husband and hide because you did something stupid and embarrassing?” The honey haired woman plopped down limply on a set of pillows and cushions, her shoulders slumped dejectedly. “What was your problem Shang Xiang?” she asked tiredly.

“A messenger arrived from Wu today, offering my hand in marriage to Liu Bei. So now that means that everyone else is going to know about the marriage proposal as well.”

“If you’re worried about what he’ll think why don’t you just tell him the truth?”

“But if I tell Liu Bei who I am right now, he’ll think I was toying with him all along, or that I’m lying. If I leave Shu and go home and marry him before we formally meet then he finds out who I am then he’ll think I was toying with him all along, or spying for my family.”

“Well you are kind of lying to him,” Yue Ying observed helpfully.

“But it wasn’t on purpose! And I was only doing it to keep my family from finding me, not because I was trying to deceive him! And that’s not even the worst part!”

“What is?”

“I think I’m starting to fall for him! And not only is he going to hate me if he realizes who I am, but he’s never going to even consider me as potential romance interest while I’m his bodyguard!” she moaned in despair.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re afraid. It means that you care enough about the relationship to actually get scared.” Yue Ying smirked at her.

“Oh yeah, sure. Throw my words back at me,” she grumbled. She plopped down next to Yue Ying.

“Although to be fair, I don’t think that Liu Bei would ever hate you. Although he may be upset about you not telling him sooner.”

“Easy for you to say,” Shang Xiang muttered.

“You know, we are both very messed up,” Yue Ying observed.

“Tell me about it. Give me someone to fight any day of the week and I’ll take care of it. Put me in an emotional situation and I wander around saying, ‘What’s going on?’ ” Sun Shang Xiang shook her head in disgust.

“It seems like there’s no help for it. We’re going o have to wait for the men to act first and then adjust our strategy from there,” Yue Ying announced glumly after they had both reflected on their lack of experience in relationships long enough to get even more depressed.

“So were you planning on going to supper tonight?” Yue Ying asked brightly.

“I’m not on duty, they don’t need me there,” Shang Xiang slowly shook her head no.

“Well they don’t need me there either. I need to make some modifications to one of my plans in any event. Mind if I keep you company?”

They both stared at each other for a long moment.

“We are such chickens.”

“We are.”

~~~~~

“Jing?” a startled voice cut through the evening air.

Shang Xiang swiveled her head toward the sound. She was now sitting in the gardens having parted with Yue Ying after they had done everything they could think of to put off joining the others.

“Oh. Good evening, Yan.” She nodded slightly to him before turning her attention back to the stars.

“Where were you tonight? You missed the really big announcement,” Sima Yan sat beside her on the rock she was perched on.

“Did I?” she asked vaguely. She idly wondered which star was hers, and which star was Liu Bei’s. She was still lost in sorting out her emotions.

“You’ll never believe what he told us tonight!”

She had known for months now that her family was planning to arrange a wedding between her and Liu Bei. When she had arrived in Shu and met the man in question she began to unconsciously thinking of him as a potential husband in the back of her mind. She hadn’t even considered that he lacked her perspective to know that she was a possible wife. She hadn’t expected the problem of having to deal with the fact that he still looked at her as an inferior and so hadn’t even considered looking at her with interest.

“It turns out Wu is hoping to cement the alliance,” Yan continued excitedly.

Somewhere inside she felt silly for resenting herself so strongly. But it was true, she resented that Sun Shang Xiang was going to get what Lian Jing could never have, not on her own, not without a higher status. He was going to marry Sun Shang Xiang for political reasons, but he didn’t care enough about Lian Jing to even know that she existed, except as another body to guard him from danger.

“He’s going to marry the Wu Princess!”

She frowned slightly.

That wasn’t true. He cared about all of his people, she had seen that much while she stood silently at his side, watching him worry over how best to serve his land. All those night he stayed up late, working on plans to make sure that everyone would have enough food for the winter, even as he compiled stores for his army. All those walks among his people, listening to them. He played with the village children, and had even worked beside farmers, helping them while he asked them their hopes for after the war.

“It‘ll take months to iron out the details of course, with the waiting for messengers to travel back and forth between kingdoms, but it’ll definitely give us something to talk about.” the other body guard continued to ramble on.

But if he did marry Sun Shang for politics then there was no guarantee that even if she had stayed at home and accepted her fate that he would ever truly care for her. After all, why would he? He was still recovering from his loss. He’d had two beautiful wives, every inch ladies, who cared for him deeply. She was a tomboy, and violent, and not shy or maidenly at all. How could she possibly compete with not one, but two women who were everything every man wants their wife to be? Liu Bei wouldn’t want her even if he had realized that she was of acceptable status.

“Hey, are you listening to me? Jing? Jing?

She blinked.

Sima Yan was shaking her shoulder, staring at her concernedly. “Hey, are you ok?”

“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling very well, I think I’m going to bed early. Good night Yan.” She stood up to leave.

“Uh, goodnight. Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” he asked again, just to make sure.

“No, but that’s hardly the point.” She smiled wanly down at him before walking away.

“Jing? What’s wrong with you?” he asked to the empty air.

Neither of them had noticed the eyes that had watched the whole scene unfold. He had been watching her since before Sima Yan showed up, trying to decide whether or not he should approach her. He had felt the air of sadness that surrounded her, and was unsettled by how upset her sadness made him. It wasn’t like he cared for her emotions. Well not like he cared more than he would for anyone who he knew was upset. Of course if anyone was upset he would try to help them. It was just that… Normally someone else’s sadness didn’t make him want to crush them to his chest in a protective hug, and shield them from their pain. No one else’s sadness made him want to destroy whatever was causing it.

Liu Bei quietly slipped away, making his way back to his chambers.

When his young body guard showed up, he had almost convinced himself to either leave her in peace or go try to comfort her. When Sima Yan sat down next to her, he found himself doing neither. He watched her barely respond to the other’s comments, and watched her walk away after her cryptic remark about not being okay.

He was nearly to his bedroom, but still worrying about Lian Jing.

It couldn’t have been the boy’s prattling about his marriage that had upset her. She had been sad before the other had shown up. Maybe she was still upset about questioning his motives earlier, and how he had accused her of hiding things from him in retaliation.

Liu Bei didn’t even notice when his traitorous feet carried him right past his rooms.

~~~~~

“I was worried when you didn’t show up for supper, wife.”

Yue Ying stiffened at hearing Zhuge Liang’s voice. She turned her head to look over her shoulder. She had just parted ways with Sun Shang Xiang and was now cozily curled up at her desk with a piece of parchment and an old book. She was studying an old design from another country, trying to decipher the strange words so that she could fully understand how the invention worked. If she could figure it out, she could implement it in her next design.

“I was under the impression that you wanted to speak with me after supper, husband. Since my presence wasn’t required during supper I thought I would take the time to work on some of the kinks in my new weapon.”

“I thought you were finished?” he raised a brow.

“It is finished. I’ve been making some adjustments that will make it more versatile in combat situations is all. I have the designs here if you still wish to see them.”

He nodded his head a bit, and strolled over to her side, hiding his confusion. Had he been wrong about their meeting at the lake? It is possible that he had imagined the whole incident. Except for the seeing her naked bit, of course. That was burned too clearly into his brain for him to have imagined it, but the subtle flirting, and desire he thought he saw on her face, that could have been in his head. She was acting as if this afternoon hadn’t happened, as if it had been nothing. Perhaps that was all this afternoon had been to her.

She pulled out the scrolls and set them on the table where she was working when he came in. Watching her precise and controlled movements, he was struck with an idea. When she began to carefully spread her work out, smoothing the delicate parchment and weighing it down he moved close behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders he leaned forward, his face right beside hers, his chest pressed firmly against her back.

Zhuge Liang’s awareness was centered on his wife but he forced his eyes to focus on the juggernaut. He felt her stiffen at his touch, but he ignored it. His brain registered what he was looking at and he immediately began to see possibilities but he was oddly not as interested in the weapon as he should have been.

“Very impressive.”

“I wa-” she turned her head to thank him for the compliment but froze when she found herself staring directly into his eyes, mere inches away from her own. Their breath mingled, fanning warmly over parted lips. Yue Ying jerked her head back suddenly. She seemed to reconsider what she started to say, instead she cleared her throat and gave a simple, “Thank you.” She turned her head to stare back down at the papers.

Was that a blush? How cute.

He followed her gaze to the parchment paper.

“The wheels are what you added then,” he noted the slight differences in the shades of ink on the parchment, showing him what was added on later. His lips were right next to her ear when he spoke again. “And the mechanism that will allow the head to turn as well.”

“Yes.” Her breath caught on the word.

The scholar allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. So she wasn’t as immune to his company as she pretended to be. And that was all the information he really needed in order to begin planning his newest strategy; the Seducing of Yue Ying.

~~~~~

Liu Bei stared at the heavy wooden door bemusedly. He wasn’t quite sure how he had ended up on this side of the palace, so lost in his thoughts he had been. Oh well. He was here now.

Tentatively, unsure of what exactly he would say if Lian Jing was in her rooms, he raised his fist to knock on the door. He began to feel a mix of disappointment and relief. Then he felt alarm begin to wriggle its way inside his chest.

She had said she would be in her rooms hadn’t she? He knocked again, harder. He opened his mouth to call out Jing’s name when the door jerked open.

Sun Shang was shocked at finding the man at her doorway. She had expected a reprieve of until tomorrow at the least before she had to face him again, so his showing up left her feeling really off balance. They stared dumbly at each other. Finally she broke the uncomfortable silence.

“My lord, was there something you needed?”

“Well you didn’t show up for supper, and I was, ah concerned after our conversation earlier- And you seemed-” he fumbled for words to try and express his anxiety for her. Liu Bei trailed off and stared worriedly at her.

She let herself feel touched at his caring enough to try and make her feel better, but she didn’t really know what to say to him. She stared back, trying to find something to say that would lessen the tension between them but could think of nothing. It was his fidgeting nervously in her doorway that brought her back to the situation at hand.

“Would you like to come inside, sire? I have some tea ready if you would like to join me for a cup.”

He looked relieved. “Thank you, that would be lovely.”

They stared at each other again, silence stretching uncomfortably between them again once he stood inside her small sitting room. Shang Xiang broke eye contact with him, and wandered over to her teapot to begin pouring tea for them both. With nothing else to say, she retreated into the formality of hostess duties, with a great sense of relief. Liu Bei joined her on her small couch, taking the proffered cup with a polite ‘Thank you’.

She cleared her throat slightly.

“So you came to look for me because you were concerned that conversation earlier had upset me. I’m touched my lord, but are you certain you should be wasting your time to reassure me?”

“I don’t consider it wasting my time at all,” he said firmly. “I need to know that you’re not angry at me.”

“Why should my feelings affect you? Besides, you should be the one angry after my little speech about the Han. I really didn’t mean that the way it came out. I was just working through what was bothering me without having a fully formed idea of what I really meant. It came out all wrong when I tried to put the feeling to words.”

“I understand,” he smiled at her, a small grin that put a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m not offended. Even if it wasn’t what you meant to say it was a valid point. I suppose my restoration must look like that to any who don’t understand what it is I’m striving to accomplish.”

She smiled back, relieved. “So this makes us even then right?”

“Yes, I suppose it does. But something is still bothering you. Would you like to talk about it?” he questioned gently.

“Nothing bothers me, my lord,” she denied hastily. “So there’s no need for you to worry.”

“I see.” He suddenly felt extremely tired.

“What’s wrong?” she cried in alarm upon seeing his expression.

“Nothing is wrong Jing. It simply makes me sad that you can’t trust me, even though I have done everything in my powers to offer my trust to you. I know you don’t feel like you can tell me what’s bothering you, or why you felt the need to join Shu. I will leave you alone about those subjects from now on.” He rose slowly, after placing the teacup down. “I’m sorry for disturbing you.” With a final bow he made his way toward the door.

“Lord Liu Bei,” she called after him hurrying to reach his side before he could make it to the door. He turned to look down at her. She spoke to his breastplate. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For being such a coward. You’ve done nothing to deserve the inconvenience my feelings have caused you. If it is your desire I will give up my post as your bodyguard, and leave your side.” Shang Xiang could feel tears pricking her eyes at the thought. She refused to meet his eyes. In that instant she despised herself for being so weak in front of the man she cared about.

Liu Bei didn’t even realize he had raised his hand until his fingers gently curved around her jaw, and tilted her face up. He felt his heart tremble at the sight of the tears shimmering in her eyes. Without thinking he tilted his head toward hers and brushed his mouth against her soft lips. He drew back when he heard her soft gasp.

“And if I don’t desire that you give up your post, or ever leave my side?” he asked quietly. Jing stared up at him with huge eyes. A rosy blush flamed across her high cheekbones. When she didn’t respond he seemed to realize what he just did and dropped his hand to his side and took a step away.

“Forgive me, that was… inappropriate. Whatever it is that you fear, please know that I will do whatever there is in my power to shield you from it, so long as you remain under my protection, no matter what. Please come to me when you feel ready to accept my assistance. Goodnight, Lian Jing.”

Shang Xiang stared at the door that closed behind her lord. With trembling fingers she touched her lips. His words echoed in her ears.

‘And if I don’t desire that you give up your post, or ever leave my side?’

“Never. If that is your desire, I will never leave your side.”