Ruyueโs wrist still ached where he had pulled her in, but she didnโt move away.
Not when he looked at her like that.
Not when the weight of his gaze was heavier than the guardsโ steel, and far more dangerous. His fingers had left her chin, but the heat of his touch still lingered there, ghostlike. Branding.
His words echoed in her mind, โThe only thing I canโt protect you from is myself.โ
She couldโve laughed if it didnโt hurt so much. He still didnโt see her, not fully. Not yet.
She took a breath.
โMaybe I donโt want to be protected from you,โ she said softly.
Then, her voice changed. Just slightly, firmer, steadier. It didnโt tremble.
โBut donโt mistake me for something fragile, Ranyang.โ
His name on her tongue felt heavier than it shouldโve, like it pulled something loose from her chest.
โIโm not just some silly fairy maid brought here to look pretty and stay quiet.โ Her gaze locked on his now, unwavering. โIโm not a thing to be owned. Or pitied. Or kept safe in a cage.โ
Her heart was beating too fast, but she didnโt stop.
โI have my own thoughts. My own past, even if I canโt remember it. My own dreams. My own will.โ
Her hand moved, gentle but certain, and rested over his. โAnd I have people I want to protect too.โ
There was a pause. A crack in the silence.
Her fingers curled slightly. โLikeโฆ you.โ
The words surprised her the moment they left her lips. She hadnโt planned to say them. Hadnโt even realized they were true until they escaped like a secret too heavy to hold.
And that was when she knew.
The ache in her chest wasnโt just confusion. Wasnโt just gratitude. It was that slow, aching fall she thought sheโd sealed herself off from long ago.
She was falling for him.
Not the title. Not the legend. Him.
The man with fire in his blood and ghosts in his eyes. The one who shielded her with his body, who held her like she mattered, who feared he would break her, but had no idea she was already breaking for him.
Her voice softened again, but the strength never left it.
โSo donโt talk to me like Iโm someone youโll ruin,โ she whispered. โIโve lived through ruin. Iโm still here.โ
Ranyang didnโt move for a long moment. His eyes had flickered up to hers when she mentioned him. A different flame was starting to burn somewhere inside him.
Somewhere beyond the walls of the palace, a bird called once, sharp and distant, and still he said nothing.
Then...
His hand shifted beneath hers.
Not away.
Just turned, palm up, so her fingers fell into his. Not trapping, not grasping. Letting hers rest in his.
โI know youโre not fragile.โ
His voice was measured. Measured, like a man too used to holding back armies and enemies and storms with his bare hands.
โI see it, Ruyue. Every time you stand your ground, like you aren't afraid to walk into fire."
He looked at her then, his eyes seeing her clearly despite their narrowing.
โI know what fire does, though. What it takes. What it leaves behind.โ
His fingers tightened just slightly around hers.
The edge of something darker flickered in his gaze. Old pain. Older fear.
A pause.
You wouldn't say that if you knew the truth.
He couldn't say that to her. Not because he saw her as a tool to use.
He was falling, and he didn't know what would happen if she weren't there when he was done.
Ranyang stepped toward her, standing with his body nearly pressed to hers as he gazed down at her through hooded eyes.
"My heart never ached before now. Take responsibility for what you've done to me. Don't ever leave my side."
