REN'S POV
Lian Zhen's arms were around me again.
Strong.
Warm.
Protective in a way that made my bones unclench and my breath soften.
His voice wrapped around me like smoke... old, tired, heavy with memories... but the hold he kept me in… that was gentle. Human. Frighteningly tender for someone carved out of war and shadows.
"Ren…"
My name trembled on his tongue.
He closed his eyes, as if grounding himself against my shoulder before diving deeper into the past.
"I need you close," he whispered, "or I cannot say any of this."
So I pressed my forehead to his chest and whispered, "I'm here."
His exhale shuddered through me.
And he continued.
LIAN ZHEN'S POV
Forest Euphoria opened around us like a dream.
No, like a blessing.
The trees weren't trees... they were cathedral pillars made of emerald and silver light. The leaves whispered like soft instruments tuning for a concert. The river glowed faintly as if starlight had sunk into its waters.
And you…
you stood at the edge of it all wearing your snow-white veil, turning slowly with your arms slightly apart, as if introducing yourself to the world for the first time.
"Is this real?" you whispered.
Your voice was soft, breathless... a boy discovering freedom in colors he had only drawn in ink before.
"It is," I said.
But in truth, I wasn't looking at the forest.
I was looking at you.
The wind caught your veil and lifted it just enough to reveal the curve of your mouth... rosy, delicate, softer than anything a war-forged man like me should've been allowed to witness.
You closed your eyes.
And smiled.
Gods, that smile.
It struck me harder than any blade ever had.
I didn't breathe for a moment. Didn't look away. A soldier who feared nothing found himself terrified... not of danger, but of how deeply you were beginning to own me without even trying.
You opened your eyes again and saw me staring.
"General Lian," you said gently, "the forest is in front of you."
"It is," I replied.
But you didn't realize I meant you were the forest... the place where even battle-hardened hearts learned softness again.
WEEKS IN EUPHORIA...
Days turned into a rhythm.
Mornings were dew and laughter.
Afternoons were wandering, collecting stones, touching moss, running your fingers through streams as if water was a toy made just for you.
Nights were…
Nights were dangerous.
Not because anything threatened us... the forest loved you. It bent to you. It glowed brighter where you stepped.
No... the danger was how close we began sleeping.
The first time was accidental.
A sudden rainfall. No nearby shelter except a hollow under an ancient tree. You panicked at the thunder... you always hated loud sounds... and reached for me without thinking.
Your fingers clutched my sleeve, trembling.
I had faced armies that wanted my head, but your frightened whisper... "Don't leave me"... hit deeper than any spear.
So I pulled you against my chest.
You tucked your head under my chin.
Your breath warmed my collarbone.
Your heartbeat pressed into my ribs.
And I knew.
I was already lost.
After that, closeness became a quiet routine neither of us dared to name.
You held my wrist when we walked.
You nudged my shoulder to get my attention.
You leaned against my side when you were tired.
And at night…
We lay beneath the stars.
You resting your cheek on my arm.
Me memorizing the shape of your lashes against moonlight, pretending the night would never end.
The veil?
You stopped wearing it when we were alone.
You said it felt suffocating.
What you didn't know was that every glimpse of your face made me ache in ways I didn't know how to put into words.
Your eyes were gentle rain.
Your skin glowed like peach blossoms in early spring.
Your smile… it clung to me like a warm fever I didn't want cured.
You laughed more.
Not the soft polite laughter of a prince in a palace.
But real laughter... bright, warm, free.
Sometimes you'd tug at my hand and say, "Come look at this," even if it was just a leaf shaped strangely or sunlight sparkling through spider silk.
Everything fascinated you.
And I…
I was fascinated by you.
You didn't notice my gaze lingering too long.
Or maybe you did.
Because sometimes... just sometimes... you'd look at me like you were searching for something.
Something unnamed.
Something growing quietly between us like roots beneath the soil.
But neither of us confessed.
We were young.
Inexperienced.
Terrified of wanting what we weren't sure we were allowed to have.
So instead of words, we chose small gestures.
You tying a flower into my hair.
Me brushing leaves off your robe.
You giving me half your lunch even though I had rations.
Me placing my warm cloak over your shoulders while you slept.
Little things.
Tiny, beautiful things.
And day by day, week by week…
We fell without trying.
And without speaking of it.
REN'S POV
Hearing our past like this…
My chest felt tight, but in a sweet way.
A way that made my heart float and sink at the same time.
Lian Zhen's arms tightened around me as he spoke, his voice quieter now... like he was afraid to disturb the memories.
"You loved the forest," he whispered. "But you began… loving me too. I could feel it. I knew it. And still I said nothing."
His voice trembled on the edge of something sharp.
Regret.
Deep, old regret.
His hand slid up my spine, holding me almost desperately.
"There is more," he murmured, "but it is the part I fear the most."
He shifted slightly, lowering his head until his lips brushed my ear with the lightest ghost of a touch... not intimate, but fragile, confessional.
"Ren… those weeks with you were the happiest days of my life."
My breath shook.
"But happiness," he whispered, "was a luxury I was never meant to keep."
He exhaled, long, raw, shaking through his chest.
"There was a sin," he whispered.
A pause.
A long one.
As if his next breath might shatter us both.
"The sin I committed… the one that destroyed everything…"
His voice dropped to a trembling whisper.
"Ren… I-"
END OF THE CHAPTER.