The hall emptied slowly after Bai Xueya's declaration. Elders left in uneven groups, whispering with the kind of nervous energy they tried—and failed—to hide. Guards dispersed outside, carrying orders and pretending they weren't shaken by what they had heard.
Lin Tian stayed seated for a moment, hands resting on his knees.
Her words still echoed.
"I will not dissolve the engagement."
He replayed the line because it didn't feel real. His uncle, Lin Zhaotian, touched his shoulder before rising.
"Go speak with her," Zhaotian said quietly. "Understand what she wants. I won't interfere."
Lin Tian nodded. "I… will try."
His uncle offered a tired, thin smile. "Be honest with her. She made her choice in front of everyone. You should know why."
The clan leader left. Lin Tian stood and adjusted his robes, noticing his fingers trembled slightly. He hated how obvious it felt.
Bai Xueya was already waiting.
She stood at the open corridor beside a lantern-lit path, posture straight but calm. Her white-blue robes caught the evening light, giving her the same composed, clean outline she carried in the hall—sharp lines, controlled movements, steady eyes.
When she saw him, she dipped her head.
"Would a walk help?" she asked. "It might be easier to talk without anyone listening."
"...Yes," Lin Tian said quietly. "A walk sounds good."
They stepped into the garden. The path curved around bamboo, far enough that the training grounds fell into a distant hum. A few servants passed by and glanced toward them—not mocking, not bold, just curious.
"Are they speaking alone?" one whispered.
"Looks like it," another murmured.
Xueya didn't react. Lin Tian didn't either. Their steps fell into a rhythm that felt too natural for two people who had barely spoken before today.
He stole brief glances when she wasn't looking. Her hair moved gently with the breeze, and a faint clean scent drifted around her—cool, light, something like fresh snow melting on warm skin.
He inhaled quietly.
He hated how much he noticed it.
They reached a quiet courtyard with a single tree at its center. Xueya stopped and turned to face him, expression composed but softer than before.
"Your words surprised me," she said. "Most people in your position would cling to the engagement. But you… let go of it without hesitation."
Lin Tian lowered his gaze. "What else should I have said? Keeping you tied to me would have been selfish. You deserve someone who can walk the same path as you."
She stepped closer, studying him with a quiet intensity.
"You answered like someone who has prepared that line for years," she said.
"I have," Lin Tian replied. "Ever since the healers failed. Ever since people started calling me a cripple. I decided a long time ago that I shouldn't be part of anyone's future. Especially not yours."
Her eyes flickered—just enough to show his words struck deeper than expected.
She breathed out slowly. "I didn't travel here to abandon the engagement because of pressure. I came because I needed to see you. If I dissolved the promise without even speaking to the person tied to it… I would betray what our parents intended."
Lin Tian swallowed. His throat felt strangely tight.
"You don't owe me anything," he said softly. "If you choose freedom, I won't resent it. I don't want to be the reason your path becomes heavier."
Xueya moved a step closer—close enough he felt her presence in the air between them.
"That isn't your decision alone," she said. "And your worth isn't defined by other people's words."
Something warm and uncomfortable twisted inside his chest.
"I don't know what you expect to learn from me," Lin Tian murmured. "But if you want to understand my life… I won't hide anything."
Her expression softened, a calm sincerity settling into her eyes.
"I want to understand the man I'm promised to," she said. "Not rumors. Not pity. You."
Lin Tian's heart stumbled once.
A strand of her hair slipped over her shoulder; she brushed it back gently, and he watched the small motion without meaning to.
Then it happened.
A faint pulse under his ribs. A soft throb he couldn't explain.
He placed a hand over his chest.
Xueya noticed immediately. "Are you alright?"
"I… don't know," he admitted. "It's probably nothing."
"If you feel unwell, we can stop," she said, voice gentle.
"No." He stepped forward quickly. "I'm fine. Really."
But the warmth lingered behind his ribs.
'Why now?'
'Is it because of her?'
She watched him with a look that wasn't cold—it was careful, measuring, concerned.
"Lin Tian," she said softly, "I'm not making choices out of sympathy. I won't break an engagement before I understand the person involved. And I won't let anyone decide for me."
Her voice was steady, but the warmth beneath it made him breathe slower.
"I want to know you," she said. "Your thoughts. Your heart. Your life. After that, I'll choose my path."
Lin Tian exhaled, caught between disbelief and something he couldn't name.
"I… don't think I deserve that effort."
"That isn't for you to decide," she answered. "It's my choice."
Silence settled gently between them as the wind rustled through the leaves. Evening light shifted across her face, softening the sharp edges and making her gaze feel even more direct.
Lin Tian looked at her—and for the first time, he felt a fragile possibility stirring inside him. Something warm. Something he didn't understand.
She stepped back slightly, giving him space.
"We should return," she said. "People will wonder."
"Alright," Lin Tian said. "Let's go."
But as they walked side by side, the warmth in his chest throbbed again—stronger this time.
He pressed a hand against his heart once more.
Something changed in me today, he thought. And I don't know what it means.
End of Chapter 4