That night, after sending messages across the kingdom and calling for the people he trusted most Luo He finally considered the day finished.
The moon had already risen high above the Jin estate by the time he returned toward Su Kim's room. Lanterns swayed gently beneath the evening wind casting warm golden light across the stone pathways. Servants moved quietly through the distant halls while the sounds of the estate gradually softened into nighttime silence.
For once Luo He was not thinking about politics. Not about succession. Not about bloodlines, war or money. Tonight, he had promised something. And unlike most men Luo He took his promises seriously. Especially the strange ones.
Inside the dimly lit room, Su Kim had already prepared everything. Their son had been carefully put to sleep in another room watched over by a trusted servant. The little boy had apparently refused to sleep at first repeatedly looking toward the doorway as if waiting for someone.
Luo He found that strangely amusing.
Su Kim herself waited quietly within the room. She had changed clothes and arranged herself carefully though not in an overly extravagant way. It was obvious she had spent time preparing non the less yet she still carried that same cruel mistary she always had.
And Luo He noticed something else immediately. The heaviness she carried earlier had eased. Not completely but enough. Enough that the room no longer felt lonely. The moment he entered her eyes met his briefly before lowering again.
Still nervous. Still uncertain. But softer now. Warmer. And naturally Luo He chose that exact moment to start teasing her. "You know," he said casually while removing his outer robe. "The first time we were together I genuinely thought I was being sucked of my essence by a evil soscerus." Su Kim blinked in confusion.
"What?" She asked in a troubled voice.
Luo He sat beside her with complete seriousness. "You drained me dry," he said shamelessly. "I've never gone that far without stopping with anyone else."
For a moment Su Kim simply stared at him.
Then her face instantly turned red. "You why would you say something like that so casually?!" she asked with a troubled voice. "Because it's true." He answered with his usual calm tone. "You're impossible." She brushed him off.
"You liked it." He said.
She immediately grabbed the nearby cushion and tried hitting him with it.
Luo He caught it one-handed effortlessly before laughing.
"What is wrong with the women in this world?" Luo He sighed dramatically. "Why is every one of you always trying to harm me somehow?" He placed a hand over his chest as though deeply wounded.
"I am clearly an innocent and gentle man yet all of you insist on treating me so cruelly." She stared at him without expression. Su Kim looked away to stop herself from laughing.
Luo He noticed the silence and looked genuinely disappointed. "See?" he continued shamelessly. "Not even sympathy. Truly women are heartless creatures." Luo He said with a dramatic voice good enough to perform on a real stage.
"You literally create your own problems don't you." Su Kim asked. "I create opportunities," Luo He corrected proudly. "Other people simply misunderstand my brilliance."
She laughed out unable to hold back the sound was light. Relaxed. Real. Something Su Kim realized she had not heard properly from her self in a long time.
Then Luo He looked at her carefully again. "You've gotten weaker though," he said calmly. "Too much pampering." he said without even the slightest remark for her. Su Kim's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Weaker?" She repeated. "I gave birth to your child not long ago." She said with a painful tone. "Excuses." Luo He said sarcasticly. "You shameless man."
She looked genuinely offended now which only entertained Luo He more.
But after a few moments his teasing expression softened slightly. "Don't worry," he said more quietly. "I'll help you rebuild your strength properly." Then his gaze sharpened faintly. "And afterward perhaps you can personally repay the duke's son for what happened."
The room became silent again. Su Kim looked at him quietly. And once more she realized something important. Luo He had not forgotten. Not even for a second.
The matter was already decided in his mind. Someone had humiliated one of his people. And eventually that debt had to be returned.
Luo He seeing her silence tilted his head slightly before giving her a faint teasing smile. "So it seems you enjoy my attention a little too much," he said lazily.
Su Kim's face warmed again though this time she did not argue back immediately.
Luo He leaned further against the bedframe comfortably. "So..." he continued his tone calmer now "would you like to stay this way for the rest of the night?"
She still did not answer. Not because she disliked being there. Quite the opposite.
That was the problem. Part of her simply wanted to remain in that quiet moment beside him enjoying the reassurance that he was truly there with her again after so long.
Another part of her however wished he would stop teasing for once and show her more openly that she still mattered to him. The conflict left her unusually uncertain. And Luo He surprisingly seemed to understand that without her saying a word.
His expression softened slightly as he reached over and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "You think too much," he said quietly and gave her a little kiss. For some reason that made the tension in her chest ease a little giving rise to a long dormant hunger.
Meanwhile far from the warmth of the bedchamber the messages Luo He had sent were already moving over roads, rivers and seas.
One by one his allies answered. The first to arrive was Jin Sang. Or rather the man Jin Sang had become.
When Luo He went personally to the docks to meet him the salty ocean wind struck against his face while massive ships rested across the harbor beneath the cries of seabirds overhead. And standing at the center of it all was Jin Sang.
No longer the reckless young man Luo He remembered. A thick brow beard framed his face now while time at sea had hardened his posture and widened his shoulders.
Two beautiful women accompanied him closely while disciplined sailors moved around him with visible respect. Even the harbor guards treated him carefully.
Because this was no longer merely Jin Sang of the Jin family. This was the new King of the Sea. Commander of the largest war fleet in the region. Master of the Golden Isle. Ruler of the prosperous trade city that had risen from the old pirate stronghold.