When King Jin arrived, Yi Ling didn't notice. She was still too far from perceiving King Jin's aura.
She was smiling while looking at the flowers. For some reason, he thought she looked beautiful and serene. He was shocked at his observation, but he couldn't help but be drawn to her. He walked closer behind her.
A pair of arms wrapped around Yi Ling. She was surprised. She struggled to get free, but the one hugging her was too strong.
"King Jin, aren't you breaking your word now?" She knew it was the King; she could tell by his robes since she had looked at his closet before.
"Hear with your ears. But listen to your heart," King Jin replied as he laid his head on her neck.
Hearing this verse, Yi Ling's heart skipped a beat. She stopped struggling. Her heart was moved. She felt she had heard those lines before.
Seeing that Yi Ling had stopped struggling, he turned her body to face him. He saw tears on her face.
"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" King Jin addressed himself informally. He really wanted to get closer to her. He wiped her tears away.
Yi Ling shook her head and smiled wryly.
"I couldn't help myself. I missed you for a year," he said honestly. Even though he felt frustrated with Yi Ling's actions, what frustrated him the most was that he was unable to see her.
Hearing the King's tiny confession made her heart leap. She stared into those deep purple eyes. She tried to get away from him, knowing it would be hard. But if she followed what he just said and listened to her heart, she would have been with this man already. She knew the first time seeing him in her dream that she fell in love with him. More tears came out of her eyes.
Looking at the painful look on Yi Ling's face, he wiped the new tears and kissed each one of her eyes. He then hugged her and caressed her hair.
"Shhh... Please stop crying. This King doesn't know how to comfort someone. I've never done it before, not even for my little sister," he said. His heart was aching seeing her cry. What was making her this sad? If she didn't like him touching her, he knew she could struggle out from him. This time he would let her go if she did. But she didn't.
Yi Ling was so confused, but one thing was certain. She loved this man. She loved him more than Mu Xin. She didn't know why, but then again, love has no reasons. Love didn't need reasons.
Yi Ling took that one step, one step towards listening to her heart. She was drawn to him as he was drawn to her. She hugged back.
King Jin was surprised. He lifted Yi Ling's face and saw that she was blushing. He smiled.
"Does this mean that you now accept this King?" he asked sincerely. His heart was leaping with joy at the moment. He wanted this to last forever.
Yi Ling didn't know what to say. Should she? But wouldn't that mean she would become his Consort? She didn't know if she was up for the task. She felt that she was undeserving of him. He deserved a much better woman than her.