Seven months had gone by since everyone watched Ying Yue leave for the dragon world with the dragon emperor. Bolin had given up on Ying Yue and dedicated most of his free time to training himself and honing his skills as the imperial general now. As Bolin was training in his backyard, one of his servants quickly ran up to him to inform him of a visitor.
"Young master, lady Zhi Ruo is here again today."
"Zhi Ruo? Didn't I just see her three days ago?"
"What did you want us to do? Should I tell her you're not home?"
"No, it's fine. Have her wait in the main garden. I will be there shortly."
"Very well, young master."
Bolin uses his shirt to wipe away his dripping sweat as he walks back into his sleeping quarters to change. Bolin switches out of his sweaty drenched clothing and into a pair of new and dark blue clothing. Quickly tying his hair up; he grabs his sword and attaches it to his waist and heads off for the garden.
After walking for ten minutes, Bolin could see Zhi Ruo dressed in white and sitting down while sipping on tea inside the white pavilion. Bolin thought he had gotten used to seeing Zhi Ruo by now, but after Ying Yue left for the dragon world, Bolin tried to avoid Zhi Ruo as much as possible as he was still trying to come to terms with his feelings. Zhi Ruo quickly notices Bolin standing feet's away and stands up to greet him.
"Hello, Bolin. Thanks for making time for me today."
"No, it's alright. Forgive me for turning you away so many times."
"That's alright Bolin. If it bothered me, I wouldn't be here would I?"
"Heh, thanks for understanding. That's a good point and what I like about you, Zhi Ruo."
Realizing what he had just said, Bolin clears his throat as he watches the pale Zhi Ruo go red. Like idiots the two laughed it off and Bolin explains what he meant.
"I mean...I like that trait of you, you know.... you get what I mean."
"Ha….yeah! It's alright Bolin, I understand!"
Zhi Ruo chuckles at the sight of seeing Bolin so flustered. Zhi Ruo dismisses her maid so she could speak with Bolin regarding their fake relationship that they established months ago.
"Bolin, I have something to ask you."
"What is it?"
Bolin places his tea cup down and grabs a bean bun; slowly chewing on his food as he stares at Zhi Ruo.
"Uh...well....it's been over half a year now and you know.... I wanted to know what you really thought of me. I mean...we've been pretending long enough I think."
"Cough Cough!"
"Oh! I'm sorry, here Bolin drink this."
Bolin quickly grabs the tea cup out of Zhi Ruo's hand and chugs it down. He quickly wipes away the tea that dripped on his mouth and slams his cup down onto the table. Bolin quickly changes the subject as he was not ready to answer Zhi Ruo.
"Time has really been flying by hasn't it?..."
"Yes, of course. Time is always ticking by every day, yet there's not a day where Ying Yue and the dragon emperor isn't the talk of the kingdom. I mean, no matter where I go all I hear is people talking about them."
"Well, I don't blame them. Thanks to Ying Yue everything has gone back to normal. The animals are now cured and plants and crops are growing like they used to. I guess a lot of people see her as a hero."
"She's a hero to me no matter what people say. I still owe her my life. She's the reason my father has become better as a person as well. By the way Bolin, have you heard of what's happened to the crown prince?"
"What do you mean, Zhi Ruo?"
"Well, I heard the crown prince officially divorced Jia Li five months ago. They've been trying to make things work for the past few months, but the crown prince was unable to love and care for her like he used to. The marquis didn't want Jia Li to live in the cold palace so he accepted the divorce. The little princess is being raised by another concubine as Jia Li has been sent back to the marquis household."
"I see...must be tough for Jia Li, but you have to admit. She brought this all on herself. She should be grateful the crown prince isn't killing her for lying to the royal family."
"I thought that too. I also went to see Chunhua last week to offer her a position within my household and she told me Jia Li is going to be married off to a widowed duke, who's young wife passed away during childbirth a year ago. The duke is young and liked Jia Li when he came to visit her, so at least she's still marrying into a good family."
"Who's this duke?"
"Oh, I don't know much about him but looks like he resides in the southern province."
"That's not too bad then. The southern province is the closest border to us. I stayed in the south for a while, so who knows. Maybe I have seen him before."
Zhi Ruo and Bolin continued to chat as they sipped on tea. As the sun started to set, Bolin calls it a day and walks Zhi Ruo back to her carriage. Just as Zhi Ruo was about to leave, she turns around to face Bolin one last time.
"Bolin, I would like for us to go further in this relationship. I know we originally planned this fake relationship to avoid dealing with pressure from our fathers, but I am serious about you. Will you please promise me you'll think about it and let me know so I can move on with my life if this isn't what you want?"
"..."
Zhi Ruo breaks into a smile and bids farewell to Bolin as she steps into her carriage. Bolin felt like a coward for dragging Zhi Ruo on his whims for so long. He silently watched as Zhi Ruo's carriage slowly disappeared from his sight. With a deep sigh, Bolin heads back to his sleeping quarters and lays himself on his bed to think.
"Sigh....Bolin you coward, you had to make Zhi Ruo show such a sad face."
Bolin closes his eyes and reminisce about all the times he's spent with Zhi Ruo. It's not like he hated her, but rather he was afraid to love another woman as he felt he was not ready. After losing Ying Yue numerous times, he felt weak and became insecure about falling in love. As Bolin continued to roll around in bed, he hears a sudden knock on his bedroom doors.
"Knock Knock."
Bolin walks from his bed to open the doors. To his surprise it was his father. Bolin quickly invites his father in as he pulls out chairs for them to sit on.
"What's with the sudden visit, father?"
"I heard duke Dong's daughter came to visit you again."
"Ah, she did. What about it?"
"Well! When do you two plan to marry? You've been engaged for almost a year now! All your brothers were married with kids when they were your age already. I know you're the imperial general, but don't forget you need a family too."
"I know father…. just give me some time."
"Son, just think about it. If you can picture yourself starting a family with them then chances are, they are the one for you."
Bolin pauses for a moment to think. Closing his eyes, he tries to picture his life. In his mind he pictured himself with Zhi Ruo and everything flowed in naturally after that. He pictured them having kids and growing old together. The moment the image became clear, Bolin realized what he had to do. With his right palm above his heart, Bolin slowly opens his eyes and looks at his father.
Without any hesitation, he tells his father to prepare for a wedding a few months from now. Bolin was done being afraid and couldn't continue to punish Zhi Ruo for his uncertainty.
"Father, I've made up my mind. Four months from now, after I return from scouting the borders...will you help me prepare for my wedding?"
"Heh, I thought you'd never ask. Very well, I will send news to duke Dong tomorrow."
"Thank you, father."
With those parting words, the prime minister walks out. Bolin then heads back to his bed and tosses and turn. Unable to rest, he sits back up again. Memories of the time he spent with Zhi Ruo all came flooding back in. He remembered the time they spent together tending to Ying Yue's mother, he remembered the time he ran to visit her to ask for her help, he remembered the time Zhi Ruo stopped him from causing numerous problems.
"I can't sleep like this. I need to see her."
Bolin runs out of his bedroom and heads out to the horse stable. Quickly grabbing a random horse, he heads out of his residence and makes a run for it. Unsure as to why he was feeling the way he was, Bolin just knew he had an urge to see Zhi Ruo.
Bolin didn't even realize what he was going to say until he realized he was already standing at Zhi Ruo's residence. The two guards outside the duke's residence recognizes Bolin and questions why he was visiting so late at night.
"What brings you here so late at night, general Bolin?"
"I... I need to see your lady."
"Lady Zhi Ruo? I can try asking if the lady is willing to come out. Please wait a moment."
One of the guards quickly runs off towards Zhi Ruo's sleeping quarters. After ten minutes, a familiar face emerges from the darkness.
"Chunhua? You're already here."
"Yes, I've been here for about three days now. Lady Zhi Ruo is getting ready, she sent me to have you wait in the main hall for her. If you'll follow me there, please."
Chunhua gestures for Bolin to walk towards the main building. Bolin ran out in a hurry he forgot he didn't dress himself properly. With nothing to do, Bolin seats himself on a chair in the room and sits quietly as Chunhua pours him tea. To break the silence, Bolin decides he'll talk to Chunhua as they wait for Zhi Ruo.
"Chunhua, do you miss Ying Yue?"
"Hm? Of course, I do. I miss my lady and madam every day. But I'm sure they have a better life now in the dragon kingdom."
"Did you want to leave with Ying Yue when she left for the dragon world?"
"...Sometimes I think about it. But I have family here and my sickly father depends on me to support him and my younger brothers. Besides, lady Zhi Ruo is very kind to me and treats me well. She often gives me extra food to share with my siblings, so I'm not complaining at all."
"I'm glad to hear that. If you ever need help, don't forget you can ask me too."
"Thank you, I will keep that in mind."
As Chunhua and Bolin continued to catch up on old memories regarding Ying Yue, Zhi Ruo walks in with another maid behind her. Dressed in a light pink thin dress with a thick shawl on, Zhi Ruo seats herself across from Bolin.
"Bolin, what brings you here so late at night? You didn't send a messenger either so I didn't have time to get ready."
"Ah....well, I thought over what you said to me earlier. I also had a talk with my father...."
"And?"
Zhi Ruo sips on her tea as Chunhua and the other maid stood behind her chair. With everyone's eyes on him, Bolin couldn't help but break into a nervous sweat.
"I... too...want more than just friendship with you."
"Bolin....if you're saying this out of pity, then don't get my hopes up."
Zhi Ruo stands up to leave as Bolin pulls on her dress sleeve.
"I'm serious, Zhi Ruo! I know I've been a fool. My own insecurities blinded me, and I put you through a lot as I was not able to see what was in front of me. But no more, I'm ready to continue moving forward and to be able to do that I need you by my side. Zhi Ruo...will you marry me?"
"...."
Zhi Ruo turns around and stares at Bolin in shock. This was the first time Bolin had ever shared his feelings. It was the first time she's heard Bolin confess anything. Unable to suppress her emotions, Zhi Ruo cries out tears of happiness. Bolin quickly pulls her into an embrace as she cried her heart out.
"Sniff....Sniff...if you cheat on me, I'll haunt you for life!"
"Don't worry.....I promise I will never take another wife."
As Bolin and Zhi Ruo remained in an embrace, the duke walks into the main hall and stops at the entrance.
"Ahem, I realize you two are engaged, but you're not married yet. Please refrain from doing anything until then."
Bolin and Zhi Ruo quickly pull apart from each other after hearing the duke call out to them. Zhi Ruo was bright red from her face all the way to her ear. She quickly bids goodnight to Bolin and ran off to hide her embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Bolin remained still as the duke stared at him and examined him from the tip of his head to his toes.
"Uh....I will be taking my leave now."
"Just a moment, general Bolin."
"What is it, duke Dong?"
"I don't want my daughter to someday become a widow. I know with your line of work comes a lot of hardship and with a lot of risk. Are you ready to throw that away if I asked you to?"
"Protecting the kingdom will always come first. If I can't even protect the kingdom, how can I protect those dear to me? So long as the kingdom is safe, so is Zhi Ruo. I have no intention of leaving her to be a widow."
"Heh, that's what I like to hear. Please take care of her, she is my only child."
"Of course. I will love and cherish her for as long as I live. Since you're here, I might as well let you know that my father will send someone to inform you of wedding details. I will excuse myself now."
Bolin runs off back to the entrance of the residence and hops back onto his horse.