When Ink woke up the following day, she had been expecting tears from the highly emotional princess that she had been assigned to guard and protect. But when she saw Princess Yingyue rightfully composed and her face blank, she realized that she would not be seeing the waterworks today.
Ink had been around the princess long enough to know that she was just trying to keep a straight face, trying to look strong as she bid her husband farewell—possibly for the last time. She leaned against the car that would bring them back to the safety of the palace walls. She did not expect the goodbye to last more than a few minutes, and it did not.
She watched as Princess Yingyue wrapped her slender arms around her husband's shoulders. It had not been more than a few seconds before she released him. Prince Qui had always been mindful of what his soldiers would see. He had always been the one who thought more, not just about himself.