"Um, Xiao, will you marry me in the future, or will you let me go?"
Li Lun asked as she looked directly into Xiao's eyes. It had been an hour since they started talking, discussing various topics from likes to dislikes. They were currently seated at the edge of a building, engaged in conversation.
Li Lun's question took Xiao by surprise. He was momentarily confused before understanding its significance. An engagement between two people was sacred and not easily broken. If Li Lun were engaged to Xiao but he never accepted her, it would bring great shame and disgrace upon her. It might even ruin her reputation.
Regardless of the outcome, Li Lun would face future problems due to the Yun family being stronger than the Li family. Li Lun was fully aware of this, about which is why she asked the question and now awaited Xiao's response with a serious atmosphere surrounding them.
Xiao's gaze remained fixed on Li Lun as he pondered his answer. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth to speak, his face displaying seriousness as he continued to gaze into her eyes.
"Will I marry you in the future? Yes, I will marry you in the future, but only if you want to marry me. If, in the future, you meet someone you love before our marriage time, I will gladly cancel our engagement and let you be with him. I will take all the blame for any problems that may arise."
'Plus, you won't be here for long, and in the future who will force the daughter of the Void Ruler to marry?'
Xiao could already imagine it. He entered asking for marriage and disintegrating from the cosmos, not even knowing how now that would be a funny way to go.
As Xiao finished speaking, he looked into Li Lun's face as she seemed lost in thought for a few minutes. Finally, she snapped out of it and looked at Xiao with a confused expression, searching his eyes for any signs of deception but finding only genuine emotions.
"Why?" Li Lun asked after the seconds ticked by. Xiao's words only served to confuse her further. Why did Xiao care about her feelings? No, why did he care about her at all?
"Why?... Well, you could say that it's because I want it. It's that simple."
Xiao spoke with a nostalgic and profound look, turning his gaze toward the sky for a moment before returning it to Li Lun.
"Li Lun, I will give you a chance until the marriage date. But after I marry you, you will be mine, and I will never let anyone take you away from me. Got it?"
Xiao's last words were powerful and strong, deeply impacting Li Lun and causing her to blush deeply. With a shy smile, she turned her face to the side, trying to hide her embarrassment. Xiao looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the sky. Every word he had spoken was true.
Xiao did have affectionate feelings towards Li Lun, but it wasn't love. In truth, Xiao had never married nor had any romantic interest in his second. In his first, there was one, and it was the one that led him to block his heart off.
He had only engaged in casual flings here and there, never truly falling for someone after his first loss. It was his first love that finally broke him fully. However, if there was one thing Xiao took seriously, it was his promises. He might never love her, but he likes her, and just for that, he will keep her by his side forever.
Since Li Lun was his fiancée, he would make sure to take care of her. If she became his wife, he would protect her from anything that threatened to harm her. This was Xiao. When he set his mind to something, he would ensure that he accomplished it.
'Sigh... let's see how the future unfolds...'
Xiao thought, pushing aside the confusing thoughts in his mind. There was still some time before everything happened, and by then, Li Lun would have awakened her power. He couldn't predict the future with his interference, so he would go with the flow and see how things turned out.
As time passed, half an hour and went by, and Li Lun had to leave with her father to return to her family. She was a bit saddened by this but smiled happily after being promised the chance to visit again. As she left with Li Kai, who wore a confused expression, Xiao was on his way back to his mother's room when he heard a faint cry from one of the nearby gardens.
Recognizing the voice, he walked towards a semi-hidden area within the garden. There, he found Yun Yurou sitting with her head on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, letting out broken sobs. Witnessing the devastated Yun Yurou, Xiao sighed and massaged his forehead.
He was tempted to walk past without acknowledging her. Xiao wasn't oblivious to the a budding childish feelings of love Yun Yurou had for him, but he didn't mind. After all, Yun Yurou was just a child, and her feelings would fade with time as she grew up. Moreover, her feelings could cause problems since they were directly related as close cousins, not much of a problem in the higher heavens, but here it still sparks some controversies.
Thus, Xiao planned to refrain from interfering. However, upon seeing the distraught Yun Yurou, he hesitated for a moment before walking up to her and sitting beside her. Startled, Yun Yurou looked towards her side, widening her eyes upon seeing Xiao.
She moved quickly to wipe away the tears filling her eyes, but her efforts only made the tears more prominent. Xiao didn't say anything as he opened his arms and pulled Yun Yurou into a hug, causing her head to rest on his chest.
Yun Yurou was taken aback and unable to react. Before she realized it, she found herself in Xiao's embrace. Initially confused, she then felt the warmth and affectionate pat on her back. Overwhelmed, she couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears in Xiao's arms.
Xiao held her small body, gently tapping her back to offer comfort. Sometimes, what one needs is to simply let out their emotions.
'These emotions, they aren't normal'
He thought, for once his eyes truly turning intelligent and dark, no child would have such heartbreak for just some budding romance, even if Qi made them more mature but then as if influenced by something he went into a daze for a moment before turning normal.
'Huh?.....what was I thinking?'