The peaceful silence lingered between them.
Neither William nor Angela seemed eager to end their conversation.
The lake reflected the afternoon sky without the slightest ripple.
For the first time in a long while...
William felt no need to hide behind silence.
He looked toward Angela.
"There is..."
"...one last thing."
Angela quietly met his gaze.
"Go ahead."
William remained silent for several seconds, choosing his words with unusual care.
"I've answered every question you've asked honestly."
"So I don't want to leave one truth unspoken."
A gentle breeze passed through the pavilion.
He lowered his eyes briefly before continuing.
"I have... let's call them unresolved psychological wounds."
"They weren't born overnight."
"They are the result of everything that has happened in my life."
"My parents."
"The people I've lost."
"The choices I've made."
"The things I've witnessed."
He slowly looked back at her.
"I've learned to live with them."
"But I haven't overcome them."
"There are days when they're quiet."
"And there are days when they return."
His voice remained steady.
"I don't know how long it will take me to heal."
"Perhaps years."
"Perhaps longer."
He took a slow breath.
"So..."
"This is the last time I'll ask."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Knowing all of that..."
"Are you still willing to accept me as your husband?"
Silence followed.
Angela did not answer immediately.
She simply looked at him.
Not like a champion of the Cosmic Tournament.
Not like the successor of an Eternal Body.
But like the young man who had chosen honesty over pride.
Finally...
She smiled.
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
William quietly waited.
Angela continued.
"I accept."
"Not because I believe you're perfect."
"And not because I think your past can simply disappear."
She gently shook her head.
"No one walks through enough suffering without carrying scars."
"What matters to me..."
"...is that you acknowledged them instead of pretending they don't exist."
She took a small step closer.
"There is only one condition."
William listened attentively.
"When you're ready..."
"I want you to tell me."
"Everything."
"Not because I wish to judge you."
"But because I don't want you to carry those burdens alone."
"You don't have to tell me today."
"Or tomorrow."
"But one day..."
"When you can."
"I want you to trust me enough to let me understand."
William remained silent.
Her request contained no pressure.
Only patience.
Only sincerity.
For several long moments...
Neither of them spoke.
Then...
William slowly extended his hand.
Angela looked at it briefly.
A soft smile appeared beneath her veil.
She gently placed her hand in his.
William carefully closed his fingers around hers.
There was no dramatic declaration.
No elaborate promise.
Only a quiet gesture.
One built upon honesty rather than illusion.
Together...
They left the pavilion.
The servants waiting outside respectfully stepped aside.
Wordlessly...
William and Angela walked through the stone pathways leading back toward the ancestral hall.
As the great doors slowly opened...
Every elder inside instinctively looked toward them.
Andrew smiled knowingly.
Manuel quietly observed the two hands still joined together.
Without asking a single question...
He already understood the answer.
A warm smile spread across the Patriarch's face.
"It seems..."
"...your conversation went well."
William glanced toward Angela for a brief moment.
Then he looked back at Manuel.
"It did."
He Still holding Angela's hand...
The two of them stepped into the center of the hall together.
Their decision no longer needed words.
It was already clear to everyone present.
The ancestral hall remained silent for a few moments.
Everyone had already understood the answer the moment William and Angela entered holding hands.
Manuel smiled warmly before breaking the silence.
"Since both of you have agreed..."
"...there remains only one matter."
"The wedding."
William and Angela instinctively looked toward the Patriarch.
Neither of them spoke.
Both understood that they had little experience with such matters.
Andrew noticed this and chuckled.
"It seems the two people concerned are perfectly content letting the elders handle everything."
A few elders laughed quietly.
Angela lowered her gaze slightly.
William simply accepted it without objection.
Manuel sat down once again.
"A wedding worthy of welcoming the future of the Evergreen Family cannot be prepared in haste."
Andrew nodded.
"Nor should it interrupt William's cultivation."
The elders began exchanging opinions.
"Three months."
"Too rushed."
"Six months."
"Still insufficient."
"The preparations alone will require more time."
"The invitations to the major powers..."
"The family ceremony..."
"The ancestral rites..."
"The security arrangements..."
"The welcoming banquet..."
One proposal followed another.
Throughout the discussion...
William and Angela remained almost completely silent.
Occasionally they exchanged brief glances...
But neither interrupted the conversation.
Finally...
Manuel looked toward Andrew.
"What do you think?"
Andrew smiled.
"One year."
Silence followed.
He continued.
"It gives William enough time to continue cultivating."
"It allows Angela to prepare without pressure."
"It gives the Evergreen Family sufficient time to organize everything properly."
"And..."
He smiled toward the young pair.
"It allows them to become familiar with one another before asking them to spend the rest of their lives together."
Manuel slowly nodded.
"I agree."
He struck the armrest of his chair once.
"Then it is decided."
"One year from today..."
"The marriage of William and Angela shall be held."
The elders simultaneously bowed their heads.
"As the Patriarch commands."
Manuel rose to his feet.
"Inform every department."
"The Preparations begin immediately."
The ancestral hall instantly became lively.
Some elders hurried toward the treasury.
Others began discussing guest lists.
Several servants rushed away to prepare accommodations for future visitors.
Within moments...
The quiet hall transformed into an organized whirlwind of activity.
Andrew laughed softly.
"It seems you've unintentionally given everyone a year's worth of work."
William smiled faintly.
"I'm beginning to realize that."
Not long afterward...
The hall gradually emptied.
William and Angela quietly left together.
Before leaving the estate...
Angela gently stopped.
"I'd like you to meet my parents."
William nodded.
"I would be honored."
She led him through a quieter section of the estate.
Unlike the grand halls...
This area consisted of modest homes surrounded by gardens and fruit trees.
There...
A middle-aged man was carefully pruning a tree while a woman sorted medicinal herbs beneath a wooden shelter.
The moment Angela appeared...
Both looked up.
A warm smile immediately spread across their faces.
"You're back."
Angela approached first.
"My Father."
"My Mother."
She then gently turned toward William.
"This is William."
Her father calmly put down his tools before walking over.
He extended his hand.
"So..."
"You're the young man our daughter chose."
William respectfully clasped it.
"It is an honor to meet you."
Her father smiled.
"The honor is ours."
Her mother stepped forward as well.
Her gentle expression immediately reminded William of someone who had spent her life caring for others.
"We've heard much about you."
She looked at him kindly.
"But today..."
"We finally meet the person rather than the stories."
William bowed respectfully.
"I'll do my best not to disappoint you."
Angela's father laughed.
"Take good care of one another."
"That is all we could ever ask."
After spending a little time speaking together...
William and Angela took their leave.
Their next destination...
Was Earth.
Moments later...
They stood before two graves overlooking a quiet hillside.
The wind gently moved through the surrounding trees.
William stepped forward.
His expression became peaceful.
He slowly knelt.
Angela remained respectfully behind him.
William gently brushed a few fallen leaves away from the stone.
His voice was quiet.
"Father..."
"Mother..."
He smiled sadly.
"I've come to visit you."
He remained silent for a moment.
Then he looked toward Angela.
"I'd like you to meet them."
He gently placed his hand upon the first gravestone.
"This is my father..."
"Jack."
He then turned toward the second.
"And this..."
"...is my mother."
"Maria."
William's smile carried both sorrow and warmth.
"They were ordinary people."
"They weren't cultivators."
"They weren't heroes."
"But to me..."
"They were everything."
Angela quietly stepped forward.
She respectfully bowed before both graves.
"It is an honor to meet you."
"I promise..."
"...I'll treasure your son."
William closed his eyes briefly.
The burden within his heart felt just a little lighter.
Their final destination that day...
Was Victoria's sect.
Victoria was genuinely surprised when she saw them arrive together.
Then...
She noticed their joined hands.
A bright smile appeared across her face.
"So..."
"I was right."
William nodded.
"We've decided."
Victoria walked directly toward Angela.
Without hesitation...
She embraced her.
"Congratulations."
Angela smiled warmly.
"Thank you."
Victoria stepped back before looking between the two of them.
"I suppose..."
"...I should steal her for a little while."
William smiled faintly.
"I expected nothing less."
Victoria gently took Angela's hand.
"Come with me ."
"I'd like to speak with you."
The two women disappeared toward a quiet garden hidden deeper within the sect.
Neither hurried.
Neither seemed uncomfortable.
They simply walked side by side...
As though beginning a friendship that would last many years.
William quietly watched them leave.
Then...
Without saying a word...
He turned toward the northern horizon.
A single step.
Then another.
Moments later...
He stood once more upon the summit of Mount Everest.
The endless sea of clouds stretched beneath his feet.
Cold winds swept across the silent mountain.
William looked toward the distant sky.
One year.
In one year...
He would no longer walk only for himself.
He would become a husband.
Someone another person had chosen to trust.
Someone expected to protect not only through strength...
But through presence.
A big responsibility