As they descended, the sounds of the city reached them. Laughter. Music.
Water flowing. Not the rigid order of an imperial capital. But something freer.
More open. Yet not disorganized. Just different.
At the gates, they were already expected. Chu guards stood in formation, their armor lighter in design but no less refined. Their weapons gleamed under the daylight, polished, maintained. But they did not raise them.
They did not challenge. Instead, they bowed. Deep. Respectful. "Welcome," one of them said, stepping forward. "To the Chu Kingdom." No hostility. No tension. Only formality. As if they were receiving honored guests. Not a force that could have come as an army.
Luo He stepped forward slightly, his presence enough to shift the atmosphere without effort. "We're here as family," he said calmly. The guard nodded. "We are aware." A faint pause. "The prince has been expecting you."
Jin Mulan felt that settle. Expecting.
Not surprised. Not unprepared. As they entered the city, the contrast became even clearer.
People moved freely through the streets, dressed in colors far brighter than those of Luo He's kingdom. Markets lined the waterways, vendors calling out, children running along stone paths without fear.
And yet as Luo He passed. Heads turned. Not out of fear. But recognition.
Respect. Curiosity. Because even here
He was not someone who could go unnoticed.
Jin Mulan rode beside him, her gaze shifting from the city back to him.
Because for the first time since they left She felt it clearly. They had entered a place that was not his. Not under his control. Not shaped by his will. And yet
He moved through it as if it didn't matter.
As if wherever he stood became his ground. And more often than not it was true.
Ahead, the palace of Chu rose above the city. Not towering. Not overwhelming.
But refined. Elegant in a way that didn't need to prove itself. Surrounded by water, connected by a single wide bridge lined with carved stone pillars, each one etched with symbols she didn't recognize.
Jin Mulan's grip tightened slightly.
Because somewhere within that palace was the reason they had come. The princess of the Luo family. The choice she had made. And the man she had chosen.
Luo He's gaze settled forward. Unwavering. "Let's see," he said quietly.
Not to her. Not to anyone. Just a statement. Calm. Certain. "And decide if he's worth it."
The palace of Chu welcomed them not with tension but with quiet anticipation.
Word had already reached ahead of them. And within the inner halls, where flowing curtains of silk shifted gently with the breeze and sunlight danced across polished floors. She was waiting.
Luo He stepped into the chamber first.
And for the first time since entering Chu He paused. Not out of caution. But recognition. His sister stood across the room. Unchanged. And yet not the same.
A year had passed.
And it showed not in her face, but in her presence. There was a lightness to her now, a quiet confidence that hadn't been there before. Less restrained. Less contained. Then she smiled.
And the distance of a year disappeared.
"Big Brother." The word carried warmth.
Real. Unfiltered. Luo He walked forward without hesitation, closing the space between them in a few steps. He didn't speak immediately just looked at her, as if confirming for himself that she was truly there. Unharmed. Untouched.
Safe.
"You look well," he said at last. "You look the same," she replied lightly. A pause.
Then, her gaze shifted past him. To Jin Mulan and the child in her arms. Luo He followed that gaze. And something subtle changed in him. Not softer.
But defined. He stepped slightly to the side, placing Jin Mulan and their daughter within clear view.
"This is my wife," he said. Simple.
But deliberate. "And my daughter."
No titles. No embellishment. And yet the way he said it made it clear. These were not introductions made out of obligation.
They were statements of position.
Of importance. Of what he considered his own.
Jin Mulan felt it immediately. The weight behind those words. The way his voice carried no hesitation. No distance.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the child, a faint warmth rising to her face despite herself.
She wasn't used to this. Not from him.
Not so openly. His sister noticed it too.
The slight shift. The unspoken claim.
And her smile deepened just slightly.
"Seems like I missed quite a lot," she said. "Not much," Luo He replied calmly.
That earned him a look. "Liar."
The tension broke easily after that. As if it had never truly been there. They sat together, the space between them no longer formal, no longer guarded. Time passed quickly. Words flowed. A year's worth of absence filled in piece by piece.
Then Luo He leaned back slightly, his tone shifting lighter now. "So," he said, glancing at her, "I hear you found someone who caters to your every whim." There was humor in it. Dry. Subtle. But present. His sister rolled her eyes. "Your sources are still annoyingly accurate."
"So it's true," he said. "Parts of it," she admitted. A pause. Then, with a faint tilt of her head "I assume you also know the rest?" Luo He didn't answer. He didn't need to. Because his silence already confirmed it. The "kidnapping." The outrage. The mobilized army.
All of it had been unnecessary. Because it hadn't been a crime. It had been a choice. Her choice. A plan. A fantasy she had carried for longer than anyone realized. And she had made it real.
With help of course.
"The idea was mine," she said openly, her tone lacking any trace of shame.
Jin Mulan blinked slightly. "You planned it?" Her sister-in-law nodded. "I wanted to see if I could leave everything behind without permission," she said simply. "Even if only once." A faint smile followed. "And he helped." That "he" didn't need clarification.
"The prince of Chu," Luo He said. Not a question. A statement. She met his gaze.
"Yes." A quiet moment passed. Then "How is he?" Luo He asked. Not as a brother demanding answers. But as someone assessing something far larger.
Her expression shifted slightly. Subtle.
But real.
"He's different," she said. "From you."
That earned a faint glance. "I assumed."
She huffed lightly. "He listens," she added. "More than he speaks."
A pause.
"And when he does speak it matters."
Jin Mulan watched her carefully now.
Because there was something there.
Not spoken. But present. Something that hadn't yet been named. "Do you like him?" Luo He asked. Direct. As always.
His sister hesitated. Just for a moment.
"I don't dislike him." That answer was careful. Too careful.
Luo He noticed. Of course he did. "You've been writing to him for years," he said. "A pen pal doesn't usually escalate into staged abductions." That made her look away briefly. "It wasn't like that at first." "But it is now," he replied. Not accusing. Just stating. She didn't answer. Because she didn't need to.
Jin Mulan understood then. Neither of them had confessed. Not fully. Not clearly. But something had grown there.
Quietly. Over time. Through letters.
Through distance. Through imagination turned into reality. Luo He leaned back slightly, his gaze steady. "I am happy," he said.
That made both women look at him.
"If you chose this," he continued, "then we'll see it properly. We're not here to take you back."
His sister's shoulders relaxed just slightly. "We're here to see if he's worth keeping." There it was. Clear.
Uncompromising. But not hostile. And somewhere within the palace of Chu A meeting had yet to happen. A prince had yet to stand before them. And a decision Had yet to be made.
Don't worry too much, though you still have the largest say in it. About forty-five percent, I'd say," he added with a light, teasing laugh.
His sister, a revered scroller in her own right, let out a soft laugh as well, the sound carrying both amusement and quiet understanding.