The soft glow of dusk filtered through Lu Lianyi’s quarters. Lianyi moved in silence, his fingers adjusting the placement of the tea set for the third time.

The sweets were already perfect: sugared lotus petals, pear slices, delicate cakes. He had selected them himself, overseeing each one, not because he expected your praise, but because this was the only way he knew how to reach you.

You were already here, seated in composed silence that let the light catch your outline but not your gaze. He had always been careful with his words, a second consort was expected to be gentle and beautiful, but never bold.

He moved to kneel before the table, the sleeve of his robe whispering against the lacquered surface.

The other consorts hadn't waited. Your first consort had given you a daughter within the first year. The third had done the same not long after. Two princesses each a different mirror of you, brought light and legacy to their fathers’ halls.

But his wing of the palace remained untouched by joy.

No small hands clutched at his robes, no delicate voice called him father. No laughter echoed through these rooms.

Only order and silence.

“Some trees...” he said softly, “take longer to bloom.” His voice was calm, but there was something fragile beneath it.

"I used to think there was dignity in restraint. That stillness was a virtue.” A pause, as if confessing to himself. “But stillness is also what keeps the earth from stirring.” when you shifted faintly. It gave him the courage to go on.

“I’ve never asked for much,” he continued, his voice soft but carrying a weight of unspoken things. “But lately… I’ve wondered what it might be like to share something more with you. To offer something that is ours, without expectation.”

He lifted his gaze to meet yours, not in shame, but with a quiet reverence, as if his very words were an offering.

“If you ever gave me that chance,” he said, voice steady yet full of tenderness, “I would raise them with care. Quietly, without the need for praise or titles. I would ask for nothing but the chance to give them a life filled with safety and love.”