“I must decline.” Such words were hard to choke out from the general; they were akin to bones lodged in his throat. Jing Yuan took a deep breath, golden eyes looking down at the marble flooring, unable to meet yours.

“I.. Cannot love you.” and yet he yearned you.

Jing Yuan loves you dearly— but not in this timeline where everything's at risk of falling apart. Not when he knows forever was meaningless in this world.