Chapter 234
When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, carried away by the cold breeze. "I want peace."
Cassian remained completely silent, listening attentively.
"I have spent so much of my life running," she continued, her fingers tracing the edge of her warm teacup. "Fighting to survive every single day. Worrying about who might try to take me, or losing the people I care about."
She lowered her eyes, a look of deep exhaustion washing over her features. "I am so tired, Cassian. I just want a place where my children can grow up and laugh without ever hearing the sound of war horns."
Cassian did not interrupt her. He watched the quiet sincerity in her face, feeling the weight of every word she spoke.
"I do not care if that place is a grand palace, a small village, or even a simple stone cave,"
Lin Wan added softly, looking back up at him. "As long as my children are safe and happy... that is all I will ever need."
Her words were simple, yet they held a profound truth that touched something deep inside the hardened ruler.
Cassian nodded slowly, his golden eyes full of respect. "I understand."
For several long minutes, neither of them spoke a word. The only sound in the quiet pavilion was the steady, soothing crackle of the charcoal burning inside the small iron stove.
Finally, Cassian broke the heavy silence. "Yesterday... I had a long conversation with Wang."
Lin Wan looked at him, her attention immediately captured at the mention of the name. "What did you talk about?"
"I gave him my word," Cassian said, holding her gaze steadily. "I promised him that after the children are safely born... you will be allowed to make your own choice. No one in this Citadel will force you to stay."
Lin Wan stared at him in utter disbelief, her lips parting slightly. "You really said that to him?"
"I did."
"And you actually meant it?" she asked, searching his eyes for any sign of hesitation.
Cassian met her searching look without flinching. "I do not make promises I do not intend to keep. Your freedom will be yours to command."
Lin Wan lowered her eyes, her mind swirling with emotion as she processed his words.
"You have changed a great deal, Cassian."
A faint, self-deprecating smile touched the corners of Cassian’s lips. "So I have been told by many people recently."
She looked back up at him, genuine curiosity in her eyes. "What changed you?"
Cassian did not answer right away. He turned his head slightly, watching a few soft snowflakes drift on the wind and land silently on the cold stone floor of the pavilion.
Finally, he turned back to her and spoke a single word. "You."
Lin Wan froze, her breath catching in her throat.
Cassian continued to speak in a calm, steady voice. "When you first arrived at this Citadel as a prisoner of circumstance, you did not act like anyone else I have ever met. You treated every humble servant with kindness and respect. You thanked the people who brought you food. You apologized when you thought you caused trouble. You worried about ordinary soldiers whose names you did not even know."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes holding hers. "You smiled at the old gardeners working in the cold, and you never once asked anyone to suffer or sacrifice themselves for your sake." He paused, taking a quiet breath. "I have ruled this great Citadel for many years through strength and fear. But watching you... you reminded me that true strength is not only measured by how many enemies you can defeat on a battlefield."
Lin Wan felt a sudden wave of warmth rush to her face, deeply embarrassed by his high praise. "I was not trying to teach you anything, Cassian. I was only living the only way I know how."
"I know," Cassian replied softly. "That is precisely why it mattered so much."
A gentle, peaceful silence returned to the pavilion.
After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Lin Wan asked in a quiet voice, "May I ask you something in return?"
"Always."
"When the time comes and I leave this place..." Lin Wan looked at him with a touch of sympathy. "What will you do?"
Cassian’s large fingers paused around the handle of his teacup. The calm expression on his face flickered for a brief second before settling back into place. "I do not know."
Lin Wan looked at him apologetically, feeling a slight pang of guilt. "I am sorry."
"You have no reason to apologize," Cassian said, his voice remaining firm and steady. "I always knew this day would come from the moment you stepped through my gates." He looked out at the falling snow once more.
"However... knowing that something will happen, and truly accepting it in your heart... are two very different things."
Lin Wan found herself unable to offer a response. The emotional atmosphere in the small pavilion grew heavy with unsaid words and bittersweet realization.
Just as the silence began to feel overwhelming, a tiny, forceful kick slammed directly against the inside of Lin Wan’s lower ribs.
She let out a sharp, sudden gasp, her body jerking back slightly as her hand flew to her stomach.
Cassian was on his feet in an instant, leaning across the table with immediate concern etched into his sharp face. "What is wrong? Are you in pain?"
Despite the sudden shock, Lin Wan could not help but let out a soft laugh as she rubbed the tender spot. "Your son is protesting the sad mood."
Cassian raised an eyebrow, his intense worry relaxing into curiosity. "Are you so certain it is the boy?"
"I have no way of knowing for sure," Lin Wan chuckled, shaking her head. "But whoever just kicked me certainly has a very strong opinion."
Almost as if the child inside heard her words and wanted to prove the point, another firm kick landed right next to the first one. A second later, a smaller bump pushed out on the opposite side of her belly.
Lin Wan laughed out loud, her earlier sadness completely vanishing. "See? They are all awake now and causing trouble."
Cassian stood near her chair, watching the subtle movement of her dress with a look of quiet wonder.
He hesitated for a long moment, his hand twitching slightly at his side, before he looked up to meet her eyes.
"...May I?" he asked, his voice low and unusually gentle.
Lin Wan looked at the powerful ruler standing before her. His golden eyes held no command, no royal authority, and no demand. He was simply a father asking to touch his children.
After a brief pause, Lin Wan gave him a warm, welcoming nod. "You may."
Cassian carefully moved closer, kneeling slightly beside her chair so he would not tower over her.
He raised his large, calloused hand—a hand that had wielded heavy blades and led thousands of warriors—and rested it with extreme gentleness against the side of her stomach.
For a few quiet seconds, nothing happened. The air felt still and full of anticipation.
Then—
Thump.
One of the babies kicked directly into the center of his wide palm.
Cassian’s golden eyes widened in genuine shock. A second tiny, energetic kick hit his hand almost immediately, followed by a soft movement from the third child pressing against his fingers.
Lin Wan watched his astonished face, her smile growing wider. "It seems they have accepted your greeting."
A quiet, breathless laugh escaped Cassian’s chest—a sound filled with pure joy. "They are far stronger than I could have ever imagined."
"They are your children, after all," Lin Wan said softly.
Cassian looked up from her stomach, his gaze locking with hers. "They are ours."
The heavy words hung in the warm air between them, sweet and meaningful. Neither of them tried to argue, and neither of them corrected the statement.
Outside the pavilion, standing out of sight down the stone path, Captain Ronan quietly turned his back to the entrance, signaling the other guards to stand down and give the pair complete privacy.
Not far away, hidden behind the snow-dusted leaves of a large bush, Sister Yun watched the scene with a proud, knowing smile.
She leaned over toward Mira and whispered quietly, "Look at that. The children have not even arrived in this world yet..."
Mira giggled softly, matching her hushed tone. "...And they are already bringing two of the most stubborn adults on this continent together."
"I think the little ones are doing an excellent job," Sister Yun agreed with a warm nod.
Far beyond the peaceful walls of the Supreme Citadel, cold winds blew wild across the frozen plains.
The white snow continued to fall steadily over the massive armies waiting in their camps, their banners heavy with frost.
For one more day, the great battlefield remained dead quiet.
None of the commanders, nor the thousands of soldiers shivering in their tents, realized that the true turning point of the war was not happening on the icy shores of the Frozen Lake.
It was quietly taking place inside a warm garden pavilion, where three unborn babies had just kicked against their father’s hand for the very first time.