Chapter 225
He folded his hands casually behind his broad back, standing tall against the winter chill. "So..." he murmured smoothly. "...You came out here today to formally ask me to give Lin Wan back to you."
Wang met the King’s golden gaze without flinching or backing down. "Yes. I have come to bring my mate home."
The biting cold wind swept relentlessly across the wide surface of the Frozen Lake.
Neither man made a single movement.
Flakes of white snow landed quietly on their broad shoulders, resting on the fine fabric of their heavy cloaks before melting into tiny, glittering drops of water.
Cassian looked steadily into Wang’s unwavering golden eyes. "You want me to simply return her to you."
"I do," Wang replied calmly.
"And what will you do if I choose to refuse your request?"
Wang answered without an ounce of hesitation in his voice. "Then I will remain right here in this valley until I find another way to reach her."
Cassian narrowed his golden eyes slightly, studying the absolute calm on the Patriarch’s face. "You will not threaten me with your army?"
"I have no need to make foolish threats," Wang stated plainly.
"Yet you brought a massive army directly to my doorstep," Cassian pointed out.
"I brought protection," Wang corrected smoothly.
Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Protection for whom?"
"For everyone involved," Wang said gently.
Cassian let out a quiet, dry laugh that lacked any real humor. "That is certainly an interesting way to phrase an invasion."
Wang’s expression remained completely unbothered by the subtle mock. "If I had attempted to ride into this northern territory entirely alone, my people would have broken ranks and followed me here anyway."
He looked back toward his clan’s high silver banners fluttering in the distance. "I know my people well. They would never allow their Patriarch to walk blindly into potential danger without standing firmly behind his back."
Cassian gave a single, respectful nod. "I can certainly understand that level of loyalty."
A long, heavy silence settled over the frozen expanse once again. The only sound was the faint rustle of their heavy winter cloaks against the bitter wind.
After a long moment of quiet reflection, Cassian spoke up. "Tell me something, Wang."
Wang waited patiently for the question.
"You speak so confidently, claiming that she is your mate," Cassian said, his voice dropping into a deeper, colder register.
"I have never once denied that fact," Wang said simply.
"Then answer me this," Cassian pressed, stepping half an inch closer. "If she is truly your mate... why was she not standing by your side in your clan’s territory?"
The sharp question hung heavily in the freezing morning air between them.
Wang slowly lowered his eyes to the clear ice beneath his boots, a faint, lingering shadow of pain darkening his features for a brief second before he looked back up.
"We were tragically separated," Wang explained, his tone even and composed.
Cassian waited silently for him to elaborate.
"She was caught in a sudden flood," Wang said, his voice remaining firm despite the painful memory. "She disappeared without a trace in a split second. And I was injured, when I got myself, I searched for her endlessly. My entire clan searched every region we could reach. So did many of our allied clans."
He held Cassian’s gaze without wavering. "But we could not find a single trace of her location for a very long time."
Cassian studied every micro-expression on the Patriarch’s face with incredible scrutiny. "And you never once stopped looking for her?"
"No," Wang said, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "And I never will."
For the very first time during their encounter, Cassian saw not a single shred of doubt, deception, or hesitation in Wang’s eyes.
There was only pure, unyielding certainty. It was the kind of absolute conviction that could never be feigned or faked by even the most skilled liar.
Cassian slowly exhaled a long breath, a soft cloud of mist rising into the freezing air. "I believe your words."
Wang looked slightly taken aback by the sudden admission. "You do?"
"I do," Cassian confirmed softly. "However... believing that your intentions are genuine does not change my final answer to your request."
Wang remained completely silent, waiting for the King to explain.
Cassian continued, his tone turning grave and protective. "When Lin Wan first arrived at the gates of my Supreme Citadel... she was severely injured. She was utterly exhausted, her body drained of spiritual energy."
He paused, looking Wang directly in the eye. "And she was carrying my unborn children."
Wang’s fingers tightened slightly at his sides, his nails pressing into his leather gloves.
He already knew the truth. His scouts had reported her delicate condition to him weeks ago.
Yet hearing those words spoken aloud directly by the Manticore King still caused a sharp, lingering ache deep inside his chest.
Cassian noticed the tiny, subtle movement of Wang’s hands, but he wisely chose not to comment on it.
Instead, he continued explaining calmly. "My senior royal physicians examined her immediately. They issued a stern warning to me. They explicitly stated that moving her carelessly or subjecting her to emotional stress or long journeys right now would severely endanger both her life... and the lives of the unborn babies."
Wang slowly and deliberately nodded his head. "I understand the severity of her condition."
Cassian locked eyes with him. "Do you truly understand?"
"I do," Wang replied softly.
"Then you must also understand why I cannot simply hand her over to you today," Cassian stated firmly.
His words were remarkably firm, yet completely devoid of cruelty or arrogance. It was simply the undeniable truth of the situation.
Wang shifted his gaze away from Cassian, looking past his shoulder toward the massive black stone walls of the Supreme Citadel hidden beyond the valley hills. "When is her expected time?"
Cassian answered after a brief, quiet pause. "Very soon. It is a matter of days now, not weeks."
Wang closed his eyes tightly for a single moment, taking in a deep, steadying breath of cold air. When he opened his eyes again, his golden gaze was even calmer than before.
"Then I will not ask you to move her or hand her over to me today," Wang stated softly.
Cassian raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "You won’t?"
"No," Wang answered plainly.
A long, profound silence followed his unexpected declaration. It was Cassian’s turn to look genuinely surprised by the Patriarch’s conduct.
Wang spoke slowly, his deep voice carrying an immense weight of emotional maturity. "The unborn babies have done nothing wrong in this conflict. They should not be made to pay the price for our political disputes or our personal history."
He looked directly into Cassian’s golden eyes. "If traveling across the territory right now poses even the smallest threat to her safety, then she should remain precisely where she is... where your physicians can protect her and ensure a safe delivery."
Cassian carefully searched Wang’s face, looking for any subtle sign of hidden motives, deception, or tactical stalling.
He found absolutely nothing.
There was no hidden trickery in the Patriarch’s heart. There was only genuine, selfless concern. It was a concern that was not directed at himself, nor was it directed solely at Lin Wan. It was a sincere concern for the safety of the unborn children as well.
The Manticore King’s deep voice became noticeably quieter, dropping its guarded edge. "You truly trust my royal physicians to care for her?"
"I trust that Lin Wan would never allow anyone to harm her children," Wang answered cleanly. "And I trust that she has chosen people who will protect her."
Cassian could not offer a single argument against those words. Because he knew, deep in his heart, that Wang was completely right.
Wang took another slow, deep breath, adjusting his heavy cloak against the biting wind. "Therefore... my formal request changes."
Cassian listened attentively.
"When the babies are safely born and her body has fully recovered..." Wang said, his voice smooth and clear. "...I want to be granted the opportunity to see her face to face."
"I want to hear her personal answer with my own ears," Wang continued. "If she looks at me and chooses to leave this fortress to return home with me... then I will take her back to our clan."
"And if she chooses to remain here with you..."
Wang’s voice faltered for the very first time since they had stepped onto the ice. It was only a tiny, heartbreaking stumble that lasted for a single heartbeat.
"...Then I will honor her choice and respect her decision," Wang finished softly.
The vast, frozen lake became completely still. Even the howling winter wind seemed to die down, leaving an absolute, breathless quiet over the valley.
Cassian stared at the man standing before him in genuine disbelief.
This was entirely different from the intense, aggressive negotiation he had prepared for. He had mentally readied himself for demands, for furious outbursts of anger, for dark threats of war, and for bitter accusations of kidnapping.
Instead...
Patriarch Wang had chosen to place the ultimate decision entirely where it truly belonged. He had placed it directly into Lin Wan’s hands.
Cassian asked in a low, quiet voice, "You would truly accept her choice... even if she chooses to stay?"
Wang offered a small, bitter, and profoundly honest smile. "I certainly would not like it. It would break my heart entirely. But Lin Wan is not my possession to claim or demand like a piece of land."
He looked up at the grey sky above. "She is the woman I love with all my soul. And owning someone and loving someone are two entirely different things."
Those simple, profound words lingered in the cold morning air like an unbreakable vow.
Cassian slowly turned his gaze toward the distant palace hidden beyond the mountain ridges.
For the very first time since this ordeal had begun...
The Manticore King found himself quietly asking a question that he had carefully and desperately avoided thinking about for months.
If Lin Wan were truly standing before both of them today... free to choose her own path without fear or pressure...
Which of them would she ultimately choose?
Before either ruler could speak another word...
A sharp, piercing cry echoed loudly across the open valley.
Both rulers turned their heads toward the sky at the exact same moment.
A swift black scouting hawk was descending rapidly from the high peaks, flying directly from the direction of the Supreme Citadel.
The bird circled once before landing firmly on Captain Ronan’s outstretched, armored arm at the edge of the shore.
Captain Ronan quickly unbuckled the tiny leather tube tied securely to the bird’s leg, pulling out a rolled parchment missive. His sharp expression changed dramatically the moment his eyes swept across the short message written inside
Without wasting a single second, the captain broke his orders and sprinted out onto the frozen lake, his iron boots sliding slightly against the slippery surface.
"Your Majesty!" Ronan shouted urgently as he closed the distance.
Cassian turned fully, a dark frown clouding his regal features.
Captain Ronan brought himself to a sudden stop a respectful distance away from the two rulers, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily from the frantic run.
"Royal Physician Alaric has just dispatched an urgent priority report from the inner palace, sire!" Ronan reported, his voice tight with alarm.
Cassian’s golden eyes sharpened instantly, a cold dread washing over him. "What has happened?"
Ronan took a fast breath, casting a brief, hesitant glance toward Wang before lowering his voice to deliver the dire news. "Lady Lin collapsed suddenly while walking through the palace garden moments ago."
Ronan quickly added, "She is conscious now, sire... but Physician Alaric urgently requests Your Majesty’s immediate return to the inner chambers!"
In an instant, the peaceful, quiet atmosphere resting over the Frozen Lake vanished completely, replaced by a sudden wave of sheer, terrifying panic.