.
Liu Wei felt strange—so strange that the unusualness of the moment pulled her out from beneath the covers just to answer properly.
"Of course I will. But… could you skip it?"
Wang Zheng said nothing. No, she couldn't.
Liu Wei drew her knees to her chest, keeping the sheet wrapped tightly around her body.
"I know you have your obligations, and it bothers me to watch you being fawned over by everyone else… But it's not as if you or I can do anything about it. Can we?"
Her body was weary, her glands still ached, and patience was slipping through her fingers. Liu Wei was always impulsive, always brutally sincere. If there was a problem, then it should be solved at once, shouldn't it?
The young princess already knew that one day—sooner or later—they would have to face this. They would have to talk about what they were, about what they felt. But should that moment come now?
Liu Wei was afraid. Terribly afraid.
How much longer could they keep avoiding this?
Things between them had grown heavier, deeper, more serious with each day. And as Bloody Spring approached its middle… what would happen when it ended?
What would become of them?
Would they return to their old routines as though they had never even met?
The queen let out a long, audible sigh. She understood the unspoken meaning in Liu Wei's words.
Wang Zheng finally sat down beside her on the bed. Both were nervous. Both were afraid.
Could everything they had simply end here and now?
The queen had never found herself in a situation where she feared another person's answer so much. Could it really be that Liu Wei did not want to be with her?
Another sigh escaped her lips.
"Liu Wei… have you ever thought about the consequences of our relationship?"
Her throat tightened, dry. "What do you mean?"
"Bloody Spring always ends in marriage. Are you prepared to marry me?"
The queen felt shy even voicing it—because wasn't it almost the same as asking the young princess to marry her?
Liu Wei smiled faintly. She felt the same way. It truly did sound like a proposal.
A delicate blush colored Wang Zheng's cheeks. So unbearably sweet.
"Is that… a proposal?"
Liu Wei's tone was light, playful, but Wang Zheng remained serious, her shame only deepening.
The queen locked her eyes on Liu Wei's, and her hands trembled.
For the first time in her life, she was tasting the fear of losing something she wanted so desperately. Wang Zheng had always had everything she wished for. And though she had lost her parents too soon, grief had never been a choice she allowed herself. She had chosen Liu Wei deliberately. To like her. To taste her. To keep her close.
"Would you accept it if it were?"
Liu Wei touched her face gently, trying to ease her trembling.
"Why do I feel like you're insecure?"
Wang Zheng laughed quietly at the teasing tone. That girl really was so very different from her.
Wang Zheng was like a fragile flower trembling at the thought of winter's arrival. But Liu Wei was like a bold flower blooming fearlessly in summer.
So different. So distinct. And yet, so perfectly complementary.
"I'm afraid you'll accept and then regret it."
The smile slipped from Liu Wei's lips. Did she really think that? "Do you believe I'd regret it?"
The queen covered her face with her hands as though that might lessen her nerves. "I don't know what to believe. I've never been in love before."
The words rushed out quickly, clumsily—so unlike the resolute queen who governed her nation without falter.
Liu Wei laughed softly. She was so beautiful. So achingly beautiful.
The older omega only looked puzzled. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because you're confessing to me like you're terrified. It's… it's funny."
And Wang Zheng finally realized—yes, she was confessing. Finally.
A smile bloomed on her lips, joining Liu Wei's.
The princess reached for her hand and placed a kiss upon it.
"I don't want you to be shy. Keep going."
The queen smiled again, but her heart refused to steady. "Liu Wei, I don't want us to have this talk during your estrus… but you must think about whether you truly want to stay with me until the very end."
"Does that mean you'd marry someone else if I said no?"
Wang Zheng had no answer. Maybe she would. Maybe she wouldn't. She needed an heir—married or not. "It means I would have to consider another path. With or without marriage, I must bear a child. I only wish we could date, become engaged, and marry as normal people do. But… that is not an option for us."
Liu Wei's heart raced. Her hands shook. Truly, she was nervous now.
Words deserted her.
She slipped her hand from the queen's and turned her face away, into the emptiness, because if she looked at Wang Zheng she would surely cry.
"Alright then… shall we eat?"
Feeling cornered, Liu Wei rose, wrapped in the sheets, and escaped into the bathroom.
The queen was no less helpless. Her chest was tight, her heart small. She sighed.
"Yes. Anna brought plenty of food. Do you want me to bring it here, or shall we go to the table?"
"I'll go to the table. But first—I'll shower."
The door closed, and at last Liu Wei could breathe.
She raked her fingers through her hair, disheveling it completely.
What was she supposed to think?
Marriage… Was she truly going to marry Wang Zheng? Could she even imagine letting Wang Zheng marry anyone else?
Under the shower, warm water poured over her skin, softening the edges of her emotions.
Her mind unfolded in retrospect. Every moment she had already shared with Wang Zheng replayed.
So short a time together, and yet those memories carried such weight.
She thought of her family. Of Anna.
Could she abandon everything?
No. She knew she couldn't.
It would be hard. Painfully hard.
She sighed, tired to her core.
Her thoughts wandered to kisses, to embraces, to caresses.
To smiles. To moments where there was nothing to do but admire from afar.
When the water finally ceased, Liu Wei wrapped herself in a towel and stepped slowly from the bathroom.
Wang Zheng stood at the window, lost in her own thoughts.
What was she thinking?
Liu Wei walked quietly to her and wrapped her arms around her from behind.
The queen's face was damp with tears. She tried to hide it, but Liu Wei only rested her chin upon her shoulder.
She breathed in the faint, sweet scent of pineapple.
And sighed.
"I guess… being afraid is just part of loving someone, isn't it?"
Wang Zheng nodded. "Yes."
Liu Wei had always chosen honesty. This moment would be no different. "I'm scared. I never imagined marrying so young…"
Guilt pierced Wang Zheng. It felt as though she were forcing her. "I'm sorry."
Liu Wei smiled. Her omega worried about everything.
The little princess was sly as a fox. Did she deserve so much care?
Wang Zheng turned, meeting Liu Wei's tender eyes.
So mature. So experienced. So enviable.
Words failed her. She only listened, drinking in everything Liu Wei said.
"Do you remember our promise?"
Heat rushed to Wang Zheng's face. Yes, she remembered.
"Let's stay together until there's no reason left to fear… I can't imagine being without you. I can't imagine you with anyone else. You're my omega, only mine. We'll have little puppies running through the palace with your smile and my temperament. Doesn't it sound perfect?"
The queen smiled, wrapping her arms around the little princess, hiding her face in Liu Wei's neck, where mint clung to her skin.
Liu Wei held her close, enveloping her completely. "I don't want to make you cry. I only want to make you happy."
Wang Zheng felt lighter. "Are you sure about what you're saying?"
Liu Wei frowned slightly, glad the queen couldn't see her face.
She was ready. Ready to buy rings. She would not let go of this woman.
Wang Zheng was hers.
"My pheromones have nothing to do with it, I promise. I like you. So much. I love you."
Wang Zheng laughed softly, clinging to her. "Sometimes you seem older than I am."
The princess lifted her gaze, pressed a kiss to the queen's cheek, and smiled.
"But I still want a proper proposal."
"So that's a yes?"
"Of course. I agree to marry you."
Their fingers laced together, and Liu Wei brushed her thumb gently across the queen's ring finger.
It was only a matter of time before they were engaged—officially.