The bridal chamber was still unfinished.
Wei Shen stood with a hammer in one hand and a wooden beam in the other. He'd insisted on building the bed frame himself, despite the servants offering to do it. "If it's where she'll sleep, it should be made by my hands," he'd said.
Yu Lian entered quietly, carrying a bundle of white linens. Her smile was soft.
"You're sweating again," she said.
He looked up, brushing dust from his forehead. "I'm building our future."
"That's a little dramatic, even for you," she teased, setting the linens down.
They sat together on the half-built frame, side by side, the open windows letting in the breeze. In the distance, bells rang from the inner sect—some disciples were graduating today. Time moved on for everyone.
"You ever think about leaving the sect?" Wei Shen asked suddenly.
Yu Lian looked at him. "You?"
"Sometimes," he admitted. "Not for long. But just a year, maybe. See the world. Take you to the ocean."
She leaned on his shoulder. "Then take me."
"I will," he said. "After the wedding."
They sat there for a long time. The wind moved the curtains. The world was quiet.