The market had never felt so suffocating. Stalls pressed close like a maze of mismatched walls, voices rose and fell in a hundred directions, and still, Yan Qing could not find her.
He moved through the narrow lanes like a man possessed, scanning faces, parting through crowds, ignoring the startled glances of vendors he pushed past. His breath came hard, not from the exertion, but from the creeping panic that tightened around his chest with every empty search.
It was as if the entire marketplace had swallowed Jai Yu whole.
Where are you? The question pounded in his head, relentless.
He searched until the noise blurred into a single dull roar, until the air felt heavy in his lungs. Finally, he stopped, jaw tight, and forced himself to think. Maybe she had gone home. Maybe—
He turned and strode quickly back.
But when he reached the small house, the sight that greeted him twisted the knot in his chest even tighter.
She wasn't there.
Grandmother looked up from her seat, surprise flickering across her lined face. "Yan Qing? Where is Jai Yu?"
He shook his head once, voice low. "I thought… she would be here." His throat tightened. "We were selling together… and the next thing I knew, she was gone."
Grandmother's brows knitted. "Gone?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't.
Jai Yu had never been one for crowded places, never had the patience for the chaos of the market. She wasn't built for this kind of life, but circumstances had bent her into it, piece by piece. And yet—she wouldn't just vanish without a word.
Turning on his heel, Yan Qing headed back toward the market, his pace quick, almost breaking into a run.
He had gone far—almost to the edge of the market's outskirts—when a small, frail figure caught his eye.
She was coming toward him.
Her steps were slow, uneven, like each one took more strength than she could spare. Her head was slightly bowed, strands of hair escaping to cling damply to her face. Her shoulders sagged, the usual brightness in her posture dulled to something almost… defeated.
He didn't wait. He closed the distance in long, urgent strides, and when he reached her, he pulled her into a fierce embrace.
"I've been looking for you, Jai. Where have you been? You scared the hell out of me."
He cupped her face, the warmth of her skin a small relief—until he saw the tears streaming freely down her cheeks.
He thought it was fear, or that she'd been lost in the market. But when she didn't speak, when the tears didn't stop, a deeper worry stirred in him.
Wrapping his arms around her again, he pressed her head to his chest, his palm moving in slow strokes through her hair. "I'm sorry I left you alone. I should never have—please, forgive me. Don't cry anymore, Jai."
But the more he whispered, the more her shoulders trembled. Her sobs deepened, raw and unrestrained, each one cutting through him.
It felt like trying to dam a river with his bare hands.
When her voice finally broke through the sobs, it was hoarse and trembling.
"When did you plan to kill me, Yan Qing? The fourth son of Emperor Taizong… from the kingdom of Lingxia."
He froze.
His hands stilled against her hair. "How… how did you—" The words stumbled from his mouth.
"You've been protecting me, feeding me, teaching me things… just to kill me? Isn't that right?" She searched his eyes, her own red and swollen. "Why delay it until now? Why make me fall in love with the very enemy who risked his life to save me, only to take it away in the end?"
Her tears came faster.
"What my father did to your family… was evil. Unforgivable. If killing me will ease your pain, then I'm ready to die. I'd rather die than live without you. The distance between us was already killing me. So… kill me."
Her words broke on a sob.
Yan Qing felt his chest tighten until it hurt. His vision blurred before he realized his own tears had begun to fall. He pulled her close again—so close it was as if he could bury himself in her, as if holding tighter might make the rest of the world disappear.
"I love you, Jai," his voice cracked. "I've fallen for you so completely, like a fool. There's no way back for me now."
His hands framed her face, thumbs brushing away her tears even as his own slipped free. "How am I supposed to live without you, knowing what you meant to me?"
And then, before she could answer, he kissed her—desperate, trembling, like a man clinging to the only thing keeping him alive.
"Marry me, Jai. Let's get married," he said, his arms still wrapped tightly around her, as if letting go would mean losing her forever.
"I… I have no family," Jai Yu whispered, her voice trembling. "No one to give me away in marriage."
"Same with me, Jai," he murmured, his breath warm against her hair. "I have no one either. We only have each other… and Grandma." He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "Let's ask for her blessing."
A small smile broke through Jai Yu's tears. "Alright," she said softly, her heart feeling lighter.
___
Grandma was at home waiting for them. When she finally caught sight of the two, she hurried toward them, relief flooding her face.
"You children scared the life out of me," she said, clutching Yan Qing's arm.
Yan Qing wrapped his arms around her saying,"Grandma, we have no parents, no place to go. You took us in when we were strangers. You've become the only family we have. Please… marry us and bless our union."
Grandma had always suspected they might fall in love someday, but the sudden mention of marriage still caught her off guard. She stared at them in silence for a moment before blurting out, "I don't have the right."
"Please, Grandma. You're all we have," they said together, dropping to their knees before her.
Her eyes softened, but she asked, "What do you have for the bride?"
Yan Qing looked down. "Nothing… except my heart." He turned to Jai Yu. "Will you marry me like this—no name, no money in my pocket?"
"Yes, I will," she said without hesitation.
And so, with Grandma's help, they were married that day.