Li Mei wasted no time. The moment she grasped the full implications of her sisters' words, a new sense of urgency propelled her. The long journey back to the palace felt agonizingly slow, each turn of the carriage wheel a torment of impatience. She had to see him, to confirm this unbelievable truth, to finally understand the depth of his heart.
Upon her arrival, she immediately dispatched her head maid, Ling, to inform the Prince of her return. There was no need for pretense now, no subtle maneuvering. She simply needed to see him. As she waited in her chambers, the emotions she had so fiercely suppressed for months, even years, came crashing down upon her. The fear, the grief, the bitter resentment of her past life—they were still there, but now, intertwined with a profound, overwhelming realization of his unwavering love.
She remembered the Crown Prince's face in her "dream," twisted in pain as he asked if her betrayal was true. She remembered his inability to kill her, his banishment of her to the Cold Palace, a desperate act of mercy. He had loved her so deeply that he couldn't bring himself to truly punish her, and even when she actively pushed him away, he saw only the spoiled child he was willing to endlessly indulge. The sheer magnitude of his love, a love that had endured even her perceived infidelity and his own subsequent downfall, was staggering. It shattered her carefully constructed defenses.
A sob escaped her lips, raw and uncontrollable. The tears she had held back for two lifetimes poured forth, hot and stinging. She cried not only for herself but for the Prince, for the innocent love he had given her, for the suffering he had endured. It was a catharsis, a release of years of buried anguish and regret.
Meanwhile, in his own study, the Crown Prince, having received Ling's message, felt a surge of relief so potent it almost buckled his knees. She was back. She hadn't run away. A profound happiness, a quiet joy he hadn't allowed himself to feel since his rebirth, bloomed in his chest.
As the evening deepened, the Crown Prince finally made his way to her chambers. He found her seated at a low table, her back to the door, her posture now subtly different—less rigid, more... expectant. A delicate porcelain teapot and two cups sat before her. He stepped inside, the soft rustle of his robes the only sound. She turned, her face and eyes, though she had put on the grandest makeup and wore an exquisite, flowing gown, still bore the faint traces of her recent tears.
He walked towards the table and sat opposite her. His heart, which had been a tempest of anxiety and longing, began to feel at peace the moment his gaze settled on her. He saw her, truly saw her, not just the beautiful woman he adored, but the soul burdened by a past he now understood. He looked down as she picked up the teapot, her movements graceful and deliberate, and began to pour him tea, the fragrant steam rising between them.
"Li Mei," he asked softly, his voice gentle with concern, his eyes searching hers, "have you been crying?" He had been so scared that she had returned only to ask for a divorce, a fear that had haunted him throughout the weeks she was away with her family.
Instead of answering, her first words were a desperate, raw question that had been burning in her soul since her conversation with her sisters. "Crown Prince," she asked, her voice trembling slightly, "do you... do you love me?"
A flicker of confusion crossed his face. He repeated the words, his voice gaining a desperate clarity, "Are you in love with me?"
A deep, resonant sigh escaped the Crown Prince's lips, a sound of long-held emotion finally released. He reached across the table, taking her hand, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles. "Li Mei," he began, his voice thick with a sincerity that pierced through any remaining doubt, "from the moment I first saw you, I knew my heart would only ever recognize yours."
"On our wedding night?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, still clinging to her past timeline's understanding.
A faint, tender smile touched his lips, a smile tinged with a sorrow that only a shared past could bring. "No, Mei'er," he corrected gently, his gaze holding hers. "That faithful day, five years ago, when you and your sisters were in town." He chuckled softly at the memory. "I remember when you stepped out of the carriage. You were the prettiest of the four. You seemed timid, looking around with wide, curious eyes, as if it was your first time being around so many people. I remember when you and your sisters went to buy candy, and you took it with such pure joy, and the small talk you had with your sisters seemed to make you laugh, a sound that captivated me instantly."
His grip on her hand tightened almost imperceptibly. "But there was a moment, as you were going up into the carriage, where you seemed to stop. And you looked in our direction, where we were sitting. The sun shone on your smile, a radiant, innocent smile, and your hair flowed with the wind as you looked majestic in your beautiful baby blue garments you were wearing. In that single moment, Li Mei, I fell in love with you. I vowed to myself then that I would wait, and I would only have you as my wife. That idea of you, that image, I have kept close to my heart ever since."
She stared at him, tears welling anew, but these were tears of overwhelming realization, not despair. He loved her then. He had loved her all along. The favor hadn't been a consequence of the vow, but a manifestation of a love that had predated everything, a love so profound it had drawn him to her from the very first glimpse. The vow had merely amplified what was already there. The Prince's unwavering patience, his defense, his immediate agreement to her going home – it wasn't because he was blind to her "unruliness," but because his love is so absolute, so deep, that he would endure anything for her.
The weight of her past life's misunderstanding lifted, replaced by a fierce, burning resolve. She had been trying to flee from the very anchor that could save them. This time, she wasn't going to run away from his favor. She was going to embrace it, to use it as a shield and a weapon to protect everyone she loved, and that, she now knew with absolute certainty, included him.