I decided to give her what she needed. She needed to comfort me, because comforting me would soothe her own fear.
I let my face crumble into a mask of exaggerated shock.
"A Late Stage Foundation Establishment?" I gasped, my voice pitching up. "With a demon treasure? Oh, heavens!"
I threw myself forward, wrapping my arms around her waist and burying my face in her breast.
"Meira! Save me!" I wailed, my voice muffled by her robes. "I am but a fragile young master! I only know how to refine pills and look handsome! I am not built for fighting demon thieves who eat rocks!"
She stiffened for a second, startled by my sudden collapse.
"Arya?" she asked, confused.
"He's going to come for me!" I cried, shaking my shoulders in a pantomime of sobbing. "He's going to eat my sword! He's going to eat my robes! What if he eats my hair? I can't be bald, Meira! My beauty is my greatest asset!"
I looked up at her, making my eyes big and watery. "You have to protect me. You have to beat him up. I'm too young to be eaten!"
For a moment, she just stared at me, her mouth slightly open. The fierce warrior, the worried fiancée, the reborn avenger they all short circuited.
And then, a smile tugged at her lips. A genuine sparkle returned to her eyes.
"You are ridiculous," she said, her voice shaking with laughter.
"I am terrified!" I insisted, burying my face in her breast again. "Hold me! Tell me the big bad thief won't get me!"
She sighed, an exasperated sound that was full of affection. Her hands came up to stroke my hair. "Shh," she cooed, playing along. "It's okay. I won't let him eat your hair."
"Promise?" I asked, my voice small.
"I promise," she said, her fingers massaging my scalp. "I will cut him down before he gets within ten feet of your precious face."
"My hero," I sighed contentedly.
We stayed like that for a while, me playing the cowardly damsel, her playing the stoic protector. It was a joke, but beneath it, there was a profound exchange of comfort. By letting me be weak, she felt strong. By letting her comfort me, I eased the panic that had driven her here.
"You are impossible," she said softly, her hand resting on my cheek. "You are the genius of the Chen Family. You shouldn't be acting like a spoiled child."
I sat up, my expression shifting back to a loving smile. "I only act like this for you. For the rest of the world, I am the iron wall. For you... I can be soft."
She blushed, looking away. "You make it hard to be serious."
"Good," I said. "Seriousness causes wrinkles. You are too pretty for wrinkles."
I took her hands in mine, rubbing my thumbs over her knuckles. "Meira. Listen to me."
She met my gaze.
"I know about Jin Hao," I said. "That is... news. I know he is a threat. And I promise you, I am not unprepared."
"But he is unpredictable," she argued.
"So am I," I countered. "I have my own preparations. I have defensive talismans that could stop a Nascent Soul attack. I have artifacts that my father gave me. I am not defenseless."
I squeezed her hands. "But I am deeply touched. That you would worry so much. That you would come all this way."
"I couldn't lose you," she whispered.
"You won't," I vowed. "But... hearing this news... it makes me worry about you."
"Me?" she scoffed. "I can handle myself."
"I know you can," I said. "But this Jin Hao... if he has a treasure that devours energy... he is a variable. And I don't like variables near my future wife."
I let go of her hands and reached into my robe. I pulled out the exquisite box made of Deep-Sea Frost Jade. The cold air radiating from it misted in the warm room.
"What is this?" she asked, eyeing the box.
"A gift," I said. "The first gift of our engagement."
I placed it in her hands. It was dense with the power sealed inside.
"Arya, I cannot accept…"
"Open it later," I interrupted gently. "In your own cultivation chamber. Alone."
"What is inside?" she asked, curiosity warring with propriety.
"An adventure," I lied smoothly, weaving a story I had prepared. "A few years ago, I found a hidden grotto in the Ironspine Mountains. It was an ancient place, untouched for millennia. Inside, I found... a condensation of pure origin energy."
Her eyes widened. "Origin energy?"
"It is rare," I said. "It has no element and no impurities. It is simply... pure Qi. I didn't know what to do with it. My own cultivation is fire and adding something so neutral felt wasteful. But your art... the Azure Dragon's Genesis Scripture... it is about life. This energy... it will water your foundation like rain on a drought-stricken field."
"Arya," she breathed. "This is priceless."
"It is useless in a box," I said firmly. "And it is valuable only if it helps you. I want you to use it. Jin Hao is growing fast. Too fast. We cannot let him outpace us. You are strong, Meira. But I want you to be untouchable."
I covered her hands, folding her fingers over the box. "Take it. For me. So I don't have to worry about the big bad thief hurting my hero."
She looked at the box, then at me. Her eyes shimmered with tears again. "You always... you always think of me."
"It's a full-time job," I joked. "Very demanding."
She let out a watery laugh and tucked the box into her storage ring. "I will keep it safe. And I will use it."
"Good."
"So," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs. "Since you are here... and since you have already broken about a hundred rules of propriety..."
She raised an eyebrow, a challenge in her eyes. "Yes?"
"And since I am terrified of the scary thief..." I grinned. "Perhaps you should stay? Just to guard me. Purely for security purposes, of course."
Meira rolled her eyes, but she didn't stand up. "Security purposes," she deadpanned.
"Vital security," I nodded solemnly. "I might have a nightmare. I might need someone to hold my hand."
"You are shameless," she said.
"I am in love," I countered.
She sighed, but it was a happy sound. She stood up and walked over to me. She sat on my lap, her arms going around my neck.
"Just for a few hours," she whispered, her face inches from mine. "Before the sun rises. Before the servants come."
"A few hours is an eternity," I said.
I kissed her. It was filled with the promise of a thousand tomorrows.
"Tell me more about this thief," I murmured against her lips. "Tell me everything you know."
"Later," she whispered, pulling me closer. "Right now... just hold me."
"As you command, my lady."