“What are these?” Poppy asked.
“Blessing sachets,” Xu Yunlian explained. “Traditionally made before a wedding.”
Poppy froze mid-stir.
Minghua leaned in. “Want to make one for Mingxi?”
“Minghua,” Yunlian warned.
“What? She should! It’s romantic!”
“I-I don’t even know how,” Poppy stammered.
“Oh! It’s easy!” Minghua grabbed the sachets and spilled herbs everywhere. “You pick the flowers based on what you wish for your partner in the next season.”
Poppy blinked. “Partner?”
Minghua nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Husband, wife, vowmate—however you frame it.”
Poppy stared at the table, and her heart fluttered.
Xu Yunlian watched her quietly with soft eyes.
Chapter 86
Later that afternoon, Poppy wandered toward a small waterfall that fed into one of Huoyáo Jìng’s glowing pools. Mist drifted low. Dragonflies glittered like living jewels. She knelt near the water, letting her fingers brush the surface.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Mingxi said behind her.
She startled but relaxed at the sound of his voice. “You move too quietly.”
He sat beside her, close but not touching. “You look overwhelmed.”
“I’m… adjusting,” she admitted. “It’s beautiful here, and it’s safe. But it’s nothing like what I imagined for myself.”
He tilted his head. “Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know yet,” she whispered. “It feels… like a dream I shouldn’t be allowed to have.”
“You deserve everything here,” he said softly. “More than any of us.”
She looked down at the shimmering water. “And weddings?” she whispered before she could stop herself.
Mingxi inhaled sharply.
Poppy clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, gods… forget I said that.”
“No,” he said instantly, voice too soft, too raw. “Don’t hide your thoughts from me.”
She blinked at him.
His fox ears flickered faintly above his head.
“My family is making assumptions they shouldn’t. And I… don’t want you to feel pushed.”
She looked at him then—really looked, noticing the way he sat with his knees turned toward her, the way his tail tips curled unconsciously around her ankles, the way he always positioned himself between her and danger, and the way he said her name like a promise.
“Can I ask you something?” she whispered.
