“I was saving it—”
“For what?” she shrieked.
Mingjun threw his hands up, defeated, and Mingxi opened the small box. Inside lay a delicate chain of woven moon-silk, fully white until touched.At the center hung a crystal shaped like a fox’s tear—clear, but capable of glowing with the vow-maker’s qi. A fox-spirit’s promise. A proposal.
His pulse hammered painfully.
Minghua leaned on his shoulder. “You love her. She loves you. Stop being a coward.”
“I’m not—”
“Youare. You’re a beautiful, broody coward.”
Mingjun sighed. “You should propose.”
Mingxi stared at the charm and then inhaled. “I will.”
Minghua screamed with such force the lanterns flickered.
Poppy sat on the veranda, brushing out her hair as Xu Yunlian brought tea.
“You seem lost in thought, darling,” Yunlian said gently.
Poppy flushed. “I just… this place. Your family. Everything. It’s more than I ever imagined I’d be allowed.”
Xu Yunlian smoothed her hair. “You belong here as long as you wish.”
Poppy’s heart tugged painfully. “Do you think… is it too soon to feel… so much?”
Xu Yunlian smiled softly. “The heart does not follow calendars. It recognizes truth when it finds it.”
Poppy looked down. “I think he’s the safest place I’ve ever known.”
“That is what love feels like,” Yunlian whispered.
Poppy choked on her tea. “I-I didn’t say—”
“You didn’t have to.”
Chapter 89
Mingxi led Poppy into one of Huoyáo Jìng’s hidden groves that evening—a place seldom shown to outsiders. Fireflies hovered like lanterns. Blossoms glowed faintly. A narrow pool reflected the night sky so perfectly it looked like they were standing on the edge of a mirrored universe.
Poppy gasped softly. “It’s beautiful.”
Mingxi swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “I wanted you to see it.”
He stood before her, hands trembling slightly—not from fear of her, but from the weight of what he carried in his sleeve. His vow. His heart. His future.
He took a breath. “I need to tell you something,” he said quietly.
Poppy stepped closer. “Anything.”
He kept his voice soft, unguarded. “I haven’t known peace since the night the entity reached for you.”
She froze.
“But when you’re near me,” he continued, “my qi settles. My mind clears. My heart…” He exhaled shakily. “My heart chooses you.”
