From a stranger to a friend, she slowly became someone he wanted to remain by his side. Her honesty, her kindness, and the way she was as a person was growing upon him. So many thoughts circulated in his mind, but all he muttered was, "I hope you enjoy yourself then." At his response, Li Wei leaned back onto the chair and laughed with so much amus.e.m.e.nt her eyes turned into crescent moon shapes. "Of course."
Khan Bojing cleared his throat and hurriedly changed the topic. She was strongly distracting him from the main point. "I... I will be gone from Na"an for a while."
"En..." She wasn"t exactly surprised. She had long suspected he had another reason why he wanted to meet today. So it was to say farewell to her, she was someone of enough importance to him. This thought alone brightened her day.
"During our run, we separated ways. I led the a.s.sa.s.sins astray and came to Na"an since I was the main target. I"ll be heading to Yu"an to meet as we promised." His eyes glanced briefly out the window onto the busy streets where villagers went about their day. When he looked at her again, his gaze had softened. "Take care while I"m gone."
"I will," She quickly a.s.sured him. Taking care of herself was something she did well at. Li Wei was only worried about him. From Na"an to Yu"an was not an easy journey. Yu"an was located between Na"an and Hai"an. It was a distant town more in the countryside, but there was more than what met the eyes. Yu"an was in itself more like a city, a heavily populated and modern city at that. She could even compare to the capital cities of Na"an and Hai"an.
The one downfall was, it wasn"t easy to get there. There were two routes. You could either take the well traveled road, which was safer but longer, or trek through the risky and densed mountains. There was no doubt he would take the dangerous, but shorter route to meet his parents as soon as possible. To add to it, he also prolonged his trip by being in Na"an for the last couple days. To be exact, he had spent almost everyday here with her...
"You"re worrying about me, arent" you?" He could see the concerns in her eyes as she pondered upon his trip. Khan Bojing could read her thoughts so easily. Her smile disappeared, her eyes lowered, and her lips pressed lightly together. "Will you feel better if I say, I"ve been there many times before?"
Li Wei stubbornly shook her head. No matter how many times he"s traveled there, she wasn"t rea.s.sured. There was only one way she would feel better. "I can only stop worrying if I"m there with you."
"Don"t think too much. I"ll have your lantern, remember?" All his life, she was the first aside from his parents to genuinely cared about his wellbeing. His hand reached over and his thumb lightly grazed across her cheek. When he spoke, his voice was soft and tender, "Just knowing that you"re doing well is enough for me. Be good and wait for me."
His soft caress made her heart skipped a beat as she stared at him. The him now in front of her was like how she remembered him to be. His request was so simple, she couldn"t deny it. She smiled and nodded her agreement. "En, remember to come find me. If you can"t come to me, I can come to you too."
"What a silly sprout you are." His finger touched and bounced off her forehead lightly. "I don"t want others talking about you. Just wait and I"ll come find you when the time is right."
"Alright," She agreed. He was reasonable, if it wasn"t necessary and she"d rather stay on the low. She didn"t want to attract extra attention after the banquet"s performance. Considering the time, she only said, "Yebai, you should leave soon."
"En, I should arrive on the outskirts of Na"an before dark." Khan Bojing stood up and slung his bag across his chest. The peach lantern from her hung on the back of the bag. One of his hand held his sword and the other opened, wordlessly waiting.
Li Wei ran the small distance between them into his embrace. Her arms tightly held onto his waist as if she wouldn"t see him again for years. She never asked him before about his life while he stayed in Na"an. Again, she was realizing just how little she knew of him even if they were married once. She was afraid of the unknown. This was a part of the story she didn"t know.
With a deep breath, she calmed herself down. Her worries were for her to keep to herself. There was no need to burden him any further. Just as he wanted, she would wait for his return. In this moment while she stood in his arms, his warmth brought her comfort. Her eyes closed and she snuggled against his chest. He was like the morning"s sunshine on a spring day. She didn"t want to let go, not just yet.
After a period of long silence, when she felt satisfied, she stood on her tip toes and leaned towards his ear. She whispered quietly, "Peach?"
"Hmm?" His arms still held tightly onto her small waist as he allowed her to do as she wished.
"Don"t get eaten by others."
Khan Bojing"s eyes widened in surprise. He gently pushed her body away so he could see her face. A pair of twinking eyes and a mischievious smile teased him. He tapped on her small nose twice. "Sprout, you"re quite naughty."
"You"re a good looking peach, I"m just worried." She shrugged casually as if this was a very reasonable and normal statement.
This woman, he smiled in defeat and pulled her back into his arms. He rested his chin on her head as he told her the conclusion he came to. "Let me tell you what, anything can happen tomorrow. But until we meet again, if you stay as an uncooked sprout, I"ll make sure I stay as an uneaten peach."
"Childish," She said.
As if he already knew, he only took one glance at her face and pointed to her cheeks that had turned bright red. She could no longer say anything and only hid in his embrace.
His heart beat against her skin and his light chuckled fill her ears, but it was her heart that felt full. To be this close to him, to feel this happy before they said farewell, was better than anything she ever imagined.