LIWEI POV

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After Mingxia fell asleep, I returned my focus to the spread-out scrolls in front of me. As much as I wanted to remain in her mind, I had to focus on my work. Lately, that was all I could do.

The schedule every day was the same: wake up, eat, change bandages, sleep, wake up, eat, change bandages, review scrolls. And I did all of it from the same spot, the same cursed bed that existed as my shackles.

"Is everything alright, Lord Liwei?" Myra's question pulled me out of my darkening thoughts. Even when I exhibited impatience or frustration, she continued to appear every hour to check my wound. No doubt the work of my worrisome mate and Lady Thalia. However, I should have been grateful I had such a diligent healer to watch over me. "You seem more distracted than usual. Are you worried about Lady Mingxia?"

Her words struck a nerve. But I wasn't willing to share my feelings with someone I barely knew, even if that same person's life was tethered to mine. "Yes, I was just thinking about the relocation procedures," I lied.

"Ah, yes. Lady Thalia spoke of how the kitsune can re-enter the Mainlands. How wonderful it will be to have everyone reunited again!"

"I suppose you miss the times when healers could travel the world to expand their medical knowledge."

"As an elf, it's in our nature to be nomadic. We go where the earth needs us. Mother Nature uses us as her messengers. We aren't ordinary healers. Our magic revitalizes everything that grows. Our presence offers solace and security. Although I'd miss my family, I wouldn't throw away the chance to help those truly in need. As you can see, Aivrena is prosperous and stable. There's nothing more I can offer my people."

Myra's worldview was refreshing. She had an innocent, serene perspective that countered my hectic lifestyle. All my life, I'd met enough manipulative people to form a nation. If I could close my eyes to all the problems in the realm for a moment, it would be enough to grant me peace. However, things didn't come as easily as Myra insinuated.

Even if I allowed the kitsune to return to Wuzhen, it wouldn't undo the centuries of pain and distrust forged between our nations.

"Well, with a country as lush and lively as Mutsushina, I suspect their stay won't be permanent. Though this is all I can offer in exchange for their loss. Celestial kitsune are not as common as they used to be and Xie Xia was a powerful alpha. It'll be difficult for them to find someone willing to lead the Clans. Whoever follows Xie Xia's rule will have to live in the shadows of her accomplishments," I explained.

"I know they'll appreciate the thought." She began re-bandaging my arm, tying the ends together before tucking it in. "I'll return in the morning. Please try to find some time to rest."

"Thank you, Myra."

"It's my duty to serve you, Your Majesty. If you require any food or beverages, whisper to the nearest leaf and it shall appear. I must leave to complete my rounds before bed now. Have a good evening!" And with that, she disappeared through the door, leaving a trace of rosemary behind.

I turned my attention to the quickly piling scrolls, doing my best to review each one diligently and thoroughly. After a few minutes, I found myself reading the same sentence I started with. My dragon was anxious. It feared that our situation would become a permanent one.

My heart wrestled with feelings of frustration and confusion, but it was the sheer terror that alerted my dragon the most. My dragon fought for freedom, despite my body's condition. He needed to see her, to find her and confirm with his own eyes she was alright.

"Liwei?" an intrepid voice beckoned. When I looked up, I met Shen Guiying's worried gaze. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

The last thing I wanted, and even my dragon wanted, was for my father-in-law to see me like this. I needed to be strong. I had to be strong for everyone, despite how much my inner turmoil tormented me. "Yes, I'm fine," I lied, hoping it was convincing enough for him to not ask again.

"Are you sure, son? You look like you're ready to morph into a dragon any moment now." His pointed glance zeroed in on the golden talons tearing into the scrolls.

My eyes followed his trail, and I let out a deep breath to dissipate the building tension. My hands returned to normal soon after. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

He inched closer to me, eyeing the chair across from the table, silently asking me if my dragon was fine with him being close. I nodded, and he took a seat in front of me before clearing his throat. "As a child, there was a time when dragons terrified me. My parents always spoke of how they ate humans and destroyed villages. That was the bedtime story most human families shared every night. Perhaps to keep the children from becoming too curious."

"What changed?"

"Dragons aren't that different from humans. We all have hearts, we all have souls. Just as there are good and bad humans, there are good and bad dragons. If all dragons were as bad as my parents claimed, I wouldn't be alive to this day. It is true our bodies are built differently, but we share more commonalities than others will admit. We both feel pain, sorrow, and happiness and both struggle with coming to terms with change, though some more so than others."

"I don't understand."

"I can't imagine how your dragon must feel now that Mingxia is away, but as family, I know how difficult it is to let someone close to you go, even when you know they'll return to you safely later. Don't think of the absence now, but the presence in the future. You mean the world to Mingxia and I see she means the same thing to you, if not something greater."

"Very much so. Sometimes I worry my love for her will swallow me and I might do something she could come to hate me for."

"It's important to cherish your bond and appreciate what you have. Don't allow your insecurities to interfere with your goals." I opened my mouth to speak, but he held a hand up to stop me. "I almost lost Mingxia's mother a couple of years into our marriage. As much as I wanted to pretend the problem didn't exist, it did. The longer you try to deny there's nothing wrong, the deeper the hole you've dug yourself into becomes."

"What did you do?"

"I questioned my worth many times, thinking I wasn't the right man for her. But I didn't once think of how horribly Jingyi had to have felt. I'm sure I neglected her a lot then because I was too broken to pick myself up for her. She might not admit this to me, but I'm sure she cried herself to sleep many nights over my insensitivity."

"What did you do to overcome it?"

"I confided in Jingyi and told her how I felt. In doing so, I discovered her feelings. We became closer that day." He let out a chuckle before adding, "It also helped when the opportunity to raise a female wyrmling came up. Mingxia turned our lives around. She gave Jingyi what she wanted most: a child. It was an arduous journey and I know our Mingxia struggled with finding her place, but I don't regret taking her home with me that night. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. She filled our home with a light I'd never seen before."

Adoration danced playfully in Guiying's eyes as though he relived the memories. I could feel his love for Mingxia, and it miraculously brought a smile to my face.

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