The night passed far too quickly and with it the feeling of Bi Han's arms pressing you tightly to his chest.

It wasn't often that the grandmaster showed some humanity that had nothing to do with discipline and honour.

Only with you he was nothing more than a man. And this man also wanted to bury his face in your hair from time to time, breathe in your scent and feel the tender touch of your fingers in the morning.

Tiredly, you curled your nose as the sun's rays fell through the window and kissed your (S/C) skin. When your eyes opened, briefly blinded, you could see dark hair tickling the tip of your nose.

Strands of black hair were wild and unkempt in Bi Han's face. He still had his eyes tightly closed, soft breath rolling from his lips.

You breathed a kiss on his nose. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before his eyes opened. Long eyelashes framed deep brown eyes. In the morning light, they were almost like liquid gold.

He met your gaze more softly than usual. The corners of his mouth curled upwards slightly. You greeted him with a smile and nestled your cheek against his chest.

With a sleepy grumble, he placed a hand on the back of your head and kissed the top of your hair. A shiver ran through your whole body.

How long had you longed to feel that feeling again?

His body, which held yours completely enclosed. You wanted to sink deeper into him, to melt into him and become one.

Birds were chirping outside the window. Everything was so peaceful. Perfect. As if there had never been anything different between you.

That feeling spread through your chest again. Heaviness and regret. But also fear. Your fingers clawed into his chest.

What would happen if you left this bed?

Would it all be ruined again?

A sigh slipped from your lips. He looked down at you out of narrow eyes. Then he sighed too and rolled onto his back.

You immediately snuggled up to his side, one hand resting on his chest while the other fished a strand of black hair out of his face.

When he looked at you again, there was something in his eyes that you couldn't quite interpret.

Was that sadness?

"I won't force you to stay.", his voice was still rough and scratchy from the night before.

The marks your fingernails had left on his skin were still clearly visible. You gently ran your hand along them. His eyes followed your movements and when you sat up next to him, his hand came to rest on your hip.

He didn't want you to leave. No matter what his words said, everything else inside him was screaming, begging you not to leave him.

Not again.

You laughed bitterly to yourself.

Hadn't it been different back then?

He had taken the first step back. You had jumped as far as possible in response. And then there was this rift between you. Now it felt as if that hadn't been his intention at all.

When you looked up at him again, your eyes met. You smiled gently.

"It's strange, grandmaster.", you whispered, looking thoughtfully out of the window. "Your father had a right hand that he trusted completely. His father before that. And my father had someone too. Just like my mum."

A bird rose from the branches of a tree that grew in front of his house. The wood was shaken so much that blossoms rained from the leaves like coloured glass.

It was warm. Even Bi Han seemed to be burning under your fingers. If only his temper hadn't been so cold.

"My loyalty and trust in you is unreserved.", he assured you, audibly irritated that you could question him like that.

You laughed. Strands of your (H/C) hair fell over your ears.

"I'm not questioning your loyalty.", you looked at him out of the corner of your eye. "And I never did."

And that was the truth.

Bi Han might have his flaws, just like any other person but you never doubted that when he was with you, everything else was of no interest to him.

As his father's son, he had been popular. Especially with men who had daughters his age. Your father was no exception. And although he had always had a wide range of options, in the end you were the one he had chosen.

He had never pretended or said he wanted anything else. He had always been true to his decision. Even after years, you were pretty sure that he had never touched anyone but you.

No, there was no doubt about his fidelity or commitment to you. But that wasn't what made you frown anyways.

Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes, lean your head back and savour the feeling of the sun on your skin. It made your breasts tingle, still exposed after the night before.

You could feel the weight of his eyes as they travelled along your neck, lingering over your collarbone and at the base of your cleavage. His fingers travelled up your hips to your waist.

"Mûdān.", it was like a plea from his mouth.

"Bi Han.", your hand came to rest on his chest. "I don't doubt your desire to be with me. Not even your feelings."

Your eyes jumped to his face to see how he reacted. Surprisingly, he didn't even seem offended. He looked at you calmly, waiting for more words.

Something stirred inside you and you couldn't help but lean forward and steal a kiss from his lips. Immediately his hand found the back of your head, holding you close as he savoured the taste of sleep and a sweet night on your tongue.

"Doubt me as a man, Mûdān.", he said against your lips. "As a grandmaster. But don't doubt me as yours."

A smile twitched across your lips. For a second, your heart beat so fast that you thought it would jump out of your chest.

"If you are mine and I want to be yours, why are you sending me away, Bi Han?", you asked as a blade dug into your heart.

His breath trembled.

"Because it's my duty.", he kissed you. "Because father put this burden on me."