Janice seemed about to call out to Lo Quen, but Ynys stopped her with a warning look.
Ynys gave a slight shake of her head, signaling her not to interrupt.
For a moment, that corner of the balcony fell into a quiet, delicate stillness.
No one openly turned to look, yet everyone's attention drifted there all the same.
Lo Quen's footsteps were light, but Daenerys still seemed to sense someone approaching from behind.
Her shoulders tightened almost imperceptibly for an instant, though she did not turn around.
Only when Lo Quen stopped just behind her, close enough to catch the faint fragrance in her hair, did he come to a halt.
He did not speak at once. He simply stood there with her, gazing out at the sea, its surface dyed by the setting sun like rolling flames.
He could feel the gentle warmth radiating from her body, and beneath her calm exterior, the restless emotions quietly surging.
After a while, he lifted his arms and very gently wrapped them around her slender waist from behind.
Daenerys stiffened slightly at first. Then, as if recognizing the familiar embrace and scent, she slowly relaxed and leaned back into his warm, solid chest.
Her back rested against him, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart.
"Dany, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
Lo Quen lowered his head, resting his chin lightly atop her fragrant hair, his voice soft and unhurried.
"Hiding here alone to watch the sea, not even drawn out by something as lively as Quicksand or Bronzeward cracking shells? That doesn't sound like you."
Daenerys did not answer right away. She only shifted slightly in his arms.
She continued staring into the distance as the sea breeze lifted a few strands of her silver hair, brushing against Lo Quen's cheek with a faint, ticklish touch.
After several seconds, she turned her head just a little, revealing half of her exquisitely delicate face, tinged with a trace of stubborn grievance.
"…It's nothing. I just thought the view here was nice. Quiet."
Seeing how her words clearly contradicted her expression, Lo Quen felt both amused and tender.
He tightened his hold, drawing her closer, as if his warmth alone might chase away that lingering unhappiness.
"Is that so?"
He asked with a deliberately teasing lilt. "Because to me, Your Grace the Queen, your face is clearly saying, 'I have something on my mind. Come ask me.'"
Exposed so easily, Daenerys flushed with embarrassment and irritation. She nudged him back with her elbow, though the motion was soft and completely lacking in force.
"Who says that… let go of me. I'm fine!"
She struggled for quite some time, but couldn't free herself.
At last, she turned fully around, lifting her face to look at him with an almost childlike expression, her eyes full of reproach as she stared at Lo Quen.
Only after a long pause did she pout her soft, rosy lips.
"You really only know how to tease me!"
Seizing the moment, Lo Quen lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her.
After the kiss, he did not pull away. Instead, he rested his forehead against hers, his nose brushing lightly against hers, gazing into her eyes from just inches away.
"Tell me, Dany. What is it that's really making you unhappy?"
Such closeness, paired with his quiet, tender question, completely stripped away Daenerys's last pretense.
She looked deeply into Lo Quen's dark, steady eyes and let out a soft sigh.
"I also…"
She hesitated, as if the words were difficult to say. "I also want to be like Sister Lynesse and Sister Roslin… to carry your child."
As soon as she finished speaking, embarrassment seemed to wash over her. She quickly lowered her eyes, long lashes trembling like butterfly wings, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
This wish had lingered in her heart for a long time. Ever since she saw them surrounded by their children, their faces glowing with a kind of maternal warmth she had never known, that longing, along with a quiet anxiety, had only grown stronger.
She was afraid of being left out of that close bond, afraid that her place in Lo Quen's heart might change simply because she had not yet borne him a child.
Hearing this, Lo Quen finally understood. So that was it.
He caught the trace of grievance in her voice, and a surge of tenderness filled his chest.
He did not explain right away. Instead, he pulled her closer with one arm, while the other lifted to gently stroke her silver-gold hair, shimmering like woven moonlight, again and again.
"My silly girl," he chuckled softly, his voice full of affection and helpless fondness. "So this is what you've been upset about?"
He gently cupped her face, making her look at him again. "You've misunderstood me. Listen, Dany. More than anyone, I want to see you become a mother, to see our bloodline continue. But now is not the right time."
Seeing the confusion flicker in her eyes, he explained in a serious tone. "Westeros is only temporarily stable. The Long Night has not truly ended, and the threat from the North still remains. More importantly, once I've dealt with the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, I plan to take you east. Yi Ti is my homeland, and what awaits us there may be even more complicated than the Others."
"You are my Flame Knight, the warrior who commands the dragon Greysmoke, and one of my most trusted pillars. In the expedition ahead, filled with unknown dangers, I need you at your strongest. I need your power fighting at our side. Pregnancy and childbirth would keep you from giving your all for at least a year. That is a risk I cannot afford, whether to your safety or to everything we are building together.
"But I promise you this. Once the threat in the East is resolved, once the Long Night truly passes and the world welcomes peace and dawn, I will make your wish come true. Then, however many children you want, we'll have them. I'll watch our children grow up on a land of peace we created with our own hands. All right?"
Those words swept away the last of the gloom in Daenerys's heart.
She realized that she had been narrow-minded and willful, thinking only of her own feelings while overlooking the weight Lo Quen carried as a king and a leader.
Her cheeks flushed bright red, this time from shame.
The light returned to her amethyst eyes, a faint sheen of tears shimmering within them.
She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Lo Quen's waist, burying her face deep against his chest. "I'm sorry… I was too willful… I misunderstood you… I didn't think things through…"
Lo Quen gently patted her back. "It's all right. Whatever you're feeling, you can tell me directly. Don't keep it bottled up. We're partners. We should understand and support each other."
Just then, a maid approached carefully and stopped a few steps away, reporting respectfully, "Your Grace, Maester Qyburn requests an audience in the study."
Lo Quen nodded to show he understood.
Lowering his head, he spoke softly to Dany in his arms. "See? Duties again. Don't overthink it. I'll come see you later."
Daenerys lifted her head from his chest. Though there were still faint tear marks on her cheeks, a bright smile had already returned.
She nodded firmly and answered obediently, "Mm! Go take care of your work."
Lo Quen gave her forehead another affectionate kiss, then turned and strode off toward the study.