Life in the village moved gently… almost peacefully.
Mei Lian spent her mornings beside the river, gold flickering in her veins like quiet embers as she trained her illusions in silence.
Zhen Yu often stayed close — polishing his sword, checking the horses, pretending to watch the road.
But his eyes were always on her.
And she always felt it.
And Lin'er…
Lin'er was the invisible thread weaving the two of them together.
The little girl ran between them every day, tugging Zhen Yu's sleeve one moment, clinging to Mei Lian's robe the next.
"Big Sister Witch! Big Brother Yu! Come see the ducks!"
"Come eat with me!"
"Come watch the sunset with me!"
She dragged them everywhere — to the riverbank, to the old hill tree, to the small market selling hand-carved charms.
Mei Lian didn't speak, but she no longer pushed Zhen Yu away.
Sometimes their hands brushed when Lin'er tugged them forward.
Sometimes their eyes met over the girl's head.
And those small moments lingered in both of them longer than they dared admit.
One evening, Lin'er insisted they all sit by the river after her chores.
She held Mei Lian's hand on one side and Zhen Yu's on the other, swinging their arms as she skipped toward the water.
When she finally plopped down between them, she looked very serious for the first time.
"Big Sister… Big Brother… you two always stay together."
Mei Lian tilted her head. Zhen Yu raised a brow.
"Are you like my mom and dad?" Lin'er asked, eyes wide and innocent.
"Do you love each other like they did? Dad says he promised Mom to keep her safe forever. Did Big Brother Yu promise Big Sister like that?"
Mei Lian froze.
Her fingers curled slightly in the grass.
Zhen Yu opened his mouth — then closed it again.
He looked away toward the river.
"…No," he said quietly.
But he didn't explain further.
Lin'er puffed her cheeks, unsatisfied.
"Then make a promise now!"
Before either could react, she grabbed both their hands and pushed them together — Mei Lian's cold, slender fingers pressed into Zhen Yu's warm, calloused ones.
"Promise you'll stay together and love each other forever — like Mom and Dad!"
Mei Lian inhaled sharply.
The fox inside her stirred, whispering warmth she struggled to suppress.
Zhen Yu looked at Mei Lian and she looked back, their hands still joined.
Neither spoke.
But for a moment —
a long, trembling moment —
neither pulled away.
And that silence said more than any promise ever could.