CHAPTER FOUR: THE WEIGHT OF EXPECTATIONS
515 Words
Wei Leiyang stood and walked forward to meet his mother halfway as she entered the room.
“Be careful, Mother,” he said softly, reaching out to support her hand.
Madam Wei smiled faintly as she let him guide her to her seat. “It’s fine, my son,” she replied with quiet grace.
When they sat down together, her sharp eyes turned to him. “Where were you today?”
Leiyang blinked, his mind flickering back to the morning’s encounter in the market. He cleared his throat lightly. “Nowhere important, Mother. What brings you here?”
Madam Wei’s gaze softened, but her voice carried purpose. “Yang’er, you must finish setting the marriage date with ¹Gōngzhǔ Qin Ling,” she said while watching her son pour tea into her cup. “The palace has already begun preparing for the union. It cannot be delayed much longer.”
Leiyang placed the teapot down slowly, the steam rising between them like a thin veil hiding his thoughts. He kept his eyes lowered, afraid his mother would sense even the slightest shift in his calm. “Mother… there is no rush,” he said gently. “ Gōngzhu Qin Ling and I hardly speak. It feels too sudden to decide on a date.”
Madam Wei’s expression remained elegant, but her tone sharpened slightly. “Sudden? Yang’er, the Wei family does not move on feelings. This marriage is a shield. The palace trusts us, but trust in the Imperial Court changes quickly. A union with the royal family keeps our position safe.”
Leiyang nodded out of habit, but inside something tightened. The image of the girl from the market flashed in his mind again: her quiet posture, her lowered eyes, the bruise she tried to hide. She had looked so small yet strangely steady, as if she endured storms in silence.
Madam Wei watched her son carefully. “Is something troubling you?” she asked. “You seem distracted.”
“No, Mother,” he replied quickly. “I am only tired from training.”
But Madam Wei was not easily fooled. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she finally sipped her tea. “Very well. But remember this, Yang’er. Your life is not only your own. Everything you do carries the weight of our entire family. Do not let unnecessary things cloud your judgment.”
Leiyang lowered his head. “Yes, Mother.”
She stood with his help, her robes flowing around her like soft clouds. “I will speak with your father tonight. The marriage preparations must continue. Rest well, my son.”
When the door closed behind her, the room fell silent again. Leiyang remained seated, his fingers lightly pressing the teacup. The warmth of it seeped into his skin, grounding him for a moment.
But his thoughts drifted back to the market and the girl he met earlier this day. He didn’t know her name, her family, or her story, but for the first time in many years, he found himself wanting to know.
¹ Gongzhu - Princess
- Writer
