Romancing the Son of Heaven

Stratagem 11: The Right Opportunity Is Indispensable! (1)

Jing He was in a subtle mood when he finally bid the dragon king goodbye that day. He didn't know what he was supposed to do or say and he wished there had been somebody he could go and talk about this with.

Unfortunately, he knew very well that this was impossible. His mother had already made her stance clear. She wanted him to spend time with Longjun and even though she hadn't said it directly, he could feel that he was she was very much in favor of the idea of them marrying in the future. Obviously, she had already accepted the idea that this man would become his spouse in the future.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand. With how Longjun had been in the last year, he could even imagine it himself. Longjun seemed to have shown that he was exactly the type of man he had been looking for. It was just ... Never mind that his father wasn't in favor of the idea, he wasn't sure if he loved him.

Sure, mutual love wasn't absolutely necessary to get married but it was something he had silently hoped for since long ago. He wanted to be like Tian and Xing, a couple meant for each other, both loving each other, spending each and every day together in blissful harmony.

Jing He turned away from the square in front of his palace and stepped back inside, returning to his study. He picked up the painting that was still lying on the desk and couldn't help but sigh.

A certain dragon king had actually gifted him his painting, mentioning how he had once promised to paint for him. Well, this hadn't quite been what he had had in mind when he had asked him to do that. It wasn't wrong though. It was just ... as confusing as the man himself.

And in a way, Longjun's behavior was always like this. He wasn't actually overstepping any bounds but he wasn't paying attention to them either. No, the dragon king had a certain gift of being able to push those boundaries just far enough that the other person wouldn't be able to say anything against it.

Jing He put the painting down and sat down at his own desk, taking out a blank scroll of paper. Painting ... He had only ever dared to paint the things he had seen himself or some variations that he could very well imagine. Flowers and buildings, nature ... Anything that would be innocuous. Being as bold as the dragon king and painting a person like that ... He couldn't help but admire that. Yes, that man was truly unrestrained. Considering what he knew about the dragon race up until now, it seemed fitting.

Jing He ground the ink and carefully dipped the tip of his brush into it, letting the brush hover over the paper for a moment. He had a strange feeling when he finally drew the first line as if he was doing something forbidden.

Thinking back to this afternoon, remembering the way Longjun had looked at him when he proudly showed him the painting, he continued to draw. The oval face with the slender eyes and the heroic brows, the straight nose, that thin pair of lips that was able to smile at him so silly one moment but could also seem mature the very next.

Jing He paused and looked at that face for a moment longer. He could actually remember it quite well. Even without thinking back consciously, he could put it to paper. Did this mean he had already grown used to having this person around?

He shook his head and added the long black hair framing that face, making it seem more pronounced. His hands slightly shook but he still continued on, adding the broad shoulders with a wave of the brush, even pinning down the details of the embroidery of his robe.

Yes, he hadn't been able to not notice. Whenever he saw Longjun, the man would be impeccably dressed. He didn't know if he was always that meticulous but even imagining that he was putting in that much care just for him, made his heart thump.

Honestly, would it really be so bad? If Longjun was somehow able to convince his father ... Even if he didn't love them, they would still make a very good couple. Longjun loved him, nothing seemed to have changed about that even though there didn't seem to be as much fervor in his behavior anymore. Well, maybe that was only him noticing that he wouldn't get any results if he continued to behave in the same way. Yes, that might very well be the case. He really just adjusted the way he was going after him.