It was already winter. A light snow had fallen the night before, there were stones, roots, and hidden sinks lying just under its crust. Despite the war transpiring between the Western Empire and the An Clan, it did not stop the capital from celebrating the Winter Lantern Festival. It was a unique festival that often celebrated the start of winter.
A faint wind blew through the holdfast gate. Rin's breath blew, steaming, in the cold morning air. She wore the simple dress of a civilian woman and a silk veil to conceal her face.
After spending the whole morning processing her actions from last night, she realized how impulsive she was—how unreasonably emotional she behaved. Here they were in the middle of a war, and yet she could only think about An Sun.
Perhaps it was her conversation with Yun Suyin or the turmoil around her. But for a moment, she wanted to be with him. Just the two of them.
For one day, she wanted to be Rin. The girl in love, rather than Bai Lan, the strategist. But maybe even just this was too selfish.
Sighing, Rin turned to the sky and the thin flakes of snow.
"Are you ready?" A man's deep voice suddenly whispered directly in her ear.
Startled, Rin turned and saw the handsome face of An Sun while he looked down at her.
"Yes," She answered and adjusted her veil. At the same time, she noticed the man was without a horse. "Where is your horse? Aren't you riding as well?"
Using his arm to keep her veil lifted, An Sun touched her warm cheek with the back of his long index finger. He was a full head taller than her, and those dark, gray glinting eyes stared at her with a teasing smile.
"You look beautiful, Rin."
Her eyes widened, and a blush formed on her cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Thank you."
He grinned. When he bent down, she felt the warmth of his mouth approaching hers. His lips almost touched hers when the sound of a bird's sharp call startled the both of them.
An Sun frowned at the sudden interruption as he withdrew his hand to let her veil fall back down. Rin looked up.
"Ju." She sighed and lifted a hand for the falcon to land.
"I see he's coming with us?" An Sun stared at the brown falcon, his tawny brow creased lightly.
"Do you mind?" Rin blinked her eyes innocently.
The furrowed expression on An Sun's face faded away. He huffed a puff of cloud of air and patted Ju's head.
"I don't mind." He turned to the sky. "We should get going before the sun sets."
Rin nodded. She mounted the horse and felt An Sun sit behind her, his warm chest pressed against her back. He felt the softness of the woman in front of him, but there were no inappropriate thoughts—only comforting emotions.
"Hold on." He whispered against her ear before kicking the horse forward.
With Ju in her lap, Rin felt a gust of cold wind splash across her face. She raised her head to look up at An Sun's defined chin. She pressed her lips together and leaned back against his chest, trying to surround herself with the scent that made her feel safe.
...
A harvest moon, full and orange, hung in the dusk beyond the tall trees. The hooves of their horse kicked up showers of snow as they went. When they arrived and settled their horse beside a tree, they entered the Western Empire's capital city. Seeing the street full of excitement, the joy in Rin's eyes burst uncontrollably.
