Chapter 8 — Leaving the Jiang Estate

"Your Highness, are the begonia blossoms at the Temple of Eternal Buddha truly beautiful?"

Minh Duc paused in momentary surprise, his expression softening into a gentle, genuine laugh.

"Of course they are beautiful."

He knew then that he would never be able to erase that scene from his memory. On one side, the rhythmic tolling of the temple bells marked the transition from dawn to dusk. On the other, she stood perfectly still beside the sprawling begonia tree, her face etched with a profound and heavy solitude. What was she contemplating in that quiet moment? She had not shed a single tear, yet the sorrow radiating from her seemed more poignant, more shattering than anyone else's grief. He had wondered then: could he be the one to bring a flicker of joy to her weary heart? It was that very impulse that led him, for the first time in his life, to make a formal request of the Empress. Now, looking at her, Minh Duc finally witnessed that long-awaited transformation. Her eyes curved into delicate crescents, and as her smile bloomed, it felt as though the warmth of it pierced directly into the deepest, most guarded corner of his soul.

"Your Highness, then let us return there once more to admire the flowers together."

Minh Duc replied in a voice barely above a whisper:

"Very well. You may linger among them for as long as your heart desires."