Chapter 20

Winter fades, and the frontier's snow melts into spring. With Jason's care, I'm fully recovered.

One morning, I'm trimming flower branches in the courtyard when I overhear maids whispering. "They say the general's got a portrait of Leah in his study!"

"No way!"

"Swear it! The lieutenant saw it—looks just like her!"

My pruning shears pause, my heart rippling. A portrait of me?

I set the shears down and head to his study to see for myself. The guard at the door lets me pass with a respectful nod.

Inside, the room's stark—shelves of military scrolls, a neat desk with ink and paper. My eyes land on a rosewood chest in the corner. I hesitate, then open it.

Folded clothes sit inside, and on top, a scroll. I unroll it, breath catching. It's me, in a white dress under a plum tree, my face captured perfectly. But the paper's yellowed, the ink faded—not recent.

Then I notice the dress. It's the one I wore three years ago in Belmor Town's plum garden. I flip the scroll over, and there, in tiny script: Third Year of the Reign, Winter, Belmor Town Plum Garden.

That was the year I saved Shawn. I was sixteen, out with my mother to see the snow-dusted plums, when I glimpsed a striking general in battle gear. I was too caught up in the flowers to pay him much mind.

Was that… Jason?

"What're you looking at?" His deep voice startles me, and I nearly drop the scroll.

He's at the door, his gaze falling on the painting, eyes darkening. "Jason…" My heart races. "Did you paint this?"

He steps closer, taking the scroll and rolling it carefully. "Yeah."

"That day in the plum garden… it was you?"

"It was."

My eyes sting. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He sets the scroll back in the chest, voice low. "You had someone else in your heart."

His words hit me, explaining so much—his kindness, his distance. He thought I was still hung up on Shawn.

"Jason." I take a deep breath, grabbing his hand. "I need to tell you something."

He tenses but doesn't pull away. "Go on."

"I…" I meet his eyes, steady and sure. "I don't love Shawn anymore. From the moment I chose to bind myself to you, my heart's been yours."

His pupils dilate, breath quickening. "You've been so good to me, holding back because you thought I still cared for someone else," I say, voice soft but firm. "But I'm telling you now, Jason, it's only you."

Before he can respond, I rise on my toes and kiss him. He freezes, then takes over, his hand cradling my head, deepening the kiss. It's fierce, hungry, like he's pouring out every suppressed feeling.

When he finally pulls back, forehead against mine, he whispers, "Leah, for the rest of my life, I'll protect you."

Tears well up, and I nod hard. "Okay."