Chapter 005: Why Does It Matter to Me If You Don't Want to Get Married?

The weight of her folly crushed Yao Yuan as she reflected on her negligence. Just a year basking in comfortable living robbed her of the vigilance that could have prevented this dire predicament. 

"I won't kill you. Your life still holds value for other purposes," her captor stated flatly.

Yao Yuan's eyes narrowed. "I see, you intend to use me to extort Luo Zhan'en, is that it?"

A cruel smirk played across the man's withered lips. "A smart lass. For now, you needn't worry about dying. Your fate - release or otherwise - depends on whether I receive the sum I demand."

Yao Yuan scoffed. "But I have nothing to do with him. Why would Luo acquiesce to your terms on my account?" He had saved her life once, but she was under no illusion their bond warranted such an extreme act.

"If he refuses my demands, then you are indeed useless to me." The smirk contorted into a sinister leer before he abruptly turned and departed, leaving Yao Yuan to her churning thoughts. 

Did she hope Luo would compromise for her sake, or pray he wouldn't? An odd reluctance gripped her at the notion of his capitulation - yet why should the matter vex her so? Yao Yuan grappled with the warring contemplations until fitful slumber finally claimed her.

A soft creak shattered the silence, Yao Yuan's eyes fluttering open to behold a cloaked figure slipping stealthily through the door. "You..." she gasped in surprise.

"Shh." Luo Zhan'en raised a quieting finger to his lips as he approached. "Don't speak. Keep quiet and follow me."

With deft strokes of a dagger, he severed the coarse ropes binding her limbs. Yao Yuan winced as she struggled upright, her ankles and wrists screaming in protest from prolonged confinement. Seeing her falter, Luo frowned with concern before sweeping her onto his back without a word.

They made their clandestine escape under the shroud of night, slipping unseen through the shadows as heavily armed guards patrolled the stately grounds. Yao Yuan marvelled - could this be the imposing City Lord's Mansion itself? Yet if it were, why go through such trouble when he could have just ordered her arrest?

Luo Zhan'en ushered her into a dimly lit study, illuminated by a solitary flickering candle. "This is where I work," he murmured by way of explanation.

"So I was right - this is the City Lord's Mansion." Yao Yuan surveyed the opulent, book-lined space. "But why would the City Lord, have me kidnapped? I've committed no transgression here."

Luo's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "It was not the City Lord... it was my father who orchestrated your capture."

Yao Yuan's brow furrowed quizzically. "But why? What possible reason could he have for such an elaborate scheme?"

An exasperated sigh gusted from Luo's lips. "Can we...not discuss this now? It's complicated."

She studied his taut countenance, sensing the tension radiating from his rigid posture. Was he distressed at his father's actions, or that she had been the one captured? "Very well. If I had tied you up, locked you away, and threatened your life, would you meekly accept it without demanding answers?"

Luo's shoulders slumped infinitesimally as he relented. "No, you're right...it's just...my father wanted leverage. To force my hand regarding..." He trailed off evasively.

"A marriage?" Yao Yuan supplied. At his reluctant nod, she continued blithely, "Well, marriage is a blessed institution. But whether you wish to wed is your own choice, not mine to make. Don't tell me you used me to avoid this arrangement because your interests lay...elsewhere?" Her tone remained carefully neutral, providing a respectful out should he require it. 

"No, no - nothing like that!" Luo's cheeks coloured faintly. "My preferences are quite conventional. I just...I don't know what possessed my father to such extremes over this."

"Then you two clearly need to sit down like reasonable men and discuss this properly. Surely he'll be open to reasoning?"

Luo shook his head morosely. "Communicating with my father has never been...easy." 

Yao Yuan's expression softened as she thought of her own taciturn father, forever distant behind the veil of his military austerity. "I understand that all too well." 

Her mind suddenly seized on a detail she'd overlooked. "So if not to avoid marriage entirely, who is this intended bride your father is so insistent upon?"

Luo averted his gaze evasively. "You don't need to know that."

"Oh, come now!" Yao Yuan arched an inquisitive brow at his reticence. "I'll not attempt to whisk her away, I promise!" 

Luo's silence stretched on until she relented with a sigh. "Very well, keep your secrets if you must. In any case, may I depart now that this ordeal seems resolved?"

"Of course - but we'll need to wait for the changing of the guard. It will be safer to slip away during that window."

As the minutes ticked by, Yao Yuan suddenly grinned mischievously. "Well, since we're idle, why not enlighten me about this wife-to-be, is she beautiful?"

Luo's cheeks burned a brighter crimson. "She's...quite pretty, I suppose."

"Well if she's a vision, what more is there to ponder?" Yao Yuan laughed lightly. "Unless..." A sly glint entered her eye as a daring notion took hold. 

Luo started, his mouth working soundlessly as he processed her query. After a moment's pause, he deflected, "Then if it were you, would you accept?"

A wistful longing tinged Yao Yuan's smile as she shook her head. "Not until my family's honour is restored through justice enacted, no. I cannot countenance leaving some beautiful maiden a premature widow to bear that grim legacy. It would be unforgivably selfish of me." 

An odd tenor coloured Luo's reply, one she couldn't quite identify. "I see. A fair point..."

Mistaking his melancholy for doubt over his own situation, Yao Yuan pressed, "But yours is vastly different from mine. You should absolutely consider this proposal - did you not mention hoping for a daughter one day? This could be your chance to secure that dream!"

Luo went rigid, his jaw clenching. "What nonsense. You spurn marriage for yourself, so cease this misguided matchmaking!"

Yao Yuan's eyes widened in surprise at the vehemence of his retort before comprehension dawned. Of course - his hesitation stemmed from that cryptic [Divine Art] she had forewarned him against pursuing that night so long ago. 

She fixed him with her most earnest, imploring stare. "You're right, I misspoke. But I beg you, heed my advice: abandon whatever that jade stone promises, whatever [Divine Art] it unveils. From what I've glimpsed, it is surely a calamitous deception unworthy of a man of your calibre." 

Luo blinked owlishly. "What jade stone? What [Divine Art] are you referring to?" 

Her brow furrowed. "You mean to deny it still?"

"Deny what?" Luo's voice rose in a mixture of exasperation and confusion. "I genuinely have no inkling what you're insinuating!"

Yao Yuan waved a placating hand. "Remain calm. If you claim ignorance, so be it - I shan't pry further." She had played her warning card; his path forward was his own to walk.

A heavy silence stretched like a taut cord before Luo muttered, "You're being unreasonable."

She shrugged philosophically. "So I'm told." The clank of boots heralded the changing of the guard. "Ah, our window! Shall we depart?" 

Luo frowned intently, clearly desiring to pursue the subject further before nodding brusquely. Yao Yuan could sense the unspoken words hovering on his lips, but sometimes discretion proved the wiser path. As she followed him into Baihu City's shrouded embrace, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling their discourse was terribly, heartwrenchingly unfinished.

**To be continued