Outside the window, the sun sank westward, bathing the study in gold.
Lin Qin watched the sunlight gild Aileen's profile and caught the faint smile at the corner of her mouth. Something hard inside him suddenly softened.
A new life would soon arrive.
"Have you thought of a name?" he suddenly asked.
Aileen blinked and tilted her head. "Not yet. But if it's a boy, we'll call him Lin An. An as in peace."
"And if it's a girl?"
"Lin Nian. Nian as in longing."
Lin Qin considered the two names and nodded.
"Good."
Aileen looked at him, then smiled a little shyly.
Her eyes reddened again, but she held back her tears and simply squeezed his hand.
Sunlight streamed through the window at an angle, merging their shadows on the floor. The room was quiet and warm.
Outside the door, Soros raised a hand to knock, a stack of documents in his other hand, then stopped.
He could faintly hear voices inside.
The old steward's lips curved into a smile. He turned and quietly walked away.
As he crossed the corridor, he met Hosen coming the other way.
"What's wrong?" Hosen glanced at the untouched documents in his hands. "Is the lord out?"
"He's in," Soros said without breaking stride. "But today isn't a good day to discuss official business."
Hosen paused, then understood. He laughed and patted Soros on the shoulder. "Tomorrow, then. Oh, now that the lord's back, did he say anything about—"
"Hosen." Soros stopped and gave him a stern look. "No official business today."
The look made Hosen uneasy. He hurriedly nodded. "All right, all right. No business." He scratched his head.
Soros nodded and watched him leave before continuing on his way.
Inside the study, Aileen's eyes crinkled with happiness.
Lin Qin returned to