Jing He quietly heaved a sigh of relief when the last person went to sit down again. Even though this was a banquet to celebrate their wedding and even though he had used the well-wishes from the guests to distract himself from his worries about the near future, he still wasn’t used to being among so many people.

The whole time, he felt like he couldn’t relax for even a minute. He constantly had to try and remember who was who, greet them accordingly, show the right amount of appreciation for their gift in both his words and expressions, and make sure that nobody felt slighted. When it came to the people of the dragon realm who he didn’t know yet, he also had to commit every detail to memory so he wouldn’t forget and embarrass himself and his husband later on.

It was … a lot. Especially so after several hours of it. So even though this was about their wedding, he had also started to wish things would go faster halfway through which definitely wasn’t making it any easier. He tried to remind himself of how all of this was the basis for his future relationship with Qiu Ling though and that made it bearable. Yes, as long as he got through this part, they would be together forever. He had waited for that so long. How could he not do everything in his power to do right by Qiu Ling and put his all into this last task before they left for the dragon realm?

He turned to look at his husband, his lips unwittingly curving up further. His husband. It felt good to think about how this was what he was now. From now on, they were indeed married and everyone of importance in both the Nine Heavens and the dragon realm had witnessed it happening. Soon, they would return home and this news would spread further with them, until their names were entwined forever. He was looking forward to that.

Qiu Ling had been glancing at him from time to time already, sometimes even watching Jing He more than he was paying attention to the guests. Of course, he noticed when his beloved turned toward him and he saw that smile blossom.

He hummed to himself and leaned closer but held back from doing anything else. Jing He probably wouldn’t appreciate it and they’d have so many more opportunities to hug and kiss after they left here which … wasn’t far off. It seemed that the last person had already returned to their seat? Then now, it was time for their closing speech!

Qiu Ling beamed and gently pulled Jing He’s hand, pulling him up as he himself got to his feet.

The guests who had been quietly talking amongst themselves fell silent one after the other and turned to look at them.

Jing He felt anxious with all those gazes on him and inched closer to Qiu Ling’s side, secretly squeezing his hand beneath their sleeves.

Qiu Ling glanced at him once more and gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to address their guests. “Thank you for coming, everyone. It means a lot to both of us and to our families that you wanted to celebrate this special day with us.” Of course, most of them hadn’t known but … everyone had still congratulated them and while some had clearly scrambled to find the right words and gifts, everyone’s feelings about this had seemed real.

“Of course, what counts most is that the two of us are happy being together …” He turned to Jing He and leaned closer, pulling up his hand and pressing a kiss on his fingers. He didn’t think they had anything to hide. If Jing He wanted his reassurance, he could be given all of it in front of everyone. They were married now, after all.

He kept quiet for a moment before picking up where he left off. “Apart from that, I do hope that this union will also have a positive effect on our realms. I hope that it will draw our people closer together and make more things possible in the future.

“For now though … we will return to the dragon realm to celebrate with my people as well. Everyone who is inclined to do so may follow the procession. We’d be glad to have you for those festivities as well.”

He inclined his head and Jing He followed suit. Then, they quietly left their spot behind the table and made their way over to the group from the dragon realm.

Bai Fen and Qiang Yan also walked over from where they had been, intending to follow them to the dragon realm. While they likely wouldn’t stay until tomorrow so as to not bother the young couple too much, they did feel that it was only right to take part in the dragons’ festivities as Jing He’s family.

The group slowly made their way to the gate of the capital city. Many people followed, not just the titled gods and other important figures who had been specially invited but also many of the commoners living in the city. To them, their crown prince was a figure seldom seen but fondly remembered. Whenever he appeared in public, he would be polite and pleasant, easily gaining everyone’s love and appreciation.

Seeing this person in wedding robes and thinking back to the few appearances of him and the dragon king together in the past years, everyone couldn’t help but feel moved. They followed the crowd and a few of the bold ones even called out to them, giving their own congratulations.

Jing He felt even more ill-at-ease in such a disorganized crowd but Qiu Ling turned back and smiled happily, acknowledging everyone’s well-wishes. He might not have the patience to sit through an hours-long banquet but he still liked to hear these things very much. Of course …

He smiled brightly at the people and stopped in his tracks. “Thank you very much, everyone. I’m afraid I’ll still have to kidnap your crown prince back to my realm now though. You are all invited to join in today’s festivities in the dragon realm though and also visit my realm in the future.”

Saying so, he turned to his lover and wrapped his arms around his waist. Suddenly, he had a bold idea. “Say, my love … have you ever wanted to ride on a dragon?”