Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 11, Part 1)

142 Showing Respect

For a moment, Qiu Ling wasn't sure what to do. He continued to look at Jing He and finally sighed. "You do know that I have a reputation for being eccentric even in the dragon realm, don't you? Nobody will even blink if I refuse to follow any traditions. They might even be more surprised if I decided to do."

Yes, he still remembered how everyone had looked at him when he finally took the celebrations for his coronation's anniversary seriously for once. At that time, he had done so for Jing He so it could be called an exception. The dragons had behaved accordingly. When it came to his wedding, their expectations should be the same.

Jing He looked at him but his expression didn't change. He knew that Qiu Ling was considered to be slightly odd by the gods but he had also met Qiu Ling's advisers and they seemed to worship him. He didn't believe that it was different for the rest of the dragons.

"I ..." He wasn't sure how to make clear to Qiu Ling what he wanted or why he felt that this was important to him. Explaining it as is would surely get the point across but he would feel exposed if he expressed his worries about not being accepted by the dragons so freely.

Qiu Ling waited for him to speak, not knowing how to encourage him to be honest about this. With neither side able to continue, the two of them reached an impasse.

Qiu Ling finally sighed. He let go of Jing He's cheeks and instead reached down, rubbing An Xin's head as well, wondering if it would help with gathering his thoughts or making a connection with his beloved that would allow them to communicate about this more efficiently.

Of course, An Xin didn't have that kind of magical ability. Instead, the flame heart gave Qiu Ling a suspicious look. It hadn't forgotten how this guy fished it out of its home and brought it here. Even though it liked Jing He, it still felt that it was better to be careful around this guy.

Qiu Ling raised his brows when their gaze met and retracted his hand. Getting into a fight with Jing He's pet that he had gifted him in front of his eyes would definitely show just how eccentric he could be but it might also make his carefully crafted image of being a mature man collapse. Seeing as they were talking about their wedding right now, he really didn't think that this was the right time to allow for that to happen.

He cleared his throat and tried to just be more open. Maybe if he took the lead in this, his beloved would also follow suit. "It's not that I don't appreciate you wanting to show respect. I really do and I am sure the dragons would as well. But this shouldn't cost you your comfort. Especially not on our wedding day but also not while we live in the dragon realm in general.

"The dragons can be ... incredibly open." In fact, no matter how he said it, compared to the behavior of the gods, it would still seem like an understatement. He had absolutely walked down a street in the capital city once or twice, only to witness how somebody decided then and there that it would be a good time to make their relationship official. Naturally, that kind of behavior wouldn't be acceptable to Jing He.

Qiu Ling clicked his tongue thinking of such a time and comparing it to Jing He's scandalized look when he touched his hand at the beginning of what couldn't be quite called their relationship yet. "The gods aren't by any stretch of the imagination. Not when contrasted with what is normal in our realm."

Jing He nodded. He couldn't deny that. "But isn't that why it is important for us to do this? I am going to marry you who is the king of the dragon race. I will be living with you in your realm. At that time, don't we have to show that I can accept anything? So that, in turn, the dragons can accept me?"

Qiu Ling's brows raised. It seemed that this wasn't going too badly. At least now, Jing He was saying what he really meant. "To a degree. But I think it is important that we find a line between where you are showing respect to the dragon race and where you'd have to disrespect your own beliefs to do so. After all, this is a union between two races.

"Yes, we are going to be in the dragon realm but you are still a trueborn god. One day, we will also return to the Nine Heavens so you can reign as the Heavenly Emperor. And our child ... whenever we have one, they'll be a half-blood. At every step of the way, we will have to find compromises that work for both sides. Our wedding ceremony is just the first of many.

"But especially because of that, we have to make sure that we don't cross the line. Otherwise, wouldn't you also be unhappy? If you always have to compromise on your own values, it won't do in the long term. So why insist on doing it for this one event? You'd just feel more compelled to do the same again the next time. I don't want to see that happening."

Jing He lowered his head, unable to refute. Qiu Ling wasn't wrong. He knew himself. Doing this for the wedding ... he was indeed uncomfortable with it but felt that it was necessary. And yes, of course, he would feel the same for the next event. But then, this was what it meant to marry somebody, no? From the day they held the ceremony, he would be Qiu Ling's. As a result, should he not do everything he could for his husband? Just this ... why was it so difficult for him to do?