[Suggested song for this chapter - Distance, by Two Lanes]
Tan Bowen stared unseeingly out across the sparkling lights of the capital, his mind elsewhere, ruminating on how much he would be hurting the young and innocent Miss Wang, when she finally understood what he had done…
"And what of you, Mei Meili?" he asked her softly. "You're fading away on me. You're clearly not okay. You know that your brothers and friends away at the front wouldn't like to see you like this. You must be strong for their sakes," he urged her. "Try not to worry so much about what you can't control."
"How can I not be anxious? My third and fourth brothers have just left for the front, where they've joined First and Second. Bai Li's there, leading the army. And I've just heard from First that Sofya narrowly escaped death… or worse, heading into that war zone," her voice hitched as she recounted the weight of her concerns.
