#.・゜゜・ ♡ ; when i was shipwrecked i thought of you ( ignius x lilianna )

[kittcns]

@vvespertina ♡ ; ignius & yuèliàng // flashback thread

Yuèliàng to some, and Lilianna to most, the Shu Lei heiress was a mere eighteen or so hours away from what was supposed to be the biggest day of her life. It had been a long time coming - how long had she known Ignius for now? Similarly, how long had she loved him? She couldn’t quite recall a time before him, or a world where he did not exist, and while she’d never been much of a romantic - she was far too logical for that - she couldn’t fathom the existence of a future without Ignius either. She had sworn several years ago that she would never settle for just any man - let alone bind herself to said man for all of eternity - but if there was anyone who could force her to rethink everything that she had ever truly known about herself, including her admittedly skeptical thoughts on the simply archaic act of marriage...then Ignius would be it. 

And while Yuèliàng’s faith in their relationship, and the great love that they shared, had yet to so much as diminish as their nuptials grew closer and closer, she couldn’t deny that she’d found herself concerned about Ignius himself as of late. She felt as if she’d hardly seen him in recent weeks - which, given the ridiculous amount of work that went into planning their wedding, was honestly preposterous - and when she did manage to wrangle him into being alone with her, he’d seemed...distant. Withdrawn, even, as if he was being forced to hold a part of himself at arm’s length. Open communication, and true and transparent honesty, were two values that Yuèliàng had always held near and dear to her heart, and she’d more than expressed the importance of them to Ignius countless times throughout the span of their relationship, and usually, these values were upheld almost effortlessly. Usually, they told each other everything. 

So what was he hiding from her now, and why? 

“It’s supposed to be bad luck for us to see one another the night before the wedding, but we both know that the only traditions I’m particularly fond of are those that involve ancient Chinese battle techniques.” Yuèliàng’s voice was soft and gentle as she stepped into the suite that she and Ignius had shared for more than a year now; her parents had long ago insisted that they occupy the small apartment on top of their family’s apothecary, and Jiang and Lanying retained residence over the cozy space downstairs. Mei Mei, the Shu Lei’s tiny pet pig, happily went back and forth between both homes, but tonight he was meant to be anywhere but with Ignius...and so was Yuèliàng, supposedly, but she’d never been the best at following the rules. She shut the door to the master bedroom soundlessly behind her, and without looking away from Ignius where he was seated on the bed, his bare, broad back pressed against the headboard, she crawled up onto the mattress to join him, wearing nothing but a negligee of pearlescent, pale blue silk. 

“It seems that the best way for me to track you down these days is by showing up in places where I’m not meant to be,” she murmured, and her large, dark eyes flitted upwards inquisitively to lock onto the deep, endless depths of his gaze; Yuèliàng slid effortlessly into his lap, with all the nimble grace and elegance of a feline at rest, and for a moment, she could only allow herself to bite down tentatively upon the seashell pink curve of her bottom lip. She’d never been one to hesitate, and yet...being with Ignius now, despite the familiar warmth and the reassuring strength of his strong, toned body underneath her own, felt not unlike the unsettling calm before an approaching storm. Still, she used one of her slender hands to stroke his thick ebony curls out of his face, and the tips of her fingers slid down further still to caress the side of his face as she continued quietly, “Wǒ de huǒyàn - my flame. You’ve been avoiding me. Why?”