Shi Jiu, the youngest marshal in the empire, had earned countless honors and made his name feared across the stars by the age of twenty-four.
Yet now, he was a widower who did nothing but grow flowers, drink tea, stroll, and walk his dog.
"My son wronged you." The elderly emperor lowered his eyes, unable even to bring himself to say his name. "Have you ever considered remarrying?"
The naturally aloof marshal shook his head, declining the emperor's kind offer.
Everyone assumed the marshal refused to remarry out of respect for the royal family and in honor of the fallen hero.
There was only one person killed in the empire's final battle.
Peace had come at a heavy price. The credit belonged to Shi Jiu, and also to a name that could never be spoken.
*
Countless people approached Shi Jiu, some hoping to ride his coattails to success, others sincerely admiring him and longing to win the heart of the retired marshal.
But Shi Jiu was like a block of ice that would never melt. Only when the garden was in full bloom would he allow himself a faint smile. The rest of the time, he sat quietly in a corner of the garden, silently listening for something.
The nobles battered themselves bloody against the walls around Shi Jiu's heart and returned in defeat. In the end, they declared:
[The greatest marshal in the empire's history is an empty shell, devoid of feeling.]
[He has no emotions, and doesn't understand what love is.]
*
Time turned, and the passing years could neither take Shi Jiu's youthful appearance nor dispel the chilling aura around him.
Time passed too quickly. The marshal's campaigns across the stars had already become legend, and the hero had been consigned to the history books, reduced to a yellowed page.
Then one day, the marshal's long-silent door opened, revealing a glimpse of radiant summer.
A young man with water-blue eyes stood before the wooden door, awkwardly holding up a withered tulip.
"I'm late," the young man said softly. "Even the flower has wilted."
The marshal, who had always been as cold as frost, accepted the long-withered flower and smiled.
"You are late."
He listened to the strong, vigorous heartbeat coming from the earring, then opened the wooden door wide.
Sunflowers filled the garden as far as the eye could see, as if embracing the whole world.
Shi Jiu's voice was clear and strong, brimming with joy.
"But you came at just the right time, too.
"The flowers are blooming."
#You gave me a tulip, and I planted a garden full of sunflowers for you#
--
Stoic, cold marshal widower bottom x carefree, sunny crown prince top who died in battle
1v1, both virgins, happy ending
Notes:
1. Widower romance, with a side character having unrequited feelings for the bottom.
2. The strong age slowly. Both leads are top-tier, long-lived beings.
3. The leads have extremely strong mutual feelings.
4. The bottom is only aloof on the surface. A marshal's love is passionate and unstoppable.
Theme: Love can cross infinite time and space
