[Suggested song for this chapter - Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole]
"Shouldn't you tell me when you fell for me first, Li?" she asked him shyly. "After all, isn't it men who should confess and such?"
"All in good time. I will definitely tell you that story, but I asked you first and you mustn't keep me in suspense a moment longer."
She sighed deeply. Incorrigible man!
"I can't really say for certain… It was a gradual thing that snuck up on me over time despite my best efforts. If I had to put a finger on the first time that I noticed my feelings for you had changed, it was probably when I discovered you and Tricky asleep together outside my tent on the royal hunt. Tricky had half-climbed onto your lap. It was a very delightful scene," the tenderness in her voice made his heart squeeze.
Good boy, Tricky! Bai Li thought. You definitely furthered my cause. He would be sure to reward that dog well after they were married…
