When the day arrived, he invited them all without explanation. His ten women gathered in the hall, exchanging curious glances, unsure of what was happening.
Each of them was dressed elegantly, their beauty almost surreal under the soft lantern glow. The room sparkled with enchantments, its air filled with the sweet scent of plum blossoms and warm incense.
Then Riley stepped forward, dressed in formal robes of deep sapphire embroidered with gold, his presence calm, steady, and overflowing with affection.
His gaze swept across each of them—eyes he had fallen in love with, hearts he had come to understand—and in that moment, he spoke the words he had held in for so long.
"Will you all marry me?"
The silence that followed was charged, like the hush before a storm. For a heartbeat, none of them moved—eyes wide, lips parted, stunned into stillness by the sudden weight of his words.
Then came the explosion.
"Yes!"
