[he rubs gentle, deliberate circles into common points of tension on Quentin's scalp, the pressure from his fingertips constant, sensitive. gradually, his little smile fades; he considers his words as he gazes down at the young man looking up at him through his eyelashes. there are risks to honesty, even here--perhaps especially here.]

I think that there are too many unknowns for me to know with any certainty what the right choice is. [it is one version of the truth, unvarnished, but declawed. Jin Guangyao's eyes soften.] But I know that I would not ask someone I claim to protect to cut out his heart for me.

[not unless he felt he had no other choice. which, perhaps, is precisely the circumstance the Duchess finds herself in now. but Jin Guangyao does not care about the Duchess's heart: he cares about Quentin's.]