━ ENDEARMENT ( byakuya kuchiki. )

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 // Arisu Manor.

<Byakuya's POV>

I was sitting in my large, bedroom in my manor, when a small, gentle knock was heard on my door.

"What is it?" I asked showing no emotion.

"Lady Arisu has requested your presence at the Arisu Manor to meet with the elders at lunch time, Lord Kuchiki." The person spoke.

"Tell them that I will be there." I responded.

"Yes, Lord Kuchiki." The person replied.

I heard their small footsteps slowly fade away into the distance as they went to deliver my message. I kept my calm expression as usual and prepared for the lunch.

I approached my large bathroom and decided to take a long, warm bath to cleanse myself. After I was clean, I stepped out of the bath and dried myself off. Then I grabbed a handsome and expensive suit and my kenseikan. After that, I had managed to put on the expensive suit and placed in my kenseikan to symbolise my nobility.

Once I decided that I was ready, I checked that I looked good enough to reveal myself to the elders of the noble Arisu clan and hopefully my future wife. After deciding that I looked presentable, I began to make my way to the Arisu manor with my guards surrounding me. When I caught sight of the large gates that protected the Arisu clan from outsiders, the Arisu guards spotted me and bowed down to me then opened the large gate slowly.

"Welcome, Lord Kuchiki." One of the guards welcomed me with a bow.

I didn't respond and kept my calm expression then entered the large Arisu grounds. The manor looked very similar to mine, except from the colours and placing of some certain things. A few seconds after I arrived, I heard a wooden door open and a beautiful figure stepped outside. I soon recognised the figure to be my gorgeous girlfriend, Esmee. She was wearing a stunning, long, cherry- coloured dress that fitted her perfectly. I stepped towards the beautiful woman and stared at her perfect, plump, pink lips and kissed them softly.

"You always manage to look perfect, don't you?" I spoke with a smirk.

"It's my speciality." She replied with a chuckle.

We entered Esmee's mansion and she led me towards the dining room. Throughout the long hallway, there were multiple pictures placed on the walls of her family. I saw a picture of Takara Arisu, and she could of easily been mistaken for Esmee. I saw another picture of Ganju who was sat on a chair looking heroic. Another picture I set my sights upon was a picture of them both at their wedding. Takara was wearing a stunning, long, white gown which draped along the floor while Ganju was wearing a smart, black suit. The next picture I saw was of Esmee as a teenager. She had shoulder-length, straight, black hair and she was smiling brightly towards the camera. Another picture I saw was of Esmee's brother, Daisuke, while he graduated from the academy. The last picture I saw was a picture of another female. The female looked exactly like Daisuke, but younger and a female version. I then recognised this to be Blossom, Esmee's missing sister, and sighed slightly.

I soon realised that we were at the dining room when I heard some doors being pushed open. I held the door for Esmee as she walked in and I followed behind her. The smell of delicious food travelled into my nose and I smiled slightly. The dining room looked slightly like mine, but the colours were different. There was a large, glass table where several different elders were seated. The elders gazed towards me and gave me an approving smile as Esmee and I approached the table and took our seats.

A few seconds after I had taken my seat, the elders began to reach towards the different sorts of food and began to eat the tasty foods that were placed among the table.

"It's a pleasure to be in your company, Lord Kuchiki." One of the elders spoke.

"The pleasure is all mine." I responded.

The elders all introduced themselves until their was a small knock at the door. Everybody's attention turned towards the door.

"Who is it?" Esmee asked.

"Daisuke." A familiar masculine voice responded.

"Enter." Esmee told him.

The guards opened the door and Daisuke slowly walked in and bowed towards Esmee.

"I'm sorry I'm late, there was some troubles with the Squad." Daisuke apologised.

"It's fine, Daisuke. Sit down." Esmee spoke.

Daisuke approached the table and sat on one of the empty chairs and gathered some food.

"What do you think about Lady Arisu?" One of the elders asked.

"Esmee is a great woman, who is extremely beautiful with both her appearance and personality. I would sacrifice my own life to protect Esmee, like she did for me and my sister. I couldn't think of somebody else I would prefer to be mine." I smiled.

"What about your deceased wife, Hisana?" Somebody asked.

"That topic is very sensitive for Byakuya, if he doesn't want to answer it then he doesn't have to." Esmee replied.

"It's fine, Esmee. When Hisana died, it left a large hole in my heart that I didn't think would get replaced. I never thought that I would feel the emotion of love again, because I loved Hisana greatly. However, all of that changed when I set my sights upon Esmee. The hole in my heart was being replaced and I felt love for the first time in several years." I answered.

"What would you do if Lady Arisu was in danger?" Another elder asked.

"I wouldn't allow her to be in danger, because I would protect her with my entire life." I quickly responded.

"Do you love Lady Arisu?" One of the elders questioned.

"Yes." I replied.

"Do you think that your abilities will be enough to protect Lady Arisu?" An elder asked.

"Esmee is a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad, I think you are forgetting that she is perfectly capable of protecting herself. Even if she was in danger, Byakuya is a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad as well, he isn't weak." An elder spoke. "Lord Kuchiki, we accept you as part of this family as long as you are with Lady Arisu."

"Thank you." I replied with a slight bow.

Everyone then left the room and parted different ways while Esmee and I stayed inside the room smiling at each other.

"Did you mean what you said?" Esmee asked.

"Every single word." I replied with a chuckle. "I love you, Esmee Arisu. I would risk my entire life to protect you and I would throw away my nobility to be with you if I had to."

"I love you too Byakuya, but I don't think that would be nessaccary." She chuckled.