The Tale Continues (Saiunkoku Monogatari Fanfiction: Ryuuki x Shuurei lemon)

Chapter 14: Move on to Tomorrow

Kouyuu and Shuuei suspiciously stared at Ryuuki who is silently working. ''Your Majesty, did you eat something bad?'' Kouyuu asked.

''Huh?'' Ryuuki glanced at them. ''No, why?'' he then answered as he continued signing papers.

Shuuei and Kouyuu looked at each other. 'Suspicious,' they both thought. ''Maybe he drank water from the pond or something,'' Kouyuu said to Shuuei.

''I didn't.'' Ryuuki answered when he heard it.

''Really? Then why are you acting strange?'' Kouyuu pried. Shuuei silently observed if Ryuuki is the depressed he is not.

''What do you mean strange?''

''Well you are so calm.''

''What's the problem with me being calm? Should I being yelling?'' Ryuuki innocently asked.

'No. You should be crying,' Shuuei wanted to say but he let Kouyuu do all the talking instead.

''No. I just find it strange that you are not complaining about your love life.''

''Oh is that so? Maybe it's just that I have too many work to do that I have no time to think about it.'' Ryuuki said those as if it is not important.

Shuuei and Kouyuu looked at each other again. Maye Shuurei told him something before she left. ''Did Lady Shuurei by any chance rejected you totally?'' Shuuei asked this time. He really did not want to remind Ryuuki that Shuurei just left but Ryuuki getting depressed over it secretly is more dangerous.

''She did not. Maybe you are the one who is flat out rejected Shuuei,'' Ryuuki countered.

''I am not rejected!'' Shuuei was defensive.

''Oho, be careful older brother. It seems that Jyuusan got the better of you. I wonder what she might be telling Shusui now,'' Ryuuki teased.

'The topic just got dissed,' Kouyou thought.

''Why you! You are the one who said they will be talking about Chief Lady of the Court stuff!'' Shuuei said with clenched fist. He wanted to go and listen.

''I was just wondering if that's all they will be talking about.''

''Stop it. I am not the topic here. You think you can escape? I won't let you. Are you planning on going after her?'' Shuuei lost his calm. Kouyuu's eyes widened at that. It could be possible.

''My lord, are you so calm about this because you will go after her?'' Kouyuu asked.

''I don't. That's such a silly idea. I have a lot of work to do,'' Ryuuki said like it was normal for him to choose work over Shuurei.

Kouyuu wanted to hit him when he said that. ''Well, it's because I know of someone who had done such a silly thing,'' Kouyuu threw back.

''By any chance have you gotten over Shuurei-dono?'' Shuuei asked despite knowing it was impossible given the time that had passed.

''No. Not yet,'' Ryuuki said with a smile and that in itself was strange.

''Not yet?!'' Shuuei and Kouyuu repeated in unison. ''You mean you are planning to?'' Shuuei continued.

''I just thought that if marrying Shuurei would make her sad, then I would rather set her free. I am not sure if I would be able to get over her though.''

''I see. Then why are you not the least bit sad that Shuurei is leaving?'' Kouyuu dug deeper.

''Because Shuurei is happy. She was so glad when I said I will not continue the marriage,'' Ryuuki paused. Shuuei knew that it must have hurt. ''I was relieved when I did that too. That's not the way how I wanted to marry Shuurei. But it seems that even if I would ask for her hand in another way, she still won't marry me even if she loved me,'' Ryuuki continued.

Shuuei and Kouyuu was amazed that Ryuuki can talk about it so calmly. ''You're giving up?'' Shuuei asked.

''It's not like I am giving up. I would just let things go by and see what happens after sometime. I finally realized now that I also want to see Shuurei soaring as high as she could. So until then, I would wait. If my feelings would change after sometime then so be it. If not, then I will ask for her hand again,'' Ryuuki said with calmly.

Kouyuu and Shuuei are touched. Ryuuki is right. They are somehow glad that finally Ryuuki is able to let go. They did not want to bother Shuurei anymore. They regretted how much they had hurt her. They are relieved that Ryuuki is now considering of moving on. They are glad that he is truly seeing Shuurei now as an official.

''What are you two doing here? Don't you have work to do?'' Yuushun's voice echoed in the room. He looked like is not in a very good mood. Sai Rin must have done something again.

Shuuei and Kouyuu nodded at each other and said in unison, ''we are just about to leave.'' They bowed to Ryuuki and Yuushun and left.

''Thanks Yuushun. They are disturbing me,'' Ryuuki said to escape the subject. Shuuei and Kouyuu heard it and clenched their fists. ''Why that little rascal,'' Kouyou said and nearly entered again if Shuuei had not pulled him.

Yuushun gave Ryuuki more documents to work on. He had also returned some of the work Ryuuki had finished. He strictly corrected every little mistake he saw and gave Ryuuki a long discussion before leaving. Ryuuki sighed deeply when Yuushun left. 'Why do I get in trouble because his wife did not tell him she is pregnant?' he thought and redid the documents returned.

Meanwhile, after Sai Rin left, Jyuusan asked Shusui on how she should choose her successor as Chief of the court ladies. Shusui gave a long list of qualifications and added a lot more and Jyusan patiently wrote it all. She realized that it will be a long process.

While Jyusan is still in the inner palace, she also trained interested court ladies to learn martial arts. Even if it is just basics, at least they could use it for self-defense. A lot had asked her to teach them and so they have to do it in shifts so the work would not be abandoned. Ryuuki could only wonder why he is not seeing some of the court ladies.

Jyuusan also taught some with swordsmanship. Many quit when their hands got callused due to it but many are still interested. She said that she would only teach them if they would use it to protect the king, the ladies agreed. Jyuusan then declared that if anyone would use it against the king, she herself would kill them.

Jyuusan finally admitted to herself that she fell inlove to Ryuuki, but she had chosen to give up on him silently. He knew that Ryuuki would easily forget Shuurei. Moreover, like Shuurei, the life in the inner palace is not what she dreamed for. She did not see Shuurei as a rival, but rather she hoped that someday if it is possible the two would get together. And if not, she hoped that both of them would at least be happy in whatever path they chose.

Before Shuurei left, she did not just teach her horseback riding. She also taught her self-defense and Shuurei eagerly agreed since she knew that she cannot remain to be a burden to others. She must learn to protect herself since Ensei will not always be with her. Moreover, she is an official in a job not a princess who would travel for leisure. She is not supposed to be shielded or protected. She has to be exposed for her to learn.

Seiran and Shouka knew that too, so they let Shuurei go for her to learn more of the world. But of course they cannot just let the only daughter roam around unprotected. The Kou Clan's pride would not allow that. Trained assassins from the Kou clan are sent after Shuurei to protect her life only if the situation is dire and she could not defend herself any longer. This time Shuurei learned how to use her name as the Kou princess, but she never used it if it wasn't necessary.

Next Chapter: Changes