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

Chapter 16: Shuurei in the Distant Lands

Shuurei is in a place so distant from Kiyou doing her job as an official. She was so happy when she heard of Ryuuki's actions and she decided that she has to do her best too to catch up to him.

However, she is currently staying at inn chatting with someone. Ensei and Suou are given different tasks so she is on her own. Ensei is not worried at all since he had continued what Jyuusan started. He trained Shuurei more techniques for self-defense. Sai Rin also continued sending Shuurei her inventions. And Tantan had been revealing to Shuurei how lewd men can be so she had to be careful. He also told her stories of how devious women can be too so she should not allow herself to fall for tears and kindness so easily.

Shuurei is eating lunch with one of the daughters of the inn owner. The daughter is the same age as Shuurei and like her, she had once dreamed to be an official too but for another purpose. ''Why won't you take the exams this year?'' Shuurei encouraged.

''I tried the provincial exams that are taken before being able to take the exam in Kiyou, but I did not even pass that he he,'' Yuki replied. ''Moreover, I did not dream to be an official because I wanted to help people. I'm not like you. I wanted to be an official because my life here sucks. I want to get out of this place. I'm tired of serving guests. And if I become an official, I may end up getting fired for lazing around or being biased.''

''Eh?''

''Well, whatever. I have given up on that dream,'' Yuki said nonchalantly. Shuurei noted that there are people like her too. ''By the way, you have seen the king right? How does he look like? Is he handsome?'' Yuki asked with eagerness.

''Uh, yeah. He has a pretty face,'' Shuurei admitted.

''Now I wish to see him even more. I hope someday I could serve food and drinks to the king too. The king eating my cooking even if just once is also one of my dreams,'' Yuki beamed.

''He he. You cooked all this right? It tastes like food from one of the expensive restaurants'' Shuurei laughed in a weird way. 'So there are people who dreams about that too,' she thought.

''Really? Thank you Shuurei-chan,'' Yuki said and added food to Shuurei's plate. Shuurei actually chose to stay in this place due to the rumor in the whole town that the best cooks is staying there. She was surprised when it was revealed to be Yuki and her two sisters.

''Onee-san (elder sister)! Onee-san!'' one of Yuki's sister's called. And came running in from the doorway.

''What is it? Can't you see that I am busy with Shuurei-chan?'' Yuki chided.

''I'm sorry, I just got too excited. Onee-san this letter was sent for you. Look at the seal.'' Both Shuurei and Yuki were surprised. It is the seal of the Imperial Palace. Yuki excitedly opened the letter.

''What does it say?'' Shuurei asked curiously. Why is a letter from the Imperial Palace sent to Yuki when she have no connections there at all? She wondered if it was supposed to be for her. But as she looked at the envelope, it was truly addressed to Yuki.

Yuki looked like she is about to faint in happiness when she replied. ''I am being summoned to the Inner Palace!''

''W-what?'' Shuurei cannot believe her ears. Could it be that the rumor about Yuki and her sisters' cooking and their beauty also reached the capital (Kiyou) of Shi province? A high official must have heard about it.

''Congratulations Onee-san. Do your best! Our family will be more famous now that one of us is summoned to the Inner Palace,'' Yuki's sister cheered. It may not seem like it but they are also a noble family but not as famous as the color-named clans. Technically, Yuki and her sisters are princesses.

''You're a good luck charm, Shuurei-chan. I can see my dreams coming true now,'' Yuki beamed. She instructed her sisters to prepare her things. Yuki let Shuurei read the letter. She was astounded to find that Yuki would be going in the Inner Palace as one of the king's consorts if she would pass the qualifications of the king. The word consorts emphasized itself to Shuurei's eyes and it rung to her ears. She look like she is about to faint and Yuki mistook it for excitement just like hers. ''I hope I pass the qualifications,'' Yuki said with stars in her eyes.

Shuurei silently watched Yuki. Yuki looked so excited and hopeful to enter the Inner Palace as one of the king's wives. Shuurei was offered to be the empress and she rejected it and ran away from it. Now she is watching someone wriggle excitedly at the thing she had always run away from. She wondered how Yuki could be so happy when to marry a king she had never met. Then Shuurei remembered the time when she had never even stepped inside the Imperial Palace. Just walking inside the Imperial palace had made her heart leap too. She felt privileged to even just see the palace.

She remembered that to there is no higher honor to the thousands of maidens in Saiunkoku than to be chosen by the king. Merely being a lady in waiting for the king or the king's wives is high honor itself. One has to be knowledgeable and skilled in order to serve in the Inner Palace. All the court ladies in the Inner Palace are no ordinary women. They fought hard to be given the honor of serving the king. Merely seeing the king face to face is difficult to achieve and Shuurei who was once always asked by that person had run away from those privileges.

Shuurei realized now that she had rudely rejected Ryuuki so many times when ladies swoon just at the idea of being able see him. She should have given more credit for even chasing her when so many women are chasing him. He had waited for her for years when he could have married someone better than her. Someone more beautiful and skilled. Someone who is more princess-like. Shuurei admitted to herself now that those are also one of the reasons why she cannot accept Ryuuki's proposal. She does not have the confidence to stand atop the beautiful maidens who wished to be the emperor's wife. She does not think she deserved to be bowed upon by those gorgeous and skilled princesses who have spent their lives preparing themselves just for the emperor that they had never even met yet wished to be with.

Ryuuki's handsome face appeared in Shuurei's mind. 'I don't deserve that kind person too,' she thought. 'I am not worthy to be that Emperor's dream.'

Yuki left for Kiyou and just like her sister have said, they became famous when they heard that Yuki passed and entered the Inner Palace. It spread like wildfire and the maidens all wished it was them.

Shuurei continued to travel throughout Saiunkoku and often gets irritated when she hears that Ryuuki had admitted more women in the Inner Palace. ''What the hell is he thinking?'' she said with a clenched fist when she heard through her travel that there are various women from all sorts of places that was also summoned but did not pass his qualifications.

Next Chapter: The Emperor's Seduction