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

Chapter 35: Sera's Other Task

For dinner, it was the ladies turn to cook. The men rechecked the security of the area to ensure that it will be safe at night. They also rechecked the area where Jyuusan was caught in a trap. When dinner time came, there banters and teasing continued.

''I don't understand why there is an animal trap in this resort,'' Jyuusan noted, referring to the one that caught her.

''That's simple, it means because an animal came here so they had to set up a trap. They got lucky and caught the animal dressed in a bathrobe,'' Seiran teased.

''Why you!'' Jyuusan blushed at the mention of the bathrobe. Shusui covered her mouth with her sleeves as she tried to stop herself from laughing. Jyuusan turned to her. ''Did you see what happened Shusui-san?'' Jyuusan asked with her cheeks bright red.

''Just a little.''

''Did he – '' Jyuusan was embarrassed to say the rest.

''Why won't you ask him,'' Shusui answered as she continued to eat.

''I did not!'' Seiran immediately denied knowing fully that he is the one they are talking about. He tried to recall what he saw when he first looked up to prove to himself that he did not see anything. He nearly spewed his tea but forced himself to swallow it. The image that he recalled proved him wrong. He saw, but just a glance since Jyuusan quickly raised her robes. He did not realize it at first since he was not thinking about it. But now that he thought about it, he recalled white skin - she is cleanly shaved. He blushed and quickly stood up and turned his back so no one would notice. ''I'll boil more tea,'' he reasoned out.

''What is it?'' Shuuei asked suspiciously as Seiran walked to the kitchen.

''Nothing,'' Jyuusan and Shusui answered in unison. 'It indeed is suspicious,' he thought.

Meanwhile, Sera was observing Ryuuki as he teased Shuurei. Kouyuu, on the other hand is also observing Sera and so they did not notice Seiran.

''Hwuah . . . Ryuuki that's my favorite,'' Shuurei complained as Ryuuki picked something from her plate and ate it. ''Will you behave and eat the food on your plate,'' Shuurei scolded.

''But the food on your plate taste better than the one's in my plate,'' Ryuuki said like a child.

''How could that be? All of this are prepared at the same time you know,'' Shuurei said and continued eating. But then Ryuuki picked up food from her plate again. ''Why won't you just go and drown in the hot spring,'' Shuurei said coldly and Ryuuki flinched.

Ryuuki stood up, ''I'll go and drown myself then.'' Seiran was back by then and Jyuusan watched him and Seiran pretended not to notice.

Shuurei held his hand as he is about to leave, ''finish your food first. I won't allow you to waste our efforts in preparing those.'' Ryuuki sat down again and started eating again. ''The ingredients are very expensive too you know,'' Shuurei mumbled and Ryuuki dropped his chopsticks.

''I see. Money matters more than my life,'' Ryuuki sulked.

''I was just kidding,'' Shuurei said. ''Here eat this . . . and . . . this,'' she added food to his plate. But Ryuuki did not touch it. Shuurei sighed, ''and there I went through all the effort of cooking those for you since it's your favorite.'' At that Ryuuki smiled and kissed Shuurei on the cheek and continued eating like a child.

''What was that for?'' Shuurei said with a clenched fist.

''My thanks for your efforts,'' Ryuuki said and ate silently.

Shuuei saw that and was so envious. He wished he could kiss Shusui even just on the cheek too. He glanced at her. She is gripping the chopsticks like it were knives and she said, ''don't you dare.''

Sera giggled at what she saw. Shuurei noticed that Sera looking at her. ''What is it Sera-chan?''

''Oh, nothing. Please don't mind. I just made my decision,'' Sera said with a smile.

''Eh? And what is that decision about?''

''I just decided I won't be entering the Inner Palace,'' Sera announced and everyone gawked at her.

''Wh-what do you mean?'' Ryuuki asked.

''Actually I was asked to choose either to enter the Inner Palace or marry Kouyuu-sama or Seiran-sama,'' Sera said with a laugh.

''How did I get dragged into that?'' Seiran had a violent reaction. He has no plans for marriage at all.

''You are part of Uncle Shouka's family,'' Sera stated like that was enough as an explanation. But somehow, it warmed Seiran's heart being treated to be a part of the family. It reminded him that he has a home he belongs to. ''However, I can see now that you already have someone sweet beside you,'' Sera continued with a glance at Jyuusan.

''What?!'' Jyuusan exclaimed. ''Don't lump me with this deceitful monster. Pity me oh Sera-chan. My life is miserable enough to have a lecher of a brother,'' Jyuusan said like Seiran is someone hideous and undesirable.

Seiran was hurt. Shuuei also nearly choke at being called a lecher in front of Shusui and he glared at Kouyuu who nodded in agreement that Shuuei is a lecher.

Sera laughed at that and at the lack of reaction of Shusui when Shuuei was called as such by his own sister.

''Don't be so full of yourself. As if I would like to be put up with an animal like you. I'd rather be alone my whole life,'' Seiran said cruelly to Jyuusan.

''Shuurei-chan, did you hear that? He is treating me like an animal,'' Jyuusan called out. Seiran remembered to behave and when he was silent, Jyuusan stepped on his foot.

'You little scoundrel,' Seiran thought. 'I will not hold back on our next duel.'

''I decided not to go the Inner Palace since I am not needed there,'' Sera continued. She had seen the necklace that Shuurei removed when she undressed.

Ryuuki sighed in relief. He did not want to be forced to marry another princess again who could have been happy with someone else. ''So I decided that I would rather be with Kouyuu-sama.''

''W-what?!'' Kouyuu exclaimed.

''Congratulations Kouyuu-sama!'' the three ladies cheered. Shuurei mentally noted all of this.

''Do your best Kouyuu,'' the three men said. To Kouyuu, it felt like they are saying 'we hope you know what to do.'

''S-Sera-hime, are you sure about this? Maybe you should think this over again,'' he said.

Sera suddenly became silent. ''He rejected me,'' she said almost in an inaudible whisper. However, the ears of the men there are especially keen. They all glared at Kouyuu. ''Am I not good for you Kouyuu-sama? Can I not reach the standards you want of a woman?'' Sera asked. She had liked Kouyuu ever since she was a child and had thought to herself that he is the man she would marry. He was her choice even without seeing that the other men her father had recommended already had women special to them.

''Uh what I mean is I don't deserve someone as beautiful and talented as you,'' Kouyuu managed to say despite his blushing.

''You're very talented too and I think you're handsome. Don't worry Kouyuu-sama. You have time to think about this. Decide for yourself,'' Sera said and returned to eating.

'Kurou-sama haven't changed at all. He would send his daughter to choose whom to marry among men that he knew are devoted to something else,' Ryuuki thought. He knew that Kurou did it for the clan. Likewise, he knew that the men he made Sera choose from are all noble and good men. He would not just let Sera be with someone he does not know.

Next Chapter: Shuurei's Penalty