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

Chapter 86: Going Back Home

Seiran watched enviously as he saw Ryuuki embracing Shuurei and Riou. They looked like a happy family. He felt happy for Ryuuki and Shuurei. 'I want something like that too,' he thought and glanced at Jyuusan who is busy checking on her lady soldiers.

'When will she ever have time for me?' he thought. He wondered why he looked at Jyuusan with longing the instant he thought of having a family of his own.

He had held too much at Jyuusan's words that time. She had said that she would visit him if she has time. And since she did not visit him for a more than a month now, then she must not have time for him.

He looked at the red roses he had prepared to give to Jyuusan. He had not named it again. He had sent Jyuusan the same red roses several times now and she never mentioned it. What he had been sending is a bouquet of red roses consisting of 12 roses. ''Be mine,'' he wanted to say through those roses that he had been sending her.

He wondered why of all people, he wanted that deadly woman to be his'. He had even imagined having tea with Jyuusan and a child that looked exactly like him on her lap. He had imagined her sweetly taking care of his child and glancing at him with loving eyes.

He looked at Ryuuki who is happily having tea with Shuurei and Riou. 'Maybe I should be more like him,' he thought. He envies Ryuuki for being able to say how he feels over and over again without hesitation.

That is the problem with Seiran. He does not say how he really feels and he is not that easy to read. Only the few people who had been with him for years now knew his personality. He even has a hard time deciding what he really wanted. It took him forever to realize that he wanted Jyuusan and yet he still has not said he loves her.

He took a deep breath and picked up the roses he is about to send to Jyuusan. Today he decided to write his name as the sender. He would remind Jyuusan that he cannot forget her.

He went to the Kou Residence that night. He looked at the gates which are now fully polished. There no more cracks in the wall and the whole mansion looked so grand. It somehow looked different to the old shabby mansion he used to repair.

It felt so nostalgic. How many years had it been since he left this house and lived in the palace? It had been six years and time just flew by he almost did not notice. Now that he is standing here outside this house he called home, all sorts of emotion seemed to churn inside him.

He missed coming home to this house, helping Shuurei pay the bills and hear her complain, eating with them for dinner while retelling what happened in the day, and preventing Shouka from making tea and helping in household chores. He missed it all, a place called home.

When the guards saw that it was him, they allowed him to enter. He was immediately met by a servant and asked to wait in the guest room. He is treated as a guest in his own home. Yes, this is still his home. He cannot call his own mansion as a home. It is an empty place. If not for Jyuusan, he would not have any memories in that place. But since something unforgettable happened between them in that house, it started to feel warm.

''Seiran!'' he heard Shuurei's voice squeal. He saw her running to him with a smile. She looked so happy. She quickly hugged him and he hugged her back. ''I thought you'd never come,'' Shuurei said with tears in her eyes. She missed Seiran too. She missed saying 'welcome back' when he says that he is home and saying his complaints to him.

Upon hearing what Shuurei yelled Shouka quickly came too and was glad to see Seiran. ''I'm sorry for coming without notice,'' Seiran apologized.

Shouka hit his forehead with a finger. That's the first time he did that to Seiran. ''You should be saying I'm home. Why are you apologizing? You can always come here anytime. This is your home,'' Shouka reminded.

''Right,'' Seiran said with a smile. ''I'm home milady (to Shuurei), Dana-sama.'' They had been hoping for him to drop by.

''Welcome Seiran,'' both daughter and father said and Seiran felt warmth spread in his heart.

''I just finished cooking, have dinner with us,'' Shuurei invited. Right, he missed her cooking too.

''Do not act like a guest. Even if you have left this house and lived in the palace, this is still your home,'' Shouka reminded him again.

''You are always Seiran to us. You're always part of our family,'' Shuurei said as they begun to eat. He nodded. Shuurei knows now that he is the exiled prince.

''You look so dejected,'' Shouka noticed.

''Um,'' Seiran did not know what to say or if he is even going to say it. But Shouka already knew as he looked at Seiran. He had heard rumors too of how General Seiran and General or Princess Jyuusan are getting along well.

''It is a woman isn't it?'' Shouka asked and Seiran nearly choked at the soup he sipped.

''Oh, could it be Jyuusan? Did you have a fight with her again?'' Shuurei thought. ''But you always fight.'' She knew it must be different this time that Seiran looked like this.

''I don't understand either. All I know is that she is a dangerous woman who always tries to kill me with her tricks and nearly succeeded several times. And yet,'' he paused. He did not know how to say it. He hardly understood it himself.

Shouka smiled. ''You must really love her. I've never seen that look in your eyes.''

Seiran blushed. He did not know how to respond. 'Do I love her?' Yes for a long time now, but he didn't want to admit.

''My wife was originally my enemy too you know. I hated her but fell in love with her the first time I saw her in person. She always told me that she would never marry me. But we ended up married after all,'' Shouka revealed.

Seiran looked up at that. Originally enemies just like him and Jyuusan? Well they are not really enemies but they always mock each other. He knew Jyuusan really did not hate him. He was the one who always gets annoyed by her. He wondered if Jyuusan would agree to marry him too.

As if reading his mind, Shouka said, ''you should tell her how you feel. Nothing will happen if you would just watch her. You can hint it to her little by little until when you are ready to say it all in front of her.'' He knew that Seiran have not confessed yet. That's the kind of guy Seiran is. It's difficult for him to chase his own happiness and express his own feelings. He does not know how to do it, to live happy just for himself.

''That's right. Jyuusan is very perceptive so I'm sure she would notice if you hint it while you are not yet ready to confess,'' Shuurei agreed.

Seiran finally smiled. He is glad he stopped by here. This place is indeed still his home.

Next Chapter: Parched Man