He's My Knight in Shining Armor (Akagami no Shirayukihime Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

Before we start, I'd like to respond to a few kind reviews I've received:

To AnimeQueen82: Thank you! I'm also glad I adopted this series!

To Guest: I'm glad you love this!

To Primsgirl89: Thank you so much for your kind words and for letting me adopt this wonderful gem of a series! :)

Chapter 8

Zen and Shirayuki walked back to the castle by themselves, since everyone else had already packed up and left. They didn't stop walking together 'til they reached his office. Upon seeing the smiles on their faces, the Prince's two loyal aides gave him slight smirks. Obi and Ryuu, however, gave her sceptical looks. The two left the room with a hesitant Shirayuki, leaving Zen and his two aides behind.

"So..." Mitsuhide started but trailed off.

"Care to tell us what happened?" Kiki asked.

Zen sighed before motioning towards the balcony. He twisted the knob and opened the door, his aides following close behind.

Mitsuhide was the last one to come out onto the balcony so he closed the door. "Well?"

"I... shared my feelings with Shirayuki," The Second Prince admitted hesitantly.

"And?"

"She... She didn't feel the same way."

"WHAT?!"

"She said her heart already belonged to someone else," Zen reluctantly recalled. "I respect her decision."

"But that's not it, is it?" Kiki asked stoically. "If it were, you wouldn't be so happy.

"No, it isn't," He confirmed after a timid moment. "I asked her if she would still be my friend, and she gladly accepted. This isn't the outcome I wanted, but I'm glad I never lost her."

She gave him a slight smile—which was just the corners of her mouth turning a fraction upward—that showed she understood. "So are we."

"So, what happened?" Obi asked after they went back to the pharmacy and entered the office Shirayuki and Ryuu shared.

"Well..." Shirayuki trailed off as she scratched her cheek nervously. "I told him that I didn't feel the same about him. He understood and only asked that I remain his friend."

Obi let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I thought it was strange that he came back so happy. Even stranger was that you were happy."

"You honestly thought for a second that I'd abandon you for him?" She asked, shocked.

"No," He spoke almost immediately. "I knew you wouldn't abandon both Ryuu and I for the sake of a title. I can't say that the thought didn't cross my mind—and also into my nightmares—before without lying, but as I waited for you and the Prince to come back, the thought never even entered my mind once."

She smiled. "Thank you for trusting me."

"Thank you for being trustworthy," He replied happily as he pulled her then Ryuu into an embrace. The little boy squirmed at first, but soon eased when Shirayuki shifted to hug them both. She didn't think that anything could break her family apart.

If only she had known...

They were soon called back into Zen's office later in the afternoon, the messenger not giving any more details than when to be there. It was 5:00 P.M. sharp, exactly when they were supposed to be in Zen's office.

"What do you need us for?" Obi asked immediately upon entering his office, staring directly at him. Of course, he knew that Shirayuki had rejected him, but he felt a strange feeling of irritability when it came to the Prince.