[Bianka's POV]
As I reached the castle, Arashi was already there.
He asked, "So, have you had fun?"
I nodded and grinned widely. "I certainly did!"
I asked, "You didn't tell me we were going back!"
"Well, it happened really fast."
I pouted, "But I love it here..."
He chuckled and said, "Me too but we have many things to settle in the palace."
I nodded, "That we certainly have."
" But for your complaints, how about we leave tonight and go visit something?"
I asked, "What's that?"
"It's a surprise."
I grumbled. "So we will be leaving now!"
He nodded. "Yes but before that you have to take a rest."
I remembered I wanted to see his parents but I wasn't certain if I should ask him now. What if he felt sad?
I didn't want him to be sad...
He must have read my face as he asked, "What is it?"
I shook my head and said, "Nothing... I just... it's nothing."
He sighed and asked, "Just tell me..."
I muttered, "But I don't want to make you sad."
"I won't be sad if you tell me. But I would definitely be angry if I had to ask everyone what is it you wanted but didn't tell me instead you told others about it."
I chuckled at him and said, "Okay... I just wanted to see how your parents looked like..."
His eyes went wide as I immediately said, "But it's okay. I don't want it to be hurtful for you. I know you have never mentioned it so you must have been very sad. It will make you sad to look at them in the pictures..."
He shook his head and said, "No. I'm not sad at all. I'm just happy that you want to see them."
His face fell and he added, "I'm so sorry for not making you familiar with my parents. I should have been but I forgot in all these things."
I smiled as he said, "Let's take a small tour of the castle then."
I nodded and went beside him as we started to stroll through the passages. I was exhausted after all those walking but I found new strength to see the whole castle.
It was true that I hadn't been with Arashi all these days as I was venturing the city and was meeting with the people.
I should have been giving him some time and now that I found an opportunity to be with him, I wasn't going to miss this chance.
The castle was certainly very large but it wasn't larger than the palace. All those tapestries and antiques made it very beautiful in its dark glory.
The castle was made from dark coloured rocks thus it gave a beautiful look for the Kuro soldiers as well since their attire was also dark.
We took stairs and went to a different tower of the castle as Arashi said, "This was my mother's tower. She used to spent most of her time here with my father."
I nodded as we reached inside.
It was clean and it seemed like his parents were still using the rooms since not a single thing had been replaced.
He said looking at it, "Everything is the same just how it used to be. I didn't want to throw their belongings..."
I knew he just didn't want to forget their touch and presence. Their scent were lingering in the air and it made him feel like they were still here.
I asked, "They must have been very loving parents..."
Arashi chuckled. "They were. But they were also very nosy..."
I looked at him and asked, "What?"
He said with a sigh, "My mother had been worried that I would be robbed by everyone if I was naive. So she told my father to look for a princess who knew how to handle everything."
I laughed as he gave an annoyed face. He muttered, "Just how much she thought of me being naive...!"
I asked, "What about your father?"
He said, "He was worst. He even started to place his trusted men to make sure they checked everything before I eat, sleep or went somewhere... especially for Rei. They just loved to pamper her and make me look like a miserable prince who didn't know anything."
I laughed again and this time he muttered while he shook his head, "They were just too overprotective of us...it was annoying but when they aren't here anymore. Now I know how that overprotectiveness used to keep us safe."
He looked at a distance and said, "I guess I now feel the same with you..."
I blushed but nodded. Parents were certainly weird sometimes but it is their worry, their scolding and their unfairness that had saved us from many trouble.
Well, I didn't know just what my father's avoidance saved me from...
But it was true that soon, we would be parents and maybe would become annoying. My hands brushed over my belly and I asked in my mind, "Would we be excellent parents like Arashi's parents?"
Arashi looked at me as his eyes fell on my hands and soon his hand reach. He placed his large palm on my palms and said, "We soon will be that annoying parents..."
I chuckled as he joined me and kissed me on my head as his other hand wrapped around in his embrace.
I said, "I want to become a good mother. No. I want be an excellent mother just like your mother..."
He looked at me with gentle eyes and said, "You will be..."
And he said, "Let's go see their portraits."
I nodded as I followed him and soon we reached a certain room where their portraits were kept.
I was mesmerized by their portraits. No wonder Arashi and Rei looked so beautiful.
There was a large painting of them in the middle of the wall where his mother sat on a beautiful chair, and the former crown prince was standing behind her with his tall and strong built. He had broad shoulders just like Arashi, warm and beautiful dark eyes that felt like he was really happy, strong nose and thin lips to make him handsome. I could see the resembles in Rei.
And his mother, dark and sharp eyes just like Arashi, dark hair long enough to reach her knees and beautiful face of a goddess. She certainly looked like a god. No wonder Arashi was this handsome!
He got almost every traits from his mother. Those sharp eyes told me she was very calculative and careful. Even I felt weak before her gazes.
If she was alive she would be offended that his son had married a girl like me.
I said, "She would be angry to find you have found a wife like me..."
Arashi chuckled and shook his head, "No. She looked like she was an angry woman but inside, she was just too kind and caring. She would never get angry at you it would be the opposite. She would be angry at me and maybe would accuse me that I somehow tricked you to become my wife."
I laughed as he joined. He added, "She used take care of everyone in Shinkyo... Like an overprotective mother."
Somehow I still felt her protection around the city. It was just like Arashi said, it felt like she was still taking care of them. Like a mother.
And my heart filled with warmth as I felt only grateful toward his parents to give birth to wonderful persons like Arashi and Rei.
They certainly had raised them with the best mindset as I had never seen them judging people by how they looked or by their statuses. They both were helpful even when they were broken from inside. Their parents might have been sad until now to see how both of their children were suffering and got entangled in a web of power and conspiracy.
I felt sad that they wanted to protect them yet they couldn't because they both died before everything happened. If they had been here, I was certain, they wouldn't let any harm come to their children.
And in my thoughts, I asked his parents for their blessings as I closed my eyes in front of their portrait. "Please, watch over us and protect Arashi, Rei and your grandchildren from all the dangers and also Shinkyo. I hope you are living in peace wherever you are and don't worry, I will be always be by his side, no matter what and I won't definitely let anyone rob him of anything. And I will make sure Rei finds happiness once again. Please guide me."
Arashi asked, "Did you wish something?"
I looked away in shyness as I said, "Who knows?"
He raised a brow and asked, "What did you wish?"
I clicked my tongue outside and winked at him as I said, "That's between your parents and me. I won't tell you!"
His smirk replaced by a grin as he nodded and said, "Alright. Then, shall we go back?"
I nodded as my eyes moved toward the other pictures of them. Just beside the large painting, there was another picture that touched my heart.
It told me that the former crown prince and his princess certainly were great people.
Because it had everyone in the city of Shinkyo along with them in the front. Little Arashi and baby Rei were also inside of the picture and they all were smiling.
A vision came before my eyes as I got startled by it. My skin started to get goosebumps as if I had been shown this image of our next move. But it was a strong view and almost impossible to make it happen now.
There were my family, Arashi's family and the whole Wansai in a single frame. Everyone was smiling along with us. We all were happy and my eyes blurred with tears.
It felt like a dream to make it happen. My family was in Kosaki and they had hated the prince of Wansai all of their lives. Why would they come?
Arashi's family still hadn't accepted me why would they be happy to be standing beside me?
It felt like I had this hidden desire of making everyone together but never acknowledged it truly and now as if Arashi's parents shown me before my eyes what I really wanted.
They were dead but they were still giving us life lessons. And I just knew how great they were. They were the ones who had united people in Shinkyo and they had made everything with love and care.
I looked at Arashi and said, smiling, "Let's go back to the palace and make everything right."
He nodded and said with a smirk, "Of course, that had been my plan from the start."
As we left the castle that day...
Because we still had so many things to settle.