I present to you Grand Duke Yamanaka Inoichi, Duke of Waterfilla, Lottoflorwer, Cosmos, Louyer, Louvre and the Grand Duchy sovereign Yamanaka, accompanied by his lovely daughter, the Grand Duchess and heiress Yamanaka Ino."

Ino shuddered visibly, a plastered smile on her face as she entered the ornate grand hall, her arms tied with her father. In her fifteen years, she was already used to the full with the great Royal dances, and it would be a euphemism to say that she loved all the attentive looks she received, as well as the covetous flattery with which she was pampered on all sides. However, that night she was not in the mood for all that attention. She had a goal in mind and it should be finalized by the end of the night.

Blue eyes flew to every corner of the room until they landed on the dark figure she was looking for. With a smile that she considered lovable, she approached with slow, delicate steps, making sure that her appearance seemed flawless.

"Excuse me, Your Royal Highness," she said softly, bending slightly with a playful smile.

Uchiha Sasuke just stared at her, his cold eyes not appearing interested in the sudden guest, he grunted in response and turned, walking in the opposite direction the blonde had come, Ino in turn did not give up and accelerated her steps to accompany the Prince.

"I heard you won the big annual duel, I did not expect less from you!"

"Hm"

"You look very handsome tonight!"

"Hm"

"Oh, I could not say it before but I really appreciate the charitable gestures you make for your people Prince Sasuke!"

"Hm"

Ino bit her lip, suddenly irritated by the indifference with which Sasuke treated her. Not that she expected the young prince to kiss her feet, but since she had the ability to create memories she frequented the Uchiha castle, for life, she had even appeared once or twice in painted family portraits, she was deserving of at least a compliance.

"I'm getting married!" She finally burst out, a look of anticipation on her face as she saw Sasuke hesitate in his steps, before he walked again as if nothing had happened. For a moment Ino wondered if she really imagined it.

With a sigh she let the boy go, watching as he disappeared through the dozens of dancings. She grabbed a goblet from a passing servant and watched with melancholy the joy outlined in all the gleaming expressions.

"You do not look happy, Duchess."

Ino arched an eyebrow, a smile involuntarily filling her painted lips.

"And why do you think that, Your Royal Highness, heir to everything and everyone?" She teased, her eyes meeting the dark immensity that were the eyes of Uchiha Itachi.

"I must say that your expression resembles more like a kicked puppy than a beautiful lady at a royal ball."

Itachi touched Ino's elbow lightly, leading her into a quieter area where the attentive eyes of the elders and counselors did not follow in their footsteps like eagles ready for slaughter.

"I certainly feel like a puppy kicked. I do not understand your brother " She leaned against a marble column, trying in vain to catch even a glimpse of the black prince.

"Sasuke is still a child, and so do you Ino." He gently tapped Ino's head, earning an irritated exclamation in response.

"You're going to ruin my hair!" She complained, running her fingers through the gold threads trying to line them back into her set curls. "Besides, I'm getting married. Finally," Ino murmured regretfully, a sad sigh escaping her lips.

Itachi arched a perfect eyebrow, arms crossed.

"I can not believe you're about the age to be arranged at a wedding."

"I'm already 15. I'm almost too old, though daddy is as eager for it as I am. But I'm surprised you did not know it, was your father who arranged my marriage. "

This time Itachi could not hide his surprise, his suddenly filled with something that Ino do not know how to describe or put into decent words.

"We do not have a date, but there will be a face-to-face reception before we can tag anything." She shrugged. "Is something wrong?"

"Do not worry, nothing is wrong." He smiled politely and bent slightly. "And do not hold back for my foolish younger brother, one day he will open his eyes to the beauties of love."

"You did? Have you ever fallen in love? "

Itachi spread her lips, a smile so small that Ino would never have realized if she had not been so attentively admiring the lovely lines on his face.

"I-"

"Your royal highness, your father demands your presence."

Ino looked surprised by the sudden invasion of a small servant who leaned so deeply that she could not even see his face. Itachi did not seem surprised at all, and only nodded in acknowledgment, dismissing the servant.

"Saved by the gong," she teased.

"We'll have other opportunities to resume our conversation, until then, save a dance for me Duchess."

And with that he withdrew, his steps so confident that everyone and anyone bowed in respect, making way for the heir Uchiha. For a moment Ino admired Itachi's powerful aura as he walked away

"I fell in love with the wrong Uchiha," she murmured.

Certainly true, while Itachi was the most educated person she had ever met, Sasuke was an ice cube that did not even give him the time of day. And God knew how beauty was not a decisive factor in this equation. While Itachi was tall, seductive, with muscles so perfect that Adonis would envy him, Sasuke was slender but equally strong with a porcelain face that just was not prettier because otherwise it would be a sin against human reason.

Slowly she retraced her steps back to the center of the room, noting how no member of the royal family was present on the golden thrones, and seemed simply not to be attending their own party. On any other day she would be extremely offended, now she was just curious. The reaction her marriage had triggered in Itachi was at least suspicious, and the intrigue was starting to kick her ass.

Minutes after minutes she looked more bored, noticing how even her father had found a very beautiful lady to dance to. For that she frowned. Not that she cared about her father dating other women, since her mother had died at three years old he seemed so lonely that she was saddened every time she looked into his eyes, so much like her own but at the same time so more melodramatic and tired. But she could not let that happen around here, not with these self-serving women trying to dig into him money or him prestige.

"Dad," she interrupted, a sweet smile that certainly did not match the venom in her eyes. "Can you dance with me?"

"Of course my dear."

Ino took her father's hand, resting the other on her shoulder. Inoichi was so tall and so virile that Ino felt proud every time she remembered that yes, he was her father, and she was his daughter. Even with her long hair, more than a few women at the ball - what she had known years before to be a symbol of power in her family - he was still the epitome of masculinity.

"I do not want to grow up daddy." She found herself talking unconsciously, before even realizing it "I want to be your baby girl forever," she said sadly, leaning her head against his chest.

Inoichi looked surprised but then smiled holding his daughter tighter.

"I'll always be with you, Princess," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Ino felt comfortable in that position, even knowing that many people were watching them, wanting to hear what noble matter they might be talking about. Over her father's shoulder, cradled in the rhythmic waltz, she saw a glimpse of Sasuke's stoic face, and even unwillingly his heart skipped a beat in anxiety.

She was a fool, stuck in a ridiculous and impossible passion, but for so many years she had been conditioned by this platonic relationship that she did not see herself loving anyone else, Ino had given her most precious possession for Sasuke, her purity and virtue as a woman , she had given her heart and the least she asked in return was her recognition. Poor Ino.

That evening, after the ball, after Tenten, her Court Lady had already stripped her and aided in her bath, Ino looked in front of the gold-plated mirror. Everything was so absurdly magnificent and superior at the Uchiha castle, that even her own castles looked like mere huts in comparison, she could not help but feel out of place. She was not ugly, that she was sure, she was stunning. Her insecurities had nothing to do with her appearance. Her blond hair fell like a cascade of gold past her hip, something she did not appreciate as much as she should, but knowing the tradition of her clan, and after hearing certain rumors of the servants of the castle about a particular prince's preferences, she had undergone the whims of her long silky hair. And her face was not bad at all, just as it was her body, although she had heard more than once that very day that she was too thin. Nonsense, of course.

But she was not at the level of a prince. She was not even far away. She was not noble enough, or exotic enough, certainly not rich enough. Although her family had great political and military influence, this was only a speck of dust compared to the alliance that the Uchiha kingdom had created with nobles from other kingdoms, including the Southern Kingdom and the Western Kingdom. Maybe that's why she was so strongly repudiated by her Sasuke.

"What an uncomfortable situation," she whispered, bringing her thin fingers to her lips,

With some reluctance she dressed in her light evening gown, braiding her hair in a thick braid. Over the dressing table, she glimpsed the glint of an old medallion, grabbed it by the silver chain, and looked with a certain appreciation. She opened the small latch and looked at the painted image so perfectly.

It was a handsome young man who stares at her with astonishing strange eyes, milky as if they were beautiful blind pearls, his brown hair so long that she imagined that perhaps his family had a tradition similar to hers. He was so handsome, so perfect and elegant that she waited anxiously for her heart to beat, or for her belly to wrap, or even for her breath to fail, after all those eyes that looked at her knowingly, were the eyes of her husband, the future father of her children. But even then nothing happened, and she did not even feel pure enough to wear the lovely gift she had received as soon as the engagement had been sealed.

"Ino." A deep voice broke the silence and she felt her skin shiver, looking out of the corner of her eyes at the figure unfolding in the shadows.

"Sasuke," she whispered stunned, turning to see the face that haunted her dreams. "What do you do here?"

She already knew.

She knew what he wanted.

She always knew, but she was trying to make sense of the shallow well that was their relationship.

"I want you."

"You did not even talk to me earlier. How could you be so horrible?"

Sasuke did not respond, though he seemed really uncertain about what to say at the moment. He tried to take a step closer to the blonde, but soon gave up and was content to sit on the large bed in the guest room.

Ino walked uncertainly, sitting down next to the boy. She stared at her own feet, slightly uncovered under the long bar of her dress, she felt so sad. She did not ask for much, in the end she was the one who suffered the consequences of all the madness they had started. She did not even like to think what she would do to give credence to her innocence on the night of her nuptials.

Sasuke shifted in discomfort before getting up and walking to the bedroom door. He did not want to stay here any longer if he was not going to get what he wanted, and the laid-back tense atmosphere did not suit him at all.

"Please stay." Ino whispered, stopping Sasuke in his steps, who smiled smugly.

And she relented, because she wanted everything.

Even when he kissed her so hard.

Even when he stripped her so hungry.

Even when he possessed her with such passion.

Because she still loved him.

Every bit sad and ugly of him.

At the end of the night, as she rested on his chest, listening to his heart beating in perfect sync with hers, as she smelled his imported colony scent, as the breeze came in through the window, she still thought that perhaps deep down he cared .

Because in the end he had still waited for her to fall asleep before dressing and leaving.

Because in the end, he would still fold the sheets over her naked body.

And the next day, when she had awakened and searched her possessions, her medallion was far from being found.

Just as a maid would give it to her the other day, saying that somehow he had appeared in the flames of the main hall fire, the silver deformed because it had been soaked in flames.

And so Ino would be sure, that Sasuke was not hers, but that perhaps, when he saw her, his heart might skip a beat.

So she would not feel so predictably devastated when the wedding day was set, or when the elders of her family warned her about the vow of chastity and their wedding night.

Because she believed that maybe

Perhaps

Her love would be greater than the force of fate.