Posted on: 12/08/17
A/N: Damn! It's been so long since I last updated this book. I'm extremely sorry guys. My college classes have started and along with all the studies, I'm also busy with the Zenyuki Week preparations.
Well..all that aside, I'm working on the next chapter of 'Bending the ways of Fate' too!
Plus, soon I'll be posting my very first Yato X Hiyori Fanfic soon. So, make sure to check it if you're a Yatori fan ;)
Okay so, for todays story, I decided to continue with Shirayuki and Queen Haruto's relationship build-up. If you guys have read and remember the previous story about Shirayuki meeting the Queen, then yes, it is a sequel to that story. If by chance, any of you haven't read it, then please read the 7th part of this book before reading this part..:3
This is for all you lovelies who've been supporting Zenyuki till now! Hope you guys will enjoy! :)
Title: A New Chapter
Summary: Queen Haruto goes to Shirayuki in order to learn some cooking but ends up talking about her regrets. Shirayuki gives her an idea to rewrite all her past mistakes...
Rating: K+
'There's a first time for everything.'
Former Queen Haruto Wistaria found herself accepting this saying the minute she tied an apron around her waist. A few weeks ago, during her first personal meeting with her second child's beloved, she had requested the girl about learning how to make one of those special herbal teas. Much to her delight, the girl had agreed on it immediately without even questioning the queen about it. And so, here they are today, inside the pharmacy at Wilant Castle.
Haruto watched her son's lover tie-up her shoulder length, red-tresses with a long, blue ribbon that reminded her so much of her son's beautiful eyes. She smiled at the girl's choice of colour and waited patiently as the young pharmacist arranged all the required ingredients on the big table before them.
"Okay, your majesty. Are you ready?" Shirayuki asked in a solemn tone as if they were making preparations for a battlefield and the blonde woman felt like blinking her eyes a few times to make sure that this is the same girl she has seen giggling like an angel around her son. Because at this moment, the angelic expression is gone. It has been completely replaced by a determined look that one can easily witness in a strict tutor.
Addled by her sudden change in demeanour, the queen could only nod in agreement. The next instant, Shirayuki began explaining to her about the various kinds of teas that she knows how to prepare and asked the queen which one she'd like to learn. It took Haruto a while to respond since she has absolutely no experience in things like these. From what she can remember, she was raised in a very comfortably-sheltered lifestyle as a princess. Then, after her marriage with Kain Wistaria, she officially became a queen. And the perks of being someone of such high social status is that you always have flocks of maids around you to attend to all your personal needs. It's a pity that she barely even knows how to cook a decent meal.
Embarrassed by the thoughts of her lavish living, she smiled sheepishly at the young woman next to her, "I am sorry, Shirayuki-dono. I'm a little lost on these things."
Surprisingly, instead of flashing any judgemental glances, the redhead smiled back softly and tilted her head slightly in a manner one would only describe as cute. "It's alright. Your son and I are on a first name basis. So please, call me just 'Shirayuki'."
The Queen's eyes widened. She has met so many women in her life. Women of different statures, who can go on and on bragging about themselves and yet here's Shirayuki. This girl has no ounce of that unhealthy attitude in her character. Anyone can easily get adapted to her amiable presence. Zen really has found a gem in this world crowded by selfish people.
Bowing before her mentor for the day, Haruto spoke, "Well then..Shirayuki, please teach me everything you know about cooking."
It took the younger woman a moment to process everything that was happening before her eyes. Bowing before someone is highly unlikely for a royalty, especially if the said person is someone of very low stature. The young herbalist felt her heart shudder with pride and smiled back at the former queen as she decided to begin with her teachings.
The next few hours were spent with Shirayuki explaining about the procedure for the preparation of a simple ginger tea and the queen patiently listening to her teacher's words. After that, the two ladies began to work on putting Shirayuki's instructions to practical and Haruto began brewing her very first herbal tea inside a pharmacy under the supervision of her son's lover. Unfortunately though, her enthusiasm started waning the minute she realized that she has actually over-heated the milk and so, she tried all over again..only to find that even though she performed the whole preparation procedure in the correct order, she forgot to add sugar to the whole solution. Groaning in defeat, the queen slumped her shoulders, her long, blonde tresses concealing her dejected expression.
"It's okay." spoke Shirayuki with a giggle from the side. The Queen watched as the young redhead emptied the contents of the pan into two cups using a thin cloth to filter-out the residue of tea leaves and ginger. Then, she added two teaspoons of sugar to each cup and stirred them. "There you go." Haruto took the cup that was handed to her.
"Right!" she exclaimed in realization, "We can just add sugar later on."
"Ofcourse" Shirayuki nodded in agreement to the older woman as they took their first sip at the same time. The soft smiles upon the two women's lips turned down into frowns of discontentment.
Well, to say that the tea tasted bad would be an understatement. It was horrible. The strong flavour of the tea leaves was clogging-up with the bitterness of ginger and the addition of sugar didn't help to counter any of it. It will be an absolute waste to serve something of this calibre to a guest. And even though it is regarded impolite to tell a royalty about their flaws, as a teacher, it is important for Shirayuki to make sure that her student learns properly. Thus, even if it pained her to admit it, she looked up at her beloved's mother with a grim expression plastered across her face and began providing some constructive criticism about how the older woman can make improvements in her next attempt. Thankfully, Lady Haruto didn't take her words in a negative way and bowed her head in apology.
Smiling at the pout on the Queen's face, Shirayuki began rinsing the pan clean.
"Say," the queen mumbled lazily, resting her elbows on the table, "..there is something different about you ever since our first meeting."
"Ah yes.." the young maiden answered in agreement, "During our first meeting, I was..um..really scared of you. I thought you'd be extremely disapproving of your son's relationship with a mere herbalist..But I am glad that nothing of that sort happened between us."
The Queen's eyes widened slightly and she closed them in thought. Of all the things, she'd never judge a person based on their status. "In that case, I'm glad that you are far more comfortable in my presence now. I'd hate it if my son's beloved was scared of me."
As Shirayuki swiped the utensils dry, Haruto spoke-up again, "However, when I said that there is something different about you..what I meant is..erm..how should I put this?" she wondered, scratching her chin in search for the appropriate word and clicked her fingers when she found it, "You have a very visible glow to your skin."
The spoon in Shirayuki's hand went clattering to the floor as her facial features tinged into a blush deeper than her hair. Self-consciously, she lowered her head and bent down to pick-up the fallen piece of cutlery from the floor. Zen's mother keeps shocking her to no end. Is it really this obvious that they..they.. The blush on her face darkened further if that is even possible. Just the thought about their lovemaking makes her react like an embarrassed child.
"I never would've thought that you two have come this far in your relationship." The Queen smirked mischievously. She still remembers the day that she accidentally heard her son and Shirayuki's voices from behind the door to her son's bedchambers (thankfully she didn't see anything).
Shirayuki shook her head rapidly, "It's not like that..it's-it's..uh.."
For an instance, the mischievous expression left Haruto's face and she narrowed her eyes, "Did my boy force you?"
"Not at all!" Shirayuki answered within a beat, "It's um..actually Zen always asks for my approval before making any moves.."
"Moves, huh?" The former queen wiggled her eyebrows at the young pharmacist, teasing back in her tone. It's funny how the queen switches her expressions so quickly from naughty to angry only to return to the previous one. Shirayuki tried her best to ignore the queen's knowing gaze. Haruto noticed this and broke into a fit of hysteric laughter. Oh! Young love.. She thought as tears began brimming her eyes out of joy. She can swear that she hasn't had such a good laugh in years and the credit for her entertainment goes to Shirayuki. This girl keeps amazing her to no end. No doubt she'll make her son the happiest man in this world.
Minutes later Haruto coughed her laughter to a stop, her expression neutral again, "I am casual about this with you. But I am surely going to scold Zen." Crossing her arms across her bust, she sighed, "Still, I am glad to hear that he respects your decisions this much. I suppose he was taught well by his elder brother."
By now, Shirayuki was done rearranging all the utensils back on the table and glanced questioningly at the queen. "Elder brother..you mean Izana-dono?"
"Ah yes." The queen nodded, "I had always wanted to be the one educating my sons about the things of life but.." Shirayuki noticed how the woman began twirling her golden locks around her fingers— a possible sign of anxiety.
Following a long, aggravated sigh, the queen continued, "It's just that..Kain..my husband, his death was such a strong blow to my heart. It..It had left me shattered to the point where the walls of Wistal Castle began suffocating me and I was left with no other choice but to leave. Heh! I even used the excuse of handling Wilant to escape that place where I had spent all my happy years with Kain.." She averted her eyes from Shirayuki and stared at nothing in particular, lost in deep thought. "..Zen was still young when I left..barely even seven.. And yet, I left the castle and I left him!" There was a sense of guilt in her voice as she continued, "I left my poor, little child in the care of his teenaged-brother, who himself was burdened with the duty of taking over my place.."
"Your majesty-"
The young herbalist tried to speak but Haruto stopped her with a gesture of her palm, "I left both of my sons to themselves just because of my own grief and now..I regret doing so because Shirayuki..now I realise that I share only a few memories with my boys..I can never regain that lost time..."
Gloomily, the Queen passed her fingers through her hair and began massaging her scalp to ease her mind a bit. She had come here today to learn brewing some tea and spend time with her younger child's beloved and look how it turned out. She actually ended-up moping about her guilts and regrets to this young girl. In all the years of her life, she has never uttered a word about her tough past to anyone and now that she accidentally has, she knows that this girl Shirayuki..she will never accept her acts as anything more than selfishness... She bit her bottom lip to keep her lips from trembling with anxiety as she waited for some sort of response from the girl.
Shirayuki was equally lost at the moment. Queen Haruto's confessions triggered her brain and the memories of her childhood spent in a bar resurfaced in her head. After her mother passed-away, her father had left her in Tanbarun in the care of her already old grandparents. And even after reuniting with her father during her abduction by the pirate band 'Sea's Talon', she couldn't keep herself from getting this feeling of anger. Even now, it is hard for her to accept her father's reasons for leaving her. Yet now that she is hearing these guilt-laced words from Zen's mother, an actual parent, she is finally able to understand why her father did so..
Slowly, Shirayuki moved closer towards the silent older lady and placed her palm over the Queen's shoulder. "It's okay..I understand.." The said person looked-up at her in shock. After all that she has told to this young woman, Haruto didn't expect such a consoling reaction. She had expected some sarcastic remark about how good a mother she is but Shirayuki proved her wrong yet again.
Pulling out a stool, Shirayuki sat down next to the Queen and continued where she had left-off, "You were alone and you were grieving..None of this is your fault.." Closing her eyes to take a long breath, the redhead went on, "You know I..I always hated my father for leaving me to my grandparents after the death of my mother. But now I understand..he was in a state similar to yours. I finally feel like I can forgive him.."
"But..will Zen forgive me?" the queen asked grimly.
Shirayuki smiled slightly, "In case you don't know, your sons were never mad at you. They totally understand your situation..And about all that time that you lost, you can still make-up for it.."
With hope twinkling in her eyes, the Queen waited for Shirayuki to elaborate on her last part of the speech. For years, she has blamed herself for having such distant relationship with her sons and now that someone has told her that she can actually compensate for her past, she wants to start on this recovery right away.
"I didn't spend a lot of time with my family but after I met Zen and the others, I began enjoying my life a little more and unknowingly, I created so many beautiful memories with my new friends. Even here at the Scholar's District, I made some new friends and now I share a lot of good past experiences with them. You can do the same..Forget about everything that happened and begin with a clean slate.." Shirayuki explained reassuringly, "..You are so lucky that you have one of your son right under the same roof. So from today onwards, you can begin a new chapter in your life and start carving new memories with Zen being a part of them.."
Tears welled-up in the eyes of the Queen and she nodded her head repeatedly at the young red-haired woman. No words can describe how glad she is after hearing such words of assurance from someone. "Thank you, Shirayuki.." the queen sobbed out.
Shirayuki bowed once and responded, "You mustn't thank me, Your Majesty. The one who taught me this, was your own son. So it's all thanks to Zen.."
Haruto nodded at her son's beloved and unlocked the chest of her emotions so that all the unshed tears that have been piling-up till now could be let free. She wept and wept and wept for an hour. And Shirayuki was right there to help her deal with the outflow of such sentiments.
After a while, when the queen regained her composure, she pulled Shirayuki into a gratifying, motherly embrace. When she finally released the girl, the two went back to restart with the task that they are supposed to be doing today— preparing tea.
When the young ruler of the North entered his mother's private wing that evening alongside his three trusted aides, he immediately felt that something was up. There were familiar faces seated around a long, dining table. He saw Tariga Bergatt sitting on one of the chairs and next to him sat, Higata, the assistant pharmacist at this castle. And to his utter horror, when he craned his neck slightly further, he found the one person that he hates facing the most— Lord Haruka!
"Zen!" came the cheerful voice of his mother and he was immediately crushed into a hug. When the former queen pulled back, Zen noticed the weirdly-affectionate smile on his mother's face and wondered what might've happened to give her this much bliss. "Take a seat..all of you." She commanded softly.
With a nod, Zen sat down on an empty chair that was the farthest from Lord Haruka, Obi seating himself right next to his young master. Mitsuhide and Kiki decided to provide company to Tariga and sat next to the young Bergatt instead of their master. As if on cue, Yuzuri, the blue-haired herb-collector emerged into the room with a tray full of cups in her hands. She placed a cup before all of the occupants and left with a bow.
"Anyone here knows what's going on?" Like the curious-cat that he is, Obi was the one who popped the question that everyone is literally dying to ask.
"No idea," Higata shook his head, "The Queen and Shirayuki-dono invited us here a bit too eagerly and we were left with no other choice but to comply."
Amongst all of their confused faces, Lord Haruka was the only one who took a sip of the beverage served to them. However, instead of tasting something pleasant, he felt as if a mixture of tea and ginger stung his tongue. "This tea tastes horrible." He coughed out in his usual gruff tone and try to take in deep breaths to handle the peculiar taste.
Everyone ignored the Marques' comment and took a sip, only to realise that the old man spoke the truth. Zen immediately lunged for the box containing sugar and added tons into his cup, Mitsuhide following suit.
At that very moment, the Queen returned to the dining table, Shirayuki right behind her. The girl served them all a piece of the freshly-prepared apple pie and everyone stared at it with doubtful eyes.
"Do you guys like the tea?" Queen Haruto asked in excitement, "I prepared it."
Even after having experienced it's terrible taste, Lord Haruka is a very devoted man and will never disappoint the former queen. And so, he took another sip right in front of the queen and answered politely to her majesty's question, "It's wonderful, your majesty."
All the occupants at the table turned their pointed gazes towards the Marques and then nodded their heads in mock agreement.
"Yes! It's really very relaxing." Obi commented a little too delightfully and everyone nodded again.
"Enjoy the pie as well." Shirayuki offered with a giggle and everyone stared with fright at the sweet dish.
"Too bad I have yet to learn how to make pie. So I asked Shirayuki to prepare it.." relieved by the Queen's words, everyone took a bite and fortunately, the sweet taste of the pie helped in alleviating the bitterness left by the awful tea.
"So," Zen asked with quirked brows, "..why hold a dinner out of the blue?"
The Queen exchanged a smile full of accomplishment with the young, red-haired pharmacist of this castle. She is glad that she took the advice given to her by Shirayuki. She has actually begun creating beautiful memories in this new chapter of her life and she hopes to keep adding more of them to her coming days...
A/N: And that's it! I'll write another one for these two ladies when I get the time.
About the past life with King Kain Wistaria..well nobody knows a thing about how Zen's father died, so I totally made-up all that backstory.
Oh! And about Zen and Shirayuki's lovemaking, check the previous part of this book X3
Hope you guys enjoyed reading! :D
Don't forget to send in your requests..:3
Until Next Time...
~Manika