Disclaimer: I wish I owned it...

Ryou's laugh, Seto decided, was one of the loveliest sounds he'd heard. As the days passed from her day of rescue, Ryou was growing in strength and opening up more to everyone. She was patient with Yugi's clinginess (she still didn't remember meeting him as a child – some of her memories were still foggy), Mokuba adored her (this was very important, that the little brother approved of her being with Seto), and there didn't seem to be a mean bone in her body.

There was of course the general castle gossip – she was a minor noble, how had she attracted Seto Kaiba of all people? Did you see how close she is to the King-Regent – the nerve! – and the like. If she heard the gossip, Ryou seemed to brush it off her shoulders. She seemed too happy with being curse-free to really be bothered by what others thought of her.

There was strength in that, Seto thought. Ryou was the quiet strong type. She was graceful and despite being shut up for the majority of her life, she was adjusting quickly to the court and all its silly social customs and hidden rules.

Ryou had spent her years alone reading all the books in her house, soaking up knowledge that she seemed to have retained well. She had studied all sorts of subjects and Seto enjoyed just sitting with her and listening to her rambles about various subjects she had read about.

While she had never been to formal court gatherings before, it hadn't taken long for her to adjust and Seto kept by her side, protecting the one he was fond of. Ryou's poise and the way she carried herself made it seem like she was not a newcomer to the court.

Everyone seemed to know that Ryou was off-limits, if the glowering dragon-shifter next to her (almost constantly) was any indication. That didn't mean that there were no jealous whispers from those who thought they were better suited to be courted by the Captain of the Royal Guard.

Ryou hummed softly to herself as she browsed around the massive library that the palace held. Seto was busy with his duties and everyone else was busy as well. Ryou had found that not many took advantage of having such a well-stocked library and that she could get away from the gossip and judging looks.

Ryou pulled out a book from the shelf, taking it with her over to a nearby couch. She liked the couches here too – they were overstuffed and ridiculously comfortable to curl up in. Some of them even had small throw blankets for extra comfort.

The young woman settled into one of the fluffy couches, opening the book to start reading as soon as she was settled. She was comfortable enough to not need the throw blanket that was draped over the back and left it where it was.

The library was nice and quiet, no sounds from the outside leaking in through the walls. It was a nice, calm escape from the general hustle-and-bustle of the palace daily life.

Seto knew exactly where he would find Ryou. He had finished his duties for the day and he wanted to escort his chosen to dinner – there was a large-scale dinner this evening, with all of the court in attendance. It wasn't an overly former affair, which he preferred honestly.

The dragon-shifter walked through the halls of the palace, done with his duties as Captain for the day. His inner dragon was a bit anxious today and it outwardly showed in the twitching of the end of his tail. Seto wasn't sure why the anxious feelings were there. Perhaps his dragon had been missing Ryou all day?

Approaching the doors of the library, Seto paused before them and set his hands on the wood. A gentle push and they were creaking open, revealing the rows of shelves and two-story level of the library. The shifter strode inside, checking for Ryou.

Peeking around corners and peering over the backs of the scattered couches, Seto found the young woman in a back corner, next to a bank of tall windows.

Alone, with no one else to see him, the shifter couldn't help but smile a little bit at the sight.

Ryou had fallen asleep – warmed by the sun coming through the windows and from the comfort of the overstuffed couch. The book lay open on the floor beside the couch, having fallen from Ryou's fingers when she had drifted into slumber.

Seto bent and picked up the book, setting it up on a nearby small table. He knelt down beside the couch, reaching out and gently brushing his fingers over Ryou's cheek. She made a small noise in her sleep but didn't wake up. The young woman shifted a little, snuggling a bit more into the couch cushions.

A glance at one of the grandfather clocks in the room told Seto he had a bit of time to let her rest. He settled down beside the couch to guard her as she napped.

It was well past dinner when the two were discovered – Ryou still asleep and Seto asleep – by a guard who had been sent to look for them after they hadn't shown up at dinner.

Gossip the next day would certainly be interesting.

Courting was certainly an interesting affair. Sure, Ryou had read about it in romance novels (and granted they had been pretty trashy romance novels), but that didn't compare of course to experiencing it personally. She had quite the collection of little trinkets and baubles – it didn't matter how silly or weird it looked, she treasured them all as they were little signs of devotion and love from Seto – and her room almost constantly smelled like roses from the frequent gifts of flowers.

She loved it though and made sure that Seto was aware of how much it all meant to her – she wanted him to know that she appreciated each little gesture (especially since for the most part he wasn't overly romantic) and to get a rare, true smile from him was certainly a blessing in and of itself.

Somehow, even though she knew he was giving her things daily as part of courting, she was still always surprised by whatever he managed to bring her.

The practice of courting differed from person to person in how long they decided to do it before proposing. Seto seemed to be the type in it for a semi-long haul, but Ryou didn't mind. It was giving them a chance to better know and understand one another and it gave Ryou time to continue re-adjusting to life without the curse.

She was looking forward to the day though, when he decided to make things more official than just the declaration of intent with courting.

A/N: I think we've got about 3 chapters left...well, 2 chapters and an epilogue. Thanks so much for sticking with it and see you next chapter...