Chapter 4

The announcers outside the Grand Hall shouted, "Duchess Yamanaka and Lady Yamanaka have arrived."

The large double doors opened, and Ino and her mother were greeted by the whole imperial family. They both bowed and said their greetings before the Royal Family. Her father was standing behind the Emperor, as this was official business. Then, her gaze swept through the throne room and saw that everyone was present.

Except Sasuke.

Her gaze shifted to the side.

Ino was relieved when she saw that his chair was empty, but that did not mean that she was any less nervous.

When her gaze moved to the person who sat on the left side of the emperor, her breath was caught within red pupils. The three commas within his iris were spinning fast, making Ino feel slightly hypnotized and couldn't break eye contact.

The deep stare coming from Itachi unnerved her and she suddenly felt shy under his gaze.

She hasn't seen him in so long that she felt like he was a ghost.

She had also forgotten how equally beautiful and handsome the Crown Prince was. Whereas Sasuke had shorter dark raven hair and had a more youthful and boyish charm to him, Itachi had a more mature and dark aura that you could not help but be drawn to. He felt like someone cold, but also someone warm and protective. It was like how he was with Sasuke; he was tough, but he was tough with good intentions. He did not want Sasuke to be easily manipulated by the nobles.

He, like his father, had grown out his dark hair and tied it up neatly.

She could feel her face burning up and immediately looked away, breaking their connection.

Crown Prince Itachi was always good to her, true, but he was also the brother of her then lover, Sasuke.

And because of that, Ino always felt a sort of distance between them, and knowing how close the two brothers were, Itachi knew of their attraction to each other years before they even realized their feelings for each other. Sasuke was the reason he gave up his succession for the throne so he could become Crown Prince and be engaged to his childhood friend.

But that was when everything changed, which led to Ino and her family's demise.

So, in this lifetime, she would not let anyone break her engagement with Itachi, if she could help it.

"Welcome."

Emperor Fugaku's voice rang in the Grand Hall.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

Empress Mikoto chuckled, "Ever so impatient, are we?"

"Hn."

Ino smiled at their interaction, always finding it cute that the Emperor and Empress were like two sides of a coin. Whereas Fugaku was cold and calculating, Mikoto was warm and bright. Yet, their love story was something everyone in the continent could never get enough of.

Mikoto turned towards Ino and her mother, "We called you here today to officially sign the engagement documents between our two families. Shortly after, we would announce this to the rest of society through a ball in two week's time."

Fugaku, a man of few words, simply nodded and waited for his wife to continue, "Itachi, here, would be the one to escort Ino into the ball. We've also prepared Madame Tenten to help with the dresses and outfits for Ino so no need to fret about the last minute ball. We've asked the best of the best tailors to come and help my future daughter-in-law." Mikoto finished, affection and excitement evident in her voice.

Fugaku gestured his hands, and Orochimaru entered from the double doors.

"Orochimaru, here has the documents ready. Please, can you help notarize the engagement."

Ino's hairs raised at the mention of that snake-like name, but she tried her best to keep her gaze neutral. She remembered how he was in her jail cell when he was trying to get answers from her. Answers she didn't have and had to pay with her flawless skin got scarred from his whips.

Her father took a step forward and gathered some papers in front of him. Orochimaru also stepped down from where the Royal Family where sitting and stood in front of the wooden table set up before they came in.

He took his stamp, the official stamp that represented the Judicial branch of the empire, and poured red wax on the paper.

"By the power vested in me, by his Majesty the Emperor, I hereby notarize and declare this document official."

He then pressed his stamp onto the wax, engraving his seal onto the document that tied her life with the Crown Prince until death do them apart.

The snake-like man turned to Ino, "Congratulations, my Lady, you're officially engaged to the Crown Prince."

When he finished his sentence, Ino sensed that there was something sinister behind his yellow eyes. She felt chills run up her spine when her eyes made contact with it, but she simply ignored it. Ino nodded her head in acknowledgment and looked away. She just wanted to be out of his presence as soon as possible.

Kara bowed deeply, "We deeply appreciate your gesture, and of course, we will follow whatever Your Majesty requires of us."

The Empress stood up, "No need to be so formal, Kara. We've been friends so long, you know you don't need to address me as such."

Kara smiled back, "It's proper etiquette."

Orochimaru finally walked away from where she was and Ino felt like she could breathe properly again.

The Empress waved her hand, "Come, let us have tea in my drawing room."

Then, "Itachi, why don't you bring Ino to our gardens? I'm sure she would love to see what our gardener has prepared for the ball."

Ino inwardly was amused, Orochimaru forgotten. Even in this lifetime, the Empress was trying to play matchmaker.

Itachi stood up from his seat and walked over to where Ino was.

He took her hand, bowed and kissed the back of her hand. Ino blushed at the action.

In her past life, Itachi had always maintained a polite distance from her and would refrain from touching her if he could. This was the first time that Itachi had treated her as a woman he could potentially be attracted to.

"Let's go, Lady Ino."

He placed her hand at the crook of his elbow and escorted her to the Imperial Gardens.

Once they were out of the Grand Hall, Ino could finally breathe again. She was tense the whole ride to the palace, anxious about having to meet Sasuke again. But he was absent, and that gave her a sense of relief.

"So, how are you, Ino?"

Ino turned her head towards her fiance, "Oh um, I've been good, Your Highness."

Itachi gave her a soft smile, "No need to address me as such, call me Itachi."

"B-but -"

"Call me Itachi, please."

Ino felt awkward having to call the Crown Prince by his first name, but she guessed since she was about to become a part of their family, that it would be weird to keep distance between the two young individuals.

"Y-yes, Itachi."

They walked towards the center of the garden, where there was a maze, with servants and knights following five steps behind them.

It was silent for a few minutes, Ino feeling awkward with how to fill in the awkward silence between the two of them.

Although Ino was close with Sasuke, she never had the chance to get to know his older brother. They had always kept a polite distance between the two of them, and with Itachi knowing about the relationship between her and his brother, he made sure to not get close to the beautiful blonde to cause no misunderstandings.

They finally walked towards the maze and Itachi raised his hands, signaling that the people following them should stop and give them some privacy. Then, his hand went to Ino's lower back and he guided her into the maze.

His hold was firm and strong.

"This maze was created by the Empress so that we could have some privacy to get to know each other." Itachi chuckled, as he touched the flowers that grew.

He took a few steps away and plucked a red rose from the bush. Then, he turned around and offered her the flower, "A beautiful flower for the beautiful lady."

Ino felt blood rush to her cheeks and she knew she was turning red.

"Thank you, Your Highness, I'm very flattered by your compliment."

"Itachi."

"I can't possibly call you by your first name, Your Highness."

"Please."

Ino bit her tongue, "Itachi."

The handsome man smiled in appreciation and continued on.

Ino followed the Crown Prince silently behind.

"Are you curious as to where Sasuke has gone?"

Itachi broke the silence between them.

He knew that the young Yamanaka was nervous and felt awkward now that her engagement with him had been officially recognized by the empire.

Truthfully, he had always found the blonde one of the most beautiful woman he had laid his eyes on. Her grace and elegant aura fits her soft image, with sharp wits and intelligence to maneuver the politics within her circles. Even before her coming-of-age ceremony, when she had attended one of his mother's tea parties with her mother, she knew how to handle politics. She had sharp eyes and was very observant that she knew when the other girls, who were jealous of her status and beauty, had tried to sabotage her because of her young age.

Even before that, when she would attend classes alongside Sasuke and himself at the palace, she always knew the answer, was the hardest working student, and was always asking questions that the imperial tutor sometimes did not know the answer to. It was because of her that Sasuke had started paying attention in class and did not want to be outshined by a noble. Mana classes were the only classes in which Sasuke was able to overthrow her, due to the limited mana that Ino had possessed. It was an unfair advantage, and the pair would always bicker about it.

And, after they finished their classes during one late summer afternoon, she and Sasuke were playing in their gardens, rolling on the grounds like two brats fighting for their lives. But once their energy ran out, they laid on the grass, clothes dirty, laughing like two carefree children without the heavy burden of coming from important families that held the empire afloat.

It was that day that Itachi knew he had unknowingly fallen for the young girl. It was a shame that Ino and Sasuke had started becoming closer and closer that Itachi, as the selfless older brother that he was, realized that they had stopped seeing each other as friends, but as a man and woman.

He had his suspicions, since they studied together. But he confirmed it with his own eyes when he saw that, instead of the usual playful brawl between the two teens, they were laying on the grass, passionately embracing each other. Their lips fighting for control and dominance instead.

He kept his feelings for the blonde hidden, as he only wanted the best for his younger brother.

They tried to keep their relationship a secret, but Itachi knew all about Sasuke's secret visit to the blonde's room at night. He had planted Shishui, one of his most skilled assassins and spies, to follow Sasuke in case of any danger. He was the one who reported about Sasuke's midnight visits.

But when Shishui came to Itachi a few months ago and reported that Ino had broken things off with Sasuke, he felt sad for his younger brother. But, he also felt a tinge of happiness at the opportunity to finally be the man to be by Ino's side. Now that his father has officially approved of their marriage and Sasuke was off fighting a potential war outbreak from the South, Itachi felt like this was the opportunity he was waiting for.

Ino stopped walking, which made Itachi stop in his steps as well.

Ino was curious as to where he had gone off to, but she didn't want to voice it out.

Itachi seemed to sense this, so he continued, "He went to the South."

"The Suna Empire has been breaching our borders down there and has been giving us a hard time the past few months that my brother had volunteered to go down and curb a potential war outbreak. I believe he will stay down South for until the foreseeable future."

Oh, he wasn't even in the capital. He didn't even tell her he left, which broke Ino's heart a bit. There was also a tinge of worry about his well-being. Though he betrayed her in her past life, he was innocent in this present one.

Ino shook her head from the mixed feelings rising within her.

What she wanted was to simply live a simple life without anyone's attention on her.

"I wish him good luck and good health."

Itachi didn't say anything at those words and simply observed the blonde beside him.

It was uncharacteristic that she, who was so in love with his brother, did not show any signs of concern or worry.

It was either she was too good at concealing her true feelings, or that her feelings towards his brother had disappeared.

The day Shishui reported to him that Sasuke and Ino had broken up, Itachi remembered that Sasuke came back to the palace in a very foul mood. All the servants who greeted him only bowed and stayed out of the way in case they got scolded by the angry prince. When Itachi asked Sasuke what happened, he only glared at him and slammed the door to his room to his face.

Then, when the family was having dinner that same night, Sasuke volunteered to look through the unrest happening at the borders between Suna and the Uchiha empire.

"I wanted to prove myself, father. Please give me this opportunity to learn how to be a great general like my brother and to make a name out of myself."

Mikoto protested, "Sasuke, you are a second prince, you have no business going out fighting on the battlefield. You're already a great mage."

Sasuke interjected, "No, mother. This is something that I need to do. I do not want to live as a spoiled and pampered prince forever, please give this opportunity to help protect the empire our family has grown."

His mother always fussed over Sasuke and worried about him since he was the younger sibling, but the fact that for once in his life, Sasuke had decided to take action to make a name for himself made Itachi very proud. Despite understanding where his sudden motivation came from.

His younger brother was growing up.

"I can bring Neji Hyuuga with me, if that appeases you, mother."

Fugaku, who had been silent the entire time, placed his fork down on the table.

"That sounds like a good idea, Sasuke. You can go South to see the unrest happening from Suna as soon as possible. Take the troops from the Fourth Order with you in case a war may happen."

Then, on a rare occasion, his father let his mask down and pride was shining in his eyes, "I am proud of you, son."

Sasuke visibly brightened up at his father's words.

"I won't let you down, father."

Sasuke leaving must have had something to do with the blonde.

"I will send your regards to my brother."

Seeing as Ino was still feeling awkward around Itachi, he had decided to cut their walk short.

"It's getting hot out here, let us head back in, my Lady."

"Then, I promise to enjoy this garden with you at our engagement ball."

Without thinking, Itachi lightly grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers through hers. Ino's eyes widened and she started blushing, not expecting such aggressive behavior from the usually quiet and shy prince.

"Let me escort you back to your carriage."

At a loss for words, Ino only nodded.

Itachi smirked and lightly tugged the blonde towards him.

Itachi knocked on Sasuke's room, bringing the sword that his father had used when he had conquered Amegakure and Otogakure three decades ago. It brought their father victories and he wished, in the case that a war broke out, that Sasuke had the best weapon in the empire to wield and protect him.

"Come in."

Itachi stepped in and saw that Sasuke had finished packing. He was polishing his armor, without looking up to see who it was. He already knew just from the light steps.

"I wanted to give this to you for your journey."

Sasuke looked up, his pupils red. Itachi looked with surprise.

The pupils...

How was it possible? He was spoiled and pampered, never seeing the brutalities of war. He never had the opportunity of awakening this without having to kill a close comrade.

"Didn't expect me to be able to control our eyes with the Mangekyou this early, right, older brother?"

Sasuke placed his armor on the ground and stood up. He took a few languid steps towards him, his hands in his pockets, "Well, just so you know, I will train and will learn to surpass you."

"I will surpass you and be the man that will be powerful enough to take Ino back from you in both mana and swordsmanship."

He got closer to Itachi and anger was evident in his gaze, "Let this be a warning to you, older brother. By the time I come back, I will take her back. Not just her, but also the crown. I will become a prince worthy of becoming the emperor. So enjoy the time you have with her while I'm gone, because that will be the only time you will ever have with her."

Itachi stared right back at Sasuke, "We'll see if you have enough power that time to take her and the crown away from me."

Itachi escorted Ino to her family's carriage and watched her carriage drive away.

The Mangekyou.

When Sasuke comes back, there is a chance that he can surpass him and take the Crown away from him.

Itachi smirked.

We'll see, foolish brother.

I hope everyone had a restful and great holiday break! Here it is, the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it and stay safe, as always xx