It was not the title that he'd first proposed to her all those years ago, when he saw something he wanted and pushed for it, without considering her own feelings. It was not built upon his own selfish longings. No, this was built on something greater that took a few deserved words from her, to make him realize just how broken he was before he could willingly change.
It wasn't even the title that he'd bestowed on her years ago to protect her, when her own safety was on the line. It wasn't sudden, like a promise long since built up. It was something that took time to decide, took years to bestow, and changed him so thoroughly that it's easy to forget the man he used to be before he really knew her.
Instead, it's a title that was reached together, a decision made very much aware of the potential fall out, a reason to hold her hand as often as they can. King Raji looks towards her, a lot older than the day that they first met; her hair is pulled up into a bun, her eyes a little tired today, and her hand wrapped around a little boy's hand as she tells him a story.
It's almost surreal when he looks at her, and that four-year-old, that's always telling him that his birthday is so close, he might as well be five already. It's a reality that's built upon dreams, and right now, he almost feels like he's still sleeping. Then, Shirayuki meets his gaze with her vibrant green eyes and smiles.
All of a sudden, he feels younger than he was when he first met her. He feels like a child in awe of a woman so intelligent, so confident, so brave, and so beautiful that he doesn't compare and can't help but feel nervous around. He smiles back at her, only when one of his attendants calls him away, does he have to walk and take care of his country's affairs instead of spending a moment with his wife and their son.
Though the relief of it all is that when he returns later that night, it will be to his wife's side and that listening and taking responsibility will still make his wife proud of him. After all these years, King Raji can't help but still long to be the man that she'll continue to be proud of.
After all, he loves her so much that the world would look meaningless without her, and they have a son together that he longs to help raise into the kind of man that they'll both always be proud of. He sometimes worries that his son will get as lost as he was, until a star comes and changes his life for the better too.
But with Shirayuki there, Raji doesn't really feel like they'll have to worry about that. She's always been the kind of person that her husband feels so in awe of and inspired by, and he's sure that their son will always have her as the best role model to look up to in her for the rest of his life.