Chapter 26

Apparently the moment after that little speech, Sakura is the only one who was actually surprised.

For one, nobody ever told her that she is going to be the Princess. She sort of is already Sasuke's concubine, meaning various girls he has in his court that he's allowed to sleep with in the hopes of producing a male heir. Concubines meant not a whole lot if they do not get pregnant with a child. They are bound to housework and chores just as much as everyone else. A Royal Prince can have many concubines, but he can only have one Princess. The head of the household, one to take care of everything within his court, and one to share his bed every night. She will be, in every since of the word, his partner for life.

Because divorce among royalty was practically impossible.

So we go back to the scene when Sasuke made his proposal, and Sakura was the only one who was surprised by this revelation, because apparently, nobody ever told her. None of the royal family member was surprised by this little outburst, because every knew Sasuke's intentions, he must've informed them prior to this whole show.

Itachi looked towards to Sakura in amusement, and raised his eyebrow and spoke to the Dowager Empress, "mother?"

The Dowager Empress paused for a few moments before speaking in the most clear and concise manner, "Your Royal Highness, The Emperor and I have discussed this in length for quite some time, and we both agree that even though we have urged you to take on a Princess, our assumption was that her position in the court should be substantial to fit your status."

Sasuke looked extremely annoyed. He was about to speak when his mother quickly said, "However, we came to a compromise that I assume all parties present would be happy to comply."

She stopped talking, and looking towards the Emperor, then back at Sasuke.

Sasuke waited for her to finish impatiently.

"You may take Haruno-san as a Princess Consort first, and should the occasion arise in the future, the position as the head of the main household would still be open." She finished, as if giving in a great deal in this decision.

Sakura was dumbfounded. This is all happening so fast. Several layers should be dissected for what happened within the last minute. First, she was to be officially married into the Royal Family, second, apparently her husband-to-be wanted to take her on as a primary wife, the official wife. However his family does not approve and they only allow him to take her on as a side wife. Apparently this was a discussion taken by the Emperor and the Dowager Empress, and without their consent, their union cannot happen. And last of all, nobody has ever bothered to ask her what her opinion was. Not even the Royal Prince.

But living among such intimidating giants and looking at everything, she knew it'd be foolish to jump out and scream feminism. She closed her jaw, let herself be washed over with these information, and finally understood she does have feelings towards him. Perhaps it's not as strong as he suspected, but it's tender and beautiful. She admires him, because of his capabilities, talent, and demeanor. She admires those things because it's something she longed for but sorely lacks.

She looked towards Sasuke for an answer, waiting for his reply.

Sasuke didn't answer right away. He looked straight towards his mother for the longest time. It wasn't a look of simple hatred, but a mixed variety of emotions. He thought about everything happened in his life, his brother's life, the sacrifices they made, and the sacrifices she made for them, and everything that came in between. It was a long and intense look, and the whole court was dead silent for the full minute.

He then said in a clear and determined voice to his mother, "I would never take another wife, in this lifetime."

Then he turned to Sakura, who was gazing toward him with adoration and trust. For the first time since they entered the place, he smiled back at her, and said, "Brother, please set a date and we can proceed to the feast."

Sasuke turned to Itachi after he finished the sentence, and the Emperor looked down at the two of them down below in bemusement for a few seconds, before motioning, "We have decided the September ninth, two months from now. This should allot for sufficient time for preparation. Congratulations to the two of you."

Everything was planned out twenty steps ahead in court.

Sakura and Sasuke both knelt down and thanked for the Emperor's graciousness.

"Have the court draw up all relevant papers." Emperor said to his attendant, and then stood up, "Let us proceed to the banquet."

Everything was already planned out. They followed after his footsteps and proceeded to the banquet hall south of the Great Court, its another elaborate space decorated in white marbles and incredulous grand design. The difference was that their was two long rows of tables on each side, and every single dish was already placed on the table in meticulous manner, lined up all in a row. Their was a main dish every meter, and 11 side dishes surrounding each round plates. The table made from mahogany wood, and in addition, all important officials within the court are already seated. The moment the Emperor entered, everyone stood up in unison, got out from the tables and knelt down in a row to the side, and the Emperor walked up through the long rows to the end, where there's 9 steps of stairs, and two ivory table placed at the top, one for the Emperor, one for the Dowager Empress.

Sakura immediately noticed the change. After the Emperor announced his approval, she walks along side Sasuke, perhaps a step behind when she was used to it, but she noticed he deliberately slowed down his stride for her to catch up. She quickly jogs a couple steps, and he would turn to look at her and smile dotingly.

All the grandure fell apart when she looks at him. She wondered if she's suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, but recently he haven't been making her miserable. In fact he has let her loose and she did not have to follow many of the rules in place for other concubines or servants as she did in the beginning. She wondered if she really does love him deeply, deep enough to spend the rest of her life with him, because often these feelings are hard to tell. But she thought about how a man of his status abandoned his health to save her, and she realized she has never known that he's the person she has been looking for all her life, this one and the previous, until that moment.

She followed him, and he sat at the very end, closest to the ivory steps, symbolizing his closeness with the court. After he sat down he motioned for her to sit next to him, and for the first time, she sat next to him, having a complete seat to her own.

Everyone rose and offered their congratulations one by one as they all sat, and they waited until everyone finished their blessing.

Sakura, still a bit dazed, looking around at all the flash, until she felt her hand being gripped under the table by Sasuke. She relaxed a bit and turn to look at him gratefully.

"Are you happy?" He asked, eyes concerned and nervous.

It's the first thing he said since their engagement, and she squeezed his hands back.

"Yes."

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TBC