Duty-Bound: Chapter 76
...xXx...
All is fair in love and war. Once everyone in the palace knew his intention, every young leader of other clans voiced the same desire to court Mikan. Though she had made it clear that she didn't want any other, Elder Souma insisted that as a ruler, she had to be fair.
"I don't want to have anything to do with them."
He was sure Mikan didn't realise she was gripping his hand harder. The idea of other guystrying to woo her was not pleasant, but what Elder Souma said was true. For the sake of fairness, Mikan would have to at least let the others court her.
"They are your subordinates, just like Natsume-sama," Elder Souma reasoned.
"I am not a prize," she replied through her clenched teeth.
"As a matter of fact, you are, Princess," Elder Kajiura piped in.
Mikan glared at Elder Kajiura, who didn't deter with her hard glare. Seeing her tense posture, he knew she was close to lose her temper, so he did the only thing to calm her down. He swiftly pulled her into his arms, ignoring the gasps of the elders. They were his least concern.
"Calm down, Mikan. Nothing will tear us apart," he whispered only to her ear.
Slowly, she relaxed in his arms. Once they pulled apart, Mikan was back to her princess façade. He didn't miss how several elders whispered among themselves for their little display of affection. If he was by himself, he would have snorted. Hugging her while she was angry with someone else was hardly showing affection. He just wanted to distract her so that she could calm down.
In the end, Mikan agreed with their term to welcome other suitors.
Watching her sleep in his lap, he murmured, "Everything will be alright, Mikan…"