CHAPTER 5

Sakura stood frozen on the stage, her name still echoing in her ears. The applause erupted around her, loud and overwhelming, while the cameras flashed in rapid succession, blinding her with their intensity. She felt detached from her own body, as if she was watching herself from a distance, trapped in a surreal, slow-motion nightmare.

She could barely breathe. Everything felt too bright, too loud, too much.

Her heart raced in her chest, and her legs wobbled beneath her, but her body moved forward anyway—an autopilot response to the clapping crowd. She vaguely registered someone guiding her by the arm, leading her toward the center of the stage. She was paraded like a winner before the audience, the press, the entire kingdom watching this unfold live on national television.

Her head swiveled back and forth, searching for a glimpse of something familiar to latch onto. She found her parents in the crowd, their faces a mix of pride, disbelief, and fear. Ino was nearby, smiling as best she could, but Sakura could see the tightness in her expression. Everyone was stunned.

I'm not going to be queen, Sakura had told herself and Ino so many times before. I'm just a placeholder. They won't actually pick me.

But they had.

The announcer's voice droned on, talking about the honor of the raffle, the unity it symbolized for the kingdom, and how the next steps would proceed. It was all background noise to Sakura, drowned out by the deafening sound of her own heartbeat.

Her body kept moving forward, every step dragging her further into this nightmare. She smiled stiffly for the cameras, her hands trembling at her sides. She felt like she might collapse any second, but somehow, she managed to keep it together as they led her off the stage and into a quiet hallway, away from the cameras and the roaring crowd.

Sakura was ushered into a grand, dimly lit room deep within the palace, and for the first time in hours, the noise and chaos of the outside world began to fade. The heavy door clicked shut behind her, leaving her alone with nothing but the silence and the weight of the moment pressing down on her.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the softer light. The room was decorated in muted tones, with elegant furnishings and tapestries that spoke of the kingdom's long, proud history. It was regal and intimidating, much like everything about this experience. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, the adrenaline from being paraded in front of the cameras refusing to subside.

Her fingers fidgeted with the fabric of her dress as she glanced around. There was a large, ornate table in the center of the room, flanked by high-backed chairs that looked more ceremonial than comfortable. She didn't know where to sit—or if she should even sit at all. The silence was thick, and every second felt like an eternity.

What am I doing here? she thought, her stomach churning with anxiety. This is insane.

A part of her still clung to the idea that this was all some cruel joke, that they had picked her as a mockery of the things she'd said during the political interview.

Sakura chewed on her lip, feeling the weight of her nerves building again. She wanted to believe this was temporary, that soon she would be sent home and this strange chapter of her life would be over. She'd go back to her quiet life, her steady job, the one she had settled into comfortably even if it wasn't her dream. But now, as she stood in this lavish room waiting for the King himself, that hope felt increasingly thin.

The door creaked open, breaking her train of thought. She snapped her head toward it, and her breath caught in her throat as Sasuke Uchiha walked in.

He was flanked by his security detail—three figures who moved with quiet precision, their eyes scanning the room with practiced vigilance. One of them, a tall man with silver hair and a sharp expression, caught her eye briefly before returning to his post by the door. The others, a dark-haired woman with glasses and a hulking figure who looked more like a bodyguard than a soldier, positioned themselves strategically behind Sasuke.

But all of them faded into the background the moment Sasuke stepped forward.

He was taller than she had imagined. More imposing. His presence filled the room effortlessly, a quiet strength radiating from him as he moved with a graceful but deliberate pace. His dark eyes, sharp and unreadable, locked onto hers, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Sakura felt her heart stutter in her chest. She had seen him in countless pictures, but nothing had prepared her for the real thing. He was beautiful—impossibly beautiful—like something carved out of marble. His dark, onyx eyes held her gaze, piercing and intense, and yet his expression remained stoic, almost distant.

Sakura's throat tightened, and the panic she had managed to keep at bay started to creep up again. Her mouth was dry, and the room felt too small, too heavy. She was standing in front of the king.

And then, because her brain was short-circuiting from the sheer insanity of the situation, she blurted out the most inappropriate thing she could have possibly said.

"Aren't you gay?"

The words hung in the air, a horrible, irreversible mistake. Sakura's eyes widened as the realization hit her like a punch to the gut. Oh no. No, no, no! Did I just say that out loud?

The room fell into a suffocating silence, and for a second, she thought the floor might open up and swallow her whole. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and she opened her mouth to apologize, but nothing came out.

Sasuke, to her utter shock, didn't react immediately. He stood there, his face unreadable, but she noticed a flicker in his eyes—a tiny shift, something almost… amused? His lips twitched, and for the briefest second, it looked like he was going to smile. It was small, barely noticeable, but the corner of his mouth quirked upward before he quickly smoothed it back into a neutral expression.

Sakura wanted to die of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't—" she stammered, her voice breaking as she struggled to explain. "It's just… there were these rumors when I was younger, and—" She clamped her mouth shut, realizing she was digging the hole even deeper.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, and though his face remained as stoic as ever, there was something in his gaze that seemed to soften, just for a moment. He said nothing, but the almost imperceptible amusement in his eyes grounded her in a way she hadn't expected. The ridiculousness of the situation hit her all at once, and somehow, the sheer absurdity of it brought her back to herself.

She could feel her pulse slowing, her breath coming more evenly. The panic receded, just slightly.

Sasuke stepped closer, his security detail lingering near the door. He was only a few feet away from her now, his presence almost suffocating in its intensity.

"Is this for real?" Sakura whispered, the disbelief thick in her voice. Her mind still couldn't grasp that any of this was happening.

Sasuke's gaze stayed fixed on hers, and he answered with a simple, clipped, "Aa."

The brevity of his response did nothing to ease the surrealness of the moment. Of course, this was real. She had been chosen, paraded in front of the cameras, and now she was standing here, face-to-face with the king himself. Her mind whirled, trying to piece everything together, but none of it made sense.

Before she could ask anything else, a knock on the door signaled the arrival of a palace aide, clipboard in hand, entering the room with an air of strict professionalism.

"Miss Haruno," he began, his tone overly formal, "you will need to be briefed immediately on the correct protocol for addressing His Majesty."

Sakura's stomach twisted as the aide started listing a series of rules, each more suffocating than the last. "From now on, you are to address him only as 'Your Majesty.' You must remain two steps behind him at all times. When you speak to him, you must lower your voice to show proper deference. Physical contact is strictly forbidden unless explicitly invited, and you are not to—"

"Enough. Give us a moment."

Sasuke's quiet voice cut through the room like a blade, halting the aide mid-sentence. The aide blinked, clearly taken aback but quickly nodded, bowing slightly before making a hasty exit. He motioned with his hand and his security detail followed, leaving Sakura alone with him.

The silence that settled between them was thick, but this time, it wasn't oppressive. If anything, Sasuke's quiet authority felt strangely calming, his presence filling the room in a way that demanded attention without force.

Sakura glanced down, her fingers fidgeting nervously. She wasn't sure what to say—or if she was supposed to say anything at all. The entire situation felt so far from reality, like a dream she hadn't woken up from yet.

Sasuke, however, seemed unfazed by the awkwardness. He watched her quietly, his expression unreadable, but there was no tension in his posture, no urgency in his presence. He seemed perfectly at ease, standing there in silence as if waiting for her to collect herself.

Finally, unable to stand the quiet any longer, Sakura spoke, her voice hesitant. "I don't understand… why me?"

Sasuke's gaze didn't waver, but he didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be considering her question, weighing his response. Then, after a long pause, he said, "It was a game of chance," he answered this time, then followed with, "Why not you?"

Sakura blinked, confused by the simplicity of the response. "What does that even mean?"

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering with something she couldn't quite place. He didn't elaborate, didn't give her the detailed answer she was hoping for. Instead, he just watched her, his gaze steady, as if there were layers of meaning in his words that he wasn't ready to share.

"I wish...can you - would you reconsider?" she asked, more softly this time, almost pleading.

Sasuke's lips pressed into a thin line, and though his expression didn't change, there was something in the way he looked at her—something deeper, more contemplative. He wasn't going to cater to her wild request, that much was clear.

Instead, he said in his quiet, authoritative voice, "Accept this. If not as a person, then as a king's command."

Sakura felt the weight of his words settle over her, heavy and inescapable. He wasn't asking her. He was telling her. Yet, there was a strange softness in his tone, a quiet understanding that made her feel like this wasn't just a command—it was something more.

She had no answer. Not yet. But as she stood there, staring into the unreadable eyes of the king, she realized that whatever her choice, her life would never be the same.

tbc