If you like medieval settings go read Hang The Moon by Hamliet. She describes the settings very well! The Forgotten fic by her is my main inspiration for writing this story.

Touka woke up to see her husband's loving gaze on her, his lips curled into a soft smile as his fingers tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing both of her alluring eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful." Her cheeks instantly turned pink, how could he say that so boldly? But then again, what she did to him last night was even bolder. Her blush deepened, but gradually faded as she took in his features.

Seeing his bare left eye was still something new to her- the sclera was deep black, a huge contrast to the white one on his right eye. Nonetheless, she wasn't repelled by it. Her fingers traced the corner of his eye- he flinched at the contact, but didn't push her away, and remained motionless. Her hand then trailed lower, eventually cupping his cheek before her lips brushed against his, softly. They shared a heartfelt smile when she pulled away, but her hand remained where it was.

Kaneki placed his hand on top of hers, his eyes fluttering closed, enjoying the warmth of her hand on his cheek. In this moment, all he wanted was to stay like this forever. As if there was no one else in the world but the two of them. As if they weren't king and queen, but a normal couple with no responsibilities of ruling the kingdom. As if he wasn't dying, and able to grow old together with her.

He realised how those were just his wishful thinking, and will never come true no matter how much he wished for it. Oh, how he wished for it.

"How was Re when I was unconscious?"

Touka seemed startled at his sudden question, breaking their peaceful silence abruptly. She opened her mouth to speak, but paused as she realised she had been a bad ruler in these few days.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, her hands clenched into fists on her thighs. Her head bowed and her eyes downcast. He sat up directly in front of her but she was still staring at her fists.

"I'm sorry. I... I left Re matters to Tsukiyama."

"What? Why?" To her surprise, he didn't sound angry. In fact, he sounded like he was concerned.

"I didn't want to leave your side." She admitted shyly, the blush she had earlier starting to creep its way onto her cheeks again.

'You didn't leave my side for four days?' Kaneki could feel his heart melted at her confession. What had he done in his life to be blessed with such a dedicated wife?

"But you have to, Touka. Regardless of my condition."

"I know. I know I should choose duty over feelings but- I wanted to be there when you woke up..."

He sighed lightly as his heart softened even more. He raised his hand and gave her head a gentle pat. This caused her to finally look at him.

"Silly Touka."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. But promise me that you will rule Re no matter what happened to me in the future. Okay?"

She nodded despite unwilling to. "Promise."

"That's my queen."

The news of Kaneki finally waking up brought relief to everyone in the castle.

They were getting worried as days passed by, but they could finally put it aside. Most of them adored Queen Touka's decision to stay by her husband's side instead of ruling the kingdom as there weren't many things that need attentive care from their rulers at the moment.

When Kaneki and Touka stepped into the throne chamber, everyone's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the lack of eyepatch on their king's face. The last time he displayed his left eye was before he got married- which was around a little over three months ago.

Only Tsukiyama dared to speak.

"My King! Your eyepatch-" Kaneki raised his hand, as if motioning, don't speak any further. The High Chancellor understood the message and decided not to press on it.

"What's the latest status of Re?"

Fuka stepped ahead to give his report.

"The fertilisers from Sunlit Garden Kingdom proved to be effective. The farmers are able to grow their crops again now. We don't have to provide them lunch again."

"That's good to hear. Continue supplying lunch for another two weeks, I want to ensure they are able to have a decent meal. Any other news?"

"They would like to show their gratitude to Queen Touka for providing them free lunch, they know Her Majesty loves rabbits so... they made this."

There was a glint in Touka's eyes as she stared at the gift. It was a playground made of wood and bamboos, consisted of a small hut with two holes for the rabbits to enter and exit, and there were two seesaws as well.

She didn't expect to receive such a lovely gift from the farmers she helped. It moved her heart deeply. She had never received any gifts from the people of Anteiku despite what she and Ayato had done for them. Kaneki noticed the tears she was holding, he gave her hand a light squeeze.

She looked at him softly before returning her gaze to Fuka.

"I love it, I really do. Please send my regards to them, and tell them I appreciate it, a lot."

"I will, Your Majesty."

After the meeting ended, Touka asked Shio, Rikai and Yusa to relocate the gift to her rabbit's cage, while Kaneki said he will join her in a while.

There were only him, Tsukiyama and Banjou inside the throne chamber.

"Did Kanou speak to both of you?"

"Yes, he did."

"And?" His stare was sharp and intimidating, like a predator watching his prey. He was expecting a direct and honest response from them.

"He gave us the latest report. You... I'm afraid you don't have much time left, Your Majesty."

"How long?" His voice seemed to crack a little, his grey eyes stricken with fear.

Tsukiyama exchanged look with Banjou momentarily before Kaneki repeated his question.

"How long?!" He almost snarled- his nose flared, and Tsukiyama knew better to answer his king immediately rather than delaying it any longer.

"One year, at most."

His eyes widened in immense shock at hearing the High Chancellor's words. He could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a moment, then pounding painfully loud in his chest that he could hardly breathe through the lump in his throat.

One year. One short year before his impending death.

12 months. 365 days. At most.

At most.

He could have died today, tomorrow, or next month. Only God knows when.

His head hung low, his teeth gritted in helpless frustration, his heart felt as if it was crushed into a million pieces- and it was painful. So agonizingly painful.

The happiness he felt recently suddenly felt like a curse. As if he didn't deserve that happiness. As if he was punished for being happy.

'I can't leave Touka alone. It's unfair to her.'

"The eyepatch and something else made your eye even worse, Your Majesty. You've been clawing at it again, haven't you?"

"O-only when I think of my mother. But, I think I'm alright now. Touka is... there for me. She- she said she accepts me for who I am. All of me. I- I-"

He stopped talking as realisation hit him.

He was using her, sacrificing her future just for the sake of his kingdom.

Why didn't he realise that sooner?

Wrong. He knew, but he didn't really care back then because previously, she was just his tool.

He did mention that he wanted to fall for her, but he was well aware that he had to sacrifice her eventually.

But now, it was different. He had fallen for her, he had come to care about her deeply. Remembering his purpose of marrying her shattered his heart.

Why was he so selfish?

Why didn't he think of it thoroughly?

Why didn't he just die before marrying her, so that she could have a better future?

A few black tears trickled down his face, his jaw clenched tightly as he saw tiny black splotches on the table.

"She deserves better. I can't sacrifice her life like this."

Tsukiyama gasped in shock at hearing his king's words.

"But My King! What about Re's future? Washuu and Pierrot will definitely try to conquer us. Blood will be spilled. Lives will be sacrificed. Your royal court members will either be banished or executed. Do you want to see that happen, Your Majesty?"

"But she- I'm burdening her with this role."

"That's the role that she has to take as a queen."

"I can't. She- I don't want her to be like my mother."

Tsukiyama's gaze turned softer at his king's confession. 'So that's what you're afraid of, My King?'

"Queen Touka is different from your mother, Your Majesty. She loves you, so she will love having your child. And she loves Re. You're doing a great job in changing the way she rules."

There was a deafening silence stretched between them. Kaneki seemed dejected, his fingers rubbing his temple furiously.

"You have to choose, Your Majesty. One single life, or thousands of innocent lives?"

"I don't want to choose… She doesn't deserve this…"

"She'll understand, Your Majesty."

They remained silent until Kaneki broke it with a surprise question.

"Shall we do it? Shall we help Washuu in conquering V?"

This time, it was Banjou who gasped in shock.

"You want to have the surgery? But Kanou mentioned it's risky."

"It's better than not doing anything. I'm dying anyway. How worse can it be?" his eyes appeared lifeless as he spoke, as if he had lost any hope in his life.

"The lives of our soldiers are at stake, Your Majesty. V has a powerful army. King Tsuneyoshi wouldn't have asked for our help if they could defeat V themselves."

"If I died, not only our soldiers need to fight, but our people too. It's just as you said, Tsukiyama. Blood will be spilled. I can't let that happen." His thoughts went to his people- the farmers, the goatherds, the merchants, the craftsmen, the scholars. Amon, Akira, Saiko- they deserve to live. They deserve to have a promising future. But Touka deserves a better future too.

"When are you planning to help Washuu?"

"After... At least after Touka's birthday. I'll talk to Tsuneyoshi when I'm in Aogiri."

"I see."

"Call Nishiki in."

The main knight of Re entered the throne chamber, surprised to be called in when they just held a court meeting half an hour ago.

"Yes, My King?"

"Prepare our army for war. We'll help Washuu in conquering V."

His brows furrowed in surprise and apprehension.

'He's planning to have the surgery.'

"But, Kimi- I mean, Kanou said that the surgery is risky."

"I have to take the risk. I'm dying, Nishiki. This is my only chance."

The knight gritted his teeth. He knew this day would eventually come, but didn't expect that it would be so soon.

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will prepare our army. Shall I recruit new soldiers as well?"

"Yes. I need at least one thousand more." 'For future purposes, in case I died.' "Are you and Miza able to train them in a month?"

"You can count on us, Your Majesty."

"Hey." Kaneki greeted his wife as he stepped into the huge cage, her eyes lit up at seeing him. Shio, Rikai and Yusa stopped playing with the rabbits then walked away from them- to where Hirako was, to observe their queen from afar.

The gift was placed in the middle of the cage, and Mika was playing with the seesaw while Taka went inside the small hut. Maka, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully.

"Look, Rika is pregnant!" Touka raised the fluffy white rabbit, showing its slight baby bump to Kaneki who was sitting next to her on the green grass.

His heart ached at the sight. It reminded him of his purpose of marrying her.

"Kaneki?"

She noticed the way he looked at her- it was different compared to this morning. As if he was guilty of something. But what? And why?

He took her hand in his, his thumb running over the back of her hand tenderly. Rika immediately hopped away to its new playground.

"Touka, do you regret marrying me?" He asked, his eyes serious but filled with pain, fear, and guilt.

"What's with the sudden question?"

"Answer me." He sounded so desperate, and it raised the confusion within her.

"No. I don't regret it." she simply answered.

"Why?"

Her eyes stared into his, as if searching for the reason behind his question. He looked so painful, as if he had done something terrible, seeking her forgiveness.

'Because I love you.' But should she say it? She was scared. Saying I love you to someone who didn't love you back would be pointless, humiliating, and heartbreaking. But she wanted him to know. She wanted to make him feel better. To stop looking so miserable and just be happy, at least for this moment.

So she kissed him. Her lips moved gently against his, then grew more passionate by the second, pouring her feelings into the kiss, conveying them, as if saying 'I love you, I'm here for you' through the kisses.

He whimpered as he felt it again. As if he was loved. As if he was wanted. He returned her kiss with equal passion but still felt the guilt, shame, and ache in his heart.

He didn't notice the tears falling from his eyes.

"Kaneki? Are you alright?" she asked as she pulled away, her thumbs wiping his tears. He held her wrists, his eyes fixated on her worried face- she was concerned about him.

She really looked like an angel. A beautiful angel. But soon he had to taint this angel. To make her bear his child. To ensure the line of Re succession continued. To ensure the lives of thousands of innocent people in Re stay protected.

He kissed her again, deeper this time, but more lovingly. Afterward, he pulled her onto his lap for a warm embrace- his arms wrapped securely around her waist, his face buried in her hair. They remained like that for a couple of peaceful minutes.

"I'm always here, Kaneki. You can talk about it if you want to, I'm all ears. But if you don't want to, then I hope my presence makes you feel better."

He tightened his embrace around her, as if holding on for his dear life. His jaw clenched painfully hearing her kind words.

'You deserve a better future.'

The journey to the Aogiri Kingdom took them almost three days. Touka hadn't been to Aogiri since six years ago, when her father was still alive, when she had her first dance with Kaneki- her crush back then, but her husband now.

There wasn't much difference compared to what she remembered. The smell of the moat was still nauseating, probably because it was almost summer season. The castle was old and battered but still appeared regal and strong nonetheless. The stone walls still maintained their grey colour, but there were decorations and flags everywhere- most likely due to the grand wedding ceremony tomorrow.

"Welcome, King Kaneki and Queen Touka. King Ayato will arrive tomorrow morning." Nico greeted them at the gatehouse, he was wearing a ridiculous outfit as usual.

"Who else has arrived?"

"Prince Koori and his wife, Princess Hairu arrived yesterday. Washuu family arrived last week, considering Prince Kishou will spend the rest of his life here after all."

Princess Eto is an only child, thus Prince Kishou will be the future king of Aogiri. It doesn't really matter as Prince Yoshitoki is the first son, the next heir in line for Washuu.

"Noro will bring you to your room. Please enjoy your stay in our castle, and let us know if you need anything." He winked at the one-eyed-King.

Their room was huge, probably due to Kaneki's status as a king. When she was still a princess, the room that was given to her was pretty small.

"We still have a few hours before the dinner, so... I would like to show you my favourite place in this castle."

"Favourite place? In this castle?" she wondered, it didn't seem like there was any picturesque place in this castle.

"Sometimes I come here. Eto loves to write books and give them to us as presents."

"Us?"

"I mean, the Washuu heirs and me. They love to read. Kishou, Nimura, Rize. Kishou is not a talkative type, but he likes to give constructive criticism. So Eto does the writing, then Kishou voluntarily spends several weeks here just to review them. I think they got closer and fell in love with each other."

"So those books in your study chamber..."

"Yes. The books on the top shelf's author is Eto, and most of them are reviewed by Kishou. I'm surprised she didn't give us a book as our wedding gift." But she gave them red ginseng instead. 'What are you thinking, Eto? Do you take that much pleasure in teasing me?' He sighed. He would get his answer tomorrow.

They walked hand in hand to the corner of the castle until they were in front of a massive tree. Although it was old, it looked pretty sturdy. Thick roots seemed to have ripped from the ground, and there was a brown wooden ladder against the trunk.

"This tree is my favourite place. Look. There's a treehouse on top of it."

Touka looked up and saw a treehouse on top of the tree.

Who came up with the idea of building a treehouse in the corner of the castle area?

They climbed the wooden ladder and went inside the treehouse. It was a little bigger than she thought. Several glass bottles lined up at the corner of the room, there was a desk with several quills and papers on it beside the bottles. Opposite the desk was a small couch, facing the open window. She wondered who used this treehouse as it seemed very well-kept.

Looking at the quills and papers, suddenly- an idea came to her mind.

"Let's write a letter to each other."

Kaneki blinked in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"Let's write a future letter. We write things we want to say to each other, then we'll read them in the future. We place them inside the bottle here, and then bury them near the tree roots."

"Why can't we just say it now?"

"Come on, Kaneki. Is there anything that you want to share with me, but you're not ready to? In the future, maybe you are. So, why don't we write it down first?"

She had to do this. There were so many things she wanted to tell him but didn't have the courage to. Hopefully, after writing the letter, she would have the courage to tell him directly.

She determined not to read his letter during this visit no matter how tempted she was.

"When will the future be?" His face stricken, he wanted to read the letter from his wife before he died.

"Hmm... Aogiri Grand Ball is held once per 10 years, am I correct? Since the last ball was held six years ago, then the next one will be in four years. What do you think?"

His face turned as white as his hair, his heart twisted in pain and misery in his chest.

'Four years... I don't have that much time... I won't have the chance to read her letter...' he bit his lower lip so hard that it almost shed blood.

"Okay. Four years is fine." His hand brushed his chin as he nodded, trying his best to smile at her. Touka noticed his actions- his lying gesture and his fake smile made her felt unease.

She was about to say something but he already held a piece of paper in his hand, placing it at the corner of the desk. He pulled the chair and sat down, his hand began to write. She gave in, and proceeded to do the same thing.

He determined. That night, he would have a meeting with Tsuneyoshi regarding V and his surgery, and then return to this place to read her letter.

Author's Note: Until I graduate in July, please expect slow updates. Working from 9 to 6 on the weekdays then studying during night time and weekends really makes me tired. I'm only able to write this because of Chinese New Year holiday (Happy New Year btw!). But I'll try my best to write whenever I have time. Thank you so much for your patience, and for the continuous support!