A Walk through Memory Lane.

"This dress is to gaudy for my grandchild and this one has too many frills. Not like there is any problems with frills. But going overboard, it'll lead to just embarrassment."

Sakura's grandmother pulls one dress after another out of the closet, each one receiving a type of disapproval from her.

"What is this ghastly thing? Is this truly considered a dress, who designed it!? Never order from them again!"

She grabs a hot pink dress with frills in the arms, frills on the neckline, and frills all on the bottom of the dress. The design had bows of neon green and orange on it as well.

'What the fuck is that? Were they going for the highlighter marker edition or something? I'd rather die than wear that shit.'

Sakura looked at the dress in pure disgust, wondering who bought that hideous and disappointing thing that is passing for a dress.

"Wow, that is horrid." Ariel looks at the dress while squinting his eyes, it hurt to just look at it for him. While Azrael just turned away from it.

"Those blasted maids! I bet they took advantage of the money and just bought the cheaper designs while Raphael wasn't watching over them."

"Now I understand even more why Raphael was so stalkerish when it came to Sakura's upbringing, none of the maids were good enough to be trusted."

"What's more, those blasted things bought dresses that fabric is rough and itchy on the skin. What if my granddaughter got rashes because of it." The older empress looks on coldly at the dress and subconsciously released a cold chill of air.

'Wowsa, no wonder her name is Iclyn. Her parents knew what to name her. It is a very fitting name. '

"Your excellency, I believe it's best to hold your emotions. The princess isn't that resistant to magic yet. Her level is still low."

Ariel gently reminded Iclyn and had Azrael backup a bit from the women with Sakura in his arms.

Taking notice of what Ariel mean, the previous Empress closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Releasing them as if to release her anger. The atmosphere around them grew back to room temperature since she stopped releasing any more magic.

"I do thank you for reminding me Ariel darling. I appolagize for making you remind me."

"Do not worry, anything for our beautiful and wonderful previous empress."

Ariel smiles a lopsided smirk and does a small bow toward her. She smiles and laughs at his antics. She steps closer and lightly pats him in the head.

"Hoho, I remember when you were 6 years old, you accidentally called me mama and cried in embarrassment because Seraph and my son made fun of you for it."

"Please your excellency, I rather not remember that." Ariel lightly coughs and looks away, his skin turning a dark red from the sudden talk of the past.

"Why not call me mama Icy, you used to call me that all the time when you were a toddler, your mother always told me how you would tell her I was like a second mother to you. I always melted when she told me that. Hohoho~."

It was the first for Sakura to see Ariel so flustered, he even covered his face from the embarrassment. While Sakura's grandmother reaches out and keeps patting him, adding to his embarrassment.

'Heh, serves you right for always teasing me.'

Sakura grinned and watched on at the man becoming such a docile child. Azrael watched on along side her, but felt the older patriarch turn to him. His eye twitched and a bad feeling came over him.

"Azrael, I remember you were like a guarded kitty. You even growled at me when I walked closer to you and your younger brother."

She smiled sweetly at the man, but you can tell from her eyes she wanted to tease him too.

"I-I.... I'm sorry for that..." Azrael turned his head to the side and couldn't look at her. Causing her to smile and walk toward him.

"No reason to appolagize, I found that quite adorable really, especially when you finally opened up. It was like a puppy would run up to me to receive pats on the head each time you saw us. Even my husband found that endearing."

"Please.... no more..." Azrael covers his face in a bashful way with one hand, and his other hand held Sakura steady.

'Hehe, a childhood friends mom is as deadly as a mother when it comes to recalling past memories. All your past embarrassment will come to light with just one sentence from them.'

Sakura laughed in her heart at the grown men bashful image, while displaying an innocent smile in her face.

"Where they cuthe when youngerth?"

She tilts her head while asking her grandmother that, wanting her to reveal more of their sham- interesting past.

"P-Princess!? W-we weren't cute at all. You don't wanna really know. How about eating some cake, I don't believe you had enough."

Ariel quickly butted in to distract her with cake. Gaining Sakura's interest to the topic of their past even more.

"Prin-Princess.... please no..." Azrael looked down at her with a kicked puppy look, as if he sensed her intrest rising.

"Why! they were adorable! But that doesn't mean they aren't adorable now. Even if they grew up. To me, they will always be those children who always acted mischievous, but always came running for a hug when you spread your arms wide for them."

Already halfway, Azrael placed Sakura on the floor, and then proceeded to die from shame with Ariel.

'.... truly, the most deadly weapons are the words of a proud and boastful mother when they try to brag about their kids to others. Even if they aren't blood shared between them."

Watching this two powerful men getting K.Oed by her exhibit of motherly love, it makes Sakura write a mental note to never allow her to bring up Sakura's past when she gets older.

'.... I bet she has photo crystals of their childhood.'

An evil smile blossomed in her face, and coincidentally both men saw that and felt a chill run through their spines.

"Wa-"

"Gwanma! They must have a loth of picturths wright??"

She quickly turns to her grandmother, ignoring the looks of pleads from the men.

"Oh! I certainly do! I have a lot of them, that I even made copies and forgot to send to their mothers. Thank you for reminding me Sakura dear. I should actually make a tea party with their mothers so we can talk about such fond memories."

Iclyn smiled in joy and clapped her hands in glee at the future tea party she I'll host with the top men of this empires mothers. Giving the final blow to the men in the room.

"At least we won't be the only ones to suffer... don't warn the others Azrael. We should all suffer from the shame"

"Mhm" Azrael nods and sealed his lips, and the fate of the other men.

'Wow. There's no brotherhood when it comes to ones shame. But that doesn't mean I should make this boring.'

"Gwanma, gwanma!"

Sakura lightly tugs her grandmother's dress, interrupting her mini run through memory lane.

"Yes honey?"

"Why not invite eveyonth with their mamas?"

"Oh! What a great idea! I bet everyone miss their sons and want to have a walk through memory lane with them too. And we should invite their wives and fiancee's!!"

"We're doomed..." an air of death surrounded the men, but they seem to already accept their fate.

'Hehehe~ today wasn't such a bad day after all.'

Sakura messed with them a bit more and then decided to give them leniency.

"Do you guys havth to swithch with someone else?"

"To watch over you? Hmm? I think it was supposed to be Seraph and your father today. But seeing as your grandfather was taken for some type of discussion, I believe they won't be able to. That really will leave us in a pickle."

Ariel scratches his head in worry, because at around 3, he and Azrael have a meeting with the commanders stationed in each kingdom.

"... we can't take her highness because it'll be outside the palace barrier.... sorry." Azrael seemed guilty and sad that they couldn't take Sakura, but he knows it's for her safety so he tries to explain it.

"Ith ok. I'll stay with grawnma." Sakura just smiles up at them and held her grandmother's dress.

"I wonth be a bother and be unreasonable. So you can gow."

The others frown a bit but smiled. Ariel kneels to reach her height and gently caresses her head.

"Our princess really is like a mature adult. Already thinking for us. But you don't have to hold back so much and say things to make others feel better. Don't force yourself ok?"

"I'm noth, I'm fine really!" Sakura pouted and tried to swat his hand away, earning a low chuckle from him.

"Ok ok~ our princess really is mature, then is it fine to just stay with her excellency?"

"Yup! It's fine. Now shoo, go."

Sakura laughs a bit and does a shooting motion as of she was kicking them out. The men both nodded and lightly patted her in the head and bowed to Iclyn as a goodbye.

They didn't leave them with no protection though, just after two minutes later, a female and male knight came knocking on the door and entered when Iclyn allowed them to.

They both kneeled in one knee and held a fist to the heart, their heads hanged low to display respect.

"Your excellency, we are the royal knights from squad 4. We were sent to watch over you two, I hope you find no issues with us."

"No problem, you may both rise." Icly held a composed posture and acted like how Sakura first saw her; elegant and poised.

'I forgot there were female knights. I remember there are 10 squads of Royal knights, each hold 20 knights. The first 3 squads are mostly filled with noble lineage, while the 4th to 7th one are mixed with noble and common birth. Then the last 3 squads are just common blood.'

While remembering how the squads are structured, it means that they are either common of noble.

'The women has to be from a humbler background, most noble fathers wouldn't allow their daughters to dab in strategies of war and weapons, lest it will interfere with their chances to gain a groom. But this man can be either, I'll just have to probe around to catch anything. But then that means the knights I met the other day were from a different squad, and this one were either guarding other areas of the palace or had a day off.'

While trying to place them somewhere to see why they weren't seen in the training area, Sakura frowned when another thought struck her.

'The inner parts of the palace knights and outer knights and guards... why do I know so much about it? Was it this detailed in the game? Why do I feel like I know more than what was described in the game? I even know the difference levels of how the army is structured.... did I learn this from somewhere else other than the game..... but from where?'

"....k..ra.... Sa...a. Sakura!"

"Wha, whut!?"

Sakura blinked rabidly and turned around to see where she was.

'Shit! I was distracted by my thoughts again. I should think about this later, when there's no one else around.'

"Is something wrong? You had a deep glower when you were looking at those knights. Do you not like them?"

"Uhh? Oh! No, no! I don'th hate them. I was thinking how cool a girl knighth is, I wonder if I can be one."

She said that with a smile but then frowns as if she discovered something.

"Buth I remember I'm a printhcess, so I can'th become a knighth."

She said that with a discouraged and disappointed tone, successfully distracting her grandmother and giving an excuse for her unusual behavior.

"Oh honey. You may not be able to become a knight, but you can be something even more grander and cool."

"Really!?"

"Of course! You'll become the Empress of this empire, you can wear the royal crown and stand mighty on top of many, but remember never to overuse that power, for it was given to you to protect and not abuse. Ok?"

"Yes grandma! I promise. I'll use my power to protecth, just like the knighths use it to protecth us and everyone else."

"That's good my child. You are so responsible and kind, you will make a great ruler like all your ancestors."

"Hehe, I'll twry!" Sakura giggles and jumps on her grandmother's arms, showing an innocents and naivety of a child. She quickly glances at the two knight and saw them reveal a look of admiration and respect.

Sakura baried her face in the crook of her grandmother neck, hiding the smirk and the sharp glint in her eyes.

'With that, I secured the protection and respect of the royal knights. I just need them to spread it around that I'm such an admirable child, and with the meeting with the other knights the other day, my image would improve in the eyes of everyone else."

No one knew that each actions she took when she was with them for a while was to get them to view her better, their emotions were used just for her survival.

'If Rose ever appears, I don't have to worry about being alone with no one by my side, I won't be looked with distrust and disappointment. Right now, I'll care for my image, and will interact more with people. This is for my survival, no way in hell I'll repeat the games ending. Even if it means I have calculate my every move, I don't want to die like that, it hurts each time.....'

While thinking for her future, she hasn't noticed the weird wording of her last thought. But she got tired, and closed her eyes. She decided to think about everything later.

"Oh? Seems like it's Sakura's nap time, why don't you both sit down over the table there."

"We wouldn't dare! Please let us stand. We will act like air and stand in the corn-"

"Oh hush now. Just sit down right there, it's boring to just sit by myself with nothing to do, so sit down already."

Iclyn smiles at them and shooed them to sit. Both knights look at each other and decided to not go against her. Each one take a seat, but were rigid and still, not knowing what else they should do.

But before they can stand up again, Iclyn sat down and smiled at them sweetly. That smile for some reason made them sweat.

"Now.... are you both married? Do you have children, how many? How old? Oh dear me, I should first ask for your names, how careless of me. I wonder if you both are a couple. You guys look quite nice together. Are you guys together? oh how...."

The older women kept firing questions after another, forgetting her graceful and majestic bearing. Both knights felt like they were being questioned by there own mothers and felt some regret for being chosen to watch over them.

'No wonder the general patted us in the shoulder, his eyes holding pity and looked as he was lighting a candle for us...' both can only pray to their gods for the princess to awaken soon, before the elder empress decides to matchmake them with someone when she finds out they aren't dating anyone.