X Dynasty~Prince Ruka's Tragic Past II

"Your Highness, Yuki is already here!" Declared the guards.

I also arrived on the palace the same time as them. But I just watch them from afar, knowing that my father will get mad when he saw me there.

"Hmp. She's already here? Let me see her face." Father confidently said.

In no time, Yuki kneeled in front of my father. "Warm greetings, Your Highness." She wholeheartedly said. The confidence she is wearing from the time she entered the palace is still there.

"You may raise now and look directly into my eyes." Yuki slowly stand up and looked up into father.

"I see that you are beautiful." Praised father.

"All thanks to Your Highness." She bowed down again.

"But, you have to stay here for a month!"

"A-answering to the emperor, why should I stay h-here?" Yuki startled, nervousness in her voice was present.

"You will be having an intelligence battle with me. If you win, you will be able to date the prince freely and your parents will live here in the capital. But, if I win, you will be not able to date the prince and the two of us will get married." Hana explain in cunning voice.

"I think I will be--"

"Yuki, please don't agree with them. You can date me freely, right? Please just don't agree with them!" I stepped out from my hiding place, I don't care if father will get mad and punish me.

"How dare you to sneak here without my permission?!" Father shouted at me.

"Guards, bring him to the interrogation room!" He continued.

The guards obey him, though they don't want me to drag on that interrogation room again. Knowing what will father do to me.

After dragging me out there, I don't know what happened next. All I know was father came in the interrogation room to punish me with 50 whips. It's painful but he let me go after that.

I went back to my room, finding some medicine to cure my wounds.

Yuki bursted out from the door, looking at me worriedly.

"Ruka! What happened to you? Let me see your wounds so I can apply medicine in them."

I turn around, my back facing her. "Here, some medicines." I handed her the medicine.

"Your father is too cruel to you." She sigh, taking the medicine from my hand. "And why aphrodisiac? Where did you get these?!" She exclaimed, panicked.

I turn around at her. "Huh aphrodisiac? Why do I have this kind of medicine here?" I asked myself suspiciously. First of all, why do I have aphrodisiac in my kit?

She shook her head. "Good thing I have cream here. I sneak this out from the royal clinic. Now turn around." I obey her. I could feel her warm hands on my back, it's so relaxing.

She wrapped the bandages in my body. "Done." She smiled sweetly at me as I turn around at her.

I hugged her suddenly. "What's up with that?" She asked me, caressing my hair.

"Thank you! Now I gotta sleep. Sleep with me?" I asked her.

"Hey Ruka!" She blushed at the thought. "I just sneaked out from the guards. I need to go back now or else they will catch me here." She explained.

"Then I'll walk with you." I suggested.

"No need. You will just attract people."

I sighed in defeat. "Yeah I forgot. Honestly, I don't want to be prince. I just want to be with you."

"I shall go now Ruka." I look into her eyes. Even her, she have a disappointed look in her eyes.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

TIMESKIP

---1 month later---

Today is the day. The day that they are waiting for. I walk around my room in a dread state.

What if Yuki will not win? I know Hana is plotting something against her. If Yuki will not win, then Hana and I will get married. Ohhh please no.

"Ruka what are you doing? Your father asked you to sit in front with him." Yuki said calmly. How can she be so calmed?

"Hey Yuki, how can you be so calmed? What if you didn't win? Then Hana and I will--" She shut me up with a short sweet kiss.

"I will not allow that. I'll do my best, but no promises." She chuckled lightly. I started chuckling too, it lighten up my mood.

"Okay, gotta sit in front and will cheer for you." I said, following her behind.

"Now that prince Ruka is already here. We can now start the quiz!" The game master declared.

"Now to start the battle, we will start at the land marks of the X Dynasty." He revealed the coverage of the first part of quiz.

"After reading the question, you can raise your hand and give your answer."

Hana smiled confidently. Of course she is familiar with the land marks here because she sometimes travel with her father into different regions of this place.

I turn my head to look at Yuki. She wear her very usual poker face, just like the first time we met. I know she can survive the first round, we used to read a book in the library filled with land marks and different informations into it written by the different great traveler of this dynasty. So I just smiled confidently at her—knowing that she can do it.

The quiz began and the two of them have a tie scores until the hard part of the quiz. To break the tie, they set the last question.

"Now to break the tie. Question number 50." The two of them prepared theirselves for the question to get revealed.

"What is the golden rule of this palace?"

Hana raised her hand first, smiling confidently at Yuki as if she already won the battle. I shiver at the thought of it. If she will answer it right, then Yuki will...

"Article number 25, Golden rule, the emperor will be emperor, no matter how you look at it." She finished her statement. I just laughed at her, it's a wrong answer.

'Obviously she didn't know anything about the golden rule.'

"Wrong." The game master said and turned to Yuki. "Any answer, Yuki?"

She stood up from her sitting place. "The Palace Rules book 5. Page number 2425, article 789. The Kaze rule. Any royal members, specifically princesses of the palace should be pure. If anyone touched them beside their husband, a rough punishment awaits for them." She finished and sit down.

"Correct!" The game master exclaimed happily. I too, jumped in joy from my seat. Yuki won the battle!

"How can you tell that this is correct? There are thousands of rule in this palace! What if you are wrong and I am correct?!" Hana exclaimed angrily at the game master, averting her gaze on Yuki.

"I can't be wrong. Yuki said the book title where it could be found, which is correct. Also the article number, the page number and specially the name of the rule. Is all correct." The game master explained.

"Enough! The winner in this battle is Yuki." Father said and look into Hana disappointed.

"Yuki, you and your parents will live in the capital. You can now date the prince freely. As a promise." Father said nonchalantly.

"Yuki! You won." I approached her and hug her tightly. She just nodded.

"That means we can now date freely."

"I know right!"

We went to their house in the forest and tell them about the news. They hug her tightly as if there's no tomorrow.

Well I understand them, imagine your kid will come home after a month that you didn't see her face, or even wrote a letter on to you. Of course you will hug her tight.

We also asked her parent's permission if we could hang out at the night market and they immediately agreed. They also lend their simple clothes for me to disguise in the capital and Yuki's mother also fixed my hair into different hair style.

The two of us celebrated her victory by hanging around the capital and messing around like crazy kids.

That night was just filled with joy and contentment. Contented that we are sitting and standing next to each other.

But the thing that we don't know, Hana was planning evil again against Yuki.....