Huo decided to set out after the sunrise. He had no trust in anyone but himself when Aenon sent him some guards for help to accompany him on the journey with a promise that he shouldn't ever mention the helps he received from the Water Realm and about the Crown Princess. But those were the matters Huo personally preferred to keep as a secret. He did not at any cost wanted to put the Water Kingdom at stake because of him and her protection mattered the most since she had already broken the heavenly rules for the demon. He assured them and waited for Aqua in his room. He just wanted to relax for sometime with her before anything happened.
She walked into his room looking pale with a bottle of wine in her hands.
"You know I don't drink much, why did you bother making wine?" He asked her smiling seeing the effort.
"It's not wine, it's my Crystal's, drink them if you get hurt," she whispered in his ears. "Don't let a soul in the universe know about it. Lock them up," she said.
'What have you done Aqua, this is not a acceptable, " he said shocked. He didn't know how to handle it. He did not want her to do what she had done for him. "How could you do this?"
"For you yes, for me, no," she said smiling even though he knew she would burst out any moment. He touched his lips on her and then kissed her forehead before he let go
of her. "Consider this as my token of love," she said.
"You're what that matters Aqua, you should understand that." He told her holding her wrist. They stood looking at each other for sometime. "It's time," he said couple of minutes later. She gave him a bracelet to put on and walked out of the room. She waved him goodbye as he got on his horse. A few minutes later, Huo'er and the guards disappeared. Aqua looked at her father and he nodded at her. Aqua had personally sent one of her best martial arts skilled guards to follow Huo behind her father's back.
Soon Aqua prepared to leave the Beast Palace with her father after inviting them over to Water Palace for their help and to appreciate their efforts and cooperation. Aenon kept his eyes constantly on his daughter during the whole trip while she rode her horse Ms. Peach through the woods beside him, caught up deep in her thoughts. She only had one matter in mind. How should she fight in the battle if one breaks out. Love and duty collided and she couldn't choose any easily. The cause she has been brought up and trained for. It meant meaningless all of a sudden. It was the greedy man's thought and it was nothing like the reality.
"Be prepared for whatever happens in the future, do not forget your duties to your civilians and your realm as a crown princess my dear," he reminded her. She was surprised to listen to her father to have read her mind and reminding her about it.
"When have i ever forgotten my role in the heaven, raised as a," she stopped quickly realising how much it would hurt her father to let him know that she hated the way she had lived. She sighed and looked far away. "Forget it," she said.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"Nothing Pa," she said changed the topic.
Aenon and the troop set up a camp for the night and prepared food for dinner. They managed to get some rabbits after hunting and roasted some sweet potatoes they got. Aqua has been sleeping in one of the tents, looking worn out. Aenon didn't know that she had lost some blood. He woke her up for dinner and fed her with some soup and roasted sweet potatoes. She rejected the grilled rabbit and passed them quickly, she was still starving but was not in a mood for maam and returned back to sleep not saying a word. She had been doing a lot of calculations regarding how the clans should cooperate with each other since Huo'er is soon taking the throne. Keeping herself busy with the thoughts, she drifted off to sleep again.
They reached the Water Realm the next day. Queen mother has been waiting for her. Aqua was sure that she is going to be grounded for a long time. And as expected the moment she entered her Sea Palace, her mother blasted her. Aiden was standing next to her who also looked disappointed. She thought may be like usual he would try to talk it out and solve it but this time he did not want to intervene and save her.
"Unfilial daughter, I am so mad at you for what you have done to your people, Is this how a princess should behave giving refuge to demon and falling in love with him,?
Aqua smiled listening to her mother's acquisitions.
"Ask yourself again mother. Who is Huo? Who made him that way? Who put the ideas into his head and for whom did he choose this difficult path? If you find an answer then never say such false things again," she snapped at her mother and walked into her chamber closing the door behind her. Milan appeared to be waiting for her. She ran over to her sister.
"Tell me all about it," Milan said holding her sister smiling wide.