The imperial court session concluded as the evening cast its gentle shadow over the palace grounds.
Members, visibly fatigued yet surprisingly enthusiastic, streamed out of the courtroom, their discussions filled with varied topics, but none more fervently spoken of than the cure and John.
Among the buzzing voices, a prevailing sentiment emerged: the time had come for John to seek a bride, especially since the heir remained without an heir of his own.
Initial thoughts of offering daughters as potential matches quickly dissipated upon witnessing the presence of Anna, who effortlessly captivated all who beheld her.
As the evening unfolded, John and Anna found themselves strolling hand in hand through the palace garden, relishing the tranquil atmosphere.
"Did I do okay?" Anna playfully inquired, leaning onto John's arm.
"Pretty well... especially considering the expressions made by the old men..." John replied with a quip.
"Is that so?" Anna laughed, her melodic laughter momentarily slowing down time for John.
Although Anna continued to speak, her words became a blur to John, who was entranced by her laughter and smiles.
The princess's presence seemed to extend each moment, allowing John to savor the enchanting experience.
"Your Highness? John?"
Anna's repeated calls snapped John back to reality.
"Wh---yeah?"
He stuttered, catching Anna's sideways glance and confusion.
"Are you alright?" Anna asked with concern.
"No---no---no, probably just tired... after all that happened..."
John's unable to properly respond.
"Ah, never mind about that.... When are you going to return?"
Shifting topics, John randomly asked.
However, Anna, seemingly upset by the question, replied in a slightly sad tone,
"Are you chasing me away, your highness? I'm sad..."
"Nonono....that is not what I meant..."
John attempted to clarify.
"We had just been reunited after the long sleep and now His Highness is trying to keep me away... Ah tragedy..."
Anna dramatically swirled herself out of John's embrace and faked a walkaway; which left him to be rooted to the spot
The breeze gently fluttered the flowers, and petals of colorful varieties floated past Anna and John.
In this moment, something awakened inside John, a feeling he hadn't experienced since his rebirth. What was it?
He wondered.
Time isn't working well for him at the moment.
Unfamiliar emotions continued to swarm his mind, so alien that he feared awakening to the sight of his old, weathered apartment ceiling in New York.
In that moment, everything leading up to this point felt like an enduring dream.
His heart, a thunderous drum in the symphony of the moment, reverberated through his being, as the world gently surrendered to a hazy blur, a canvas of emotions painted in strokes of fervor.
The sight of Anna walking away as if never to be seen again tugged at him, and his heart screamed in protest, urged him to make a decision fast.
'What are you doing? This is your chance!'
Unbeknownst to him, his body moved autonomously. In the current state, John remained blissfully unaware, his mind a canvas of absolute emptiness.
This was the first instances in which he experienced the his body rebelling against his will.
Seconds cascaded into minutes, and minutes gracefully waltzed into hours.
Initially, it was a pursuit, a spirited dance through the corridors of time. Yet, as the ephemeral distance of 20 paces unfolded, John felt as though he traversed a timeless expanse of 2000.
In the ballet of moments, John's hand seamlessly intertwined with Anna's, drawing her closer to the sanctuary of his chest.
Thus, they found themselves ensconced in the tender embrace they had both longed for.
Abruptly, Tchaikovsky's Waltz of Flowers orchestrated itself in the symphony of John's mind—a nostalgic melody from a bygone life.
The reason for its presence in this poignant moment eluded John, shrouded in the mystery of his subconscious.
While the choice of this classical composition remained elusive, it paradoxically felt both out of place and harmoniously fitting.
The whimsical notes played on, accompanied by the dance of imaginary fireworks that adorned the backdrop of their shared reality.
As Waltz of Flowers continued its ethereal journey, the symphony gracefully transitioned into the enchanting 'Floral Waltz.'
Within this melodic embrace, the air seemed to shimmer with the surreal brilliance of cascading sparks, casting a spell of magic over their intertwined gaze.
In the depths of their eyes, a narrative unfolded—rich with yearning and an indescribable essence that transcended the constraints of spoken words.
John's hand that gently held her head slowly pushed it closer to his, their lips ready, and the awaited kiss ensued.
Tchaikovsky, reborn in this epoch, might have reveled in the eloquent reinterpretation of his classical melody.
Yet, to John, it somehow unfolded as an exquisitely beautiful misreading.
"Your Highness..."
Anna's voice, sweet and tender, resonated like a harp in the symphony of the night.
The gentle winds, fleeting and caressing, whimsically carried petals, mirroring the delicate dance of two hearts drawn together in a silent ballet of yearning.
"Anna..."
John responded softly, his touch a loving caress on her delicate cheek.
"I love you..."
Both confessed in unison, and the kiss unfolded, a lyrical continuation of their shared melody.
Ah, tragedy.
Not far from the garden where the enchanting scene unfolded, a group of mischief-makers observed with exaggerated intensity: Pavlos, Nikos, Demetrius, Ivar, and Dmitriv.
These irrepressible rascals were in full spy mode, while others like Stefan, Petar, Simeon, and Giorgios could only manage speechless silence at the antics of these grown men.
"Huff...huff...huff... Our Despot has finally grown..."
Pavlos exclaimed dramatically, tears streaming down as if witnessing the grandest drama of the century.
"Shush...old man, you'll ruin the moment."
Nikos reprimanded him, as if they were secret agents immersed in a royal romance.
"Hmmmm."
Demetrius nodded solemnly, as if he were witnessing the turning point in a Shakespearean play.
"Alas, the Grand Prince will flip if he saw this..."
Ivar declared in mock despair, as if they were watching a scandalous soap opera.
While Dmitriv couldn't contain his giggles at the sight, treating it like the best scene in town.
"Oh, what a nice sight indeed."
The culprits turned their heads toward the one who spoke, only to find themselves simultaneously gasping in utter surprise.
"Hieekkk....Autokrat!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Hehe..."
When did the emperor sneak up behind them?
They were internally shocked, as if caught red-handed; beads of sweat formed as they were unable to immediately respond to the sudden situation.
Not to mention this ghastly scene where John and Anna were still caught in the act of romance.
"What are you lot doing here, spying on your master, no less?"
Manuel II's face was incredulous as he inquired, as if interrogating these mischievous rascals, while his eyes were trained specifically on the eldest of the bunch.
"Ah...that...well, you see."
Pavlos exasperatedly tried to explain but couldn't due to extreme embarrassment that held him back, forcing him to seek help from the other four.
Unfortunately, these quadruplets immediately looked away, wanting none of it.
"Tch... acting like kids when all of you are already grown-ups..."
Manuel II could only click his tongue at the sight of these antics.
"Well...what are you waiting for? Don't bother the fire that is burning hot; lest you find yourself burned as the consequences...off with you!"
The emperor barked at the five grown men, who immediately crawled away toward the palace's door.
Shaking his head a couple of times as he watched the men enter the building, the emperor then went back to continue observing John and Anna.
However, he felt dissatisfied for some reason.
"Tch...tch...tch... It seems like I need to teach this boy a few things..."
Manuel II amused himself before he noticed the other individuals who still didn't move from their seats.
"You four, what are you doing? Get inside."
He reprimanded them.
The four, who hadn't done anything wrong, felt totally confused as the emperor randomly scolded them like children who missed their bedtime.
After observing for some time, Manuel II decided to let John and Anna do their thing and left the vicinity while the two remained oblivious to what had just happened, still engrossed in their own moment, unconsciously blocking out anything from the outside and living in their own world.
In the background, though, the moon had already started to rise, and the stars began to twinkle. The sky darkened, yet the show continued on and none wanted it to be over.
----------------------------
[Blachernae Palace, Imperial Family residence]
"Chirp...chirp...chirp...."
The morning in Constantinople unfolded like any other day, with nothing out of the ordinary for the city's everyday citizens. However, one person stood out from the routine.
Wrapped snugly in his blanket, likely resisting the autumn chill, one co-emperor remained deeply immersed in slumber.
Last night had been extraordinary.
Never before in his life, not even in his previous existence, had such an unusual occurrence taken place. Confessing to a girl? That was uncharted territory for him.
It was literally the first time such an event had happened, and the memory of kissing Anna played on a loop in his mind, disrupting his night's rest.
Despite the sleepless ordeal, he eventually succumbed to slumber, which was all that mattered; after all, what he needed now more than ever - a little bit more time to sleep.
"Despot, His Majesty is calling you for breakfast."
Regrettably, that was the last thing he desired as a maid attempted to rouse him for the first meal of the day, as per usual.
"Who says being royalty is a relaxing thing?"
John groaned under his pillow in English, but naturally, the maid couldn't comprehend his words.
"I beg your pardon?"
The confused maid inquired.
Realizing his blunder, John awkwardly responded as he sat up in bed.
"It---it was nothing, Nadia. Good work."
He then rose from his bed, stretched for a moment, and proceeded to undress with the assistance of the maid, donning a slightly casual attire.
Guided by the maid, he made his way from his chambers to the main hall of the palace and then to the dining hall, where his family gathered for breakfast.
"Good mor--- ow, what?"
He paused.
Just as he was about to greet his family members, he was unable to continue further when he spotted an unexpected guest sitting alongside his mother, engaged in cheerful conversation.
"Oh? There you are, my boy John, fancy seeing you here this morning."
Manuel II amusedly remarked to John while indulging in his breakfast.
"No---wait, Anna? Ho--why are you here?"
Instead of directly responding to his father, John was completely distracted by the intriguing presence.
"You silly boy, you brought her here last night, don't you remember?"
Helena, John's mother, cast him a weird look on him as if he was a little bit out of his mind at the moment; meanwhile, Anna giggled gracefully, finding the situation amusing.
"O---Ah, is tha---that so... I must've forgotten about it."
John awkwardly scratched the back of his head before slowly taking his seat at the table, while his mother shook her head, continuing her lively conversation with Anna.
The conversation between the two women continued at length, with John and Anna subtly stealing glances at each other.
"You poor thing, it must've been hard for you and your father... Sigh... Lord have mercy on you, poor child..."
Helena continued to share her sympathetic thoughts after listening to Anna's entire story.
"It is fine, really. Thanks for the thought, and thanks to His Highness John's kind help... without him, I wouldn't have survived..."
Anna smiled with a touch of melancholy, her gaze momentarily resting on John.
As the empress noticed the momentary distraction, she was deeply amused and posed another question.
"Oh, on that note, can you tell us how you first met our dear John? Was it fate that brought him to you?"
Hearing this line of questioning from his mother, John choked on the food he was chewing, capturing everyone's attention.
"John, are you alright?"
"No---nothing..." he embarrassingly responded, gulping down water in one shot.
Helena rolled her eyes before refocusing on Anna, who looked at John with concern in her eyes. Despite Anna's apprehension, the empress was determined to hear the story, and Anna eventually relented.
She began to recount the first moment she and John met in the alleyway not far from the Hippodrome—how she was being harassed by ruffians until John and Demetrius appeared seemingly out of nowhere to rescue her.
Her narrative was so vivid that she could still recall the events of that day—the way John bravely fought the thugs despite being outnumbered three to one, his amusing expressions, and the night when they finally met face to face.
As Anna delved into the details of that memorable encounter, she became absorbed in the recollection, sharing the events with Helena and Manuel II.
Meanwhile, John couldn't help but hide himself, listening to the story recounted by Anna.
"Fufufu... Is that so? I had no idea that our dear John could play the role of someone's knight in shining armor."
Helena giggled, her gaze assessing John, surprised to discover this unexpected facet of his character.
"Heh... this boy really is quite the troublemaker..."
Manuel II chimed in, acknowledging John's penchant for getting involved in unexpected situations.
Awkward and embarrassed, John could only offer his silence, opting not to say anything.
Meanwhile, Anna gave him a teasing smile, causing his face to turn slightly red.
"Oho... how could you be embarrassed when it was the right thing to do? Otherwise, how would you gain yourself a beauty like her? Hmmm?"
The emperor wittingly teased John, who preferred not to respond.
"At least he has that valiant side of him, unlike you."
Helena retorted as if defending John while demeaning Manuel II, who, like John, choked on his food.
"Tsk... tsk... tsk... Men...."
The empress clicked her tongue.
The entire morning unfolded with lightheartedness and a cheerful atmosphere—Anna's unexpected presence, John's endearingly embarrassing side, the maternal charm of his mother, Helena, and the emperor, Manuel II, revealing a side less dignified but more genuine.