Akari had been moved to a guest room, where she lay unconscious with a slight fever. Kuro's parents took turns checking on her, but Kuro, deeply worried, refused to leave her side. His parents teased him gently about how concerned he was, but after a few hours, they left him alone with her.
Five hours later, Akari slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on the softest bed she had ever felt, almost as if she were floating on feathers. As her gaze swept across the room, she noticed Kuro sitting on a chair beside her bed, fast asleep with his head resting on her legs.
"Idiot, my legs are paining," Akari said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.
Kuro stirred, blinking awake. The moment his eyes locked onto hers, he didn't hesitate. He hugged her tightly, his grip full of raw emotion. "I thought you'd never wake up," he whispered, his voice trembling. "You weren't breathing... I—I was terrified. I don't want to lose you, Akari. You've been my friend for ages, and I... I can't imagine life without you."
Tears welled up in his eyes, and before he could stop himself, they began to fall.
"Hey, hey, so our Kuro is now a crybaby, huh?" Akari teased softly, her voice full of warmth.
"I'm not crying," Kuro muttered, refusing to lift his head from her shoulder, though his tears betrayed him.
Akari smiled, even as her own heart ached. "Oh, so the walls are raining now?"
Kuro sniffled, his voice cracking slightly. "Yeah... the walls..."
Akari gently patted his head, her touch soothing. "Idiot. I won't die as long as you're alive. Our souls are connected, remember? We share the same physical pain. Only our bodies and Noor are different. If I were in real pain, you'd feel it too... and vice versa."
Kuro clung to her, the weight of his fear still lingering. "But... I was so scared..."
Akari hugged him tightly, patting his back as she whispered, "You're not going to lose me, Kuro. Not now, not ever."
For a moment, the two of them stayed like that, holding onto each other, the silence speaking more than any words could.
Just as Kuro and Akari were caught in their emotional moment, a deliberate throat clearing interrupted them.
"Ahem, ahem," Ken's voice sounded from the doorway.
Kuro immediately pulled away from Akari, his face flushing with embarrassment. "D-Dad!" he stammered, quickly wiping his eyes.
Ken stood in the doorway, his usual serious expression softened by a slight smirk. But before he could say anything, Mina stepped out from behind him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, look at this! Our son being so caring! It's sweet... really."
"M-Mom!" Kuro groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
Mina, ever the playful one, walked up to Akari's bedside and gave her a wink. "You know, dear, it's not every day we see our Kuro being so... vulnerable. He's practically been glued to your side."
"Mina," Ken added, joining in, "He hasn't even left her for a moment. I'm starting to think he's going to propose any second now."
Kuro's face turned crimson. "I wasn't crying, and I'm not proposing! Can you two stop?"
Akari bit back a laugh, teasing him with a sly smile. "Your son's been very dedicated. Even made sure to cry on cue."
Kuro shot her a glare. "I wasn't crying!"
"Oh, don't worry," Mina said, chuckling softly, "We've all had our 'wall raining' moments."
Ken nodded, pretending to be deep in thought. "Yes, must have been those leaky walls again."
Kuro buried his face in his hands. "I'm not listening to this."
Mina sat down on the edge of the bed, her tone softening as she looked at Akari. "But in all seriousness, dear, how are you feeling? You gave us quite the scare."
Akari smiled, her teasing softened by gratitude. "I'm feeling much better, thanks to Kuro's constant hovering. And you two, of course."
Ken gave a nod of approval. "Well, it's good to see you awake. But you've certainly been in... very attentive hands."
Mina shot one last teasing glance at her son. "Maybe we should leave you two alone again. I think Kuro was just getting started on his heartfelt confessions."
"MOM!"
"Well, everything aside, it's really the first time I've seen you get so emotional," Akari teased, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "I mean, I didn't know I was that important to you—shedding crocodile tears and all."
"Shut up, will you?" Kuro muttered, cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
Akari chuckled lightly. "Alright, alright. But seriously, about this whole problem. What are we doing about these ridiculous options? Being your sibling or... fiancé? That's a hard no from me on both."
"Same here," Kuro replied quickly, though a mischievous idea was brewing in his mind. "But we need a plan."
"So what's the brilliant plan, genius?" Akari asked, arms crossed, clearly skeptical.
Kuro smirked. "How about we flip a coin? Heads, we're siblings. Tails, well... you know."
Akari raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously letting fate decide this?"
"Absolutely! It's fair," Kuro said, puffing out his chest as if he were a genius.
"Fine, let's do it," Akari said, rolling her eyes.
Kuro flipped the coin high into the air with a flourish. It spun dramatically before landing in his palm. He peeked at it, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Drumroll, please..." he said, raising his hand theatrically. "And the result is... Tails!"
Akari's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait. You didn't cheat, did you?"
Kuro feigned innocence. "Me? Cheat? Please. Why would I need to? It's fate, remember?"
Akari crossed her arms, unimpressed. "I don't want to be your fiancée. This is ridiculous."
Kuro shrugged, a sly grin creeping onto his face. "me neither.Fine, I've got a better plan. We fake it."
Akari blinked in confusion. "Fake what?"
"Fake being engaged!" Kuro declared, throwing his hands up as if he'd just invented the wheel. "Think about it—it keeps my parents off our backs, you get to stay here without all the awkwardness, and I get to save face."
"Wait, are you seriously proposing a fake engagement just to protect your ego?" Akari exclaimed, half-laughing, half-astonished.
"Why not? It's genius! I mean, can you imagine how relieved my parents will be? They'll think we're so happy together," Kuro said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Akari rolled her eyes, but a smile crept onto her face despite herself. "This is the dumbest idea I've ever heard. But okay as you are dumb.But fine. We'll pretend to be engaged. But don't you dare get any weird ideas, or I will hunt you down."
Kuro raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm a gentleman. Totally professional. Besides, you know me—I'm all about the platonic friendships."
"Yeah, right." Akari laughed, shaking her head. "But if we're doing this, you better keep your ego in check."
"Deal," Kuro said, grinning. He felt a surge of triumph. This is going to be epic.
"I still don't get why we need a reason for them to take you in," Kuro grumbled, kicking open the door to his parents' office as they stepped inside.
Akari rolled her eyes. "Have you ever, like... read the Book of Imperial Laws?"
Kuro gave her a blank look. "Should I?"
Akari shook her head. "Sometimes, I wonder if you have any brain cells left for the important stuff."
"Hey, hey! I'm a prodigy, remember? I just have zero interest in boring things like laws." He leaned on the desk with a smug grin. "I pick my battles."
"And that's your biggest flaw." She threw him a dry look.
Kuro raised his eyebrow teasingly. "So other than that, I'm flawless?"
Akari looked away, ignoring his smirk. "You wish. Anyway, the whole reason is because no other species can live in the kingdom without the King's permission. And the King only allows people in if they're useful and not a threat."
"Ohhh. Well, that makes sense." Kuro shrugged, as if it was obvious. Then he smirked again. "But you still didn't answer my real question. Am I flawless for you?"
Akari glared at him, feeling her patience slipping. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
Before Kuro could respond, they entered his parents' office. Mina and Ken were seated at their desks, deep in paperwork. The moment they noticed the pair standing by the door, Mina smiled warmly, and Ken glanced up with his usual seriousness.
"Ah, you two," Mina said, gesturing for them to come closer. "What brings you here?"
Kuro and Akari exchanged a quick glance. Kuro took a deep breath and stepped forward. "So, um... we've made a decision about Akari staying with us."
Mina's smile widened. "Oh? Let me guess, you chose the engagement option, didn't you?"
Kuro blinked. "Wait, how did you—"
Mina's eyes sparkled. "I just knew it! I could feel it in my bones!"
Ken, as usual, was more reserved. "It's a practical decision. I approve. But you'll still need the King's blessing."
Akari shifted awkwardly beside Kuro, muttering under her breath, "This is spiraling out of control."
Kuro whispered back, "Relax. It's just a fake engagement. We'll figure it out."
"Figure it out? You mean 'panic later,' right?" Akari hissed.
Mina, still oblivious to their hushed conversation, clapped her hands together. "We'll arrange a visit to the King next week! Oh, this is going to be perfect. You two are a match made in heaven!"
Kuro leaned closer to Akari, whispering, "I thought this was just a plan."
Akari gritted her teeth. "It was. Now it's a trainwreck."
Ken cleared his throat, drawing their attention back. "The King will want to know how this engagement benefits the kingdom. Make sure you have a convincing story."
Akari shot a panicked look at Kuro. "See? We're doomed."
Kuro just grinned. "Nah, we've got this."
Akari's face screamed disbelief. "You're going to get us both executed."
Mina, finally noticing their tense expressions, waved a hand. "Oh, don't worry. You'll do fine. Just be yourselves."
Kuro's grin widened. "You heard her. Just be yourself."
Akari gave him a withering look. "Yeah, well, yourself is going to get us killed."
Ken stood up, closing a ledger. "I expect you to present yourselves properly in front of the King. We'll make arrangements, but you two need to be ready."
Akari, glaring daggers at Kuro, mumbled, "This was the worst idea you've ever had."
Kuro just winked. "Nah. You'll thank me later."
Mina was absolutely glowing with excitement, practically bouncing on her feet. "Oh, this is going to be perfect!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Akari! We need to try on every dress in the wardrobe. I can't wait to show off my future daughter-in-law!"
Akari's eyes widened in horror as Mina grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her toward the door. "W-Wait, hold on! Kuro! Save me!" she called back, reaching out like she was about to be thrown into the lion's den.
Kuro leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold with an amused grin. "Heheheheh… you're on your own, bestie."
Akari shot him a glare. "You traitor!"
But Kuro just gave her a lazy wave as she disappeared around the corner, Mina's excited chatter echoing through the hallway. "Good luck with the billion dresses!" he called after her, stifling his laughter.
As Kuro and Ken waited for Akari and Mina to arrive, Kuro grew more impatient.
"When are Mom and Akari going to be ready? We've been waiting for ages!" Kuro groaned.
Ken chuckled, crossing his arms. "Son, it's girls and their makeovers. You'll get used to it."
The sound of hooves and the rustle of the wind caught Kuro's attention. When he turned around, his eyes widened, his jaw dropping. Akari was stepping toward them, wearing a stunning white dress, her long white hair flowing gracefully. Her whole look radiated elegance, making her seem almost otherworldly.
"Is that... you?" Kuro muttered, barely believing his eyes.
Inside his mind, he couldn't stop thinking, She looks... amazing... so beautiful, I can't stop looking... But out loud, in typical Kuro fashion, he blurted, "You're looking... ugly."
Akari narrowed her eyes, completely unamused. "You really are a dumbass."
The journey to the castle had been long, but the flying horses made it bearable. Both Kuro and Akari wore comfortable clothes suited for the ride, the wind whipping through their hair as the horses soared through the sky. Upon arrival, the sheer size of the castle overwhelmed them. It was enormous, its towering walls stretching far and wide, surrounded by a labyrinth of gardens.
As they landed, servants were already waiting, lined up to welcome them with deep bows. They were led through the castle's grand entrance and down pristine paths to a lush garden filled with vibrant flowers and tall trees swaying gently in the breeze.
Kuro looked around, smirking. "So much for a quiet arrival, huh?"
Akari, still a little tired from the ride but keeping her composure, whispered back, "Yeah, this is some next-level royalty treatment."
Mina, thrilled to be back at the castle, was already chatting excitedly with the servants, while Ken walked silently beside them, taking in the grandeur of the place.
After arriving at the grand castle, Kuro, Akari, and the rest of the group were led by servants through a series of impressive halls, eventually reaching a sprawling, beautiful garden. The space was filled with blooming flowers and meticulously kept greenery, all arranged to show off the majesty of the royal grounds. A few moments later, they were brought before the king.
The king sat on a raised platform under a large oak tree, flanked by his wife and his mother. His wife smiled warmly, while the king's mother remained more reserved, observing silently with sharp, knowing eyes.
"So, this is the girl you were talking about?" the king said, his voice deep and authoritative, as he focused on Akari.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ken responded with a respectful bow, gesturing towards Akari as she gracefully stepped forward.
Akari gave a soft bow, showing her respect but also displaying the quiet confidence she naturally carried. Kuro stood beside her, glancing at her with a mix of pride and curiosity. He knew she wasn't one to be easily intimidated.
The king gestured for everyone to sit, and soon they were all comfortably settled in the garden's seating area, surrounded by vibrant blooms and the soft rustle of leaves.
The king took a moment to observe Akari, his eyes searching for something beneath her calm exterior. His wife, sitting beside him, offered a friendly smile while his mother's gaze remained unwavering, her attention completely fixed on Akari.
"You've made quite an impression on the family of Duke Ken," the king said, breaking the silence.
"I'm grateful for their kindness, Your Majesty," Akari replied, her voice clear and steady. "I do my best to support them as they have supported me."
Her words were simple, but there was an underlying strength in them, a kind of self-assuredness that didn't require embellishment. Kuro's parents had mentioned her abilities, but Akari wasn't here to flaunt them. She knew her worth, and it showed.
"You seem confident," the king remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"I believe in the bonds I've made, Your Majesty," Akari said with a calm smile. "It's those connections that give me confidence, not just my abilities."
Kuro watched her closely, impressed by how she handled herself, knowing she wasn't putting on a show, just being herself. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
The king's mother, who had been quiet until now, gave a slight nod, as if acknowledging something within Akari that she found worthy. The king's wife, too, seemed to approve, her warm smile lingering.
"Such composure for someone so young," the king's wife said kindly. "It's quite remarkable."
Akari bowed her head in thanks, staying humble yet poised.