It was an understatement if I said I was flustered. I was so shy that I wanted dig the steps Arashi was climbing and hid there for the rest of my life.

Arashi had started to take the steps as people around us cheered and threw flowers at us. Hana, Hiroshi, Kairo, Shin and Yoshi along with my maids were behind him as he carried me.

The whole time my face was down because I knew they were winking at us or giving us teasing smiles.

I asked in a low voice as my face was near him, "Is—is this really the traditional marriage ritual or is it to make the bride flustered so they won't leave the room for the rest of their lives?"

Arashi chuckled as he said, "Both."

I couldn't even look at his eyes as my ears and cheeks were burning and my heart was wrecking havoc in my chest.

I said, "I'm heavy now. You will injure your back!"

"You don't even weigh that much but I have to say, you certainly gained weight."

I looked up at him with a pout. "Then why don't you just put me down?"

"I can't. The rituals will follow the rituals the first emperor of Wansai. It was how he married his wife."

As soon as our eyes met, my face heated and I looked away. This was embarrassing!

And finally, he climbed the one hundred steps as we reached up. As I looked around, I was mesmerized by the holy tree they were talking about. It was a large tree as its ancient white trunks had gotten thick. The roots were also very thick as it had spread across on the ground beneath it and stood like a crown of the mountain. The tree was in its full bloom as red and orange flowers had adorned it. It was so beautiful that I forgot about the flustered situation I was in.

Arashi put me down as I finally found my ground to stand. I stood beside him as he caught my hand.

There were people surrounding the whole area and I saw most of them were from Shinkyo. Even the elders were there, smiling at me.

I think they even had given me winks and thumb ups...

Then my eyes fell Mila, Rei and every familiar faces I had known. They were all smiling at me as my heart fluttered at the joyous moment. They were all waiting for me here since morning...

Arashi looked down at me and said, "Let's go..."

I nodded as we came near to the tree. I was gazing at it with a wide mouth because it almost covered the sky above us as soon as we reached beneath its shed.

"Careful, you'll trip." Arashi said as his grip on my hand tightened.

As we reached there, I saw there was a priest waiting for us. It was Satoshi. The good priest who helped us to uncover the dirty works of the temple. He bowed to us and said, "It has been long since we met, Prince Rian and Princess Bianka."

Arashi nodded at him as he said, "I will be performing the rituals and guide you."

And he said to the couples around us, "Please, come forward to bind our highnesses' hands together so they can have the blessings to continue their married life together."

All the married couples came forward. Mila and Koji; Hana and Kairo; Takahashi, Kondo and some other Kuro soldiers with their wives; Arashi's cousins with their spouses and at the end, Daichi and Rose.

I was surprised that they had come. Rose was smiling and she looked healthy. There was no trace of sadness or she didn't want me to worry about her? I looked at Daichi and saw he still had a permanent glare on his face but somehow he looked bright. However, his eyes were currently on Arashi as both of them glared at each other. Or was it how they talked to each other?

Because it didn't seem like they were fighting instead it seemed like they just acknowledged each other as they both nodded.

Honestly, I had no idea what was happening between them...

I discarded the thought and asked Rose, "How are you, Rose?"

She smiled and said as she came near, "I am fine, thank you, sister Bianka. I hope you are taking care of yourself."

I nodded as all the couples stood surrounding us.

I looked around and my gaze fell on Rei who stood taking Noya in her arms, her eyes had sadness etched to it but it wasn't for us. She was happy for us but I knew she missed her husband. But why was she standing far away? As Arashi's sister, shouldn't she stay with us and participate in the rituals?

"So, for the fist binding, please take the treads and bind their hands together one by one," Satoshi said as he gave one tread to each of the couples.

"Wait!" I said as they looked at me and I asked, "Won't Rei come to join us?"

Rei got shocked as well as the couples beside me. Arisu said, "She's a widow. She can't participate in the wedding since it will bring bad omen to the newly wedded couple."

"That's a common knowledge, sister Bianka." Akio said as she stood further and her face had a really displeased look. She chuckled as if she was just teasing, "I see the foreign princess doesn't know our rituals that well. Brother Arashi should teach her some things..."

I gave her a blank look as I asked, "And where did you learn this common knowledge, princess Akio?"

She got nervous as she had no answer but then she said, "That had been the rules everyone had been following since ancient times."

Another Lady added, "Well, that's a myth we should follow since there might be some truth to it. That's why the rule is here."

A few ladies and lords nodded in agreement which made my stomach boil in anger.

Was there? Even if it was, I didn't like it. Rei wasn't a bad omen. She could never become a bad omen. She was the sweetest person I had ever met.

I said, "Just because she has lost her husband that doesn't make her a bad omen. She has nothing to do with someone's death and that's a common sense."

I scoffed, my eyes mocking them as I added, "I didn't know the Wansai people liked to tag along with some myth that has been said over a hundred years or more with baseless senses."

At that the said people gritted their teeth and we're clearly dissatisfied with me. But at that moment, I didn't care.

It was funny how nervous and anxious I was if they would welcome me but now when they tried to hurt someone who was close to me, I didn't want know if they liked me or not.

Rei said to handle the situation, "It's okay, Bianka... We should just follow the rituals that has been happening..."

"But aren't the rituals are added to make everyone participate and enjoy it together?" I asked.

"It maybe so... But I am fine." Rei added with a smile but her face was full of hurt and it hurt me.

I wanted to say more things but Arashi intervened, "I beg your pardon but I don't follow any myth. I'm only following the rituals, just as my wife said, to let everyone enjoy it."

Rei looked up as she was shocked and Arashi added, "I don't see my sister as a bad omen. Instead, it would seem like a bad omen if I didn't let her join the wedding of her own brother."

He called her, "Rei, come here."

Rei wasn't willing to since deep inside the myth and the superstition had been rooted into her heart and she was scared. "But brother Rian..."

Arashi let out a sigh and said, "If you don't join, the marriage will halt here."

I nodded as well, "Yes and I want brother Hiroshi to bind our hands too."

The priest, Satoshi, said with a nervous smile, "But this particular ritual needs a couple, your highness..."

Arashi added, "Then we need partners for them."

He looked at Hiroshi and said, "Hiroshi, call your partner."

Hiroshi's face turned red as everyone including me looked at him with questioning eyes. I asked Arashi, "He has a partner? Since when?!"

Arashi smirked, "You'll soon see her."

And a red haired woman came out from the crowd as the other Kuro soldiers started to tease them while their faces were bright red like tomatoes.

How come I heard nothing of his affairs? I gave a suspicious gaze at Hiroshi as he looked pale after getting teased by his comrades.

And then I saw Rei couldn't join since she had no partner as she slowly stepped back, making sure she shrunk back and hide into the crowd.

However, Duke Ginjiro Shimadzu came before and stood beside her making her startled. But Noya seemed really happy to see him as he tried to wriggle out of his mother's arms and jump to the Duke's arms.

The Duke didn't seem to mind as he took him while asking Arashi, "Your highness, I would like to join in this joyous moment but since I have no partner either, why don't I join Princess Rei?"

Arashi grinned as he nodded, "That would be great, Ginjiro. Rei, come here now!"

Rei looked confused as she looked at the Duke. She asked, "But what about Noya?"

Duke Ginjiro smiled at her and said, "Oh, my subordinates, Hibiki, Lorenzo and Kotatsu are very good at handling children. Why don't you give Prince Noya to them?"

"Eh? Since when do we—" Hibiki was about to ask when Lorenzo and Kotatsu punched him before he could spill anything more.

They took Noya and Lorenzo said, "We assured you, Princess Rei, we will protect Prince Noya with the last of our blood."

Kotatsu added, "Yes, we shall kill them all if anyone tried to harm the little Prince."

Rei gave them a nervous smile and muttered, "No. No... You don't have to go that far..."

And Duke Ginjiro Shimadzu stretched out his palm toward her as he asked, "Would you like to be my partner in this joyous moment, princess Rei?"

Rei smiled and gave her hand to him as they both joined the couple beside us.

"I demand to join as well, Prince Rian..." We heard another person's voice as Arashi nodded.

"Feel free to participate, Lady Shinohara Haruhito. There's nothing more than to see my people's happiness at my wedding." Arashi said with a straight face.

Lady Shinohara smiled and said, "C'mon, Shido! We have a ritual to do and I don't want to miss this opportunity!"

Uncle Shido who was hiding in the crowd scowled at her as he said, "That's some troublesome thing you are asking me, Shinohara and don't call me by my name. I'm an Earl. Call me Lord."

Lady Shinohara didn't even listen to him as she dragged him by his collar and completely disregarded the fact that he was infact, a Lord.

And uncle Shido fumed with anger all the while as he had a big scowl on his face. But Arashi and I including the crowd around us laughed how they argued with each other all throughout the ritual.

I was enjoying my own wedding as they bind my right hand with Arashi's and then we bind our thread on a branch of the ancient tree as we prayed for a happy married life.

As we were engrossed in our own happiness, my eyes fell on an individual.

Akio.

Somehow the way she looked at me didn't sit well with me. It was malicious feelings that danced in her eyes. The hatred and anger she had been hiding well behind her beautiful face had been coming out on the surface. And she wasn't even hiding it anymore. I wonder what happened?

My eyes fell on Daichi and I noticed something was different. His eyes weren't following Akio anymore. He hadn't even heard what she told previously. His eyes were on Rose and one of his hands rested on her waist firmly. Despite having a permanent angry face, Daichi's face showed an emotion that even I could read as well.

It was love. The way his passionate eyes and gentle gazes fell on Rose whenever she was laughing or smiling that reminded me of how Arashi looks at me.

And then my eyes moved toward Akio. Her ugliness was sipping out of that beautiful pale skin and magnetic eyes which could attract any man.

It clicked on my mind. So, she didn't have a hold on Daichi anymore then?

I realised that Akio had no other men whom she could latch on to get herself power and fame. Arashi wasn't ever interested in her and with Daichi being gone as well, she had no one.

The other cousin brothers of Arashi didn't hold much power to take the throne or give her a more powerful status and the ones who had powers, were either married with their first wives or were too old. Like the crown prince and Arashi's uncle, uncle Shido.

My eyes fell on uncle Shido who was still arguing with Lady Shinohara. Well, it didn't seem like he was interested in younger women. Akio was too young...

If she could latch on to them, maybe she could get the power...

But she wouldn't, would she?

Well, it didn't matter since it wasn't my place after all. Arashi and I would be going back after our marriage so Daichi was the only one who will get the throne. And if Rose became the next empress, there would be no one who would be more happy than me.

----
20th February, 23
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