*Takeshi*

"I... but I like someone else!" I blurted out. "I can't marry her!"

Anis crossed her arms. "I likewise don't wish to marry you. I want to be able to decide who I marry."

"You sound just like Tulia," the king said, chuckling.

I blinked. "Huh? She does?" I gasped. "Wait, was my mom engaged to someone before?"

"Not really, but she did have the fear of being engaged at some point. I even proposed to elope with her once to help her out with that!" the king said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Ehhh, you were willing to marry my mom? But she's your cousin."

The king shrugged. "The royal family has had moments of marriage between cousins and second cousins before. Since the royal family possesses more divine blood than other branches, marriage between first cousins doesn't do much damage. You know, if Osamu had been a girl I would've wanted her to marry you."

I chuckled. Osamu and me? Would we even work out? And why did he mention if Osamu were a girl rather than me? Haha, must be because the prince is a pretty boy!

"Maybe Azami would be willing to marry your little sister," the queen said as she entered the throne room.

I tilted my head. I doubt Selena would want to be engaged to someone. Unless if he's handsome and funny.

"Dear, good for you to come. Speaking of Azami, is he here yet?"

She nodded. "Yes. He actually arrived last night but had me and the servants kept it a secret. Seems he wanted to surprise his little brother."

I turned around and ran out of the room.

"Hey, where are you going!" Anis yelled.

"I don't want to talk about this engagement, I'm too young to marry!" I yelled out.

Anis chased after me. "I am too!"

I reached my hand back and grabbed hers. "Then let's get out of here!"

Her face flushed a little. "Yeah," she said with a beautiful smile.

I averted my gaze. What was wrong with me? Just now I felt as if my heart were thumping faster. It had to be because I was running.

"Take care, lovebirds!" the queen and king yelled out, chuckling.

"We're not lovebirds!" we yelled as we let go of each others' hands.

*Osamu*

[Near the Throne Room]

"Hey, little bro!" a voice called out. "Eavesdropping on our parents again?"

I winced upon hearing the voice. I took a deep breath and turned to see a white-haired young man standing behind me. Strapped to his shoulder was a guitar.

"Hey," I mumbled.

Brother chuckled. "You're still as uptight as always, Osa!"

"Osa? That's a cute nickname," another person called out. I turned around and saw Takeshi come out of the throne room. Following close behind was my cousin, Anis.

My face reddened slightly. "It's not..."

Azami chuckled. "Look at you, shy as always!"

I rolled my eyes and walked away. "Whatever. I do not have time to deal with you. We have to start preparing to contain the rebellion in the east."

My brother sighed. "Right, things got pretty hectic while I was there for a concert with my band. Suddenly its capital was covered with the banners of Kasai no Ki. It was a good thing that nobody knew of my real identity, or else they would likely have tried capturing me."

Not that I would've minded that...

"Hey, big bro, what did the person who wanted to talk to you say?" a girl yelled as she ran over to where we were.

Takeshi glanced at Anis and chuckled nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... I'm not sure how to explain it."

Selena put her hands on her hips and smiled at Anis. "Let me guess, this girl here confessed to you?"

Anis scoffed. "No, I did not. Nor did he confess to me. Though it does seem like we are to marry, neither of us wants that."

"Ehh? Marry? Are you two engaged?"

"Engagements, how old fashioned," I said, nearing one of the doors to the throne room. "Though sadly, they still do serve a purpose."

"Are you engaged to someone too?" Takeshi asked, curious.

I averted my gaze. "Perhaps... but that's none of your business."

Takeshi chuckled. "I guess that's true. Sorry for being nosy."

I smiled and punched him lightly in the chest. "You should be."

Takeshi took a step back. "Ouch, that hurt," he said as he rubbed his chest. "You sure do hit hard for such a scrawny guy."

"He sure is, isn't he?" Azami said as he wrapped an arm around me.

"Ahhh!" Selena yelled.

"What's wrong?" Takeshi asked, moving aside.

"I just realized! That guy with his arm around the prince is that jerk from last night!" she said, pointing at my brother. "How did he get in here?"

My brother put his hands behind his head and grinned. "Oh, I was wondering why you looked familiar. You're that annoying girl from yesterday. Hey, Lil bro. Is her big bro the heir of great-great-gram's weapon?"

"You mean Aventine? Yeah," I responded.

Selena gasped. "Wait a moment! You heard what this guy just called Osamu, right?"

Takeshi blinked. "Osa?"

Selena gave her brother a look as if he were an idiot. "Not that! I meant 'Lil bro'!"

My brother chuckled again. "That's right. I am a prince."

Selena blinked. "WHAT? A jerk like you is a prince?"

I chuckled. "Well, Aza. It seems that you left quite the impression on her."

Azami tilted his head at her. "I take it that you let her and the kids stay here since their brother is one of seven. But where are their parents?"

"Morning!" a voice called out. Jumping down the rail of the stairs was a tall, pale, handsome, blue-haired man. Riding his back was a little girl with dark brown hair. 

Following after him was a beautiful woman with long dark brown hair like her daughters' and violet eyes like Anis'. In her arms was a cute kid with hair as white as snow, just like my brother's.

"Ma, Pa!" Takeshi and Selena blurted out.

"Long time no see, Shi," Tulia said as she put down her youngest son and ran over to hug her oldest. "I missed you!"

The little boy pouted.

The mom turned around and chuckled. "Hey, don't be jealous, little one." She picked up the white-haired boy back up and tickled him.

"Stop it, Ma," he yelled as he tried not to laugh.

Takeshi's youngest sister sighed.

Her dad laughed. "You okay there, Princess Rocio?" her father asked.

"It's just that my siblings are so childish."

Selena scoffed. "Well, Skah is a child, and so are you! So before telling anyone to act their age, you should start with yourself, Ms. 'Uptight'."

Rocio shook her head. "Why would I bring myself down to your level? Also, I didn't say a thing about acting your age, this time."

Selena grumbled. "If ya weren't a kid, then I would give ya a good slap, ya know that?"

Azami chuckled. "Cute, your accent is out."

The 'annoying girl' turned bright red. "Don't call me 'cute', ya creep! I don't care if you are a prince!"

"Creep? I was only complimenting you," Azami said, sighing.

"Seems that nearly the whole family is here," Father said as he stepped into the lobby.

"Why did you call us down for?" Tulia asked.

Takeshi suddenly lowered his head.

I put a hand on his shoulder. It had to be because of the engagement. "Go, run," I whispered. "I'll distract them."

Takeshi grinned. He grabbed Anis's hand and rushed out.

"Huh, hey, where are you going?" Selena yelled.

"Maybe he needs to use the toilet?" Azami asked, chuckling.

"Why would he take that girl with him?" Rocio said, rolling her eyes.

Azami narrowed his eyes at her. "Wow, your big sister was right, you sure are uptight."

"And you're a prince who doesn't know how to behave as one. If one were to ask which of us two were royalty, they would surely pick me," she said, putting a hand over her head for emphasis.

Azami grinned and grabbed her by the cheeks. "What was that, brat?"

"Papa!" Rocio mumbled.

Her dad chuckled. "You sorta had it coming, princess."

Rocio cried. "Papa!"

Selena giggled. "She sure did!"

"Now, I do think that is enough," her dad said, grabbing my brother's arm. My brother froze as he stared at the man's single golden eye. His other eye was covered by an eye-patch. Looking into his eye felt as if one were staring right into the depths of a temporal abyss.

Rocio pouted. "Papa is mean!"

Her dad smiled. "Try to be nicer, 'Chio'. Selena is right, you should try to act a little more your age. One only gets to be a kid once. When you're older you'll want to go back."

Azami walked over to me and nudged me.

I could relate to Rocio, having an idiot older sibling of my own. But her sister and father weren't wrong. Childhood does pass by one in the blink of an eye.

"Who says one needs to be a kid to act like one?" Skah asked, looking up at his dad.

"I see what you're saying, little one," mom said as she patted his head. "Even we adults could do to act with a child-like spirit. The Sky Father himself said that the kingdom of the high heaven will be inherited with those who are like children."

Rocio blinked. "R-really?" She lowered her head. "Uh... I guess I can afford to be a little more child-like."

Her father chuckled. "Well, it's not like you don't have your childish side. You love to cling to your Papa still!"

Rocio face flushed. "I guess that's true..." She giggled and hugged her dad's head. "I adore Papa even though he can be mean to me at times!"

"Hey, I wanted to teach you a lesson!"

"So, are you all going to stand around and let Takeshi and Anis run away?" I asked, grinning.

My dad smiled. "I rather not force their engagement. Those two will draw closer to one another on their own."

I curled my hands into fists. So that's how it is. Yet you won't give me that same freedom. Why do those two get to 'draw closer on their own' while my fiancée and I don't? No. That is not true. The other day, he seemed open to my defiance. Perhaps, I had misread him as forceful. But still, he was more open about it in regard to theirs than with mine.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :3. Thoughts?**