Chained to old wounds

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Tsuneo

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me that after everything we’ve been through, you still want

more excitement?”

There was playful glint in her eyes. I couldn’t help but lean closer.

“I never said I wanted more troubling excitement. Just the fun kind. The kind where you and I can run off somewhere, explore a part of the realm untouched by most, somewhere peaceful with just a few hidden gems that don’t have massive importance to the realm.”

“…You want to go hunting for seashells.”

“What?”

“It’s something my father used to say,” she said. “Apparently, Adele was from near the coast. he take her seashell hunting sometimes. It’s harmless, like a treasure hunt.”

I flinched at that.

“What?”

“Treasure hunting is dangerous,” I said. “You have a good chance of encountering dragons who have lost themselves to their baser nature.”

She sighed. “Not literal treasure. Just seashells.”

“Some seashells are made out of pure diamonds. Treasure.”

Her jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding!”

“Afraid not.”

“Fine. No seashells… Grasshoppers.”

“A prized commodity for their music.”

“Goldfish?”

“Never,” I said, almost horrified. “They’re blessed by the water fairies.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why does it seem like everything that would be normally just

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adventurous enough to be fun seemed to be loaded with issues here?”

“Luckily, because humans Took the stories of what treasure is on this side and sought that same treasure on theirs.”

She sighed. “Fine. What’s no trouble at all here?”

I grinned. “Trouble’s half the fun.”

She sputtered into laughter, and I couldn’t help but join her. Our laughter mixed with the gentle rustling of the trees. We lay out beneath the trees, watching the clouds pass over her, and I let myself just relax.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the grass, peace settled over me. Morgan let out a soft sigh of contentment. Her hand was still resting in mine, her thumb absentmindedly tracing circles against my skin. I could feel her warmth, and the bond between us felt new, but solid, like we were grounding ourselves again..

“I could stay here forever,” she murmured, her voice almost lost to the breeze.

I smiled, squeezing her hand. “Tempting as it is, I’m afraid our duties won’t wait that long. I’m pretty sure we’re already overdue to return.”

She let out a mock groan. “Don’t remind me, but you’re probably right.”

She sat up and I tugged her down, curling into her to hold her hostage.

“Not yet.”

She laughed. “We can’t hide forever.”

“We can hide for a little longer,” I whispered. “Never in the history of the entire royal family has two newlyweds been separated for so long, so frequently, and for so many dangerous reasons. A little longer please…”

She made a sound I couldn’t describe, but then she turned to me, wrapping her arms around me an cleaning her head on top of mine.

“Okay… just a little longer.”

I swore I dozed off, half asleep and half awake in the comfortable silence, the hum of the garden filling the gaps where words might have been. Every now and then, I would wake as she shifted a little. I’d look up at her, taking in the way the fading sunlight kissed her skin, how her hair glimmered in the golden light. She looked peaceful and assured of her safety.

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Morgan must have serised my gaze because smiled softly.

“I thought we were escaping a little longer,” she said, not opening her eyes. “You’re thinking so

loud I can hear it.”

“Can’t help it,” I replied. “I’m always thinking about you…”

Her eyes opened then and met my gaze. Her lips twitched.

“That’s either very romantic or very concerning.”

I chuckled. “Definitely romantic,” I said, leaning in closer. “But also a little concerning, considering everything going on.”

She chuckled softly and then sat up. I almost groaned in protest until she stood and offered her hands to me.

“Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“To take the scenic route back to work,” she said, her voice light. “The gardens are too beautiful not to enjoy them a little, and walking is good for your digestion, you know?”

I stood and took her hand, falling into step with her as we strolled down the garden path. The scent of flowers mingled with the earthy undertones of the soil, and the sound of our footsteps was the only noise apart from the distant rustle of leaves.

We passed by clusters of vibrant blooms, their colors popping against the greenery. Morgan asked about some

of them, and I gave her as much information as I could manage.

“I never would’ve pegged you as a flower enthusiast,” I teased.

“My father was a doctor, so I learned to make a lot of remedies from herbs and flowers. Not to mention cooking.”

“Did you plan to be a doctor? If you didn’t have to be an heir?”

“No. It didn’t have the patience for it. And I knew there was never going to be any other option but being the heir.”

“Surely your parents could have had another child,

“Given that my younger brother is only my half brother, I doubt it.”

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“And yet you care so much for him.”

“His parentage is in his fault. We may only be half blood, but we’ve always been siblings.”

“I wish I could say the same thing about my own siblings.”

“I think they’ll change their mind eventually. They seem to be the type to change their mind. If there’s something in it for them. And maybe if some of them aren’t exactly your half. siblings. They’ll change their tune even more.”

“You think that’s a possibility?”

“Well, Kai happened. So at this point, yes, it’s not like your paternity test that’s well known actually tells you who the father is. It just says if you have the line or not who knows how much they’ve been getting away with all this time.”

… I can’t tell if you’re not trusting enough or we’re too trusting.”

“Let’s say it’s somewhere in the middle.

We r reached the edge of the garden where a small stone bench sat beneath a cherry blossom tree. Its branches were heavy with delicate pink flowers, some of which drifted lazily to the ground. We stopped beneath it for a moment and she leaned into my side, her expression softening.

“How are you feeling about this anyway?” She asked.

“I can’t say that I care too much. They’ve never exactly been kind to me. I worry about my father,. though. He’ll be heartbroken if they turn out to not be his children… My mother will certainly go on a rampage.”

She nodded. “I can see Haruka being furious quite easily.”

I sighed, lifting my hand to catch a petal. “You know, I never really had many chances to enjoy things like this growing up. There was always so much to do… courting had been out the question. I thought I wouldn’t care, but I’m grateful.”

“Why?”

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“Because that means I get to experience all of this with you for the first time.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Tsuneo…”

“Hm?”

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“I… I hope you won’t be offended, but I can’t imagine that you… have no experience.”

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