Xiaoven Royal Au

30

"Just tell me one thing about Venti! Stop being such a grandpa!"

"It's not your business, just go back to your princess training." He sighs, a feeling of irritation and annoyance lingering in his veins when he realized the princess has not given up with following him. He stopped in his track, making Hu tao, who was following him, bump into him. "Won't you just leave me alone?"

"Not until you tell me something about princess Venti!" God, she was pouting. Xiao figured there's no use to keep insisting on this absurd woman. "He isn't a woman like you, we were forbidden because we were both men. I don't know how you know about him, you were never supposed to find out. You were never even supposed to be here in the first place, it was supposed to be Venti, he's supposed to be the one I'm going to marry - he's supposed to be the one who I would spend my whole life with. I don't want to be with you at all, so, please... Please just leave me alone." He tried to calm himself down. This woman was not at fault at all, but she still crossed the line by forcing something from the past. Which will only uncover the wounds that have already healed.

Hu tao's eyes soften, daring to let out tears, and Xiao could only widen his eyes as he realized the harsh things he said to her. Wanting to apologize, but can he really?

He watches as the woman runs away from him. Perhaps this was the reason why Venti also left him.

He thought there was no use in apologizing. It's all unnecessary.

-

"You have no right to say those to me... Just because you're a prince, just because you are handsome..." She ranted to herself while wiping the tears that keeps flowing out of her eyes. "You gotta admit though! You went a little too far, he has his own privacy too!" She responded to herself, "still! He could've said it nicely."

"Okay fine... I'll admit. I'm a little too nosy, maybe that's the reason why he doesn't want to be with me at all." She buried her face on the table, hoping that her tears would just stop so she wouldn't get an eyesore later.

Tap

She looked up, with still teary and wet eyes. "Are you okay?"

It was a gentle voice that eased her mind. She was wearing a calm, yet worried smile. She had this light pink hair and emerald eyes, holding a book that was buried in her chest.

Wait.

"Princess Yanfei?!" Hu tao screamed out before backing away, face suddenly heating up from the memory of the girl's face being too close to hers. "Mm, yup, hello princess Hu tao."

The brunette woman starts slapping herself. Trying to wake up herself from the 'dream.'

"I'm hallucinating, why would princess Yanfei ever come back here? This is just a dream, wake up Hu tao." The other princess starts giggling, covering her face with her thick book. "You're not dreaming, princess Hu tao. We were forced to go back to the castle because of prince Alatus's wedding." The thought of being married to that prince made Hu tao's insides burn. It makes her angry, and it makes her feel uneasy how she couldn't do anything about it, she just has to wait until the day she'll be forever sealed in a relationship she never longed for.

"You really love Alatus, don't you?"

"Huh?! No, I don't! We met a few days ago, and it is a forced marriage! I hate him so much."

"I'm just teasing you." Yanfei sighed before sitting down beside Hu tao. "I pity Alatus." She uttered suddenly. "Everyone of them. They've suffered so much, Aether... Lumine... Beidou, Alatus. But I was living the best life all those years - I escaped my responsibility as a princess, if only I was there, if only... Then Venti wouldn't have to leave. You wouldn't have to marry someone you don't love."

Hu tao could only stay silent at that. "It's the Raiden Shogun that forced you guys into this, isn't it? That woman... I cannot believe her. She was the start of this mess, I'm too afraid that this rule will be passed into another generation, and it'll keep going..."

"That no woman can love a woman, and no man can love man?"

"Precisely. I'm sure after you and Alatus's wedding, she would force you both to have children to inherit the crown in the future." Hu tao's face immediately flushed red, her eyes widening, and her mouth open as wide as it can. "Ain't no way! I don't even dream to have a child! I'm so young for this!"

It went silent for a bit. Just Hu tao watching the princess while she was smiling, sometimes the thought of her and Alatus having a family forcing itself in her mind, and it only makes her flustered in silent. The prince wasn't too hard to love... It's just... He doesn't want to be loved at all. He was always afraid to be loved and be left alone again just to suffer agony. Those days where he locked himself in his room... Crying, wiping his tears, sobbing, and then sleeping, a daily routine that went on for months. And that's only because of Venti.

He promised that his tears were only for Venti. His heart, every part of him- was all Venti's. And how could princess Hu tao not feel a bit of sympathy for the man after knowing how much he really loved the princess?

"What really happened between Alatus and Venti?"

"Ah... I do not know too much details, I wasn't around at those time. All I know is that they loved each other, but when the queen came back from a long journey, the truth was told, and... Well, the princess left. The castle was too strict at those time, they never let the prince out, afraid that Alatus might go and look for Venti. Alatus was a slave of his own kingdom."

She couldn't imagine the pain Alatus must have been through no matter how hard she tries, now she had another reason to feel insecure about the future position that awaits her. She's not supposed to be the queen. She's not supposed to marry Alatus. It's Venti. Venti who Xiao really loved.

"Doesn't that mean Venti is alive and breathing at these moments?!"

"I don't know? It's been six years, he's probably the same age as Alatus... There's no doubt he's still alive."

"Thank you very much for the information princess Yanfei! Always remember that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has a fifty percent discount for a princess like you! Goodbye!"

"Wait!- did that mean she wanted me to die?" Yanfei mumbled to herself.

-

"Alatus!" Hu tao runs towards him with a cheeky smile, as if she wasn't tearing up earlier because of the harsh and painful words this man had told her. "Let's go travel the world together!"

Those words were enough to make the prince flustered. He never traveled with anyone before, maybe with some guards, but this? This is new. "What?"

"I'm looking for someone, and I need your help, my prince."

"I'm not your prince. Who are you even looking for? Just tell the castle and they'll help you out."

"I can't tell anyone! Only you can help me Alatus. Only the both of us can know, so, please?" There's something inside Xiao that's telling him to, hey, go with her and see the future that really awaits you. It's like a lore game that's making him choose his ending. Not that he cares about whoever this girl is looking for, but he have a feeling inside him that he should, because that will make him happy.

He sighed before uttering his decision. "What's the name of the person you're looking for?"

"I already told you! It's a secret. You can't know yet. Our journey would only end once we meet him, I promise it'll be worth it." The smile she wears was enough to make Xiao trust her. As if there's was suddenly a spark of hope that exploded inside of him. Hope? Hope for what?

"So?"

"Let's go tomorrow."

-

Hehehehehehehahahahahhahaha