surviving the crown

✨chapter 8✨

hello! sorry if there are any editing mistakes in this one, i sort of rushed to get this done. thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy!

Princess Linh Akari still wasn't quite over the death of her father, but it was much easier to bear with her childhood best friend by her side; Kenji. She had relied heavily on Kenji the past couple days and she appreciated him being there for her. She had grown closer to him then ever, and was starting to think of him as more than a friend, she just didn't know if he felt the same. Akari just finished packing her suitcase and was watching as it was loaded into the carriages from the front steps of the castle.

"Hey, what are you waiting for?" Kenji asked her playfully, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as he led her towards their carriages.

"Eh, I don't know, I'm just a little scared and overwhelmed I guess," Akari said. Kenji could hear the wariness in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm coming with you so everything will be fine. Besides, you'll be busy looking at all the sights before the ball," he murmured into her ear.

"You mean we'll be busy looking at the sights," She said, almost to herself, trying to calm the unrelenting nerves.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying? Seriously Linh, just chill out." Him saying it to Akari did calm her down. She took a couple deep breaths.

"I know. I'm calm. We should get going so we aren't late," she said, wanting to stay on schedule.

"Alright. I'll be waiting in the carriage if you need me," Akari could tell he was trying to comfort her and calm her nerves. She appreciated it more than words could explain. She finally got herself together and hopped into the carriage. Akari was extremely tired and worn out from the duties of becoming Empress. She fell asleep on Kenji's shoulder almost instantly after they started moving. Kenji smiled and since he knew she was sleeping, planted a kiss on the top of her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When the carriage finally came to a stop, Kenji nudged Akari, trying to gently wake her up. She didn't move. He tried nudging her harder and still, she didn't move.

"Akari, wake up, we're at the palace," Kenji said gently. Not whispering but not quite speaking in a normal voice.

"Mm?" She asked sleepily.

"We're here, we're at the palace."

"Wait, what? Does my hair look okay? Is it messed up? How does my makeup look? Did it—" Kenji didn't let her finish.

"You look gorgeous, now get up, it's time to move." Akari blushed, looking away from him. Kenji stepped out of the carriage and reached his hand out for Akari and gracefully helped her out. The two walked in sync as if it was practiced for hours to perfection. As Akari and Kenji approach Queen Margaret and her brothers, they get shivers.

"Hello royals of the Fire Kingdom. I just heard the bad news, I'm very sorry for your loss," Margret said as she led Akari and Kenji into the castle "We unfortunately only have a room for one of you two, since we didn't realize there would be others." Margret said, sounding a bit guilty. Akari glanced at Kenji, wondering what they should do.

"We'll figure something out, thank you Your Highness," Kenji said before Akari could even open her mouth.

"I'm glad, I hope you enjoy your stay here in the Kingdom of Love," Margaret said, a beautiful and reassuring smile on her face. Kenji and Akari walked into the room, it was like nothing Akari had ever seen. Kenji seemed to feel the same way.