The Emperor's Empress

Chapter 38:

"MARRIAGE!!!" the three girls shouted, namely Rina, Libbie and Honey. They are having a meeting in the office of Keiko about their next girls' night out. When suddenly, Keiko had spoken about the decided marriage of hers and Akashi, which was utterly not surprising but nonetheless they were sure that Keiko would plan it two years or a year later.

Keiko sighed and rubbed her temples. "Well, I didn't intend to get married this fast but the seriousness when Akashi suddenly pops out the so not question but rather like an order or a statement, I have felt that I am just postponing something that will happen in the future. We even do live in the same house, sleep on the same bed and even go to work together, sometimes."

"Yeah, you are already like a married couple," Rina agreed, "but the question is, are you sure about this? It will surely change everything, Keiko."

"Besides that, how unromantic can Akashi be? He just pops out the question in a park with no kneeling and ring on his hand," Libbie remarked annoyed.

"As long as you are sure with your answer, Kei, I will support you and will design the gown for you for free," Honey said and smiled warmly. Yeah, she agreed that Keiko was just stopping the inevitable. Every one of them knew that Akashi would not let go of this relationship and they knew how he cherished Keiko more than anything. So, an approval coming from them was easy to get.

"Did I ever give a half-hearted answer?" Keiko queried to her friends and when they shook their heads, she smiled. "See," she remarked, "I will not enter something that I am not sure of. Yes, there will be ups and down but that doesn't mean I will be scared of it."

"Anyway, have you decided what we will do for the girls' night out?" Rina changed the subject. It was already a closed one. They were only shock for a second and then came the understanding that Keiko had already decided on this path without the regret of looking back.

Keiko pondered while tapping the pen, she was holding, on the table. "Well, a nice restaurant had just opened blocks away from here. I would like to try it."

"Then, let's try there," Libbie responded lively.

"After that, let's just drink in the apartment and watch some movies. It is like how we do it in our dorm in America," Honey suggested.

"Yes, that will be great," Rina spoke with agreement. "It's not like we have to go to a club for our night out. Yeah, drinking and watching movies will be great."

"Now, that the very important," Keiko put emphasis on the very important, "matter has been settled. Can we go back to all of our work? I have to finish this before going home. I don't like to do overtime just for signing and reading documents." It was a good thing that she didn't have any meeting for today. She wanted to go home and have some quiet time.

Rina chuckled in amusement. "It is not our fault that the moment you came back, your desk is full of documents that needed your attention. After all, we are not the one who took a four week vacation," she teased.