"Being the daughter of Tentochu's most important person requires great fortitude, and I assure you that it is not an easy thing. Unlike my three brothers, I was born without an Oracle. Yes, I am an ordinary human being", Sui confessed. "You can't imagine my father's disappointnt when my mother gave birth to ."
"Disappointnt for what? Just because you're not a tar like your brothers?" Yoichi asked in amazent, marvelling at the Emperor's superficiality.
"Psst! Yoichi! Don't make these comnts!" Enatsu begged him, whispering. He sat, looking towards the tiles of the street.
"Don't worry, Enatsu. For the first ti in my life, I t soone who isn't afraid to talk to . I feel like I can trust you and Yoichi, so get up," Sui ordered in a friendly tone.
The rchant obeyed right then and there, standing up, but avoiding eye contact. Sora and Kenji stood next to each other behind their tars. They too, seed interested in hearing the Princess's story.
"The re fact that I was born without an Oracle was the greatest disappointnt for the Emperor. So great that he never says in public that he has a daughter," Sui comnted, with a blunt expression painted on her face. "Because of this, fights with my parents have beco more and more frequent and my high position in the social ranks has turned into captivity. Why should the 'Powerless Princess' ever be free to walk the streets of her kingdom?'
Yoichi and Enatsu listened, not knowing what to say.
"When I realized that the Emperor's desire to be recognized as 'the father of Tentochu's three strongest tars' was greater than the love he felt for his only daughter, I began to rebel against him. When I was a kid, I used to play hide-and-seek in the Imperial Palace, and I know every corner of it by heart. The first ti I ran away, I was ten years old. They found by the sea, right after the East Gates," Sui sobbed.
"It must have been a horrible feeling," Yoichi added. Sohow, the young tar's strong empathy made him share the Princess's intense feelings.
"It was. I've never seen the sea, Yoichi. When that gigantic mass of borderless water appeared before , I understood the aning of 'freedom' and finally realized my purpose," she replied. With those deep words, she tried to create a vivid picture of her mories in the minds of her interlocutors.
"And what's your purpose, Princess?" Yoichi asked again, not listening to his companion's advice.
"I want to see the world. I want to discover new places, et new people, sll new scents and listen to new sounds. I'm 21 years old, but I never really grew up. I got trapped in my childhood inside that building."
Yoichi stepped forward, approaching Sui. Enatsu tried to stop him but failed. "You're sad because you know your father's n will find you soon, aren't you?" he sorrowfully acknowledged.
Princess Sui's blue eyes beca watery, and a tear ran over her cheek. Her resigned gaze crossed with Yoichi's, and it was worth more than a thousand words.
A strong painful aura surrounded that beautiful girl. It was evident that her intelligence and passions had always been imprisoned and limited by the irremovable figure of her father, the supre Emperor Nishiyama.
"I... I don't know what to say..." Yoichi murmured.
"Don't say anything. This ti it's going to be different. I will return to the palace of my own free will. I'm going to use one of the secret passages I know, and they won't even notice my absence," she interrupted, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Here, take this."
Gently, Sui handed Yoichi the tal hairpin. It was a small comb with hand-carved symbols on the widest part. In addition to so curved lines and small lotus flowers, the predominant design was a tiger's face in the center.
"I don't understand..." he mumbled, taking the object and clutching it in his hands as if it were a priceless treasure.
"This is the symbol of the imperial family, Yoichi" she explained, pointing to the tiger's face on the clasp. "Judging by the way you fight, it looks like you want to be a professional tar, right? By showing this symbol, you can join every guild you want," she continued. Her shiny eyes continued to look at Yoichi, implicitly thanking him for saving her.
Enatsu put his hand in front of his mouth, holding back a scream. His eyes, wide open, kept witnessing that incredible scene.
Join any guild? I can't believe it! That's the luckiest thing that ever happened to ... or at least, I think so. Do I really have to show this little comb to join any guild as I please? Yoichi wondered, continuing to watch the imperial symbol.
"It's the least I can do for you. By entering a guild, you'll be able to train your Nekage. I'm sure you're going to do great things together. I've never seen anyone face an unknown danger with your tenacity," Sui added, bringing her hands back down her hips.
A warm wind gently touched the ripped edges of her dress, and her long black hair fluttered free in the air. The Princess closed her eyes. She seed to be enjoying the last monts of freedom before returning to the captivity of her room in the Imperial Palace.
"I... I don't know how to thank you, Sui. This is the most beautiful gift I have ever received," Yoichi thanked, clutching the hairpin on his chest. "If there's anything else I can do for you... I an anything... just ask."
"Actually, there's sothing, " the Princess promptly replied.
Enatsu and Yoichi were amazed at that statent. "You will take with you," Sui affird.
"What?!" Enatsu gasped, panicking. "I an... Princess, are you sure about this?" he repeated, reducing the tone of his voice.
"From my palace room, I can see a magnificent cherry tree. It's my favourite tree, and I admire it every night before I go to sleep, since I was little. My gaze will look for you under that tree every night, Yoichi. When you're ready to help , all you'll need to do is stay there and wait," she explained, enigmatically but concretely.
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