Episode 6

After the heartwarming scene, Sakura rubbed her eyes and was getting sleepy from all the emotional release she just did. 'Man I really cried my eyes out, I haven't done that since I was a kid in my other life.'

While thinking that she rested her head in her father's shoulder, her eyes starting to become a bit droopy.

"It seems that her highness needs to sleep. I'll watch over her personally so you should return to the throne room your majesty."

Raphael starts to reach out to take Sakura from Mihkael's embrace, only for him to turn away and not allow him to take her.

"What? So she can wake up and call you papa? No I'll stay here with her, I'll take care of her myself" the emperor didn't want to let her go and didn't like how Sakura called Raphael "papa".

'Humph, I'm her papa, I won't allow anyone to take that title away from me, even if it's my best friend, my brother in arms'. The emperor glances at Raphael and squints his eyes in displeasure and wariness, as if Raphael was trying to steal his daughter away.

'Why you look as if your watching against some thief!?' Raphael felt his eye twitch in a bit of annoyance but held it in since he was understanding of his friends personality.

"Sigh~ your majesty I-"

"You can stop with the formality, no one else but us are here."

"Don't interrupt me you annoying bastard."

"Ah, wasn't that a quick transaction." The emperor looked at his other companions while pointing at an annoyed Raphael. The other men in the room can only give an awkward smiled, they didn't find this insulting to the emperor, after all; all of them where teammates in the same group when they were Adventurer's in the guide. They were used to this scene.

"Mihkael, you are the emperor of this empire, you cannot leave work. You told me to inform you of any changes and that you wouldn't take matters into your own hands. Remember, if you shown even a hint of treasuring her highness, people will use that and try to grab a hold of her and brainwash her with joining and favoring them." Raphael starts to nag at Mihkael and he stays quite until he finished.

"But how can I not, I held back when i heard she was drowning, I held back my rage when I heard her heartbeat stopped for 5 minutes, I even held back when she was in the brink of actually dying from the fever! All those things happened and I still listened because I know I couldn't do anything but leave it in the healers hands, since I don't know any healing magic."

The emperor let out his discontent, his anger and even his fear when he looked in Raphael's eyes, "I lost her for 5 minutes Raphael, I felt the world became dull and worthless when I heard she stopped breathing. You must know how I felt when I heard her heartbeat started to beat again, how she took a deep breath of air when she came back again, when i heard she had a fever and fainted, not once but twice when you came to make the report to me, I worried that the third time, will be the last. And when you didn't come back after running back to check, I felt the worst must have happened. I couldn't wait anymore, I had to come see her with my own eyes."

When everyone heard there old friend's suffering, they felt his pain and couldn't say anything against him. Raphael looked deep in his friends eyes and saw the trauma of his daughter dying once already and the joy when he heard she came back to life again.

He can only close his eyes and sigh. "I know Mihkael, I myself watched over her when she was born, I even took the most photos crystals of Sakura to show you all the things you missed, meaning I was always there to see her, yet..."

Raphael looks down, his hands gripped tightly on his side, his teeth gritting tight when he continued, "yet only when I felt I can trust those incompetent maids to fully watch over her highness, this incident occurred. It is truly my fault for looking away and trusting anyone to watch over her without me watching them."

Raphael raised his hand and pressed it tightly to the side of his head in distress and self hatred.

'I shouldn't have trusted someone else with her majesty. Mihkael left her in my hands and I allowed something like this to happen!!' While thinking that he felt pressure in his shoulder, he looks up and sees Mihkael resting his hand in his friends shoulder.

"I do not blame you my friend, I knew you have worked hard this past 3 years while taking care of Sakura, and if I'll have to leave her in anyone's hands, I'll still leave her in yours."

They looked each other in the eyes and had a moment of deep connection and lifelong friends.

" Seems that mother and father are having a moment again. It has been a while since I have last seen it." The man who seems to be a scholar of some sort, the one with the monocle glasses said while rolling his eyes.

"Now now, don't be so jealous Seraph, you were the first girlfriend, but he ended up with someone else" One of the military looking man said, while laughing and joking about. The other military man who looks to be more serious just pats Seraph's shoulder as if he was trying to comfort him. Seraph had an irk mark appear in the side of his head and he tossed the man's hand away.

"Humph, I was always annoyed with you all when you lumped me with that buffoon, I'm actually quite happy Raphael appeared and took the place as the mother of the group, now I don't have to watch over you idiots as much".

Seraph said that with a scowl in his face. But his looks hasn't lessened even with it. "hah, hah, wa-wait a bit, I still need to take a breather".

"I can still see your quite an unathletic and weak man, Gabriel. "

"Seraph, please your words still knows how to pierce a person", Gabriel can only let out breathless chuckles to his words.

"He may be physically weak, but he's the only one who can do high level magic, even those not his attributes, well except strengthening magic." Said the man who was making fun of Seraph.

"Ariel, listening to your annoying voice can truly anger a person, I would beat you but it will hurt my image to abuse a dog."

"Hahaha! Are you sure its not just because even if you try to beat me, not even a scratch will be left and you will be the one ending up with a bruise in your hands. Right Azrael?" He turns to the other man and knocks on his chest.

The man nods with a serious expression. The atmosphere loosens up and everyone relaxes a bit and joke around a bit more.

"I believe we should calm ourselves, the princess has finally fallen asleep".

Gabriel says while lightly patting the princess in the head.

"So Uriel, is the princess really much better now?" Seraph turns to him and asks.

"Yes, her fever went down and it's at the level of a cold, I would heal her but using too much magic can weaken her immune system, so it's best to allow her body to heal itself." Gabriel nods and agrees with him "I checked as well and it is how Uriel stated".

Raphael and Mihkael let's out sighs of relief. Mihkael sits in the bottom side of the bed and looks at his sleeping daughter, Gabriel is sitting in a chair beside Sakura while Azrael is leaning next to the door, and Ariel leans to the wall beside the balcony.

Seraph and Uriel are sitting in the chairs that the princess has brought in to play tea party with the maids and Raphael stands next to Mihkael.

"When the princess gets well, I will arrange new maids, I will watch over her in the mean time."

"Are you sure about that? The only reason you had to leave her highness for a while is because you have to arrange the banquet and sleeping arrangements of the guests we will receive in a while and besides, it's not like it was the first time you left her highness by herself".

"I know, but at least I had one or two stewards to watch in my place from a distance, but because of the many guest arriving, I couldn't even leave one," Raphael sighs and turns to the sleeping princess, his worries lessening when he looks at her sleeping face.

"Hmm... So in the end, we have to decide who will watch over her till we find the right maids because you are still arranging things for the guests and banquet".

They start to contemplate what the next steps they have to take, Uriel raises his hand, they all turn to him "umm... how about I watch over her? I don't have much to do an-"

Seraph cuts his words before he continues, "no, you have responsibility as the imperial healer, the only reason you are here was because of the emergency with her highness, if not you would still be negotiating with those moronic religion group."

Seraph shuts his eyes and rests his arm in the table and rest his face in the balm of his hand. "You may have to go back soon and finish the negotiations."

"Ah, I forgot to tell you guys actually"

Uriel knocks his hand on his palm "They will actually send a representative here an well, so we can continue the negotiations then, that's what they said".

"You, you, you fool!! You should have said something sooner."

Seraph stands and points down at Uriel, then facepalm himself "you should have informed us sooner, now the arrangements have to add them into it, do you know how many are coming, who are coming, and when will they be coming?"

Seraph makes a rapid shot of questions, Uriel quickly answers because he doesn't want to get scolded by Seraph.

" There will be three, the heir and two high holy knights, they will arrive three days before the banquet."

"Haaahhh~ how annoying, well now I have to make a few arrangements, at least I don't have to do the rest" he looks at Raphael ," that will be your job".

"Then-"

"Still no, you only know healing magic, you won't be able to protect her if we leave her fully to you".

"Then how about this" they all turn to who spoke, Ariel looks at them and smiles ,"how about we all take turns to watch her? We make a group of two people and take her with us around while we work, I have noticed she isn't as fussy as other children, and who does his majesty trust the most with the princess if given the chance to leave her with someone, if Raphael can't, then it becomes us."

Seraph stood quiet and contemplated Ariel's words,"The mutt finally knows how to use his brain".

"Haha thanks!"

"What do you guys think? Will it be fine to go with this decision for now?". Seraph looks at everyone to get their decisions, and just a while longer, everyone decided to go with it, they made plans to how it will go and who will take care of her, they needed to decide the groups and the time each person will be the least busy. When they checked each person's schedule, they decided the first group to be Uriel and Azrael.

"It's already nighttime, the first group shall watch her from 8 till 4 while the next group, Ariel and Gabriel shall watch her 4 till 11". Seraph said after writing it down.

"The only issue left is who to watch over the princess while she sleeps."

"I will" Raphael spoke, then Mihkael, "I will too". Before anyone can say no, he soke again.

"haven't you been trying to get me to rest, you always called me a workaholic, if I stay with my daughter, I know I'll be able to sleep well next to her".

Seraph wanted to say something against it, but Mihkael made a good point, 'it's just that there was never something like this happening in history, but then again, Mihkael is emperor, so his should be allowed to make this decision, since it's for the protection of his one and only heir, that excuse can shut up the old whining basterds'.

He looks at Mihkael and just sighs and nods his head, "very well, but her highness has to sleep in your room, it is definitely much safer than the outer castle that the royal children are made to sleep in."

Mihkael agrees and they all decided that Raphael will stay with Sakura tonight. They all leave one by one except for Mihkael and Raphael. Mihkael bends down to kiss Sakura in the forehead, causing her to smile in her sleep, he stands straight and starts to walk out.

Before he closes the door he said his last thoughts "I do not blame you for what happened, I leave her in your care, take care and sleep, don't stay up so late, Gabriel already created a barrier gem, he placed 3 in the surrounding of this room, so rest." Then he left, Raphael just smiled and bowed down to the door his friend left through, and sat in the chair next to her highness.

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