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I closed my eyes, letting the press of those soft lips help calm my racing heart.
We kissed for what might have been a full minute before he broke away, dropping his arms and sliding his right hand into mine.
"I'm confident in you, Crimson. You will be just fine." "Thanks, Yoshi," I said quietly.
He nodded before squeezing my hand. "Let's go?"
I nodded once.
"Yes," I replied. We both turned to face the door once more, our hands still joined together. Yoshi stepped forward, knocking three times.
"Enter,” a voice called from the other side of the door. Yoshi and I exchanged glances one more time before he turned the knob and entered the office. I followed, squeezing his hand as I scanned the massive area before us.
The theme of the room was dark blue and gold, the combination reminding me of Yoshi's eyes and normal color preference for his clothing. On both sides of us were gold chairs, giving me the impression they were there to accommodate more individuals should the need arise.
I turned my attention back to the center of the room, lowering our gazes to the navy blue tiled floor that had little flowers designed on each square.
I lifted my gaze to look at the desk that was about ten steps from us, where two guards were standing at attention. A man sat at the desk, his eyes focused on a paper while his hand wrote swiftly on the page.
"I hope this is important,” the man stated, not pulling his eyes from his work. I imagined it must have been an important document to require so much concentration on his part. He sounded a little irritated, which made my anxiety begin to spike, unsure if today would be the best day to meet him.
"Otosan. You're going to scare Crimson using your angry tone," Yoshi commented with a sigh. The man's hand paused on the paper before he looked up to us. His gold eyes landed on Yoshi first before they shifted to me.
His once irritated expression morphed into a pleased one, and for a second he looked just like Yoshi. He rose to his feet and looked to his guards. "I'll be safe on my own. Feel free to take a break,” he told them, and they both bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Emperor,” they replied in unison.
I watched the guards walk down the center of the room and bow to us before they headed to the door. Once I heard the door close, I returned my attention to the Emperor.
He stood at 6'7” and had long navy blue hair, which was tied up in a ponytail. He had a similar build to Yoshi, but with broader shoulders and looked no older than forty. He wore a red and gold traditional outfit, comparable to a montsuki, but with vibrant colors and Japanese characters that made the fabric look expensive, which matched his status as royalty.
His lips were pink, and his gold eyes were vibrant, noticeable even from where we stood.
"Yoshimitsu, my son. Welcome home. Come up here and formally introduce me to Ms. Jiyuna,” he encouraged.
I sighed in relief before glancing at Yoshi, who grinned at me. He gave my hand another squeeze before leading the way towards the Emperor.
The Emperor moved from his desk and walked around to meet us. Yoshi released my hand so he could hug his father, who patted him on the back.
"I've missed you, my son. My after- noons are always so quiet when you're not here,” the Emperor complained before pulling back to look into Yoshi's eyes.
I could tell right away the love and compassion the Emperor had for his son just from his facial expression. His gold eyes, upon closer inspection, had little blue lines in them that reminded me of Yoshi's gold ones, making me realize it must be a family trait.
Those bright orbs held a level of pride as the Emperor looked at Yoshi, who chuckled.
"You always say that when I return from an assignment so I don't leave again."
"True, but it never works. I think I should try another method,” the Emperor pondered.
Yoshi shook his head. "You're not supposed to admit that, Father."
Yoshi turned toward me, offering his hand. I immediately accepted it, placing my left hand in his as I smiled and turned my gaze on the Emperor.
"Father, this is Crimson Jiyuna. I know you saw her during the video conference, but I wanted to formally introduce her," Yoshi informed him.
"Crimson Jiyuna, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. My name is Yomatoshima Homatomashi. Please feel free to call me Yomato,” the Emperor introduced as he moved to embrace me. His loving hug was a surprise, and it took me a moment to collect my words.
"It's an honor to meet you, Emperor...I mean, Yomato," I replied, my voice sounding so small compared to my normal tone.
