pjbooks Chapter 611 The King ordered us to serve you in bed!
Chapter 611 The King ordered us to serve you in bed!
The wedding was held soon afterward in the main hall of the royal palace.
The entire palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons, and a festive atmosphere permeated the air.
Outside the palace, in the plaza, were the imperial carriages of various ninja clans from the ninja world.
The high-ranking members of the Uchiha, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure clans, dressed in their most magnificent attire, entered the main hall one after another, their faces bearing respectful smiles. They exchanged pleasantries and discussed in hushed tones the wedding that had shaken the ninja world.
In the center of the main hall, a long red carpet was laid out, stretching from the hall entrance all the way to the high platform.
The carpet is embroidered with golden auspicious cloud patterns and feels soft and heavy underfoot.
Uchiha Mitsunori was dressed in a gorgeous red suit, the fabric of which was embroidered with an intricate Uchiha clan crest, and it shimmered with light as he walked.
His smile never faded, and his brows were full of high spirits.
This time, he is to marry more than a dozen queens, all of whom are famous women in the ninja world.
The gentle and kind Uchiha Izumi, the lively and spirited Tenten, the bright and cheerful Yamanaka Ino, the gentle and quiet Hyuga Hinata, the Kurama Yakumo with her powerful genjutsu talent, the fiercely independent Guren, the capable and decisive Kurotsuchi, and the free-spirited Temari...
They wore unique wedding dresses, with layered skirts embroidered with delicate pearls and lace, and their eyes and brows were filled with happiness.
Uchiha Mitsuhine slowly stepped forward and gently took the hands of Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata.
Yamanaka Ino's hands were slender and warm, her fingertips slightly curled, showing a hint of tension.
Hinata Hyuga's hands were soft and delicate; she gently squeezed his hand back, her eyes filled with dependence.
Uchiha Mitsumine led the two of them slowly toward the high platform in the center of the hall, with the other queens following closely behind.
The musicians' music grew increasingly cheerful, and the guests in the hall rose to their feet, offering enthusiastic applause and blessings. Cheers and congratulations mingled together, resounding throughout the entire hall.
"Congratulations, Lord Sanfeng, on the marriage of your virtuous consort! May you and your consorts be forever united in love, and enjoy good health and longevity!"
"May Lord Sanmine's descendants continue to flourish, and may the ninja world enjoy eternal peace!"
The guests' blessings rose and fell in waves.
Uchiha Sanfeng stopped in his tracks, raised his hand slightly to the crowd, and his smile grew even more gentle: "Thank you all for coming from afar. It's a pleasure to gather here today. Please make yourselves at home, eat and drink well, and don't skimp on the bill, haha!"
After saying this, he turned to look at the dozen or so newly acquired concubines: "It is my good fortune to marry you all. From now on, I will take good care of each and every one of you."
In a corner of the main hall, Naruto and Sasuke stood silently, looking completely out of place in the festive atmosphere. Their faces were extremely grim, and their aura was so low that it almost enveloped them.
Both of them were dressed in dark clothes, which contrasted sharply with the men and women in red and green around them. Naruto had his arms crossed, his brows furrowed, his face taut, and his eyes fixed on Ino and Hinata in the center of the hall. His lips were pressed into a straight line, and his face was full of frustration and resentment.
Sasuke leaned against a pillar, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face cold and his eyes expressionless. But only he knew that the loneliness and resentment in his heart had already surged into a tidal wave.
His gaze fell on Ino, watching her in her pure white wedding dress, her face beaming with happiness, watching her arm linked with Mitsumine's, so dependent and tender, and his heart felt as if something was blocking it.
They once thought that once they became stronger, they could protect the people they loved.
But only now do they realize that some gaps are insurmountable no matter how hard they try.
Seeing the woman he once fought so hard to have become his stepmother is a feeling more painful than being pierced by a thousand arrows.
Naruto could no longer bear the oppressive atmosphere, and he walked away.
Seeing this, Sasuke silently followed.
Neither of them spoke, yet it seemed as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding.
They all need a place to vent their frustrations and resentments.
There was a slightly secluded table at the back, covered with wine bottles and glasses.
Naruto stepped forward, grabbed a bottle, unscrewed the cork, and tilted his head back to drink it. The spicy liquor slid down his throat, burning it, but it did nothing to relieve the pain in his heart.
"Gulp, gulp..."
As the wine continued to pour into his stomach, Naruto put down the bottle, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, and his cheeks quickly flushed red, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused.
He paused for a moment, then picked up his glass, refilled it, and drank it down, one glass after another: "Why... how could Hinata become my stepmother... I love her so much... I've become stronger... I can protect her now... why...?"
He didn't understand what he had done wrong.
He trained diligently, broke through bottlenecks, and awakened the Rinnegan, enduring countless pains and torments, all for the sake of being able to protect Hinata. But in the end, he could only watch helplessly as she married his father and became his stepmother.
Fate's cruel joke plunged him into deep confusion and despair, and he even began to doubt the meaning of everything he had done.
Sasuke sat on a chair to the side, picked up another bottle, and slowly poured a glass of wine.
He didn't shout like Naruto; he just remained silent, drinking one cup after another, his eyes filled with loneliness and self-mockery.
He raised his glass, clinked it with Naruto's, and downed it in one gulp. The spicy liquor burned in his stomach, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart. He murmured, "In the end... we weren't strong enough, so... we still couldn't keep her... we could only watch her marry someone else..."
He was always proud and never easily admitted defeat, but at this moment, he had to admit that their father was an insurmountable mountain for them.
He couldn't keep Ino, not because Ino didn't like him, but because he didn't have enough power to give her absolute security and the life she wanted.
The three peaks in the center of the main hall offer a panoramic view of everything.
He looked at his two sons' depressed expressions, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
These are setbacks that the two children must experience on their path to adulthood. Only by learning to let go of their personal feelings and accepting regrets can they truly mature.
He subtly beckoned to his personal maid to step forward and whispered, "Go, refill the wine for the two princes and let them drink to their heart's content. Don't stop them."
The palace maid respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Then, carrying the wine bottle, he quickly walked over.
She walked up to Naruto and Sasuke, bowed respectfully, and placed the wine jar on the table.
"Your Highnesses, if you need more wine, I will go and get some more."
Naruto was already quite drunk. Hearing the maid's words, he simply waved his hand and mumbled, "Bring...bring wine, the more the better..."
Sasuke didn't say anything, but simply raised his chin, signaling the maid to add more wine.
The two were already in a bad mood, and now they accepted every drink offered, one glass after another. As the alcohol poured into their stomachs, the dizziness and lightheadedness grew stronger, and their frustration and resentment were gradually numbed by the alcohol.
Before long, several wine jars on the table were empty, and Naruto and Sasuke were completely drunk.
Naruto lay on the table, his cheeks flushed, his eyes unfocused, and he kept muttering Hinata's name.
Sasuke leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, his brows still slightly furrowed. Even though he was drunk, a sense of loneliness and resentment still lingered between his brows.
Uchiha Mitsunori arrived at the side hall, looked at his two drunken sons, and gently shook his head.
He then beckoned to the door, and several beautiful palace maids entered: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Uchiha Mitsunori pointed to the drunken Naruto and Sasuke and instructed, "Send the two princes back to their respective chambers and take good care of them."
"Yes, Your Majesty, we will take good care of the two princes and will not neglect them."
The palace maids responded respectfully, then carefully helped Naruto and Sasuke up and escorted them to their respective chambers.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window into Naruto's bedroom, landing on his soft bed.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, the fragments of his drunken state from the previous night still lingering in his mind.
He subconsciously shifted his body, but felt a warm touch beside him.
He turned his head sharply and was shocked to find two unfamiliar palace maids lying beside him.
A blush of shyness still lingered on their cheeks.
Naruto froze instantly, his face showing embarrassment and panic, and he quickly sat up.
"Who...who are you? What are you doing in my room?"
Naruto stammered, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks.
He scratched his head, his mind blank. "I...I drank too much last night, I didn't do anything outrageous, did I?"
Hearing the sound, the two palace maids slowly woke up. When they saw Naruto awake, they quickly sat up and replied shyly, "Prince Naruto, we were responsible for serving you last night, as ordered by His Majesty."
"What...serving...serving in bed?"
Naruto's eyes widened instantly, his face turned as red as a monkey's bottom, and even his ears turned bright red.
He hurriedly grabbed the clothes beside him and haphazardly put them on. His hands and feet were almost out of control, and he was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Sasuke's bedchamber was completely different.
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and saw two palace maids lying beside him, and several other palace maids standing by the bed with hangover soup in their hands.
His face instantly turned icy, and he coldly shouted, "All of you, get out!"
The palace maids were startled by Sasuke's cold tone, and quickly bowed and respectfully withdrew.
Sasuke walked to the window, opened it, and the morning breeze rushed in, clearing his muddled mind somewhat.
He looked out the window, his brow still furrowed. The loneliness and resentment of last night surged up in his heart again, but this time, there was a strange sense of irritation.