Chapter 169: Wine Cellar secret but no clue about it

"Senior Ash, what are you doing here?" Aqua ran towards him. Ash turned towards her, listening to her melodious voice. This was the first time he ever noticed that. He watched her walk towards him. In her princess gown. He couldn't help but smile. 

The wind touched his rigid heart this time, as it was passing by. He was not expecting that. 

"I was summoned by the Master, What are you doing here Aqua?" He asked her casually. "You left the palace at this time?" Aqua did not get that.

"Father and everyone was fine with it, so I came with shifu straight when he proposed the idea," 

"I see," he said and looked around. "So it's just the two of us?" He wondered, looking into her eyes, asking her his doubt. 'Why?' He asked himself. 'What is happening to me?'

"I guess so, shifu said student will start showing up at school from tonight, so I guess it will be not just us," Aqua informed him what she is aware of. 

"But I thought there would be some other old students who were in our batch along," he went on. "Do you think they would join after running away for life like that that day?" He asked unfolding the scroll of memories for Aqua. She smiled. She had pretty lot. 

"Its still fresh in my memory, seeing Huo'er in chains, knowing that school has been tattered and all under the lead of one of the best students; Volca, I remember how i ran away with Huo in front of everyone and our families," she said and showed Prince Ash her goosebumps. 

He laughed out loud and patted her arms. He was feeling weird suddenly. "Chill, it's all in the past, let it rest and let's see what we should do now," he said.

"Do what now?" She asked innocently.

"Take charge in school, teach the children," he changed the topic quickly. 

"Why would shifu call you for work?" She asked what she could not understand. 

"Because my lady, Prince Ash of Wind Realm was also among the rank of best students at school once," he cleared his throat and said funnily. 

Aqua smiled and walked into the gate on the meanwhile Shifu returned back and joined them. 

"Shifu Aqua keep asking me why am here," He said to Master Bo Hai.

He did not say anything, remaining serious and lost deeply in his thoughts.

"Hush.. Shifu is serious, let's talk later," Ash whispered to Aqua and they walked in silence to their main hall. 

Aqua and Ash looked around the school in shock, to see how school look new, different and altered from the way it used to look. Everything built new, brand new and the two stood there, amazed at the scene, jaws dropping. The stone carving of various mantras, the pillars, the new statues installed and the new accommodations, everything looked wow. 

"Did we really learn here or have we come to the wrong place?" She asked shifu.

He smiled. "Demons left very few for us to call it a school, destroying everything they saw in here, I had to prepare everything from the scratch, from the the foundation to everything you see on the surface, and times have changed so should we run along with it. Don't you think?" He explained.

"Yes yes, I agree Shifu," Ash replied.

"Prince Ash is going to be the Senior Supervisor at school who will look at the matters of children and he will also assist you with administration, so you two be good team and have good cooperation. Don't fight or end up doing silly stuff, remember that education is forever, and recall what you learned and live with it," he informed them and added a piece if advice in the end.

"Yes shifu," the two said in the same voice and paid their respects to him. Shifu them took them to the rooms of both close to their offices itself. He showed the one Aqua would use, which looked simple with a coat, bed, drapes on the wall, a small bath area which was separated. And then they walked towards the chamber Ash would use which had lesser facilities than Aqua had.

"That's not fair, I want that floral carpet and room separator too. I want the bath inside the chamber too. I also want the drapes," 

"Ash, enough," Shifu asked him to stop whining like a kid. Aqua mocked him and laughed out loud. 

Aqua walked back to her room and got ready changing into the clothes the school follows. White dress along with the boots and hair ribbons for her. She put them on and she stepped out when the night fell. Shifu opened the hates to welcome the new students. It was twilight. And Ash and Aqua assisted Shifu to prepare things. Their kitchen staff had prepared wonderful welcome feast for all the new 25 kids of all ages. 

The dim lights were used as usual. The fire place blazing with fire, there were round tables set in the front for initiating the inaugural ceremony. Aqua made sure that everything that has been set does not get messed up. 

She waited there for everyone. Aqua walked towards Ash who stood reading something in his hands. It appeared to be a letter. She did not interrupt him but seeing her, he quickly hid the letter and looked perplexed. Aqua found it funny. She started having suspicious feelings towards him. "Why are you weird sometimes in front of me?" She asked him looking straight at his face. 

"It's.. it's nothing," he said, sweating. 

"Okay," she looked him and raised her brows. "I did not say anything," 

"It's a letter from my girlfriend," he said suddenly. 

"What?" Aqua was surprised. "You? Relationship? Girl friend?" She asked him in amazement. A man who always flirted but was against the idea of love saying that it's the letter from his girl friend really was shocking to her. It was unbelievable. It only raised her suspicion even more. 

Aqua walked to the cellar door and opened them. It looked lavish than it did before. She stepped in to see around and choose the bottles. 

She saw the plum wines on the stand from Water Realm. Her father's special win. It broke her heart. "Pa.." she had tears in her eyes and touched the bottles. She suddenly heard somebody at the door. She almost dropped the wine. She held on tight to them and moved from back to hide behind the shelves. She found a small rack that could fit her well and sat there, completely comcelead. It was Ash, and shifu itself. Thinking that she had left the wine cellar, they got in and locked the door behind them. 

"What should we do?" Prince Ash asked Shifu Bo Hai and handed the letter to him.

"I have the same copy with me. Destroy this letter," he ordered Ash back.

"But this letter is the invitation, I cannot enter if I do no submit it," he said. 

"Oh you will need it so, let's never panic and act well, we cannot let her know at any cost," Shifu went on.

"I knew it, I knew it's not Ash's girlfriend," Aqua thought inside her head while she looked at his hazel eyes while speaking with Shifu.

"How long should we hide this, one will eventually know if the titles get take away right, losing the weapons and quality?" Ash asked his serious doubt to shifu.

"Yes, they will know it themselves, so we cannot say how longer we will be able to hold this,"

"But why can anyone not tell the truth to the fave? Why all this ?" Ask got a little furious. "I feel really bad about this! Like really, it's painful," He expressed his feelings.

"Since when?" Shifu asked shocked.

"I don't know," he replied. 

Do you want to attend the ceremony?" Shifu asked Ash.

"It is mandatory for me as the Prince of our Realm, how can I not go? But how can I bare it watch too," Ash explained. "How can you stay here long? Are you not the one going to initiate the ceremony?"

"No I rejected the offer Ash, I cannot, I cannot bear to watch it, not accept it, do you think it's fair?" Shifu asked Ash. 

"It's not, everybody is being part of a great show, I disagree to it but I do not have the voice, it's taken away, if I don't have the power then why should I call myself a prince, I feel ashamed," 

"Have some control over your temper and your feelings young man, young hot bloods always end up in a bad way, just see what happened now, you clearly know it don't you, and if you pursue this, you will escape hell,"

Aqua listened to everything and still did not understand a word. She wondered about it. What they were talking about. "What in the universe is this conversation about, no head nor tail, and where did hell come from now," 

"So make sure that you do no let her out of your sight, keeping her engaged with work, distracted and protected all along. Never let anybody enter the barrier without my permission," Shifu said and opened the door. "Also, keep the Demon King away from all this internal matters," he said before he left. "He is equally dangerous and we do not want more trouble," 

"And I will take my leave once you come back," Ash reminded shifu. 

"Okay now go look for Aqua," Shifu vanished into thin air after giving necessary instructions. 

Ash left the cellar and Aqua crawled outside and got up. Her legs hurt but she managed to stand straight. She corrected her clothes, took the wine jars and rushed outside. Ash looked like he had forgotten to lock the doors.

Aqua kept the wine jars in the kitchen and walked back quickly to her office. She waited for the right time of the arrival of the new students while he mind was busy with thoughts of why Huo'er also was mentioned. But by then students arrived.

And they did come in four groups. One among them was not just anyone, but Water Realm's newly adopted life: the cyclops.

"Jin," she called. But slowly. Aqua did not want the impressions on her to be gone thinking she would be the Queen of partiality. 

"Sistah,' he came running towards her.