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He can tell that she is different from any other woman he's ever met.
Sinbad has encountered many types of people in his travels. He's met his generals, who have become his most trusted advisers and truest friends, made enemies like Al-Tharmen who have so much pain to he and the people around him, and ultimately, has definitely been enchanted by many, many beautiful women. Now, the hourglass figures and perfectly coated faces mesh together because really, in the end they're all the same.
Only this woman... no, girl strikes him as never seen before.
(Well, of course, it is his first time meeting her.)
What really captures his attention is the coldness in Kougyoku's eyes and the power she exhibits. He has met many strong women before, of course. One of his generals, Pisti, hails from a warrior-girl type of kingdom, after all, and Yamuraiha is a very skilled, knowledgeable magician, and even now there's Morgiana of the Fanalis, whom he misjudged and can tell holds brute strength, but this girl is unique not only due to her heritage, but because she has a djinn. It's the first time he's ever met a female user not part of a household, making him curious and even a little intrigued.
Soon, however, he's disappointed. Her face immediately turns red as soon as he reveals his identity, and her level dwindles down to another love struck woman as she transitions from a warrior to just another stuttering, bumbling girl whose heart flutters at the sight of a gentleman.
People, every minute, are always changing; in the end, he doesn't know why he thinks she's different the first time he lays eyes on her. Maybe that face is a little prettier than usual.
Kougyoku's just another attractive, impressionable face, but at least she's a princess. And all women are the same, easily allured by his charms.
(It's boring, and he'll never fall in love.)
---
(when he visits the kou empire to negotiate for balbadd, he can feel her gaze staring upon him with utter delight and awkward shyness. he's not stupid, although he does get a little drunk. and after all, she does persist for more than just a few hours. her assistant must be exhausted.
it's kind of cute, he supposes.)
---
(it's surprising to see kougyoku step off the boat when the only promised kou empire royal is supposed to be the fourth imperial prince. thus, he feels slightly awkward and maybe even somewhat intimidated, especially when she goes crazy and starts spouting this nonsense about getting married. that's something that he's never, ever considered in his life.
she is different again, because that is the first time a woman scares him besides yamuraiha when someone stares at her breasts or pisti first thing getting up in the morning.
at first, he thinks everything is just a ploy and the princess is attempting to manipulate him. however, thanks to his witch's magic, it turns out that it's all her assistant, ka koubun's fault.
he can't help but smile as he sees her weep. not because of her tears, though, of course he feels a little bad for her again. it's because of her sheer innocence and how apologetic she is, how she could never actually wish harm upon anyone although she tried so hard to be cool and honorable for her empire.
he can tell that she's genuine and warm at heart, and it's quite refreshing.
she's also back to blindly loving him again.)
---
(she spends a lot of time in the sindria kingdom. he is busy with his work, much to ja'far's insistence, but as she is a guest he feels the need to spend time with her- and he must manipulate her into protecting sindria when she goes back to her own kingdom, after all.
she giggles and smiles at almost everything he says, just like every other girl in love. he pretends to act oblivious and as gentlemanly as he can; he's not stupid, after all, and she is a princess albeit an (adorably) infatuated teenager.
her presence is surprisingly comforting. she even gets him to somewhat talk of his past. she does her best to act mature with him, but also acts like a child at the smallest things- like flowers and butterflies and the sight of beaches and the liveliness of the island.
with this, he notices that her eyes are a little sad. not just when he leaves her, though. in the island's vivacity, she shakes sees children playing together and other women gossiping with each other. even when aladdin, alibaba, morgiana and hakuryuu are spending time with each other he can see her trembling slightly.
he realizes that the princess is quite a lonely person.
when he leaves her, she is left alone again. she might have her assistant, but she doesn't really have any other friends, although she has told him that she and judal bicker all the time.
the princess is alone.
there's a slight tugging in his heart. he pities her. he thinks he'd like to find her someone.)
---
(he sees her power again when she fully djinn equips as vinea.
of course, he defeats her, but it's the first time he's noticed that she is absolutely radiant.)
---
(he's done his deed. the princess promises to attempt to persuade her brother to protect sindria's best interest when she comes back to the kingdom.
the princess boards the ship that is about to sail away, and she waves a timid good bye. he waves back, and that feeling in his heart is tugging at him again.
ja'far looks like he is about to say something when sinbad turns his back, but promptly shuts his mouth a few seconds later. sharrkan lightens the atmosphere, smirking in his usual fashion and joking about how he's got that little girl wrapped like a ring around his finger.
marriage is the one thing that makes him nervous, but he thinks about kougyoku a little more and sighs. ja'far's curious and wants to know if his suspicions are correct, but he also knows not to question why sinbad's smile seems a little sad as the princess sails away.)
---
He is a king, chosen by a magi himself. Kings are chosen because they are fit rule their countries. He is a king of the exotic Sindria that he founded, crafted, and loved himself, aided by his eight generals, by his djinns, and by Yunan who had taken gratitude to him and helped him in conquering his very first dungeon.
Sinbad is a king, and a ruler, and even a lover; he's had many women in his journeys of whom he's treated like queens, although he knows that he'll never actually settle for one himself.
In spite of all of this, he knows he's not fit to love somebody. He is too in love with his country and too reliant on his generals, his friends picked up on from his laborious and sometimes depressing past, to even think about loving one person just as much and intensely.
(he's not like her, who's so lonely and has so much love to give, but has no one to take it)
Whenever he recalls Kougyoku and her visit to Sindria, he remembers how warm her smile is. Maybe his first thought of her is true, after all, that she is different from everyone else. She is innocent, genuine, and pure at heart, and after coming to get to know her, he knows not to treat her like another woman, not just because she is a princess.
His heart is hardened from a long time ago, but he doesn't deserve to break hers.