“—Geo! I’m sorry, did I make you wait?”

“No, I just arrived a bit too early, so there’s no need to apologize. I only waited for an hour—which is just about one-sixth of the time I spend thinking about you.”

The day after they made the promise to attend the dance party together…

In front of a certain apparel store in the royal capital, Lithia had agreed to meet with Geo.

While they could’ve met in front of the dormitory, she’d feel guilty if other students were to find out and make fun of him. As such, she chose somewhere a little farther away.

“I’ve been looking forward to your arrival for a long time. The dress I saw when we first meet was gorgeous, while your usual uniforms are always crisp and clean. The simple outfit you wear during dance class is also good, but I’ve never seen you in casual attire before.”

“I-I see…”

Geo spoke without faltering. His deep indigo eyes were sparkling.

Well, Lithia had braced herself for such killer lines.

In fact, that was the reason why she chose that place for them to meet.

After all, if the other students were to see her dressed up as if she was going on a date during their day off, there’d be no mercy.

“—Cute. You’re so cute to the point that it’s all I can afford to say. Cute—so cute. No, I’m actually at a loss. How am I supposed to express your cuteness in words? Perhaps, this will be my first lie ever. After all, ‘cute’ is the only word I can say to describe your loveliness—”

“—E-enough! You don’t need to say anything else!”

Perhaps, she could have brushed it away if he had sported a slovenly expression. Unfortunately, he was dead serious.

“I know, I’m sorry… Any more than this, and the Spirit of Light may forsake me for good… Even though I’m merely lacking in vocabulary.”

Lithia was dressed in a light blue dress with a ruffled skirt. A ribbon could be found on her chest while lace and beads adorned both her cuffs and hem.

It was given to her by her family last year as a birthday present. Nevertheless, it was too adorable. She thought that it unbefitting for her ugly self, so she stowed it away at the back of her wardrobe.

But that day, she’d decided to wear it—for her date with Geo. Even if others were to criticize her, Geo would surely compliment her. Hence, she wore her best outfit.

“—Cute… Ah, there, I said it again. Wait, let me try using a simple spell. I haven’t been forsaken by the Spirit of Light yet, have I?”

Well, the result was a great success.

Apparently, merely complimenting her as “cute” didn’t count as lying. So, there was no significant backlash—other than the fact that it frustrated Geo, of course.

…She’d never seen Geo get worked up before.

“Okay, I’m still safe…”

“Somehow, it’s kind of like a lie detector…”

Just then, a butterfly weakly flew between Lithia and Geo, before perching on a flowerbed by the roadside. When he managed to mend its broken wing, Geo sighed in relief and laughed involuntarily.

Upon recovering, the butterfly happily flew from one flower to another.

“Then, let’s go, Geo.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry, we ended up going nowhere for a bit, there…”

The two saw off the butterfly as it went to the next flower.

Afterwards, they finally headed for the apparel store which was their supposed meeting place and destination.

“Does Lithia visit these kinds of shops often?”

“No, not really. Last time I come here, it was with my mother, and I was still a child at the time.”

This time, she was helping Geo pick out an outfit for the dance party she was going to attend with him.

Despite having agreed to escort her for said upcoming party, Geo didn’t have anything to wear. While he had received a certain amount of funding from the government when he enrolled in the academy, dressing up for parties was the least of his concerns. As such, he didn’t know what to buy.

The night of their first meeting, he had been turned away from the venue because he was wearing a uniform. In the end, he had no choice but to wander around the academy’s premises.

Thus, Lithia invited him to go shopping for clothes with her on their day off.

“Nowadays, there are ready-made products instead of made-to-order, so you can try them on and choose what suits your fancy.”

“Then, I’ll choose one that matches the color of Lithia’s dress. What color dress will you be wearing?”

“Now that you mention it… It’s still early, but I—”

Forrent Academy hosted dance parties four times a year at the beginning of each season. With the autumn dance party having passed, the next one would be hosted at the beginning of winter.

“I…”

Lithia gasped.

…She didn’t know the notion of dressing up could excite her.

Until a month or two ago, she had thought it a futile effort. After all, she was just an ugly wretch. Looking at beautiful dresses only added to her misery.

“I think I’ll wear a white dress. It’ll be great if I can find one with gold embroidery.”

“…! Isn’t that wonderful!?”

Before she knew it, even that sentiment had changed. She even had a dress preference! Until then, she wouldn’t have been able to say anything even if she was forced to.

However, as soon as she met Geo’s eyes, she naturally said those words.

I think this color is the prettiest.

“It’ll definitely suit you. You should try it on. No, we should also take a look at what the other stores have to offer… For now, what about this white dress?”

“Wait, but didn’t we come to find an attire for you!?”

Nothing could stand in Geo’s way as he rushed to women’s clothing lane.

…Even though there was no need to buy her a dress.

She already had plenty of dresses regularly being sent from her parent’s house. Plenty of dresses she barely even remembered, because she almost never wore them.

“Geo, wait!”

…Surely, there was a white dress among them; one with gold accents. Just like the light blue dress she was wearing that day, that dress was waiting to see the light of day.

“…Lithia!”

At that time, Geo rushed back to her.

“What should I do, Lithia? I suddenly noticed something.”

“What is it?”

…Did he drop his wallet? Or did something bad happen?

“What’s the matter? Are you alright?”

As if he’d singlehandedly carried the world on his back, Geo spoke tragically.

“…In order to try it on, you’ll have to change out of your current dress… Just why—! Even though it’s the cutest thing in the world…!”

Such were his anguish-filled words.

“…What.”

Then, should I add the blue ribbon to the white and gold dress?

Lithia contemplated that as she placed her hand on the ribbon adorning her chest.

---

***T/N: Won’t even doubt that prince planted some spy to watch over their date.

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