“Lithia, may I come in?”

“Mother, of course.”

For the first time in a long while, she was back in her own room and not the dormitory.

Lithia, who was about to head to bed, put on a cardigan and went to the door to welcome her mother.

“After such a busy day, I’d like to speak with you.”

“Me too.”

“You’re about to become a bride.”

“Indeed. I’m about to get married.”

Her mother laughed mischievously, and Lithia became flustered. However, other than feeling bashful, she didn’t really mind.

“I was surprised. I never thought you’d marry so early.”

“I… To be honest, I thought that I’d never be able marry.”

“Lithia…”

The two sat side-by-side on the sofa, leisurely speaking with each other. Her mother gently caressed her head.

“But now, you no longer think so?”

“That’s right.”

“Is it because of him?”

“…Yes.”

Enjoying the caress, Lithia quietly snuggled up to her mother. It had been very long since she had last been pampered by her mother like that.

“Thank you. Despite the suddenness, I’m happy father and mother gave their blessings.”

Although her parents didn’t care about the status difference, the news itself was unexpected. She wondered what she’d have done if they had objected.

“That’s fair. Instead of a formal proposal, you declared you wanted to get married right away. Not only that, you also said that you’d leave school to follow him. Mother honestly thought you were deceived by an unscrupulous man…”

“I-I’m sorry, but Geo isn’t a bad person.”

“I know. In fact, I understood everything from how your face lit-up the moment you held his hand.”

“Mother…!”

To her surprise, her parents readily agreed to the marriage. Unfortunately, since they didn’t have much time, they had to forego the ceremony and settle for a small wedding with only their relatives.

“I believe in you, Lithia. You trust him, don’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. In this world, I trust Geo the most.”

Tomorrow, Lithia would get married.

Tonight was her last night as ‘Lithia Album.’

“He isn’t a liar. He’s so honest and stubborn. Yet, I can’t live without him.”

“I see.”

“At the same time, he’s too trusting, I have to be there for him. It has to be me.”

“That’s right… You’ve always been caring.”

A few months ago, Lithia would’ve never imagined that the night before her wedding would be so bubbly and warm.

Truly believing she’d never marry in the entirety of her life, and not wanting to hinder her brother’s marriage, Lithia assumed she’d either work somewhere, or marry anyone who’d have her.

“Be happy, my dear Lithia.”

“Yes, of course, thank you, Mother.”

Lithia was no longer unhappy. She was the happiest she’d ever been.

—Tomorrow, she’d be even more so because she’d marry the man she loved.

◆◆◆

“Lithia, are you unable to sleep?”

“…Actually, I’m sleepy, but it’ll be a waste to sleep.”

They were in a new, shabby mansion in the Selvi territory. In the couple’s bedroom, Lithia somehow managed to stay awake despite the overwhelming drowsiness.

“I… used to loathe the night.”

“…”

“But I’m all right, now. Also, I’m not saying that I’m afraid of the dark. Like I said, I’m fine, so don’t turn on all the lamps—”

—As soon as she finished speaking, her husband rushed to turn on the lamp on the bedside table. Afterwards, when she saw that Geo was trying to do the same to all the lamps within the room, she rushed to stop him by clinging on his hem.

“Also, I said, ‘I used to.’ I like it now. The night is the highlight of my day.”

“Because you’re a moon fairy?”

“…That fairy theory is still alive?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help myself.”

He returned to bed and held her hand, peering into her eyes. Thanks to the nearby lamp, she could clearly make out his expression.

“…So, you don’t want to sleep?”

Geo traced the back of her hand with his fingers, only to be caught by Lithia.

“That’s right. I want to stay like this for a bit longer.”

The same thing happened a few minutes back.

But before she knew it, she had dozed off and Geo tucked her in.

“I like spending time with Geo and doing trivial things together… I don’t want it to stop…”

“I see… But it’s not good to stay up late, because it’s unhealthy.”

“But…”

“Then how about this? We’ll get up early tomorrow and spend a lot of time together. I’m sure we’ll be more energized that way. But to do so, we need to sleep early.”

Geo suddenly released her hand, and when Lithia tried to chase after him, he pulled her—along with the blanket—into his arms.

“Sweet dreams, Lithia.”

“…Yes.”

Aah, as I thought, night is my favorite time of the day.

Enveloped in the world’s most reassuring warmth and scent, Lithia answered drowsily.

“…I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

“Me too.”

Before she knew it, she was no longer terrified of the night. After all, the pleasant events shone brighter than the unpleasant ones. Therefore, she was able to spend her time feeling happy rather than uneasy.

“Promise me, to wake up early tomorrow…”

“Of course, I’ll wake up before the rooster can even announce the morning.”

—especially on such beautiful moonlit nights, reminiscent of their first meeting.

For Lithia, the night was special; a time of peace with her beloved who made her want to stay awake for as long as possible.

---

***T/N: I don’t want it to stop, she says.

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