“Huh…?”

Hence, not a single mistake was allowed, especially during the kiss of vows—the highlight of the ceremony. If he made a mistake there, Lithia would be humiliated. However, Geo had no experience, and he wasn’t confident he could succeed on the first try.

“It’s my first time, so I’m worried that I might fail during the actual vow. I’m sorry, I know it’s lame…”

“I-i-it’s totally fine! It’s my first time too, so I think we should practice a lot…!”

“Thank you. Now close your eyes.”

Lithia’s face was flushed red, but after a while, she shut her eyes tightly, resolving herself.

Seeing that kind of expression on her face was also his privilege as a groom. What a gift that keeps on giving.

“…I love you, Lithia.”

“…”

Embracing her shoulder and cupping her cheek, Geo slowly leaned in.

…So, you have to be this close when you’re about to kiss.

As he drew her closer towards him, he was grateful that they decided to rehearse.

Being in such close proximity, he could see her eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly. They were so close that he could feel her heartbeat. It was beating as fast as his. Moreover, she was warmer than he expected. If they didn’t practice this beforehand, he might’ve been too shocked to continue during the ceremony.

“…”

Their bangs touched each other.

Then, just as their lips were about to overlap, he used the finger that was on her cheek to prevent them from touching.

“…Eh?”

“Don’t worry, this is just a practice. I won’t do anything uncouth before marriage.”

Now, he had a grasp over the flow along with the proper position and posture. Admittedly, his movements were still awkward, but surely, it’d be smoother the more they went at it. The wedding would soon be upon them, but he had finished the preparations, so there shouldn’t be any problems—

“Huh!? W-what’s wrong, Lithia!? Did I do something!?”

—There shouldn’t be any problems, but for some reason, Lithia suddenly grabbed him by his collar and wringed his neck.

“…You did… nothing!”

Then why!?

He tried to ask, but he was being choked and couldn’t speak.

　◆◆◆

It was their last day of school, and also the day of the winter ball.

On the quiet terrace, it was just the two of them. The dimmed orchestra music could be heard from the venue…

“You won’t suddenly return to the moon, right?”

“I was just joking earlier. If I truly were a moon fairy, we wouldn’t be able to get married?”

As he fulfilled his promise, which was to dance with Lithia, she suddenly asked him.

“What if I truly descended from the moon?”

…Which, apparently, was a serious subject matter for Geo.

“…That was a joke? You look so mesmerizing, I wouldn’t be surprised if light started to gather around you, manifesting into some sort of divine raiment. Then, as you begin to float, you’d say, ‘Thank you for everything,’ with a single tear trickling down your cheek as you flew into the sky.”

“How did you come up with that in such a short time?”

“Although, if I dispel that light, maybe you wouldn’t be able to fly…”

“Wow, you even found a way to keep me from returning home…”

After all, if she did return, not even Geo would be able to chase her all the way to the moon. Although he knew she was joking, he couldn’t help but think the worst.

“It’s okay, because from now on, I’ll be returning to you. I won’t go anywhere.”

“Are you choosing me over the moon?”

“Shouldn’t that be obvious?”

He finally felt relieved after hearing those words. No, it was weird for him to get so worked up about it in the first place. Hadn’t Lithia always chosen Geo?

Even after the prince revealed his true feelings. Even after the prince made that outrageous marriage proposal to her.

“Kyaa—!”

“! Are you okay, Lithia?”

“I am, I just stumbled a bit…”

At that moment, Lithia suddenly lost her balance. Apparently, her shoe lace came loose and she tripped.

Geo quickly caught her before she fell, erasing the distance that was previously there as they stood there, holding each other.

“…”

Wordlessly, Lithia closed her eyes.

This time, even Geo could tell that this was the right atmosphere for a kiss, even without being told.

---

***T/N: How did he know!? Who told him!?

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