• The night before he met Lithia. The night he met Lithia. The night before their date. The night before their wedding. And tonight. A story about Geo’s nights, connected to [Beyond the Night] from Lithia’s POV

One of the earliest memories of his life was when he could do nothing except look up at the moonlit night skies as the temperature gradually dropped.

Looking back on it now, that was probably the memory of the day he was bundled in cloth and abandoned in front of the orphanage when he was less than a year old.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, but he recalled being picked up by a pair of warm arms before the cold became too much to bear. The relief he felt at the time was immense.

Hence why he loved the night.

For Geo, the night was a quiet and mesmerizing solace.

◆◆◆

The night of his first dance party after transferring to an academy where royalty and aristocrats enrolled…

Unfortunately, he couldn’t participate due to his attire, but something happened that completely blew away such a trivial matter.

“I never expected to meet a moon fairy…!”

Just a few moments ago, as he walked down the street from the venue to the dormitory, he came across a girl who appeared as if she had descended straight from Heaven.

He did hear that it was an academy where those from all over the world gathered. Who would’ve guessed that those from above the clouds were also included!

However, the girl said that she wasn’t a fairy. Perhaps, there was a rule somewhere that said fairies shouldn’t arbitrarily reveal their true identities. Either that, or she was a goddess instead of a fairy.

Geo was certain that she was some kind of entity that reigned over the moon.

After all, seeing how dazzling she was, he couldn’t believe that they were from the same planet. Her sophisticated, weightless movements… If she had claimed to have invisible wings, he would’ve believed her.

She was an enchanting beauty.

Is she still not used to talking to humans?

Her eyes widened at Geo’s words, and she hurriedly introduced herself as a student of the academy.

Then, her lips weaved the syllables of her name.

“Lithia…”

Not just her appearance and movements, she was beautiful, right down to her voice and her name.

Therefore, she had to be a fairy.

He was told by Lithia that in order to prove that she was a human and not a fairy, she would come to the courtyard tomorrow at noon while wearing her uniform. He prayed that she wouldn’t push herself too hard.

Tomorrow, I’ll go to the courtyard at noon and wait until the moon rises at night.

Geo fell asleep, lying on his bed, envisioning that girl.

At that time, he didn’t know that tomorrow, the Moon Fairy would reveal a shocking fact and that he would be even more surprised.

　◆◆◆

Is this how it feels like to be unable to sleep no matter how much you try?

“…What time is it now?”

A good deal of time had passed since he had laid down on his bed. Geo suddenly opened his eyes, numb to the drowsiness that never seemed to come.

This is weird. I can’t sleep.

He was planning to go to bed early in preparation for tomorrow’s date with Lithia, but he couldn’t sleep a wink.

—Yes, a date. We’re going on a date.

The two agreed to meet up on their day off to visit clothing stores and cafes.

With Lithia, who was as gorgeous and dreamy as a moon fairy.

A date was when a man and a woman who were close to each other decide on a date, time, place, and schedule to meet. So, it was definitely a date.

It was his first-time meeting Lithia outside of the academy. Outside of the academy, they would probably be wearing casual attire instead of uniforms. He had seen her dress for evening parties and practice wear for dance classes, but he had never seen her casual attire for walking around town.

“I’m looking forward to it…”

Even so, he couldn’t sleep. Why?

He didn’t know if it was something to be proud about, but he had never had any trouble sleeping or waking up before. When it was time to sleep, he would sleep, and when it was time to wake up, he would wake up.

Back when he still lived in the merchant’s house downtown, his roommate and best friend would say, ‘Even his body’s internal clock doesn’t lie.’ In fact, he also provided wake-up calls for everyone in emergencies. More than once, he had helped his best friend, who tended to oversleep, from being late.

Even as he looked back on those old memories, he still couldn’t seem to sleep at all.

What do I do? I’ve never had this happen before, so I don’t know what to do. How troublesome.

As he couldn’t risk being late on tomorrow’s date, it seemed that he would end up going while being sleep deprived.

…There was no way he could afford to doze off in front of Lithia when she was wearing a casual attire!

Is there no way for me to fall asleep?

He was halfway through thinking about that when he suddenly realized.

Merely thinking about that was keeping him awake. Therefore, when he actually saw the real thing tomorrow, he was sure that all traces of sleep would disappear from his eyes. He probably wouldn’t even blink. There was absolutely no way he would fall asleep.

In that case, whether he slept now or not didn’t matter.

Geo stroked his chest in relief and decided to lie in bed without worrying about sleep.

He couldn’t sleep, and the dawn was still far away. Yet, when he thought of Lithia, time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, so it didn’t matter at all.

◆◆◆

“Geo, pardon the sudden intrusion. I know it’s late at night, but I have something to talk about. Would you mind?”

“Not at all, Father-in-Law.”

That night, Geo wasn’t in his usual room in the dormitory. Instead, he was at the drawing room of the Album family, Lithia’s parents’ home.

Due to the various preparations for the sudden decision, Geo had lately been staying there more often than in the dormitory.

Tomorrow in particular was the day that could be called the culmination of everything, and Geo had been restless ever since.

Meanwhile, Wolfe Album, the head of the Album family and Lithia’s father, came to visit with a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand.

“I want to talk to you before tomorrow… Are you a hard drinker?”

“I don’t think I’m particularly strong, but… My friends said that there’s no change in my behavior whether I’m drunk or not.”

“Haha, that’s right. You are able to say anything honestly without the help of alcohol.”

I guess he really wanted to talk.

Wolfe didn’t seem to have brought a maid with him. Geo took the wine bottle and glasses from Wolfe and arranged them on the table in the center of the room.

“…Geo, let me get straight to the point. Do you think Lithia is cute?”

Sitting on the sofa in front of the table, the head of the house lowered his eyes and asked as he urged Geo to sit across from him.

The question was out of nowhere, but for Geo, the answer was always there.

“She’s so cute, dazzling, and beautiful, so much so that the word ‘cute’ fails to describe her. She’s a beautiful person inside out.”

“Haha, that’s an immediate answer, which is a relief.”

Wolfe Album laughed profoundly as he drank the wine that Geo poured. His face didn’t look like that of the head of a noble family, but rather that of a father who cared for his precious daughter.

“Indeed. My daughter is cute. She’s so cute that it’s blinding… I want her to be happy and not be hurt anymore… No matter what the reason, I won’t forgive any man who hurt my daughter…”

“Father-in-Law…”

Previously, Lithia said that in the letters she sent to her parents, she never mentioned being harassed by the prince nor the other students at the academy. She didn’t want to give them unnecessary worry.

However, based on the situation, her parents were apparently already aware. They knew, yet there was nothing they could do. They must have been terribly frustrated.

“I received a letter from Lithia some time ago. She said that she wore the dress I gave her as a birthday present when she went out with a friend. I haven’t thanked you for that.”

“Eh?”

Geo was confused by the sudden change in topic, but Lithia’s father went on.

“Up until now, she has never failed to send me thank-you letters for my gifts. …Yet, that was the first time I had received a letter where I could sense her happiness from actually wearing the present.”

As Geo was about to pour wine into the empty glass, he gently stopped Geo, before quietly asking him.

“I’m guessing that the ‘friend’ in question was you?”

Although it was in the form of a question, the way he said it seemed like he already knew the answer.

When Geo nodded, Wolfe Album smiled gently and said, “Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I swear to the Spirit of Light that I won’t lie. I’ll absolutely make her happy.”

Tomorrow, Geo was to get married.

With his first love, the girl who looked so cute in that blue dress, his words failed him.

　◆◆◆

“…Geo, are you awake?”

“I am. I told you I wouldn’t sleep until you fell asleep, right?”

In the bedroom of a mansion in the territory of Baron Selvi, a land rich in nature far from the royal capital.

Sleepily, he stroked Lithia’s hair. Then, as a question fell from his dear wife’s lips, he readily answered.

“I’m sorry for being selfish… Geo must be sleepy as well.”

“It’s nothing to be worried about. You aren’t selfish or anything.”

Lithia said that she wanted to stay up longer into the night because it would be a waste to fall asleep early while spending time with Geo.

Geo was very happy with that sentiment. However, he didn’t want Lithia to push herself. Neglecting sleep for too long would take a toll on her body.

So, as a compromise, she wouldn’t force herself to stay up. In exchange, Geo would be awake whenever Lithia was awake.

“Even if today ends, there will still be tomorrow, and the day after. We’ll always be together. There’s no rush, I promise.”

“You better promise me… If you lie…”

Her eyelids fluttered shut, and Lithia’s words were cut off. She had finally fallen asleep.

“I won’t lie, I swear to you and the Spirit of Light.”

Geo gently caressed his cute wife’s cheek and whispered in a low voice so as not to wake her.

---

***T/N: W-Wolfe? That’s a cool ass name!!

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