"So let me get this straight…" Rei said, looking at me with her eyes half-closed like she didn't believe me."You went from kissing Shion yesterday to becoming the Ice Queen's wife today? Wow."
I nearly choked on my drink. I slammed the cup down and glared at her.
"I am not married to her yet, okay? And I'm not going to marry her!" I said firmly, though my voice cracked a little at the end.
Akari sighed, her hands folded neatly on her lap.
"Rin… my father has already agreed," she said softly. "And no matter what you say, you can't refuse. If you try, your life will be taken."
My hands froze mid-air, and the cup slipped out of my grip, clinking on the table.
Oh. Death.
Well. That's fine, I guess.
After all, author Lee made sure I could never actually die in this story.
That's why Selene wants me… because I can't die.
But… why? Why does she even want me?
"Noooo…" I cried loudly, my hands flying up to cover my face. Tears welled up in my eyes as I cried louder.
"I just want to go home! I want to go back to my room, my soft bed, my phone… I miss my phone!" I sobbed, rocking back and forth.
Akari and Rei just stared at me like I had lost my mind.
"Okay, Rin… please stop crying," Rei hissed, ducking her head and trying to cover her face. "People are starting to look at us. Don't let them notice an Akarawa, please!"
"How can I stop?!" I yelled, smacking her arm with my palm. "I just wanted a happy ending! And now I'm stuck inside this ridiculous story! Do something! I don't want to get married!"
"Ouch! Stop hitting me!" Rei gasped and moved away, holding her arm.
"You're saying weird things nobody understands and acting like it's our fault. Stop blaming us!"
Akari nodded quickly.
"Yes, stop blaming us. This isn't our fault," she said firmly.
Really?
They're the reason I got dragged into this drama in the first place.
I crossed my arms and pouted.
"Yes, you're right," I muttered bitterly. "It's not your fault. It's mine. For underestimating an author who sits with a magical drawing screen and messes with my life for fun."
Then I buried my face in my hands and kept crying.
The two of them just looked at me like I was completely hopeless.
"Hey, look, the ice queen is here," Akari suddenly said.
"What? Where?" I jumped, wiping my tears.
"She's on her way here. Hey, Selene! Over here!" Rei called out, waving behind me as Selene walked closer.
"No! She can't see me here!" I panicked and quickly crawled under the wooden table.
"Rin, what are you doing?" Akari asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just act normal, please! I'm not here, okay?" I whispered from under the table.
"But… she already saw you," Rei said flatly as Selene finally reached us.
They both stood and greeted her while I stayed hidden.
Selene bent down and peeked under the table. "What are you doing under there, Kisaragi?"
"Oh, nothing. Just looking for my missing earring!" I said, pretending to search around. "Oh, where did that earring go…"
"Are you trying to avoid me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Nooo! Help me find my earring!" I said quickly, grabbing her arm and pulling her down to help me.
But she lost her balance and fell right on top of me.
Her long hair covered my face, and our faces were so close I could feel her breath on my skin.
The air went completely still, and my heart started beating fast, so fast I couldn't explain why.
"Umm… is everything okay over there?" Rei asked awkwardly as she bent down to look at us.
"Yes!" we both answered at the same time and quickly stood up, looking anywhere but at each other.
"Wow… you two are cute together," Rei said with a big grin, her teeth showing like she was enjoying this far too much.
I shot her an angry look, but she just scratched her head and pretended to be innocent, though her shoulders shook from holding back a laugh.
I sat back down in my chair, crossing my arms. The table only had three chairs — for me, Akari, and Rei.
"Oh no," I said, pretending to sound serious. "No chair for you. I guess you'll have to stand awkwardly or something."
"Really? Don't be rude to your queen," Rei scolded, her voice full of mischief and amusement.
What is wrong with her? Why is she making this even worse for me?
Selene smiled softly, her eyes glinting. "Don't worry, Rei. If there's no fourth chair… then I'll just make do somehow."
"Or," I quickly said, "you could just make an ice chair or something, since you love creating icy things all the time."
"Oh! That's a good idea!" Akari added, nodding at me encouragingly.
"Yes, thank you, Akari," I said, feeling a little proud of myself. Finally, I was about to see her ice magic up close. This might even be fun.
But instead of creating anything, Selene just gave me that chilling, gorgeous smile and slowly walked toward me, her silver hair swaying like moonlight.
"What are you doing?" I asked nervously, my voice cracking a little as she got closer.
Before I could say anything else, she sat on my lap. Her long hair fell over my shoulders, soft like snow.
I froze. Completely froze, my breath catching.
Her weight was light but her presence… it was heavy. Warm and cold at the same time, somehow pulling me in.
I could feel my face burning red as her eyes locked on mine — icy and soft all at once.
Everyone went quiet. Even Rei, who usually couldn't shut up, just stared with her mouth slightly open, completely stunned.
Selene leaned in, so close her lips were almost at my ear, and whispered,
"Why would I sit anywhere else when this seat is perfect?"
My heart skipped. My mind went blank, completely useless.
And at that moment, I wasn't even sure I wanted her to move anymore.