"This is getting too much now," I said, stepping back from Selene.
"What? You're the reason I'm acting like this," she said, still smiling.
I really didn't get it. Why was she acting all sweet now—and jealous too? She wasn't like this before. Is this the work of that crazy author, LeeDevil?
"Okay, let's forget about what just happened," she said, adjusting her dress. "How do you rate my outfit? And my hair—I tied it up today," she added with a bright smile.
Honestly… she looked really cute.
But I wasn't going to tell her that. I couldn't give her the satisfaction.
"I don't like it," I said plainly.
"What?" Her smile dropped, and her face changed.
"I don't like the new dress. And your hair—I liked it better when it was down. Those shoes? They don't match your outfit. Tsk, tsk… too bad."
I thought that would annoy her or maybe make her go away.
"Okay then, good thing I brought backup," she said, smiling again.
"Ice, I need to change now."
Then a boy stepped forward.
His skin was pale—almost white. His long hair looked like snow, and he gave off a cold feeling. He looked shy, but he had a strong aura around him, just like Selene.
"Who is he?" I asked.
"Oh! I haven't introduced you," she said, giggling.
"Kisaragi, meet Ice. Ice, meet Kisaragi—your future queen. I'm sure you two have seen each other a few times."
Wait... queen?!
And what did she say? Dragon?
He can shape-shift into a human? That's crazy… and kinda cool.
He didn't look scary, more like… too beautiful for a guy.
"Hi, Ice. Nice to meet you," I said, reaching out my hand.
He shook it gently but didn't say a word.
"Ice can't talk, so don't bother trying," Selene said, then turned to him. "Where's my luggage? I need to change."
Ice walked to the corner and brought out a bag that looked like a whole wardrobe.
"Eh?! Did you bring your entire closet here?" I asked, eyes wide.
"Nope, just a few things. I'll keep trying until you like what I'm wearing. Then we can go on our first date," she said cheerfully.
"Okay! Take me to your room."
"My room? Why?" I said, my heart skipping a beat.
"Well, do you want me to change clothes here? The guards will stare, you know. Would you feel okay if someone else saw me undressing?" she asked.
"W-Well… there are other rooms. Why my room?" I stuttered as a thousand thoughts ran through my head.
"Alright then, I guess I'll just take it off here," she said, reaching for her dress like she was about to remove it.
"Wait, wait! Don't do that here!" I said quickly, stopping her.
"My room is that way. Let's go."
Selene smiled again, and Ice followed behind us, carrying the giant bag like it was nothing.
…..
"Wow, your room is so beautiful!" Selene said as we all stepped inside.
"You've seen it a few times already," I replied, trying not to sound too affected.
"Well, that was before I fell in love with you," she said with a cheeky smile.
In love with me? Is she saying she loves me? When did that even happen?
"When?!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
"Ehn?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Oh—I meant when are you going to change so you can leave my room," I quickly covered up.
"Kisaragi, are you that eager to see me undress?" she teased.
My face turned red instantly.
"No no no! That's not what I meant!" I said, waving both hands nervously like a crazy person.
She giggled. "Don't worry, Kisaragi. I wouldn't mind having our wedding night right now," she whispered and winked, walking slowly toward me.
"Oi! Selene, you're taking this too far—stop!" I shouted and fell onto the bed. Her face was too close again, and my mind was going places it shouldn't.
She paused, looked around, then said, "Fine, I'll try on my dress in your closet."
Ice, who had been standing quietly like a frozen statue, moved quickly. He opened the huge bag and handed her a new dress.
Selene took it and walked into my closet, humming happily.
Ugh. My brain was turning to mush. I don't know why everything she does messes with my head like this. The date hasn't even started, and my heart is already racing like crazy.
No. I won't let her win. Not this easily. Never.
…..
"Tadaa!" Selene came out of the closet like a fashion model. "This dress was made by the best designer ever! The cloth is really soft, like a cloud, and it's so expensive you could buy the whole of Kaida with that money."
I blinked twice. Okay, yes, she looked good—too good—but my pride couldn't let her win so easily.
"Hmm… too shiny. Are you trying to blind me?" I said, shaking my head and clicking my tongue. "Tsk, tsk."
Selene rolled her eyes dramatically and strutted back into the closet.
"This next one is made from real animal skin. Very rare. Very wild," she said, walking out in a dress that looked like a bear sneezed on her.
I squinted. "That looks itchy. I feel like I'm getting a rash just looking at it."
She gasped. "You have no fashion taste!"
One by one, she tried five more dresses, and I rejected all of them like a picky grandma shopping in the wrong section. But unlike a normal person who would've snapped, Selene just smiled brighter with each outfit—twirling, posing, acting like she was on a TV show called America's Next Ice Queen.
"Is she… enjoying this?" I whispered to myself.
She walked back into the closet, humming happily like a Disney princess.
I turned to Ice. "How many more are in there?"
He just blinked.
"Wow. You really don't say anything, do you? That must be nice." I threw myself onto the bed. "I just wanted to take a nap, not watch a dress show."
"Kisaragi, are you tired?" Selene's voice came again.
"Noooo, I'm just doing yoga with my eyes shut," I said sarcastically as I sat up.
She came out in another dress, looking too good again, and I finally gave up. "You know what? The first dress you wore… it was nice. You looked beautiful in it."
Selene gasped like she just won the lottery. "Wow! So you do like my style!"
She ran off and changed back into the first dress. Her hair was tied up in a fancy bun, but I didn't like it.
So I reached over and unclipped it. Her hair fell down like a shampoo commercial.
"There. Now this is perfect," I said, trying hard not to smile.
Then she leaned in and kissed me. Out of nowhere. Just kissed me.
"I want to be the last person to ever kiss you," she said seriously. "No one else is allowed to touch these lips."
I was still staring, brain loading…
"Okay, let's go! Time for our first date!" she said like an excited puppy and dragged me out of my own room.
Hold up—wasn't there supposed to be like seven dates before the kissing stuff?
…Too late. My feet were already moving.