"How long are we going to be forced to watch this…?" the first guard muttered, his voice low and a little shaky. His eyes kept twitching like someone trying not to laugh.
The three Hoshino guards stood at their post, but their attention was somewhere else — glued to Selene and Rin, who were locked in what looked like a never-ending kiss. The afternoon made their shadows soft and dreamlike. It felt like a scene from a romance play, only it was real, and it was happening right in front of them.
"No one is forcing you to watch," the second guard said, arms crossed, trying to sound strict but failing.
"You can turn the other way," the third guard added, though his voice had gone light and dreamy.
"But this is literally the direction I'm supposed to keep watch," the first guard complained. His voice cracked a little. "This direction. Shouldn't they, like… get a room or something?"
"If this is the view I get to watch every single day…" the third guard murmured, voice full of soft hope, "…then I won't have a problem waking up early every morning."
The second guard shot him a look that could freeze water. "Stop talking. Master Hoshino is coming."
Like someone pulling invisible strings, all three suddenly stood straight. Spears aligned. Faces composed. They tried very hard to look like professional guards and not like three teens who had just seen the best drama of their lives.
Master Hoshino approached with two other guards behind him. His walk was calm, but his eyebrows were already knitted into a small storm.
"Where is Lady Shion?" he asked, voice low and steady. "She didn't return to the meeting."
"Young Master is currently resting in her room, Master Hoshino," the second guard answered crisply, bowing just enough to be polite.
Master Hoshino's face got heavier. He glanced around, and then — like a moth caught in a lamp — his eyes flicked where the first guard had been furtively looking.
He followed the guard's gaze — and froze.
There, framed by the gold sunlight that fell between the garden trees, Queen Selene and Rin were still kissing. Not a quick peck. Not a nervous brush. It was one of those long, soft kisses that made everything else fade, a kiss that looked like it had been planned by the moon and the stars.
"Ahhh—!" The sound jumped out of Master Hoshino before he could stop it.
The third guard muttered under his breath, voice shaky with excitement, "Looks like the Ice Queen can't wait for the wedding night, Master…"
Master Hoshino spun on them so fast they all nearly dropped their spears. "Everyone turn around. This instant. Now!" he barked. The command came out sharp, like a whip.
They obeyed at once, spinning their heels and pretending they had never even been looking. Their shoulders trembled from trying not to make noise. It was impossible to look normal.
Master Hoshino's face flicked between shock and something that almost looked like fury. He marched toward Selene and Rin as if he could march them back into good manners.
"Cough! Cough!" he called, doing the most awkward, loud throat-clearing of all time, hoping the sound would break the spell.
The kiss didn't budge. Their lips still whispered against each other. The world around them went soft.
"Cough! Cough!" he tried again, louder, more dramatic. This time the sound was like a small drum in a huge hall, and the kiss kept going, like a song that refused to stop.
-----
Selene's lips were cold but warm and steady against mine. For one fluttering breath, I forgot everything. The courtyard turned into soft light and the leaves looked like glitter. My heart drummed so loudly it could have been the main character's theme song.
Then—like a cold splash—the thought arrived, small but mean. What am I doing?
I pulled back so fast my chest felt empty. My fingers flew to my forehead like I could press reason back in.
"What am I doing?" I whispered. My voice sounded tiny.
Selene blinked, half amused, half curious. "Huh?" she murmured, as if my question surprised her more than it surprised me.
"This… this is wrong," I whispered, staring at my hands like they might have the answer. The words felt small and scared in my mouth.
Her smile didn't break. She tilted her head, looking like winter sunlight that felt nice and sharp on a cold day. "Stop saying wrong," she said quietly. Her voice was soft as falling snow. "You're right. Nothing is ever wrong."
She leaned forward like she was finishing a sentence we had started a hundred times ago. Her movement was gentle, patient, like a cat deciding where to sleep.
I stopped her with a single finger between our faces, ridiculous and brave. "Really? Is this how you want to play it now? Hard to get?" she teased, and her voice had a giggle hiding in it. "You kiss me when you want. Then when I move, you stop. It's romantic, you know. The recipe book says so. I'm supposed to be the one making you crave me. But you—wow, Rin, you're the romantic one."
She laughed soft, warm, like someone pouring hot tea into a cold cup. It should have melted me. Instead, my ears smoked with embarrassment.
"Stop saying that while smiling, it's—" I started, but the words got stuck.
"What? Ugly?" she finished for me, teasing and delighted. Her grin widened like she had found the best tiny toy.
She watched me with those eyes that felt like they could read the exact temperature of my blush. My face was definitely a tomato now.
I poked my forehead with my finger, because it felt like the only safe thing to do. Then, very carefully, I reached up. My fingers brushed her cheek. Her skin was cool, like the surface of a coin. That small touch felt like placing a fragile bird into my palm.
"Is this how you touch ugly things, Kisaragi?" she asked, mock-offended, but it had a softness behind it, like a very small umbrella protecting a flower.
"Yes," I said, almost a whisper. "But someone like me doesn't deserve someone this… beautiful." The word slipped out before my brain could slam the brakes. My mouth went dry. My breath hiccupped.
My lips moved without permission. I leaned in and kissed her again, slow, because for once I wanted to be brave instead of pretending. Selene's hand cupped the back of my neck. The world narrowed to the press of skin and warm breath.
Then, the universe decided to be ridiculously comic.
"Cough, cough."
I froze. Selene didn't blink. The courtyard air tightened like a held breath. My spine straightened without meaning to. Color raced up my cheeks in clumsy pancakes of red. Selene's lashes fluttered in slow, lazy blinks. I felt bare, like someone had pulled the curtain and exposed the secret stage in a theater.
He was there.
Master Hoshino. Hands folded, face unreadable like a statue that watched soap operas for the drama. The garden looked too bright. Shadows seemed sharper, as if someone had drawn them with a darker pencil.
My thoughts tumbled, messy and loud. Was he there the whole time? How long has he been watching? Did he see—oh no—did he see us kiss?
I wanted to sink into the grass and become an invisible pebble. I even pictured that giant snake swallowing me, which is a bit dramatic, but hey — it felt like the perfect hiding place.
Slowly, like moving through syrup, I found my feet. My knees trembled but I forced myself steady. I bowed, the motion small and stiff, like I was pretending to be a proper statue.
"Ma… Master Hoshino, you are here," I managed. My whisper felt too loud.
"Good day, Queen Selene," Master Hoshino said, bowing to her before lifting his head. "It seems the date is still ongoing."
"The date was already over," Selene said coolly, "but for some reason my dear doesn't want it to end."
My head was still down, but inside I was screaming. Did she just blame me? Damn you, Selene! You were the one smiling like a cutie pie! How do I even show my face now?
"Kisaragi," she said, voice slicing softly. "You are my fiancee now. You should know by now—you don't bow to anyone."
Her words wrapped around me like a ribbon. I jerked my head up, stomach flip-flopping.
And then Master Hoshino bowed to me.
"Oh... you shouldn't do that, Master Hoshino," I blurted, stunned words tumbling out.
"No," he said, still bent low. "You are the Queen's consort. Your rank is higher than mine, Lady Rin."
The title made my skin prickle. Higher rank? Me? My brain had no spare parts left for this surprise.
"Master Hoshino, I must discuss something with you now," Selene said. Her voice had changed from soft to sharp — like ice suddenly turned into steel.
She turned back to me. Her lips softened. Her eyes found mine.
"Kisaragi," she said, voice honey-sweet again. "We will continue where we stopped."
She walked away with Master Hoshino, leaving me stuck like a toy on display. My hands curled. My chest fluttered and couldn't calm down. The courtyard was suddenly very quiet, except for the distant, embarrassed whispers of the guards.
And all I could do was wonder—what on earth could that discussion be?