I was laid in a bed of flowers with my hands laced over my body.
A perfect corpse?
"...You are an even bigger idiot than I am." [Prince]
"The line is, 'There you are, my fair Princess'," I whispered to Prince Erik.
"You big idiot!" [Prince]
"...Stop calling me an idiot," I said as I pinched his hands. "You should not change the lines so much."
"You were the first one to change them. I was looking forward to hearing those lines from you," Prince Erik whispered.
The confession scene...Is he looking for revenge?
"I wanted to give you the whole world if I could! You asked for simple things to which I did my best to procure. My injuries were from my own simple mistakes. None of them were from you. Even if they were, I would gladly accept them if it meant the end of your curse...You need to awaken. What possible future could we have together if you keep your eyes closed forever?" [Prince]
I was fed the empty bottle and awoke from my slumber. I sat upright following the scene.
"...Why did you awaken me, Prince? I planned on sleeping forever. If I sleep forever, I can avoid hurting you, myself, and anyone else. Only...Only I need to suffer alone." [Princess Aura]
Prince Erik grabbed me by my shoulders.
"...If you suffer, I will be in the most pain" [Prince]
"That is a lie," I said not as Princess Aura but as myself.
I suddenly covered my mouth. That was the wrong line. I answered as myself and not as the character I was playing.
...What is the next line anyways?
It is no good...I cannot think of anything.
"...I have fallen so deeply for you that there is no way that I can live without you. If you hate me, tell me now so that I will leave you alone." [Prince]
My tears fell down my face once more.
"...There...There is no way that I could ever say that hate you." [Princess Aura]
When I said that, I wonder if I was speaking as Princess Aura or myself...
Prince Erik's face suddenly came closer.
He is going to kiss me...
The curtains came down at that moment.
Behind the curtain, my left hand was covering my own mouth a few centimeters from where Prince Erik's mouth was.
"...I wasn't going to kiss you," Prince Erik said quietly.
It was dark behind the scenes. I was unable to see Prince Erik's face, but I imagined a disappointed facial expression on him.
I quickly leapt out of bed and quickly went to change costumes.
The wedding scene occurred afterwards and the ending of the play was reached.
I was allowed to wear one of the Princess' costume gowns around as a reward for my hard work. Some of the makeup artists touched up on my makeup and braided my hair very nicely and added small flower decorations again.
I want to see Garett...
"Lady Arielle, your Prince is waiting," the screenwriter said.
"Who could that be?" I asked him.
In the distance, someone with long slightly curled black hair and the Prince's white costume with a red cape from the wedding scene appeared. I gasped at the stunning man who had removed his glasses for the first time in all of the years I knew him. If it were not for the color of his hair or the style of his hair, he would be the spitting image of Prince Erik.
The image of him walking towards me with a bouquet of red roses was like a scene from a painting.
"It was a magnificent stage," Garett said as he handed me the bouquet.
My face felt very flushed as I took up the bouquet and tried to hide my face behind them.
"Thank you very much...Y-You look very handsome..."
I covered my mouth slightly from embarrassment.
Why did I stutter? I cannot find the words to say anything...
"Of all the dresses you wore, this one suited you the most," Garett said.
I may die from his sweet talking.
"...Can you see without your glasses?"
"Not very well...I was told that my glasses do not suit the clothes I am wearing," he said as he touched his chest pocket. "I also have you..."
"What does that have to do with any..."
"If you lend me your hand, you can lead me wherever you want," he said with a smile.
I reached my hand into his pocket and pushed his glasses on his face.
"...It is better for you to see."
"...Too bad."
If Princess Aura had a Prince like Garett, she would have died from his beauty much faster than if the curse had killed her...
With our costumes, it was a bit difficult to avoid the attention of other people.
Garett showed me to a faraway spot with a small row boat with seating for two people.
"A boat?"
"I prepared it a little beforehand. I thought that a view of the fireworks from the ocean would be a nice touch to end the festival with."
"That is a lovely idea," I said as I joined him in the dainty boat.
"The stars are lovely today..."
I cannot think about the scenery when I have something weighing on my mind...
I grabbed his sleeve.
"...I didn't...I didn't kiss him," I said nervously. "I thought you might be bothered by earlier and avoided asking because you thought I may have done it and you did not want to know."
"...You can let go."
Why is his voice so cold?
"Why..."
I did not even kiss Prince Erik...
Garett pulled my hand up towards his face and gave a sigh.
"Thank goodness you did not start bleeding..."
Was I gripping that hard?
"...I am always making you worry."
Garett smiled at me as he grabbed my hands.
"I was always wondering if I was second best to you...or maybe you would be happier with him," he said as he caressed my cheek. "Were you with me because we had the same face? Was it easier with me because I was not a Prince? What if you wanted to keep me by you because you felt safe around me? All of that does not matter because...I love you. I love you, Arielle."
I feel the same way.
"I...I..."
Garett pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly.
"You are not obliged to say anything...I am just a selfish man who desires to stay by your side even if I am not the first person you will think of. I love you that much."
I love this man...I can definitely tell that I was in love with him at this moment. The first and last person I would think of had begun to change.
The person in front of me is all I can think of...
I leaned upwards slightly and kissed his cheek.
The fireworks were suddenly shot up into the air. I began marveling at the sight of the ocean reflecting the fireworks in the air. On a night like this, it was a first for the ocean to be so calm and still for once. With the beautiful array of colors and beautiful sight, this was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen before.
I had missed this scene when I was with Erik in my room in my first life.
"It's very beautiful," I said happily.
"Yes, it is...I'm glad that I took you out here," Garett said as he gripped my hand.
Garett caressed my cheeks with his slightly cold fingers. I wondered why his face seemed closer than usual or why his warm breath seemed so close. Everything seemed to fade away when I felt a familiar sensation go over my lips.
What just happened?
The sensation touched my lips yet again along with his hands on my hips.
"W-Wait..."
I felt as if I was going to be overwhelmed by various sensations.
I was given no room to complain as he continued pressing his lips against mine.
My mind continued going blank as the number of kisses increased in length and number. Before I knew it, I was viewing the stars from underneath Garett with my back to the bottom of the boat.
His glasses had fallen off somewhere and revealed his beautiful eyes in the moonlight. More than the stars, I was more interested in looking into his emerald green eyes.
I reached my hands out and pulled him towards me into a tight embrace. An overwhelming warmth covered my whole body. I felt incredibly happy with him hugging me so closely. If only we could stay here longer...
After our extra long boat ride, the tension slowly fell. Garett helped me up by my hand and escorted me back to land. My legs felt incredibly wobbly for various reasons. I fell onto Garett's chest and accidentally damaged the tip of my nose.
"...I'm sorry," I said as I covered my nose.
Garett seemed to chuckle slightly to his side.
"No, I am sorry."
He suddenly picked me up in his arms.
"Eek!"
"We need to return these costumes soon," Garett said with a smile.
"Y-Yes," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
I felt embarrassed about earlier and buried my head deeply into his chest. I had regained the use of my legs some time afterwards.
"Your lipstick has nearly all disappeared," the makeup artist said.
I suddenly felt very embarrassed.
"Ah, that is because...I drank water," I said as I quickly ran away.
Garett is such a stupid kissing demon...