"Alister, can I open my eyes now?"
"We haven't arrived yet, Your Highness. Please be patient for a moment."
Melisa could only be patient when she could feel that her feet were being guided to climb another ladder, while her body was being held so that she wouldn't fall when her eyes were covered by a soft cloth. Some time had passed since Alister suddenly asked her to close her eyes and took her to somewhere else. But until the last moment, Melisa couldn't guess where Alister would take her with her blindfold.
Even so, Melisa wasn't afraid even if Alister took her with her eyes closed because she knew Alister wouldn't possibly mean her any harm.
"You can open your eyes now, Your Highness."
After Melisa felt that she no longer needed to climb the stairs, Alister took her to walk a few steps before the man carefully removed Melisa's blindfold. Melisa narrowed her eyes because it would take a while before she could get used to the afternoon light again. At first, everything was still unclear for Melisa. But when she finally saw clearly, the girl involuntarily let out an amazed chuckle.
"How beautiful..."
"Yes. It is beautiful."
On top of the tallest tower in the capital, the two of them stood and looked at the capital as a whole. As night would arrive soon, the streets of the capital were starting to be filled with lanterns which made the city appear to be filled with stars. Melisa spent her time admiring everything she saw in that place until she didn't realize that Alister's attention remained on her from start to finish.
"Your Highness. Wait a little longer and we will see more beautiful things."
"A more beautiful thing?"
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Melisa had just asked, and a loud voice immediately took her attention back. Just as the sky turned dark, fireworks started appearing from various directions. Fireworks are expensive items that are difficult for any kingdom to make. However, in the Sigmund Kingdom, they are not stingy at all in using it on the day of the hunting festival.
"It's beautiful indeed..."
Even if Melisa is part of the royal family, because of the conditions in her kingdom, Melisa can only see fireworks on her mother and father's birthday or the anniversary of the founding of their kingdom. Even then, there were only a few fireworks. Therefore, this was the first time for Melisa to see so many colorful fireworks.
"I'm glad you like it, Your Highness."
After some time, Alister spoke. And, that attracted Melisa's attention to continue looking at the man's face. Melisa looked at Alister without blinking at all. At that moment, Alister finally felt embarrassed until his cheeks would have looked red if the lighting in their place was good at that time.
"Melisa."
Melisa smiled when Alister looked confused about the meaning of her words. The girl took a deep breath before clarifying her words to Alister.
"You can call me Melisa, Alister. When it's just the two of us like now, I want you to call me just as Melisa."
Melisa was indeed nervous when she spoke. But when he looked into Alister's eyes, his courage to continue speaking came back out of nowhere.
"Then, when His Highness manages to break off our fake relationship and return me to the Cyrille Kingdom, I hope you will come with me as my future husband."
"I...."
Melisa became even more nervous when Alister didn't reply immediately. The nervousness was finally no longer able to be comforted by the look in Alister's eyes. After Melisa discussed marriage, the girl noticed that Alister looked so surprised and confused for a moment.
"... You don't you want to?"
Melisa was afraid to hear Alister's answer. But at the same time, Melisa also wanted to hear the answer that came directly from Alister's mouth. The girl clenched her fists tightly. She hoped that Alister could immediately calm her anxiety.
"Of course I want to, Your Highness! Even if right now I'm not a suitable candidate for someone as great as you, I will continue to try so that people can acknowledge our relationship someday, Your Highness."
Alister's sincere answer finally dispelled all the anxiety that Melisa had initially felt. Melisa smiled broadly. Even though they don't know when their complicated relationship will unravel and when they can get a happy ending, Melisa is still happy just with Alister's sincere answer.
"Alister, please come closer to me."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
Even though Alister was confused when Melisa suddenly asked him to come closer, the man subconsciously still did what Melisa wanted. His expression immediately changed to one of surprise when Melisa stood on tiptoe to kiss him right on the lips. After hearing Alister's answer, Melisa was finally convinced to hand over her first kiss to the man who sincerely cared for her and loved her.
The kiss that Melisa gave was just an innocent kiss. A kiss where two people's lips briefly meet, before they separate again. But just that brief moment was precious for both of them. Both of them blushed as their eyes locked with each other.
"Melisa?"
"Yes?"
Being called by name by Alister made Melisa's heart beat faster than before. Melisa had difficulty controlling herself, especially when Alister's eyes kept locking with her gaze.
"May I kiss you one more time?"
Melissa was embarrassed. But in the end, he still gave Alister his permission.
"You may."
With hesitant yet eager movements, Alister closed the gap between them before their lips joined in a deep kiss. Time seemed to stand still as they lost themselves in the intoxicating sensation of their feelings. Each touch and each caress conveyed a depth of emotion that words could never capture. Melissa slowly closed her eyes. When she felt Alister's body heat on her body, Melisa finally felt that she had found the home she had been looking for in the Kingdom of Sigmund.
Together with Alister, Melisa finally shows her true desires.