* * *

At that moment, Luna realized reality.

“You’re lying.”

“…Why do you think so?”

When Antes asked a question, Luna, with sharp eyes, didn’t miss this.

“I just remembered. I was like this in my dream.”

Luna lightly pinched Antes’s cheeks, then stretched his face in all directions, messing it up.

Of course, his skin didn’t stretch endlessly like clay, so it only ended up looking somewhat cute, but seeing Antes’s surprised expression combined with that, Luna burst out laughing.

“You tried to tease me.”

“Who started teasing first?”

Who else in the world would pull such a stunt?

She was worried about facing him again after the embarrassing event yesterday, but seeing him baffled after pulling off such an unbelievable prank, all the embarrassment vanished, replaced by laughter.

“What exactly were you dreaming about?”

As Antes tried to change the subject since it wasn’t the reaction he expected, Luna, thinking for a moment, replied.

“Um… it’s nothing.”

“Really?”

It didn’t seem like it. If it really was nothing, why was she avoiding his gaze?

“Yes! It was just a dream about what happened yesterday. Just me stretching the cheeks of a man who was doing a dirty trick.”

In truth, half was true, half was a lie. She did dream about what happened yesterday, but she didn’t stretch anyone’s cheeks.

In fact, the roles were reversed. In the dream, Antes was the one flustered and embarrassed, while she was the relaxed one teasing him.

[Lu, Luna…! I’m so embarrassed and ashamed, I can’t even look at you…!]

As she dreamt about a stammering and blushing Antes, suddenly mentioning that it was a day to practice kissing, there was no way she could deny reality.

‘Why did I dream of such a thing?’

Luna suddenly felt pitiful. While Antes seemed unaffected, she was angry and ended up dreaming such a thing, making her feel even more pathetic.

That’s why she turned her gaze back to Antes. She felt so pitiful and wronged that she felt she had to do something.

“…?”

Antes narrowed his eyes at Luna, whose eyes were like a hawk stalking its prey.

In an instant-

Choo. With all the courage she could muster, Luna suddenly pressed her lips against Antes’ cheek.

Choochoo. As if taking revenge for yesterday, she pressed her lips twice more and then looked at Antes.

“…!”

Then, she saw him frozen and unable to say anything, just like her, who was embarrassed by the sudden kiss.

‘Hmm… This is more fun than I thought?’

If he had acted smugly, she would have been embarrassed, but seeing him so flustered, she felt at ease.

But as she was trying to hide her smile, an unexpected voice spoke from behind.

“…Um, excuse me… miss…?”

It was Laura, looking quite distressed as she called Luna.

Ah! Right! This was the way to the room! Luna, feeling embarrassed again, quickly got out of Antes’s embrace.

But as she turned towards Laura, trying to act as if nothing had happened-

“…Father?!”

Unfortunately, it was Viscount Peils. That’s why Laura spoke up in the first place. Seeing Luna’s bold move, he was so shocked that he stood frozen.

“I, I, I, I, just, just ignore, just, just go on with, with whatever you were doing!”

The Viscount stuttered like a malfunctioning robot, walking away. He even moved both his arms and legs at the same time, showing his extreme discomfort.

Watching this, Luna slowly reached out to grab Antes.

“…Please, please, please, please take, take, take me to my, my, my room…!”

Though her voice was barely audible, her meaning was clear.

‘Get me out of here quickly! Please! I beg you!’

Despite trying to appear confident earlier, she now seemed on the verge of tears. Antes, now with the upper hand, chuckled and hugged Luna.

“I’ll take you to your room, but you have to do what you said earlier.”

“Oh, I’ll do whatever, just please…!”

He probably wanted a clearer affirmation, but Luna was on the brink of fainting.

Meanwhile, Viscount Peils was still wandering the hallway, unable to find the right exit.

With her face buried in Antes’ shoulder, Luna, who was screaming silently, was looked down upon by Antes, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

* * *

Once in her room, Luna dove onto her bed and let out the scream she had been holding back.

It didn’t matter whether Antes was there or not. She simply couldn’t control herself anymore.

Thanks to that, Antes’s request from earlier, asking for what she mentioned, vanished like smoke.

Still, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand Luna’s feelings. He was observing the screaming Luna while leaning against the sofa.

“Miss?”

Laura’s voice was heard from outside the door. As Luna, startled, opened her eyes wide as if to jump out, Antes responded on her behalf.

“What’s the matter?”

“Um… The meal is ready.”

Laura’s voice was cautious. She might have been excited if she had witnessed the display of affection alone, but unfortunately, the last person who should have seen it had.

“What should we do? Should I ask to bring the meal to the room?”

That was too much. It seemed to scream embarrassment too obviously. It might create a new misunderstanding, suggesting something inappropriate happened in the room.

Of course, the Viscount was too shocked to think of this, but Luna couldn’t stop her already active imagination.

“How about saying we’re not hungry?”

Without giving it much thought, Antes suggested a simple and good method: saying they had eaten earlier. But even that wasn’t good.

The Viscount always made sure to come home at the exact time so Luna wouldn’t eat alone. Saying she ate first was unheard of.

Moreover, having dinner together was a tradition of the Peils family.

Besides, even if they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, feeling embarrassed and avoiding each other wouldn’t work forever.

It was clear that after getting married, it would be harder to meet. They might even miss days like today and shed tears.

So, even if she was screaming internally, there was only one option. To act as if nothing happened and have dinner with the Viscount.

“…I’ll go down.”

In the end, Luna threw off the blanket and got up from the bed. Her steps were heavy, indicating her mood wasn’t pleasant.

“Can you hug me like earlier?”

Watching her, Antes approached Luna and asked. Luna, hearing the mischief in his voice, playfully jabbed him in the side and responded with a slightly annoyed face.

“Do you want to see my father faint?”

Though Luna would probably faint too. He held back his laughter and shook his head.

Together they went down to the dining room, where the very tense Viscount greeted them.

“You, you came down. Um, um.”

She thought he might have relaxed a bit, but he was still visibly nervous. Luna, trying to hide her emotions, looked down and took her seat.

Though the situation was sudden, considering their engagement and imminent wedding, was there a need to be this embarrassed?

Antes, thinking this, opened his mouth.

“I was wondering how the ceremony preparations were going.”

Bringing up a topic everyone could comfortably discuss. The Viscount, taking a sip of wine, cleared his throat and replied.

“Ah… Hmm, hmm. Yes. I’ve seen a variety of things. There’s so much to choose from, it’s hard.”

“With your excellent taste, I’m sure you’ll create a beautiful engagement venue.”

“…Hearing you say that, I feel a bit relieved.”

In reality, he wasn’t confident in his taste and was far from relieved. Feeling the pressure, the Viscount downed his wine.

Not getting the desired reaction, Antes tried to lift the Viscount’s spirits again.

“Even if it’s not decorated to the best, everyone will admire it. As you’re working from morning till evening, the venue will reflect how much you love Luna.”

Luckily, his continued efforts eased the tension on Viscount’s face.

“And regardless of how you decorate, Luna will love it. Because you personally arranged the venue.”

Luna nodded in agreement to what was undeniably true. The atmosphere, unexpectedly, warmed up.

From there, Antes continued asking the Viscount about his day. Had he seen any new designs? Received any advice? Very curious.

“In fact, I saw an excellent design today. It’s a method of decorating flower beds, and I was surprised as I’ve never seen such a design before.”

The Viscount seemed relaxed discussing the topic with Antes, who’s acquainted with the fashion world. Luna’s eyes sparkled at Antes, signaling ‘You’re the best.’

Antes discreetly reached under the table and took Luna’s hand, whispering so that only she could hear.

“I handled the situation well, so don’t forget what you said earlier. I’ll sleep here tonight.”