After Story: The Lady Becomes a Bride
I stood waiting in my wedding dress inside the manor that had been built on the estate that housed the Tsukuyomi family rose garden. It was a beautiful June day and the garden was in full bloom, lovely rose petals everywhere and the air sweet with a flowery fragrance.
I had chosen a pure-white wedding dress with a full skirt and layers upon layers of lace. The lace was adorned with a rose pattern, and the dress had classic long sleeves. After all, I wanted to look my most beautiful for this day.
I gazed out over the scene outside from the room where I waited in my wedding dress. Sunlight danced in through the roses, illuminating the room.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it all. This was the setting that foretold my happily ever after.
“So beautiful...,” Kirara whispered, spellbound.
“It really is. I’m so glad everything turned out so well,” I replied.
“That’s not what I meant! You’re what’s beautiful! Really, really beautiful!”
Her insistence caught me off guard, but I was grateful for the compliment nonetheless.
Certainly, it wasn’t too selfish wanting to be beautiful on the day that the one I loved and I would pledge our lives to one another.
“Thank you, Kirara. Those are truly the kindest words of praise,” I said, genuinely grateful.
“That’s not praise. That’s fact.”
“Shizuku. Oh, you’re both making me blush. Stop it.”
“Right?” the two of them said, giggling in unison as their eyes met.
Both wore matching chartreuse dresses and looked lovely as well, but I wasn’t supposed to tell them that today.
“We’re your bridesmaids, Urara. Words like lovely and beautiful are meant just for you!”
“That’s right!”
“I even warned Oboro. If I hadn’t, he would just keep going on and on.”
She started boasting about her own romance again. But I would have expected nothing else from Shizuku.
“But, well, it doesn’t matter what we think. It matters what he thinks, right, Urara?” she said, pointing to the door. I turned to see Kogetsu, who wasn’t supposed to be there, standing with Shimozuru.
Kogetsu stood tall in his navy-blue frock coat with a white rose boutonniere on his collar, looking intense with his hair slicked back.
Seeing him looking so handsome, I couldn’t help but blush.
“Oh, Mr. Groomsman, the groom has come to steal the bride away! Stop him!”
“I tried to. I couldn’t. You know there’s only one person on this planet who ever could,” Shimozuru said, putting his palms up to show he surrendered. He wore a light-gray vest and pants.
Kogetsu was as willful as ever with his friends.
You shouldn’t give him so much trouble. I gave him a warning glance, but he merely gazed back at me with a grin.
I wondered if perhaps there was something on my face when, suddenly, he rushed over to me, his eyes sparkling.
“Urara.”
“Yes?”
“My Urara.”
“...Yes, I am.”
Today, I would become his, in name and form.
And he would become my Kogetsu as well.
The thought brought a smile to my face. Kogetsu took my hand and dropped down on one knee.
“Urara, please. Marry me,” he said, offering one final proposal and kissing the back of my hand.
It had been seven years since that first proposal, and every day since, Kogetsu had repeated the same words to me. Two years ago, I finally accepted, and since then, we’ve been preparing for our wedding day. Yet, he still continued to propose, even over the phone on days we weren’t together.
And so, I responded honestly.
“Of course. From the very first time you asked, I planned to accept all along.”
Hearing my words, everyone else in the room froze.
“...Huh?”
Oh dear. Why had everyone gone so quiet?
“Urara, did you just...?” Shizuku started, finally coming to her senses. But she was interrupted by the opening of the door and someone shouting.
“Hey! What are you doing playing around in here and sticking me with all the hard work?!” Mochizuki shouted, lugging something heavy while wearing the same light-gray vest as Shimozuru’s that had been chosen for the groomsmen.
“I’m not playing around. I’m checking in on the bride like a good groomsman should.”
“That’s right, we’re all attending to the bride. Well, technically only we girls are actually supposed to be here.”
Shimozuru and Shizuku responded in sync.
It sounded as though there was still much left to do.
“Just come on and help me,” Mochizuki said, grabbing Shimozuru by the ear and dragged him out of the room.
“We’d better go make sure they’re all right. Urara, will you be okay here?”
I nodded, and Shizuku and Kirara followed the other two.
Kogetsu and I were left in the room together.
“Um, Kogetsu?”
“What is it, Urara?”
“Well...what are you doing?”
The second the others were gone, he had grabbed me from behind, squeezing me tight and burying his face in my neck.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That’s terribly embarrassing... Could you please let go?”
“I can’t. You were mean to me, so I have to get my revenge.”
Mean to him? When had I been mean to him? As I sat there wondering, I heard the sound of his lips kissing the back of my neck.
W-Was that a kiss?!
“Kogetsu!”
“If you were going to accept my proposals from the start, why didn’t you say so?”
Another kiss. Ooh, this was so embarrassing.
“Then we could have gotten married much sooner.”
He kissed me once more. Was he upset? No...this was his way of being affectionate and trying to get me to be affectionate in return.
He was the one who had started all of this, though.
I knew from experience that it was best to let him do as he wanted until he calmed down, but unfortunately, I couldn’t today. We didn’t have the time.
I took his arm and spun myself around to face him. He looked surprised.
“Was it a pain, proposing to me everyday?” I asked. His eyes widened, though not as much as earlier.
“I have been very happy,” I continued. “To be fair, I was surprised at first, but then my heart pounded, thinking about how wonderful it would be to marry you. Because of the way you proposed to me each day, I could see myself as your wife. Thank you.”
Kogetsu took a breath, looking a little troubled.
“I give up. I truly can’t win against you.”
“Kogetsu...”
It had been embarrassing to discuss openly, so we hadn’t up until now, but I had to express my gratitude.
“No, it was fun for me, too. What words would I use to propose this time? Would today be the day you said yes? Thinking about it every day sent my heart aflutter.”
“You too?”
“Yes, that’s right. Now that you’re about to become my bride, that proposal a few moments ago was the last one.”
“Right.”
“Which just means I’ll have to find ways to say ‘I love you’ each day instead. ...And I want you to tell me you love me, too.”
My pulse quickened at his whispered words. Naturally, my answer was an easy one.
“Yes. I love you, Kogetsu.”
“I love you, Urara.”
We reiterated our adoration for one another, gazing into each other’s eyes.
Kogetsu reached for my cheek. And just then—
“Um, sorry to interrupt, but could you two save it for the altar?”
Shimozuru had been lightly knocking on the door, looking a bit shocked. Behind him, Shizuku was nodding, trying to hide her grin.
Ah, it was finally time. I gazed up at Kogetsu and realized a broad smile had stretched across his whole face.
It was time to go.
To promise our entire lives to one another.
To vow eternal love beneath that white rose arch.