🐅 🐅 🐅
THE first star twinkled in the lavender sky. After thoroughly enjoying the festivities of the outer enclosure, Angelina and Ryuho returned to the palace gates. From there, they returned to the North Star Sanctuary by palanquin. As the palanquin swayed gently, the noise of the festival echoed through the bamboo blinds. Yulan music, accompanied by Andan instruments, filled the air.
The rocking of the palanquin lulled Angelina to sleep. At the same time, Ryuho reminisced about his childhood. Many years ago, he and Angelina had fallen asleep on the backs of two knights while returning home from the Blue Ocean Bar. He wistfully smiled while recalling it.
Angelina leaned against Ryuho’s shoulder as she dozed. When her light pink hair tickled his nose, his heart skipped a beat, and he bit his lip. All the while, Angelina’s scent filled the narrow confines of the palanquin. Ryuho’s heart hammered in his chest, its insistence almost deafening. A shiver ran down his spine, and he gulped, fearing that his racing heart might wake Angelina.
My heart will never slow down if I keep looking at her, he thought.
With this in mind, he squeezed his eyelids shut to avoid looking at her. However, that merely caused her presence to smother him even more. As Angelina’s scent tickled his nostrils, her tranquil breath filled his ears. Spots where their bodies touched grew warm, seeming liable to melt away.
How can she sleep so peacefully? Ryuho complained inwardly. Show me a little empathy, why don’tcha?
With his eyes still shut, Ryuho’s thoughts drifted back to their childhood. Back then, they’d tumbled and frolicked together like kittens. One day, however, Ryuho had almost devoured Angelina. After getting overexcited, he’d pinned her down with both hands, and the urge to taste her cherry lips had overcome him. As his teeth had come close to sinking in, Angelina had called his name, startling him back to his senses. Her clear, azure eyes had regarded him curiously.
Sometime later, Ryuho had learned the nature of those feelings. As a result, he’d been cautious not to touch her without careful consideration. Though he longed to hold her even now, doing so would cause him to lose restraint. Despite his best intentions, Angelina leaned against him with a serene expression, unaware of his internal struggle.
Does she even see me as a man? Ryuho wondered when he looked at her face. Will I always be the Flame Tiger cub to her?
Angelina and Ryuho had professed their love to each other since childhood. They’d even promised to marry each other in a roundabout way. Still, those had been the words and actions of very young children. Angelina’s declarations of love were too straightforward. Ryuho worried that her feelings differed from his. He also feared that he would hurt her by touching her as he desired. Nevertheless, seeing her cry in the Blue Ocean Bar had given him a slight sense of relief.
If Lina wants the same future as me…
Ryuho lifted his eyelids, having made up his mind. He embraced Angelina ever so gently. Light pink hair fell around her petite, slender shoulders. Her soft cheeks reminded him of peaches that would bruise if touched. At long last, he tapped his forehead against hers. When she stirred awake, her already half-lidded eyes narrowed raptly upon seeing him. Ryuho nuzzled his nose against hers as if some invisible force was drawing him to her. Immediately, he tried to pull his face back, thinking he might have gone too far. To his surprise, Angelina responded with a light laugh, nuzzling him back.
Nostalgia swelled in Ryuho’s chest. He felt as though they were children again. Just like always, she returned just as much love as he gave.
“Lina,” Ryuho said in a husky voice.
“What is it?” Angelina asked in a similarly hoarse voice.
“I can’t hold myself back any longer. Marry me, Lina.”
Angelina’s eyes widened. As her lips blossomed into a smile, tears fell like morning dew from the outer corners of her eyes.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s get married, Ryuho.”
Ryuho licked away Angelina’s tears. His tongue was no longer rough like a Flame Tiger’s.
“That tickles,” Angelina said with a giggle.
Ryuho brought his face close to hers, his expression serious. “…May I kiss you?”
Startled, Angelina inhaled sharply. Ryuho stared down at her, his feline eyes burning crimson in the dim palanquin. He held one hand against the wall of the vehicle, trapping her in place. Nodding, Angelina closed her eyes without another word. There was no need to run from this tiger, who was so like fire.
At that moment, a sound reminiscent of thunder boomed outside. As the palanquin swayed, the two lovers hastily pulled apart. Both feared that Feilong was watching them from somewhere, as Angelina’s father was a master of lightning magic.
“Fireworks are being set off,” a servant called from outside the palanquin.
Angelina and Ryuho shared a quiet laugh, relief washing over them. After the servants lowered the palanquin, Ryuho lifted the bamboo blinds. Grand fireworks exploded over the North Star Sanctuary, golden light raining back down.
“Wow!” Angelina cried. “How beautiful!”
Fireworks were continually launched into the sky, one boom echoing after another. The light illuminated Angelina and then disappeared, casting her into darkness. This cycle repeated time and time again.
“…Yeah, it is beautiful,” Ryuho said. “But there’s nothing more beautiful than you, Lina.”
The night of festivities steadily grew later and later. Finally, a fireworks display resembling a massive flower painted the starry sky, signaling the beginning of a new era.