It was Camille.
And she sounded very, very amused.
I practically jumped out of Lillian's hold, my heart still hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. My face was probably as red as a fire spell gone wrong.
Camille leaned casually against the garden's archway, arms crossed, a mischievous glint in her ice-blue eyes. Her usual smirk stretched across her lips—because of course she was enjoying this.
I was doomed.
"Getting ahead already, Lillian?" Camille mused, tilting her head. "I can't say I'm surprised."
Lillian didn't even flinch. She turned her gaze to Camille, her grip still firm on my hand, her expression completely unbothered.
"Is that wrong?" she asked, her voice calm, unwavering.
Oh my god.
I swallowed hard, my mind still short-circuiting from what had just happened. Lillian had just confessed to me. Lillian Aurora, the princess, the ever-composed, ever-graceful Lillian, had just told me she liked me.
And now Camille was here.
With that smirk.
With that look.
And I was still holding Lillian's hand.
I tried to discreetly pull away, but Lillian only tightened her grip.
Oh no.
Camille chuckled, shaking her head. "Fair play." She stepped forward, her gaze flicking between the two of us, taking in the way Lillian still hadn't let go of me. "Though I must admit, it's bold of you to go for a confession this soon, Lillian. Almost reckless."
Lillian simply raised an elegant brow. "When you know what you want, you don't hesitate."
I WAS GOING TO COMBUST.
Camille's smirk grew wider as she slowly circled around us, almost like a predator assessing its prey. "Interesting," she mused. "That means I should step up my game, doesn't it?"
I swore my soul left my body for a second.
"L-let's not talk about this right now," I stammered, waving my hands in a desperate attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere. "The festival just ended! We should be celebrating! Not—whatever this is!"
"Whatever this is?" Camille repeated, feigning offense as she placed a hand over her heart. "Sera, you wound me. I thought we were at least past the stage of denial?"
I turned to Lillian for help.
Lillian, the only one who was usually reasonable.
Lillian, who was supposed to save me from this insanity.
But instead—
She simply smiled. Smugly.
"I suppose it's only fair," she said, tilting her head. "Since Sera is quite popular, after all."
I WAS GOING TO SCREAM.
"Why are you both like this?" I groaned, covering my face with my hands.
Lillian chuckled softly. "Because it's fun watching you react."
Camille hummed in agreement. "And, well… you're just too adorable when you get flustered."
I was never going to recover from this.
Ever.
My heart was still pounding, my face still burning, and Lillian's soft touch against my hand wasn't helping in the slightest.
"Let's focus back on the topic at hand, Sera," Lillian said, her voice as gentle as ever. "If you aren't ready, you don't have to give me a response just yet. I just… wanted to let you know."
Her thumb lightly traced over the back of my hand, slow and deliberate, as if she wanted to soothe me—or maybe remind me that her confession wasn't some fleeting whim. She meant it.
And I?
I was on the verge of spontaneous combustion.
"Y-yeah, I understand," I managed to say, though my voice wavered like I was barely holding onto my sanity.
Did I like Lillian?
Of course, I did.
What kind of question was that?
But this wasn't just about Lillian. This wasn't about just one of them. Because five—yes, FIVE— of the heroines were all somehow tangled in this absurd, ridiculously romantic mess.
How was I supposed to navigate this?!
And then—because the universe clearly wasn't done tormenting me— Camille, standing just a few steps away, tilted her head and smiled.
That smile.
Oh no.
"How admirable," she mused, tapping a finger against her chin. "Maybe I should confess too."
I nearly choked on air.
"WHAT?!"
Lillian let out a soft chuckle, but the way her grip on my hand subtly tightened didn't escape me.
Camille's icy-blue eyes twinkled with pure, unfiltered amusement. "What?" she echoed, feigning innocence. "It's only fair, isn't it? Lillian is brave enough to confess her feelings, so maybe I should be too. After all… it wouldn't do to fall behind, now would it?"
My entire body tensed. Camille was serious.
Oh god. She was serious.
I tried to glance at Lillian, silently begging for help, but her expression remained composed, though there was a distinct glint in her eyes—as if she were curious to see what I'd do.
WHY WAS NO ONE SAVING ME?!
Camille took one slow step forward. Then another. The air around us shifted, almost like a dance where I was the trapped prey and she was the hunter.
My back hit the garden's stone railing, my escape completely blocked.
This was it. This was how I died.
"You know," Camille murmured, reaching out and lightly trailing a finger down my jawline, her touch barely there—a whisper against my skin.
My breath hitched.
Her voice dropped lower, silkier. "It's cute watching you get so flustered, Sera."
Lillian hummed softly beside me. "I have to agree," she mused. "It's very… endearing."
THEY WERE GANGING UP ON ME.
"Wait, wait—!" I panicked, raising my hands in desperate defense. "H-hold on! You can't just casually drop confessions like this! I—I need time! Space! AIR!"
Camille laughed, soft and entirely too dangerous.
Lillian just smiled knowingly.
"Don't worry," Camille hummed, stretching her arms before turning on her heel. "I won't say anything—yet. I'll be waiting for the perfect moment to say my part." She cast one last teasing glance over her shoulder, those icy-blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "And don't worry, I won't tell the others about this."
And just like that, she walked away, her footsteps light against the garden path as if she hadn't just shattered my world into pieces.
I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. "That was… something."
More like a complete and utter disaster.
But just as I was about to mentally process my impending doom, I felt a sudden warmth press against my chest.
My eyes snapped wide.
"Lillian?!" My arms instantly flew up, covering myself as I stumbled back. "W-what happened to decency?!"
Lillian chuckled, completely unbothered by my reaction. "Relax," she said, voice as smooth as silk. "I just wanted to feel your heart."
I stared at her, completely flabbergasted. "M-my heart?"
She smiled, tilting her head slightly. "The confession must've made it race pretty hard, huh?"
Oh.
OH.
I felt my entire face ignite in heat as realization slammed into me like a runaway carriage.
"It's your fault," I muttered, barely managing to look her in the eye.
Lillian simply laughed, the sound light, airy, and entirely too angelic for someone so merciless. "Hmm," she mused, stepping even closer, completely invading my space.
Oh god.
She was so close.
I could feel her breath ghosting over my skin, the scent of roses and soft vanilla wrapping around me like a spell.
"Then," Lillian murmured, her voice dropping to a near whisper, "if it's my fault, should I take responsibility?"
MY SOUL LEFT MY BODY.
I nearly choked, taking a frantic step back only to hit the garden's stone railing.
Trapped.
I WAS TRAPPED.
Lillian Aurora was going to be the death of me.
And the worst part?
She knew it.
Lillian's emerald eyes held mine, unwavering, soft yet intent—like she had already decided something long before she even asked the question.
"Can I kiss you?"
My mind completely short-circuited.
Everything—the world, my thoughts, my ability to breathe—froze.
Did she really just say that? Was I hearing things? Should I say no? Should I say yes? What was the right answer to something like this?
But… maybe there wasn't a 'right' answer.
Maybe I should just—
Listen to my heart.
I swallowed, my pulse hammering against my ribs as I slowly, hesitantly, nodded.
Lillian's lips curled into the faintest of smiles, her thumb tracing along my jaw as her fingers cupped my cheek with a touch so delicate, so reverent, it made my stomach flip.
"Good," she murmured, her voice lower now, more intimate, a little breathless. "I don't think I would've been able to control myself if you made me wait any longer."
Before I could even react, she closed the gap between us.
And then it happened.
My first kiss.
Lillian's lips met mine, soft, slow, unhurried. It was nothing like the teasing pecks Camille or Diana had stolen before—this was real. Intentional. It wasn't just a fleeting touch—it was a kiss meant to be felt.
And god, did I feel it.
My eyes fluttered shut, my entire body melting into the warmth of her touch, into the way her fingers tilted my chin slightly upward, deepening the kiss just enough to make my knees feel weak.
She tasted faintly of tea and honey, her scent—roses and vanilla—wrapping around me like a spell.
The gentle press of her lips grew bolder, her hand slipping from my cheek to curl around the small of my back, pulling me flush against her.
My hands—when did they move?—instinctively grasped the front of her uniform, clinging to her like she was the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.
I could hear my own heartbeat, loud and fast, like it was trying to make up for the oxygen I was forgetting to breathe.
Then, just when I thought she might pull away, Lillian smiled against my lips, tilting her head slightly, pressing deeper, slower—turning my thoughts into static.
I gasped softly, and that was all she needed.
She took the opportunity to tease, just a little, brushing her lips over mine with feather-light precision, coaxing a reaction out of me before pulling back—only slightly.
I barely had time to blink before she dipped forward one last time, stealing another kiss, a little firmer this time, like she was sealing a promise between us.
When she finally—finally—pulled away, she rested her forehead against mine, her breath warm against my lips, her fingers still curled around my waist.
Silence.
The kind of silence where neither of us wanted to move, where the only sound was the distant rustling of leaves and the lingering echo of our shared heartbeat.
Lillian exhaled softly, her lips curving into a small, victorious smile.
"Perfect," she whispered.
My brain was still rebooting.
I blinked, my thoughts struggling to catch up to what had just happened.
"That was my… first kiss," I muttered, more to myself than anything, my voice barely above a whisper.
Lillian's eyes softened, her fingers still resting lightly against my cheek. "I'm glad," she murmured, a slow, satisfied smile tugging at her lips. "That means we're each other's firsts."
My already short-circuiting brain promptly exploded.
"E-Eh?! That sounds kind of wrong—!"
I barely had time to finish my sentence before she pulled me in again.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Her lips crashed against mine, more possessive, more passionate, more demanding.
I barely had time to breathe before I was drowning in her.
Drowning in the way her hands slid from my face down to my waist, pulling me closer.
Drowning in the way she kissed me like she was memorizing the shape of my lips, like she was claiming every single gasp I made.
I whimpered against her mouth, and that must have unlocked something in her, because she sighed—a soft, shivery sound—and deepened the kiss further.
I felt lightheaded, my knees weak, my fingers gripping onto the fabric of her uniform for dear life.
She pulled away—barely—her lips brushing against mine as she whispered, her voice husky and low,
"God, you're so hard to resist."
Her lips grazed my jaw, trailing down toward my throat.
"Every time I look at you, I just want more of you."
I forgot how to function.
"L-Lillian—!" I tried to protest, tried to keep my last shred of sanity intact, but she silenced me with another kiss—slow, deliberate, intoxicating.
She kissed me like she was memorizing the shape of my lips, like she was staking her claim.
I felt her smiling against my mouth, her fingers curling into my hair, tilting my head to kiss me deeper.
I barely had time to breathe. Barely had time to think.
The world blurred around us, the only thing I could focus on was her—the warmth of her lips, the way she molded against me like she belonged there. Like we had done this a thousand times before.
I swayed, my fingers gripping onto the fabric of her uniform to keep myself grounded.
And just when I thought she'd finally devour me whole, she pulled back—reluctantly, slowly, teasingly.
Her gaze was dark, intense, unreadable.
"But for now…" she murmured, her lips brushing against mine one last time, sending a shiver down my spine. "This will have to do."
She tilted my chin up with her fingers, her voice turning silkier, more dangerous.
"Don't make me wait too long, okay?"
I nodded dumbly, unable to form words, let alone a single coherent thought.
Lillian took a step back, then another, her green eyes still fixed on me, as if she was drinking in the sight of me—dazed, breathless, entirely at her mercy.
And then, just like that, she turned and walked away, her long, flowing hair catching the moonlight as she disappeared into the night.
I stood there for what felt like an eternity, the cool night air doing nothing to extinguish the heat that had completely consumed me.
My knees threatened to give out.
My lips still tingled.
My heart was going to explode.
I touched my face, as if that would somehow help me process what just happened.
What the hell.
What the actual hell.
Did I just almost make out with the princess?!
--
Lillian POV
The moment I stepped out of the garden, I couldn't help but steal one last glance at Sera. She was still standing there, completely frozen, her hand hovering near her lips, staring into nothing like her brain had just short-circuited.
I giggled softly, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction.
She was adorable.
I didn't slow my pace as I made my way back to my dorm, my heart pounding harder with every step.
And the second I closed the door behind me, everything crashed down at once.
A sharp exhale left my lips as I leaned my back against the door, my legs suddenly feeling too weak to stand. I slowly slid down to the floor, pressing a hand over my chest.
It was still racing.
Way too fast.
What did I just do?
I lifted my fingers to my lips, as if I could still feel her warmth there.
I did that. I kissed her.
And it was—Gods, it was perfect.
Her lips were so soft, so warm, and that expression she made—utterly dazed, completely flustered, unable to do anything but melt under my touch—was something I knew I would never forget.
Just thinking about it made me feel giddy, almost dizzy.
I buried my face into my hands, groaning. "What am I even thinking...?"
I had been so close to losing control.
Sera—sweet, stubborn, flustered Sera—was driving me insane.
I wanted more.
More of her little gasps, more of her wide-eyed expressions, more of her.
I wanted to keep her in my arms forever.
And as I sat there on the floor, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, I knew one thing for certain.
I was absolutely, hopelessly in love with her.