Two Kinds Of Love

The palace corridors were filled with voices, light, and preparations for the delegation, yet amidst all the commotion, Akihiko and Aiko found their own small, hidden world. At the edge of the hall, they stood almost unnoticed, watching the bustle, while their gazes kept fleeing back to one another. Each time their eyes met, something invisible trembled between them—a delicate shiver that belonged only to them.

Akihiko brushed his hand against Aiko’s, giving it the faintest squeeze, and leaned closer. His voice was soft, almost a whisper:
“I can’t wait until we’re finally alone again…”

Aiko smiled, warmth rising to her cheeks. Her heart leapt, as if remembering all the moments they had once stolen for themselves.

Meanwhile, the king and queen observed the preparations, and Ren gazed around with bright curiosity. Yet Aiko and Akihiko felt as though, for a moment, time itself stood still.

When their duties were finished, Aiko and Mika wandered into the palace gardens. Sunlight played across the blossoms, and the air was filled with a peace that softened every breath. Still, Aiko carried a quiet longing for Akihiko in her chest. Mika caught her thoughtful look and teased with a smile:
“Seems to me you’re thinking of someone…”

Aiko gave a small smile, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. “Maybe…” she said, looking away.

Mika nudged her with her shoulder, her voice playful: “So then, princess… how does it feel, being married to a prince? Is it like a fairy tale?”

Aiko lowered her gaze to the flowers along the path. “Well,” she whispered with a smile. “He’s wonderful and caring… but sometimes so stubborn. Every moment with him feels precious.”

Mika tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “So you really are happy.”

Aiko nodded, her smile widening. “I am. Though he can be exhausting… especially when he insists on winning our little games.”

Mika burst into laughter, as if she had discovered a secret. “Oh, now that I have to hear more about!”

Aiko flushed, tucking her hair behind her ear, her voice no louder than a breath: “Let’s just say… he knows how to drive me crazy. He always has to have the last word.”

“Drive you crazy?” Mika winked. “In the good way, I assume?”

Aiko’s smile was quiet, yet warm. “Very much in the good way.”

Gradually, Mika’s playful air softened into tenderness. She spoke of Akihiko—how since childhood he had carried responsibility, how she and Naoru had known him as strict, devoted, always hidden behind duty. And then Aiko had come. “That day when he saved you… something in his eyes changed. You became his shining star. He almost lost you a few times… Aiko, Naoru and I both saw how much you mean to him.”

At those words, Aiko stopped in her tracks. Her gaze dropped to the ground, tears blurring her vision. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Now I understand,” she whispered. “Sometimes he just looks at me without a word. As if simply being beside me means more than anything.”

Mika took her hand gently. “And it truly does. You’re the one who brought him warmth. Aiko… you’re his weakness. And his strength.”

Mika leaned back against the bench, her thoughts drifting elsewhere, her voice calm as she changed the subject to the garden—the flowers that would bloom in spring. It seemed she wanted to keep the talk light, but Aiko listened closely, her eyes glowing in that dreamy, perceptive way only she had.

“You know, Mika,” Aiko said softly, tilting her head, “sometimes it feels like your heart hides more than your words let on.”

Mika flinched, quickly turning her gaze to the side where the moons cast silver shadows.
“What do you mean by that?” she murmured, her voice calm but a little too quick.

Aiko smiled gently, as though she already knew the answer but chose not to speak it.
“Nothing… just a feeling,” she said, her eyes glimmering with a knowing light.

Mika shut her eyes for a moment and laughed quietly, brushing it aside. “You and your feelings, Aiko. Always so full of them.”

Aiko said nothing more, but in her heart she sensed the truth Mika wasn’t ready to admit.

Just then, Akihiko appeared along the path.
Mika left them alone.

Aiko’s voice trembled as she turned to him. “You know, sometimes I’m afraid… that people only see me as a princess. But you… you loved me when I was just a girl from Earth. I’ll never forget that.”

Akihiko took her hand, his gaze deep and calm. “Aiko, I’ll always choose you. The girl who loves the night sky. The one who smiled at me the first time we met. Back then, I didn’t even know who you were, but your life was already more precious to me than my own. You stole my heart from the very beginning.”

Tears slid down Aiko’s cheeks. Her hand rose to his face. “And I carried you in my heart even before I knew you,” she whispered. “In my dreams, I always saw blue eyes. I never knew whose they were. Now I know. They were always yours.”

Their faces drew close. The sky glittered with a thousand stars, and the wind carried petals around them. Their kiss no longer held only passion, but a promise written in the universe itself.

“Always you,” Akihiko breathed.
“Always you,” Aiko answered.

Mika watched quietly from the balcony, her gaze soft in the moonlight, as if the heavens themselves were protecting their happiness.

Naoru approached her silently, his hands folded behind his back, his steps quiet as if he didn’t want to disturb the stillness surrounding Mika. When their eyes met, a gentle smile touched his lips.
“Shall we go, Mika?” he said in a low, warm voice, as though he already knew what weighed on her heart. “Let them have this moment. They deserve it.”

Mika glanced once more at Aiko and Akihiko before turning to Naoru. A soft, slightly mischievous smile curved her lips.
“And what about us, Naoru?” she said with quiet radiance. “Our moments?”

For a heartbeat, silence fell. Naoru stopped, surprised, as if the world itself had paused. Then a rare, gentle light kindled in his eyes, and his slow, quiet smile carried more than words could.
“Mika…” he murmured, barely audible, but full of unspoken meaning. His gaze told her everything she needed to know—some truths didn’t need explanations, because they had always been there.

Mika and Naoru stepped away from the balcony together, their footsteps slow, as though something tugged them back to the scene below. The corridor was quiet, moonlight painting silver patterns on the floor. Mika walked a little ahead, her smile lingering on her lips, though her eyes were deeper, hiding what she would not say aloud.

Naoru walked beside her, reserved, his hands still folded behind him. His face was calm, but his eyes flickered now and then in her direction. He said nothing, yet the silence between them was not empty. It was full of unspoken words—both a burden and a secret refuge.

Later, as Aiko and Akihiko strolled along the garden path, the night’s hush wrapped around them. Lantern light fell softly on the blossoms, the air scented with roses.

Aiko lifted her gaze toward the now-empty balcony, her lips curving into a secretive smile.

"Mika hides things well," she whispered, almost as if speaking to herself.

Akihiko glanced down at her, a calm glow in his blue eyes. "And Naoru even more so," he replied.

They paused, their eyes meeting. No more words were needed. They both understood—the tender bond that wove itself in silence, hidden from all others.

Aiko winked, her face brightened by a quiet, almost childlike smile. "Let’s keep it our little secret."

Akihiko nodded, his expression quiet and serious, yet full of warmth.

"For now," he said softly.

And then they walked on, hands entwined, as though the night itself protected the secrets too great for words.