A pond ringed by rocks and trees lay hidden beneath the forest canopy, where steaming vapor pierced through the chill in the air. Steps of clean, solid stone stretched down into the pool of hot water.
"Is this... a bathhouse?" Aesc asked uncertainly.
"To be precise, it's a hot spring," Shiomi replied at her side. "Normally, something like this would form naturally in volcanic regions. This one, though, is just a replica I created with Magecraft."
Aesc hugged her wand against her chest, pulling her robe tighter around herself. The restless unease she'd felt earlier now stirred even stronger.
"Tenkei... are you planning to bathe with me?" Her face was scarlet.
"If you're embarrassed, I can put up a divider," Shiomi offered, uncharacteristically flustered himself. He couldn't deny it looked suspicious—after all, he had gone out of his way to create a hot spring in the middle of the forest, then invited her to join him.
"No need for that..." Aesc whispered softly. "But... it's my first time undressing in front of someone. Could you turn away?"
"Alright." Shiomi turned his back to her.
Aesc rested her wand against the rocks that rimmed the spring, setting her hat down carefully beside it before slowly unfastening the complicated knots of her robe. Behind her, she could hear the quiet rustle of clothing being removed as well. Her heart raced with a mix of tension and anticipation.
When at last her robe fell away, she covered herself shyly with her hands. Turning around, she caught sight of Shiomi equally bare—and froze.
Unlike her own slender, curving figure, Shiomi's frame seemed lean at a glance, yet stripped of clothes, his body revealed sharply defined muscle. Just imagining the touch of it was reassuring in a way completely different from the warmth of her own hands.
"So this is a body tempered by relentless training? It's incredible..." Aesc's embarrassment was mingled with curiosity.
Deep down, she already knew she had accepted it: Tenkei was her future husband. It was that acceptance that had led her to follow her heart and share a kiss like a vow.
That was why, even in her shyness, she managed to keep a fragment of composure.
"It might sound a little self-satisfied, but... if you want to admire it, there'll be plenty of chances later." Shiomi took her hands and gently led her into the water, where they both sank into the warmth together.
The steaming water lapped over her shoulders, and for a fleeting moment, Aesc felt as though years of accumulated fatigue were being washed away. Her whole body melted into comfort, and she let out an unguarded sigh of relief.
"Looks like you're enjoying it," Shiomi said with clear delight. "I'd wanted to create this hot spring back in winter, but at the time we hadn't known each other long, and things weren't like they are now..."
"Yes," Aesc murmured, her face flushed—whether from the heat or her own embarrassment, she couldn't tell. "If you'd asked me back then, I definitely would've thought you were awful."
"Mm." Shiomi agreed.
She hadn't expected him to take her joke so seriously, and it left her feeling a little guilty. Even now, she couldn't say for sure how she might have felt if, back in winter, they had been close enough to soak together like this, talking freely in the steaming spring.
Fortunately, those little details no longer mattered.
"Bathing in a place like this, out in the forest, makes me a little nervous."
Aesc spoke softly. She knew a barrier hid them from prying minds, yet a strange sense of openness still welled up inside her.
"It's your first time soaking outdoors. It's only natural to be nervous," Shiomi said, fully understanding.
"That's not what I meant... I mean, I'll try my best," Aesc told him.
"Me too. I'll do my best to leave you with wonderful memories." Bracing his hands against the bottom, Shiomi leaned in toward her.
"I might be the first fairy to get this close to a human." Aesc pecked his lips—half testing, half a shared, playful rhythm. "My heart's racing so fast..."
Even in the water, her mouth felt dry. Only by pressing her lips and tongue to his could she find a little relief. She wanted more. She wanted to know each other more deeply, to claim and be claimed.
"I'm already completely taken with you, Morgan," Shiomi said suddenly, calling her by her true name.
That one "Morgan" plucked the strings of Aesc's soul. Unable to help herself, she drew closer, seeking him with her very being—until their souls twined tight.
She wanted to become one, to merge completely, but that was beyond reach. All she could do was press closer and fill the parched hollows of her heart. Little by little, her heart grew calm at last.
Two in harmony were better than either alone.
Fairy and human were fundamentally different, yet in so many ways so alike—perhaps for the sake of this very moment.
"We might have stayed in the spring a bit too long. I wonder if people will start getting suspicious," Aesc murmured, nervously smoothing the long hair gathered at her nape.
They had come in the morning, and now night was drawing in. Her legs were weak; she needed his support the whole way back.
"Then let's do our best to hide it," Shiomi said. "Or, with the Queen's permission, we could become husband and wife."
"...Husband and wife..." Aesc blinked, stunned for a moment.
"Is that not what you want?" Shiomi asked, serious.
"Of course it is. I'm just so happy I don't know what to say." She shook her head.
Such bonds were rare among fairies. In the Rain Clan—even the King and Queen among the few existing couples—each marriage was different. The King and Queen's union came from the needs and wishes of leading the clan, while most fairies were essentially imitating humans.
So Aesc didn't fully understand it, but she was curious—and delighted that her other half was Shiomi.
"Then—" He took out a ring, went down on one knee, and held it out to her. "Will you be my wife, Aesc... or should I say, Morgan?"
She pressed her smiling lips together and, following his cue, offered her left hand, watching the beautiful ring slip onto her ring finger. It felt unfamiliar and new, brimming with joy.
Proposing to a girl not yet sixteen—fairy or not—made Shiomi feel a little... wicked. But he didn't want to wait. Since she was willing, he would never let the moment pass.
"So... does this mean I'm Tenkei's wife now?" Aesc still felt it all a touch unreal.
"We still need the wedding ceremony. I'll speak to your parents myself and do my best to win their consent."
"It doesn't matter if they don't agree. Between your soul and mine, these feelings are not the least bit false." Aesc carefully stroked the ring on her finger.
She extended that hand, laced her fingers with Shiomi's, and they walked on together. When they reached the edge of the forest, an unexpected sight awaited them.
"What's that..."
Hundreds of meters away on the main road, a small procession of seven or eight fairies was advancing under banners, looking quite official.
"Likely envoys from the Fang Clan, Earth Clan, and Wind Clan," Aesc said, a little puzzled. "How odd. It's been three years since anyone came over from the mainland."
"Is that so..."
Shiomi pondered it, thoughtful.