In winter, the sun always rose a little later than in summer. At seven o'clock on Tuesday morning, only a faint glimmer of dawn could be seen in Vesta Woodland. As for the Moon Sanctuary, because the pool water itself gave off light, the morning sun seemed even more insignificant.
The rippling hot spring water had returned to calm. At the poolside, Shade stretched his hands forward, his arms crossing the edge of the spring and resting on the platform between the water and the cobblestone floor. He laid his head on his arms and closed his eyes to rest. Behind him, the steaming water gently surged forward as the red-haired lady came up behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head against his back.
Neither of them spoke immediately, simply enjoying this moment of comfort. The Red Moon and Silver Moon had already merged into one. Though nothing had yet been said aloud, their relationship had changed. Shade did not know what the lady behind him was thinking, but after that night, some things truly were different.
"Last night, you seemed to say that this was only a Dream Illusion for you to bid farewell to being eighteen, and that once you recovered, we would pretend nothing had happened. I want to make sure again. Were you serious?"
Shade still had his eyes closed. The Red-haired Sorceress behind him could not see his expression, but she could guess how he felt. She answered gently:
"People always make mistakes. Even I am no exception. I admit that I misspoke last night. Yesterday, I let you... From now on, let's meet in secret once a month and avoid the others."
There was a hint of shyness in her voice. Bound by her status, she was still somewhat embarrassed