Chapter Text
The masquerade ball was the single most irritating event in the entire royal calendar.
At least according to Tsukasa.
“It is inefficient,” she declared stiffly.
Princess Leo leaned over the balcony railing beside her, chin resting against folded arms while moonlight tangled through her orange hair.
“It’s romantic.”
“It is loud.”
“It’s magical.”
“It encourages poor decision making.”
Leo turned slowly toward her.
“…You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Tsukasa crossed her arms with all the dignity of a woman already losing an argument.
The spring night curled warm around them. Lanterns glowed below in the palace gardens while distant musicians rehearsed for tomorrow’s festivities somewhere inside the ballroom halls.
Masks.
Dancing.
Nobles pretending they were more mysterious than they actually were.
Tsukasa hated all of it.
Mostly because knights were forbidden from participating.
“Honestly,” Leo sighed wistfully, “a masquerade without my favorite person sounds terribly boring.”
Tsukasa’s heart betrayed her immediately.
“…Your Highness.”
“And everyone will ask me to dance.” Leo continued tragically. “Probably badly.”
Tsukasa stiffened.
The image arrived instantly and violently inside her mind:
Some overdressed nobleman placing hands on Leo’s waist.
Too close.
Smiling too confidently.
Touching what belonged very specifically to Tsukasa.
Jealousy hit with horrifying force.
Leo noticed instantly.
Of course she did.
A slow smile spread across her face.
“…Suou.”
“I am calm.”
“You look one inconvenience away from homicide.”
“I merely believe certain nobles should be supervised.”
Leo burst into laughter.
Then softer:
“Would you dance with me instead?”
Tsukasa froze.
The wind stirred gently around them.
Leo’s expression lost its teasing edge little by little until only sincerity remained.
“I know knights can’t attend,” she murmured, “but if things were different…”
Tsukasa looked away first.
Because she wanted it.
God.
She wanted it more than she should.
To hold Leo beneath ballroom lights. To place one hand at her waist while music wrapped around them. To exist beside her openly, even for one song.
Impossible.
And yet…
Tsukasa slowly took Leo’s hand beneath the moonlight.
“I promise,” she whispered quietly, “that I will dance with you.”
Leo blinked.
Then smiled so brightly Tsukasa almost forgot how breathing worked.
The next evening became catastrophic almost immediately.
“I refuse.”
“You haven’t even seen the dress yet,” Arashi replied.
“I do not need to see it to refuse.”
“You promised Tsukipi a dance,” Ritsu yawned from the couch.
“And honestly,” Izumi added while adjusting gloves elegantly, “watching you panic is becoming entertaining.”
Tsukasa glared at all three traitors.
Tsukasa realized the full extent of her mistake the moment she was looking at the dresses.
“Absolutely not.”
Arashi blinked innocently. “Why not?”
“Because,” Tsukasa replied with the rigid confidence of someone already doomed, “a woman cannot dance with another woman at a royal masquerade.”
Silence.
Then:
Izumi laughed so hard he nearly dropped his teacup.
Across the couch, Ritsu buried his face into a cushion while wheezing.
Arashi looked personally delighted.
Tsukasa frowned immediately.
“…Why are you all reacting like this.”
Izumi wiped tears from the corner of one eye.
“Kasa-kun,” he said between laughs, “you’re talking about Leo.”
“That changes nothing.”
“It changes EVERYTHING,” Arashi corrected.
Ritsu lazily raised one hand.
“Tsukipi once climbed onto the royal banquet table because she said inspiration looked better from higher altitudes.”
“She released doves indoors during a political ceremony,” Izumi added.
“She sword fought a statue,” Arashi said.
“She tried to compose music during her own etiquette lessons,” Ritsu continued.
“She disappeared for six hours because she found a frog aesthetically compelling.”
Tsukasa opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
Because unfortunately every single one of those sounded believable.
Izumi leaned forward smugly.
“And NOW your concern is ballroom tradition?”
“Well…” Tsukasa flushed faintly. “It is improper.”
Arashi burst into soft laughter.
“Oh sweetheart. Leo stopped being a ‘proper noble woman’ the moment she learned how to run.”
Ritsu nodded sleepily.
“If anything, dancing with another woman is probably the least shocking thing she’s ever done.”
“That is NOT comforting.”
Izumi grinned.
“You’re overthinking this. Everyone at masquerades is too busy pretending to be mysterious.”
“Besides,” Arashi added gently, “when Leo looks at you, nobody notices anything else anyway.”
Tsukasa froze instantly.
“…What does that mean.”
The three knights exchanged identical expressions of pity.
Ritsu sighed.
“She really has no idea.”
“None at all,” Izumi agreed.
Arashi smiled softly into her teacup.
“Darling, the princess looks at you like a starving poet discovering sunlight.”
Tsukasa’s entire face combusted.
Currently, she stood trapped inside one of Arashi’s private guest rooms while dresses had begun appearing from seemingly nowhere.
Too many dresses.
An alarming amount of dresses.
“How do you even OWN this many gowns,” Tsukasa asked weakly.
Arashi gasped in offense.
“Darling. Some questions are simply rude.”
“This one has pearls,” Ritsu observed sleepily while lifting another garment.
“This one says ‘fun in moonlight,’” Izumi added.
Tsukasa looked moments from death.
“This is absurd.”
Arashi approached with terrifying determination.
“No, sweetheart. What’s absurd is that you spent years pretending you weren’t breathtaking.”
Tsukasa stopped breathing for a second.
Arashi’s expression softened immediately.
“You deserve one night,” she said gently. “Just one night where you aren’t hiding.”
That hit unfairly hard.
Tsukasa looked down silently.
The room quieted.
Then Ritsu stretched lazily across the couch again.
“Also Tsukipi’s definitely going to cry.”
Tsukasa snapped upright in alarm.
“She will WHAT.”
“She’s helplessly in love with you,” Izumi said dryly. “Obviously she’ll cry.”
“She cried because you smiled at her once during breakfast,” Ritsu added.
“That was a very nice smile,” Arashi defended.
Tsukasa covered her burning face instantly.
Unfortunately, twenty minutes later she found herself standing before a mirror while Arashi adjusted the final ribbons of an elegant dark crimson gown.
The dress fit close through the waist before softening into flowing layered fabric. Gold embroidery curled delicately along the sleeves like climbing roses.
Tsukasa barely recognized herself.
Her hair framed her face softly beneath subtle styling Arashi insisted was “effortlessly devastating.”
She looked…
Beautiful.
The realization startled her more than anything.
Not beautiful despite being herself.
Beautiful as herself.
Tsukasa’s throat tightened unexpectedly.
Arashi noticed immediately from behind her.
“You see?” she whispered softly.
Tsukasa stared at her reflection.
Years ago, she had buried this version of herself beneath armor because the world told her she could not survive otherwise.
And maybe she couldn’t have.
Not back then.
But tonight…
Tonight Leo would see her like this.
Not a knight hiding.
Not a disguise.
Just Tsukasa.
A nervous knock interrupted the room.
Then Leo’s voice drifted through the door.
“Is she ready yet or do I need to start threatening people?”
Ritsu sighed dramatically.
“She’s threatening people again.”
“That’s Leo for you,” Izumi replied.
Arashi grinned brightly before opening the door.
And Leo forgot how to speak.
The princess stood frozen in the doorway wearing silver and ivory beneath her masquerade cloak, golden mask tilted slightly atop her orange hair.
Then she saw Tsukasa fully.
And visibly stopped functioning.
Tsukasa immediately panicked.
“…Does it look strange?”
Leo made the tiniest wounded sound imaginable.
“Strange?”
Slowly, she stepped closer.
Closer.
Until they stood only breaths apart.
Leo’s eyes shimmered openly now.
“You look,” she whispered helplessly, “like every love song I’ve ever written.”
Tsukasa’s entire soul caught fire.
Behind them, Izumi quietly muttered:
“Called it. She’s crying.”
“I’m emotional!” Leo snapped without looking away from Tsukasa.
Arashi looked unbearably pleased with herself.
Meanwhile Tsukasa stood completely motionless while Leo gently lifted her hand.
Then, with reverence fit for royalty itself:
“My gorgeous knight,” Leo whispered against her knuckles, “may I have this dance?”