The night of the Crown Gala arrived with the weight of a thousand expectations. The university ballroom was a sea of shimmering silk and stiff tuxedos. For the first time in the school’s history, the air wasn't filled with the usual gossip about grades—it was filled with the name Ren Takagi.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1b0voKtqtg
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniY97pPhEi
The Transformation11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSJl2tk8hv
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCtshpE2RC
Ren stood in the dressing room, staring at the full-length mirror. She wasn't wearing a suit, but she wasn't wearing a traditional ballgown either. She had designed the outfit herself, using the skills she had hidden for years.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyApTmRHRHs
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBkdQmmjAK
It was a structured, deep midnight-blue velvet jumpsuit with a sheer, floor-length silk cape attached to the shoulders. Around the high collar, she had hand-embroidered the pale blue hydrangeas she had worked on in the basement. It was sharp, it was "handsome," and yet, the way it hugged her frame was undeniably, breathtakingly feminine.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GZspmsyn9
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60fgwbSaOB
She looked like a moonlit goddess of war.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU3EVUd8iY
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfYCLB0Y6c
The Entrance11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNLwgccIHT
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrwdpg5qEU
When the double doors opened, the music seemed to falter. Ren walked in, her head held high. Beside her, Kaito was a vision in a matching midnight suit, his hand resting firmly at the small of her back.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLY4IwHGBW
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr12Rlztk2n
The guys from the party, including Sora, stood by the punch bowl. Their plan to see her "playing dress-up" in a costume that didn't fit her had failed. She didn't look like she was pretending. She looked like she had finally stepped into her own skin.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2IZaY1WoX
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFyQCvrxfg
"She... she actually looks amazing," one of Sora's friends whispered, unable to look away.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEL5GEOUvd
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuF1ot6MFga
Sora bit his lip, his face red with a mix of envy and confusion. The "Prince" they had tried to mock had become a Queen they couldn't touch.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5aD1CWjM7
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo89PK0Kctj
The Shadow Appears11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbSDqR1qXJ
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTktIO31pHn
The night was perfect until the mid-point dance. As Ren stood by the balcony to catch her breath, a voice from her past cut through the music.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnn8dyJTysJ
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdBM98fpj5
"Ren? Is that actually you?"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpAwKDx0X3
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4BhvVVnoS
Ren froze. Turning slowly, she saw him. Haru. The boy from high school. The one who had laughed at her confession. He was visiting the university for the weekend with some friends.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GbwRSyczr
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83lKv5Hik7
"Haru," Ren said, her voice sounding steadier than she felt.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zjUJfRPnP
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmvWy5unj4
He walked closer, looking her up and down with a condescending smile. "Wow. You really went all out for this, huh? I barely recognized you. Still playing the 'cool' role? I see you're still not much for dresses." He chuckled, that same dismissive sound that had haunted her for four years. "Once a bro, always a bro, right?"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVP4fOhjLtq
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8eWey2KmQ
The old familiar shame began to rise, the feeling of being "not enough" threatening to pull her back into the dark.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKZpKme0w8
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEV2Uonnnb
The Breaking of the Curse11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GMsHcD70T
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUIQbdCEby
"Actually," a voice intervened, cold and sharp as a diamond.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQyMgfai5c
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeazDqpiTep
Kaito stepped out from the shadows of the balcony, his eyes burning with a protective fire. He didn't look at Haru; he looked only at Ren.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzntNuDnoRK
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjJ7RFs9Zv
"She’s not 'one of the bros,'" Kaito said, stepping to Ren’s side. "She’s the most captivating woman in this room. But I wouldn't expect someone with such limited vision to understand that."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uAtSvs57U
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2KH3hVyU2
Haru blinked, intimidated by Kaito's presence. "Hey, man, I'm just an old friend. We have history."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2CiLhRlCN
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16ATx4OfRq
"Your 'history' is a footnote," Kaito said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Ren isn't a character in your story anymore. She’s the author of her own."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMH4aOE34K
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0nRMn9aCv
Ren looked at Kaito, then at Haru. The fear that had lived in her chest for years—the fear of being "just a guy"—suddenly felt small. Haru wasn't a monster; he was just a boy who hadn't been big enough to see her.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBNheXNQxl
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInO1UobpWB
"Haru," Ren said, stepping forward. "I used to think your opinion defined me. But looking at you now... I realize you were just a mirror that didn't reflect the right light."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQgXgoW13H
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0WTOErepA
She turned her back on him, not waiting for a response.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfajNauTT0j
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyU9VTGkyzX
The Moonlit Confession11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldnB56EDf1
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2N1ZzVJEK5
Kaito led her out to the garden, away from the noise of the gala. The sky was clear, the moon hanging like a silver coin above them. They stood by the stone railing, the scent of night-blooming jasmine filling the air.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEyEBSqcvz
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdv9lP1hxn
"Are you okay?" Kaito asked, his voice soft now, the edge gone.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dLAK0stal
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJ6Lub4fHs
Ren took a deep breath, the cool air feeling like a blessing. "I'm better than okay. I'm free."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHYCHtunGB
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQq5UYtMbo9
She turned to him, the moonlight catching the silver thread in her embroidery. "Kaito... why did you do all of this? The cafeteria, the basement, tonight... you didn't have to ruin your reputation for me."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJy8pXu1LB
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyEuxVu4jD
Kaito reached out, his hand cupping her cheek. This time, he didn't wait. He leaned in until their foreheads touched.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjqJ54XMDU
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdViqfBXbf0
"Because I was tired of being the Golden Prince," he whispered. "I was tired of being a trophy. I wanted someone who knew what it was like to be a person underneath the title. I didn't save you, Ren. We built a haven together."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEJa6jGpD2
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxCdNAZEkd
He looked into her eyes, his expression raw and honest. "I don't care if they call you Prince, or Queen, or anything else. To me... you're just Ren. And you're the only person I want to stand next to when the lights go out."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8v1cxKwDIo
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoFJYyEKkW
Ren reached up, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. She pulled him closer, closing the final inch between them. The kiss was soft, tasting of moonlight and the end of a long, lonely winter.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSYU9MccVr
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkiCiKoODv
The girl who was "just one of the guys" had finally been found. And as they stood under the clear moonlit dusk, the two Princes were gone. There were only two people, finally, perfectly home.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3hzvBTXJy
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67lUuTC7pe
The End.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCdoGwn5Ri
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENW7vtp0q4
1234 copyright protection7ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIqWNJy7de 尼11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvtWpG9Tuc