Lyra didn’t sleep much at all during the night. Once she was all cried out, she spent most of the night wondering what she was going to tell Sesshomaru. She feared that if she told him, he would do something drastic and she was scared her father would actually kill himself. And if she tried to tell Kanda the truth, he would call off the wedding and again, her father would kill himself. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her only option was to remain quiet and continue her act.

Halfway through the night, she tried to look on the bright side of things. If she married Kanda, she knew Sesshomaru would come looking for her. But she would come up with a lie and send him back to the feudal era. Then she would spend her life with Kanda. One day she might learn to truly love him instead of seeing him as just a friend. She would eventually forget about Sesshomaru and the world she fell in love with and pass it off as a vivid dream. She would simply have to move on.

‘This is your life now. Suck it up and get over it, Lyra.’

She didn’t know what time it was when she finally fell asleep but it felt as though she only blinked before the alarm woke her up again. Groaning, she turned onto her side and shut off the alarm. It was 8.30. Her eyes felt sore but she had to get up and get ready before Kanda came to pick her up. She forced herself up and rubbed her eyes.

After going into the bathroom and seeing herself in the mirror, she almost didn’t recognise herself. She looked like a complete mess with dark circles and bags under her eyes to go with it. She took a long shower, spending most of the time simply allowing the water to run down her entire body as she stood under the shower head. When her fingertips began looking like prunes, she switched off the water and dried herself off before getting dressed. She took her time getting ready, opting for some cropped jeans and a loose blouse. She put on some makeup to hide the tiredness in her face, leaving her hair out for it to dry naturally.

Just as she finished getting ready, she received a message from Kanda that he was on his way. She decided to stay inside her room until he arrived. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally run into her father. She still wasn’t in the mood to see or talk to him. Just ten minutes later, she heard a knock on the door. She grabbed her phone and quickly made her way down before opening her door.

“Hi,” she greeted Kanda with a smile.

“Hey,” he smiled back. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Just need to put my shoes on.” She quickly put on her boots before stepping out of the house. “At least the sun is out today.”

“It’s pretty warm too,” he added as they made their way to the car.

Lyra suddenly noticed what Kanda was wearing. Every time she saw him, he was always in a suit or he had his grey jacket on top. She had never seen him in casual clothing, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. It was only then she could see how built and muscular he was. She knew her friends were going to go nuts.

“I have to admit it’s odd seeing you without your suit,” she said as they got into the car.

He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.”

Lyra smiled a little sadly. “Yeah. I guess I will.”

“I was thinking about getting the hospital out of the way first,” he told her as he drove in that direction. “Everyone’s excited to meet you.”

She rose a brow at him, smirking a little. “You told them about me?”

He laughed in embarrassment. “How could I not? You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

She smiled softly. “Careful. Your compliments are going to get to my head. I’m sure you don’t want a wife with a big ego.”

“You’re extremely modest so I know that will never happen. And besides,” he quickly glanced at her with a smile before looking back at the road. “I’ll love you no matter what happens.”

Lyra’s breath hitched in her throat and she couldn’t stop herself from staring at him in shock. After a few seconds, she blinked a couple of times before turning to look out of the window.

“Now you’re making me blush,” she said just loud enough for him to hear.

They soon arrived at the hospital. Kanda had introduced her to his colleagues, all of them treating her as if she was a celebrity. Everyone was so friendly and they were all super excited when they found out about the engagement. He even took her to see some of his patients and all of them told her how much of a wonderful man and doctor Kanda was. It was nice to hear all the compliments but it only made her feel more guilty. Kanda really deserved someone special as a life partner and some other woman would be lucky to be with him. Unfortunately, she was taking that place. She admired the man, but she was in love with someone else.

However, her act continued. She gladly accepted everyone’s well wishes and congratulatory words. She even held his arm as they conversed with his colleagues. It came to a point where she even began believing her own act. She actually enjoyed meeting everyone and talking about the engagement. Something was happening to her but she didn’t know what. It was as if she was giving up and forcing herself to move on already.

Once they had seen everyone and invited them to the party, they left the hospital to make their way into the town. After he parked up, they headed in the direction of the shop Lyra worked at. As they were walking towards the store, Lyra surprised Kanda and even herself as she suddenly held his hand, interlocking their fingers together. Kanda happily accepted it, gently squeezing her hand and lifting her hand up to his lips and kissing the back of it. She smiled up at him before looking away out of embarrassment.

As they walked into the store, they barely made it past the door before they were met by squeals and screams, surrounded by all of Lyra's colleagues.

“They’re holding hands!” one screamed.

“It's happening!” another one sang.

“Tell us everything!”

Lyra was suddenly grabbed and pulled further in, her hand slipping out of Kanda's. But he was being dragged in by someone else. Soon they were in the middle of the shop and they both became overwhelmed by all the questions being thrown at them. Kanda laughed while Lyra tried to calm them down, holding her hands up.

“Ladies, please! We can only speak if you let us!”

The manager suddenly held her fist up army style and everyone instantly shut up. “Go.”

Lyra took a deep breath and smiled as she felt Kanda place his arm around her waist. “Kanda and I are getting engaged.” Before any of them could make a sound, she held her hand up to silence them. “The party is tomorrow and you’re all invited.”

They all continued to stare at her, their heads looking as though they were about to explode.

Kanda smiled. “You can scream now.”

On that cue, they all resumed their squealing. Both Kanda and Lyra laughed at their reactions to the news although whatever they were saying was unintelligible. Lyra looked up at him and gave him an apologetic glance, but he simply smiled at her and shook his head. Once they finally calmed down, they were able to talk in more detail about the whole thing. They gave the details about the hotel and that it would take place in the evening. It wasn’t long before they noticed something else.

The manager spoke up. “Have you girls noticed that Kanda isn’t in his suit?”

“I know!” one girl squealed.

She then rushed to his other side and grabbed his arm causing Lyra to slap her hand over her face out of embarrassment. Then she began to rub his muscular bicep.

“Wow! You’re so strong!”

Kanda sweat dropped as he pushed Lyra in front of him like a shield. “It’s nothing,” he laughed nervously.

Coming face to face with Lyra, her colleague also suddenly looked embarrassed and scuttled away. Lyra simply laughed though and brushed it off, holding onto Kanda's hand again. After giving their goodbyes, they left the store.

“I’m so sorry about them,” Lyra apologised as they made their way to the food district. “They would get excited whenever you used to visit before. Now that we’re together, they’re even more crazy.”

Kanda chuckled before placing his arm around her waist again. “There’s no need to apologise. It's always fun to have friends like yours. All of my friends are pretty boring compared to them.”

“Your friends are very sophisticated.”

“But still boring.”

Lyra laughed and looked up at him. “So, when is your sister meeting us?”

Kanda checked his watch. “She should be here soon.”

They stopped walking at the place he had told her to meet them. As they waited, he informed her that his sister wished to have lunch first before going shopping. That way she could get to know Lyra a bit first. Her name was Kimi and also the youngest of the two siblings.

“I’m kinda nervous,” Lyra admitted, glancing down slightly.

Kanda held her face and made her look up at him. “Don’t be. She’s really fun and talkative. She’s only a couple years younger than you as well so you’ll get along well,” he smiled. “You will love her and she’ll love you too. I promise.”

Lyra smiled as her nerves seemed to melt away before she heard someone calling Kanda's name. He let go of her as they both turned towards that direction to see a young woman jogging towards them.

“There she is.”

His sister looked very similar to their mother, only obviously a lot younger and her hair was styled as a long bob. She was also wearing a pretty floral summer dress, which only added to her youthful look. She was the same height as Lyra as well.

“Hey, bro,” Kimi greeted as she stopped in front of them. They shared a high five before she turned to Lyra. “I’m so excited to finally meet you!” she said, pulling her into a hug.

Lyra smiled brightly and hugged her back. “Me too, Kimi.”

They parted from the hug but Lyra was slightly surprised as Kimi linked her arm with hers, walking alongside her as they decided where to eat. Lyra didn’t mind though. She thought it was incredibly sweet that she had already been accepted. Kimi spoke to her as if they had known each other for years. She definitely was a bright character, reminding Lyra of her own friends.

Once they chose a rooftop café to have lunch, Kimi began spilling all of Kanda's secrets and stories from their childhood. Lyra had never laughed so hard at the stories and Kanda's embarrassed face. He loved seeing Lyra laugh and smile the way she did. And witnessing how well she and Kimi got on was a bonus. Lyra also enjoyed watching the bond between the siblings. They argued but it would end in laughter and she could tell how protective they were of each other. At least one good thing has come of this whole marriage fiasco; Lyra had met some wonderful people and she was lucky that she would be marrying into such a charming family.

But her heart still wrenched as she imagined Sesshomaru in her mind. Although she would be married to another man, her heart would always belong to him.

“So, Lyra, I know the perfect boutique to go to,” Kimi said, changing the topic of conversation to shut her brother up. “I’m sure you’ve seen it. It's called Diamond Boutique.”

Lyra almost spat out her coffee, choking slightly before staring at the young girl with wide eyes. “That boutique?! Everything there is so expensive. I feel like I’m committing a crime just walking past the place,” she said with worry. “I don’t think I’ve even breathed near such luxury dresses. Let's go somewhere else. Your parents are already doing so much. I just couldn’t.”

Kimi giggled at her reaction. “Mom did warn me you would do this. But don’t worry! It's a gift from mom and dad. Pick whatever you want.”

Lyra looked towards Kanda for help, but he simply shrugged with an amused smile. “Kanda, help me out here. Say something.”

“Lyra, listen to me.” He sat up slightly before reaching across the table and placing his hand over hers. “You should never refuse a gift. I know it would make my parents really happy if you accept it.”

Lyra sighed in defeat and smiled with a nod. Kanda smiled in return before they were both distracted by a quiet squeak. They turned to Kimi who was watching them with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“I shipped you guys before but I’m shipping you both so hard right now,” she giggled. “You two are literally the dream couple. Hashtag goals. Hashtag power couple.”

Kanda furrowed his brows slightly. “What the hell are you saying?”

Lyra laughed as Kimi rolled her eyes before waving him off. “Never mind. It's time for you to go now,” she said to him.

“What? I’m going with you both.”

Kimi shook her head. “No can do, bro. You're not allowed to see her in the dress until tomorrow.”

“But it's not the wedding.”

“I don’t care. You’ve got your own thing to do anyway.”

“But-"

“Kanda.” This time it was Lyra who spoke. “I’ll see you later.”

Now it was Kanda who sighed in defeat. “Very well. You win this time, Kimi.” He stood up and ruffled her hair. “I’ll take care of the bill and call me once you’re done. I’ll pick you both up.”

“Will do,” Kimi replied.

Kanda then bent down and quickly kissed Lyra's cheek, completely taking her surprise. Her cheeks instantly turned pink as she watched him pay for the food before waving at them and leaving.

“You’re blushing so hard right now,” Kimi laughed.

Lyra's cheek burned even more. “I am not! Come on, let's get going,” she said to divert the topic of conversation.

Kimi rolled her eyes with a giggle as they both left the café. The boutique wasn’t too far away so the walk was fairly short. Lyra had no idea what to expect but she was thankful Kimi was with her. Apparently she had shopped at Diamond Boutique plenty of times before.

Upon entering the store, Lyra instantly felt out of place. Literally nearly everything was diamonds and crystals. Even the cheapest dress there probably cost more than her annual salary. The women working there even looked at Lyra as though she didn’t belong. Kimi held Lyra's wrist and pulled her further into the store. Whilst passing some of the mannequins, Lyra caught a glance at one of the price tags.

‘500,000¥?!?!’

“Good afternoon, Miss Kimi,” a lady greeted. “Who have you brought with you?”

Kimi smiled. “Hello. This is my brother's fiancé Lyra.”

The lady rose her already super arched brows. “Oh! Well, aren’t you certainly lucky to have bagged yourself someone like Doctor Hideki,” she remarked whilst looking Lyra up and down with a clearly fake smile. “You don’t really look like his type.”

Lyra simply smiled, ignoring the woman's snare. “Well, clearly I am his type.”

Kimi herself was already annoyed by the woman's attitude. “Is Nikki in today?”

“She is. I’ll call her for you.” With that, the woman turned on her heel and left through the staff door.

“Ugh, she always thinks she’s better than everyone,” Kimi told her. “She’s had her eyes on my brother since forever.”

“It’s alright. My friends have had their eyes on him since forever as well.”

“Really? What about you?”

Lyra shrugged slightly. “I’ve always thought he was handsome and we would always talk about him and stuff,” Lyra admitted. “But I would never put my hopes up or anything. I was actually surprised when Kanda told me he visited my store just to see me.”

Kimi cooed at what she had just been told. “That is just the sweetest thing ever! I never knew he was such a romantic.”

Lyra might not be able to love Kanda in a romantic way but she truly was lucky to have someone like him in her life. She hoped that one day she would be able to return the love he deserved.

They were soon joined by the woman called Nikki. She was definitely a lot friendlier than the previous woman. The next two hours consisted of Lyra stripping down to her underwear in front of Nikki in the fitting room trying on a number of dresses and modelling them in front of Kimi. Most of the dresses looked as though they were made of nothing but diamonds yet they fit and felt so comfortable. The workmanship was incredible. Now she knew why these dresses were so extortionate. She fell in love with almost every dress but Kimi didn’t think any of them were good enough. Just as Lyra had given up hope, Kimi jumped up with a gasp as she walked out of the fitting room wearing another dress.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed. “That’s the dress! Oh, Lyra, that dress was simply made for you!”

Lyra breathed out a sigh before turning to the full length mirror. She was taken aback upon seeing herself and even she thought she looked amazing.

“Wow...” she whispered.

“I’ll say,” Kimi stood from her seat to join her at the mirror. “It fits you perfectly as well. Nikki, how much is this one?”

“550,000¥,” Nikki answered. “But obviously I’ll give it to you for 250,000¥.”

Kimi grinned. “Perfect! We’ll take it.”

Lyra's eyes widened as she turned to face Kimi. “Wait, no. Don’t you have anything...cheaper?” she asked Nikki shyly.

“No way, Lyra,” Kimi shook her head before holding her shoulders. “This is seriously the dress for you. I know everyone will love it. Kanda will love it.”

Lyra smiled, playfully rolling her eyes. “I can’t say no now, can I?”

Kimi cheered and fist bumped the air victoriously. “I knew that would work!”

After Lyra had changed back into her casual clothes and Kimi paid for the dress, they both left the store to meet up with Kanda again. Kimi ended up leaving the couple alone though, claiming she had other errands to run to prepare for the party. Since the invitations were given and the dress was bought, there was nothing more for Lyra to do.

“Did you have fun?” Kanda asked her as he drove out of the parking spot.

“It was certainly quite an experience,” she replied with a quiet laugh. “I never realised you had so many fan girls,” she teased.

“I take it you met the crazy boutique lady,” he chuckled.

Lyra laughed softly. “I did. Did you have fun doing whatever you were doing?”

“Not really. Mom sent me on a mission for tomorrow. I’m pretty sure mostly everything she told me to get is unnecessary. Buuut she wants things to be grand. Parties are her zone.”

“She’s excited. I think it's really sweet.”

Kanda shot her a quick smile. “I guess you’re right. Oh, I almost forgot. My mom has also booked rooms for you and your father at the hotel for after party. Since it’s in the evening, it might get quite late.”

She looked at him with surprise. “That’s so kind of her but she really didn’t need to do that.”

“You’re her future daughter-in-law. She’s going all out,” he laughed. “My family and I have rooms reserved as well. Dad's spoken to your dad. I’m going to pick you both up in the afternoon since mom wants us all to get ready at the hotel.”

Lyra couldn’t help but giggle to herself. “If this is our engagement, I wonder what our wedding will be like.”

“It could be at a swamp and it would still be the most special day of my life.”

She smiled at him softly but came to a loss for words. She was secretly glad that he had parked up outside her house so she didn’t need to say anything.

“Thank you, Kanda.”

“Anytime.”

Lyra leaned towards him to peck his cheek but Kanda hadn’t noticed. He suddenly turned to face her to say goodbye causing her lips to land on his own. Lyra gasped and jumped back, her cheeks instantly burning bright red as she placed her fingers over her lips. It was probably the most embarrassing moment of her life. Even Kanda was seriously blushing.