As Lilith stepped closer to the soft canopy, the sound of the waterfall grew clearer, a calm, gentle hush that seed to match her slow, careful footsteps. She pushed a few silky drapes aside, her fingers brushing the smooth fabric.
And that’s when she saw them.
Sir Sparkleton was standing perfectly still by the low wooden table under the canopy. But tonight, he wasn’t his usual plain self. He was dressed in a black butler outfit, complete with tiny silver cufflinks and a stiff bow tie. His little red sensor light blinked like an excited heartbeat.
Beside him, Miss Sparkleton was standing just as proud, wearing a neat little maid outfit trimd with lace. Her soft pink light glowed brighter the mont she spotted Lilith.
"MISS LILITH! WELCO!" Sir Sparkleton declared, his robotic voice echoing a little too loud under the quiet canopy. His chanical arm twitched up in a stiff little bow.
Lilith couldn’t help it — her lips parted open in surprise, and then curved into the softest, laziest smile. Before she could even answer, sothing fluttered above her head. She looked up just in ti to see rose petals drifting down, dozens of soft, fresh petals falling from sowhere high above the canopy, landing gently on her hair, her shoulders, her dress.
A petal brushed her cheek, clung to her sleeve. Lilith closed her eyes for a mont.
She tilted her head slightly, her piercing blue eyes glinting in the golden light as she stared at Sir Sparkleton and Miss Sparkleton. The absurdity, the sweetness, the effort behind it all. It made sothing tight in her chest loosen just a little.
"Really...," she breathed, a half-smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "Even you two are in on his gas now?"
Sir Sparkleton’s red eye blinked twice. "FOR MASTER AND MISS LILITH’S ROMANTIC MOOD — IT IS MY DUTY."
Miss Sparkleton gave an annoyingly smug little curtsy, her chanical voice softer but dripping with pride. "Anything for you, Mistress Lilith ~~~ Please enjoy your night."
Lilith tilted her head back, letting the last few rose petals fall across her hair, and she stepped fully under the silk canopy.
She brushed a petal from her shoulder.
As Lilith stood there under the silk canopy, brushing rose petals from her hair, she felt presense behind her. She turned — and there he was.
Gray stepped out from the little cabin, and for a heartbeat it felt like the golden lights all bent toward him. He looked breathtaking — a black suit hugging his tall fra perfectly, a deep red bow tie at his throat, his dark hair brushed back just enough to show his sharp, gentle features. In his hands, he held a massive bouquet of deep red roses, so fresh they still had dew clinging to their petals.
For a mont, he just stood there looking at her — his eyes soft but shimring with so many words he’d never say out loud. Then that pretty smile blood on his lips, the one that made the coldest parts of Lilith’s heart crack open.
He stepped closer, heels crunching lightly on the petal path, and leaned forward until she could sll the faint warmth of his cologne. He pressed a kiss to her forehead– a warm, Beautiful touch that made her eyes flutter shut for just a second.
"Lilith," he murmured, her na like a promise on his tongue. He held out the bouquet to her, and Lilith took it, brushing her fingers over the soft petals before glancing up at him with a small, real smile.
"What’s the plan?" she asked, her voice low but playful. He only chuckled, that soft laugh that rumbled low in his chest as he stepped aside and pulled out the velvet chair behind her.
She arched an eyebrow but let him guide her down, her heels tapping lightly as she settled onto the chair. He pushed it in gently, then gestured sothing toward Sir Sparkleton — who stood proudly nearby in his stiff butler suit.
A mont later, an old man in white gloves appeared through the draped entrance, carrying a small silver tray. He moved so carefully, like they were royalty sitting under the stars. He placed a bottle of aged red wine, a delicate two-layer cake with fresh berries, and plates of warm, fragrant food on the low wooden table between them.
Gray finally sat opposite her, folding one arm over the back of his chair, watching her with that sa soft smile that made her chest feel warm and tight all at once.
Lilith leaned back a little, her roses resting in her lap. She let her eyes drift over him — the strong line of his jaw, the way the fairy lights caught in his dark hair, the shadows beneath his eyes that sohow made him even more beautiful.
"You’re looking gorgeous tonight," she said, her voice low, almost like a secret. The complint pulled a deeper smile from Gray — one that touched his eyes, made him look softer than any cold CEO should.
"You’re one to talk," he said back, his eyes dipping to the way her dress hugged her figure, how the rose petals still clung to her hair like a crown.
"Sothing special?" Lilith asked, tilting her head just a little as she watched Gray from across the table. Her voice was soft but curious, that half-smirk playing on her lips.
Gray looked at her, then down at his plate and for a second a tiny flash of nerves crossed his handso face. He cleared his throat, pressing his lips together as if to hide a grin.
"You’ll know..." he murmured finally, his voice dropping lower. That soft, deep smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he looked up at her through his lashes.
Lilith raised one brow at him but didn’t push more. The sll of the food in front of her, the warmth of the wine, the soft hush of the waterfall outside the canopy — it all made her realize she hadn’t eaten properly in days. She let out a little sigh, then picked up her fork.
Gray watched, chin resting in one hand, as she took the first bite...
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