"I…," I heard both of them said.

"Ah, ladies first…," Hikoboshi nervously said, feeling saved by the chance of letting my daughter speak first. "No, it's okay, Hikoboshi-san. You can start first."

Okay, that's enough. I shook my head.

"What's wrong, both of you?" I suddenly appeared behind them. They jumped at my voice. Hikoboshi instantly straightened himself and Orihime immediately threw her gaze to the grass. "You two were just too awkward,"I put my hands on Orihime's shoulders and dragged her to the left so that they didn't have the 'formal space' anymore. Then I said something that was actually ridiculous like, "Ah, such a nice weather we have today. I think it will be great if we go out, take a walk…" I sang the last part a bit.

"Th…that's right," my daughter answered too quickly. I just knew that there was no other phrase she could think of right now. This went according to the plan I unconsciously made.

"Then, go. Enjoy this beautiful weather," I signaled the maids to bring the food so that this new couple could have a picnic outside the palace.

"Ah, Hikoboshi," I said as Orihime took the food from the maids. "From now on, you would be my son in law, wouldn't you? I think you should drop the formalities. Don't forget that."

"I'll remember that," he honestly answered.

I nodded with a proud smile. "Ah, go, then. Enjoy your picnic," I said when Orihime went back to her original spot before I had come. "Take care," I waved my hand as I left them. I pretended to go straight back inside the castle, but I actually stopped in front of the gate and watched them leave with their awkwardness.

"They are making progress, Dear?" a familiar voice suddenly said. And I could see the maids already understood that the conversation would not be theirs to hear and left us.

I chuckled. "You know me better than I am. You know what I've just done."

My wife chuckled too and stepped forward. "You just could not stand seeing them that way, couldn't you?"

"There, exactly."

"And you let yourself do something ridiculous just to make them have the chance."

I laughed. "You always know, don't you?"

"They are not us, you know that."

"Oh, yes. Because I would take you to the most beautiful garden in this Heaven if I were him," I grinned.

"As if you had not done that back when you tried to propose me."

I laughed again. "And I took you to the palace to have the best dinner in my life."

"What did you say exactly again?" she asked without looking at me. I wondered if she just wanted to hear it again.

With a big smile, I took her hand and drew her closer to me, "'Dear my love, would you be my queen, go together with me through everything, and stay with me, ruling this entire Heaven forever?'" And I knew that she hadn't expected me to do the exact thing I had done long, long time ago when we was younger. "You're blushing," my grin replaced the serious expression I had tried to remake.

"Showing off," she said, still blushed.

"You know I love showing off," my grin grew even wider.

"Yes, and if you did not, maybe I would not have fallen in love with you."

"And only you, could honestly fall in love with someone like me," I put my finger on her chest and bowed a little to lessen the space between us.

She smiled, "Stop it, you do not have to say it again, do you?" She took my hand.

But I just wanted her to admit it. I just wanted her to admit it herself that I had never been someone who could easily be loved. And I always wanted to ensure her that she was the only one capable of doing it. I always wanted to know what she had really thought when we first had met. I hadn't felt what called 'love at the first sight' just like my daughter had. And maybe that was why I had never picked a husband for my daughter myself and force her to marry him. I didn't want to force her to love someone she didn't.

I sighed.

"Everything is going to be alright," the woman holding my hand ensured me.

I smiled. "See? Only you could do that to me."

She laughed with another 'stop it' as we walked in to the palace.

Today, I had a wedding party to arrange and it had to be as great as mi—no, ours. Or should have been it even greater? I started to imagine how it would feel.

Then a realization hit me.I guessed I still wasn't ready to feel the mixture of proud, happiness, and sadness I would feel on my daughter's wedding day.

She really had grown up without my permission.