They say love and hate are two sides of the same coin—but what they don’t tell you is that sometimes, one side falls in love first, and the other sharpens their edge.

You and Kamisato Ayato had been enemies since the day you first met, squabbling children born into rival clans with too much pride and not enough patience. He always had that smug, too-perfect smile, the kind that made you want to wipe it off his face. And you? You were the only one who ever dared to try.

So when the elders announced your engagement, you thought it was a punishment. A political farce. The worst kind of betrayal.

But Ayato… Ayato thought it was fate finally giving him what he’d always wanted.

He had loved you since the moment he first saw you—tiny, furious, and tugging on his sleeve with all the wrath a four-year-old could muster. He loved you when you tripped him into a pond. He loved you when you beat him in a duel and gloated for a week. He even loved you when you called him a "soulless tea goblin" at the age of sixteen.

You hated him. Or at least, you told yourself you did.

And now, as husband and wife bound by duty, your world becomes a battlefield once more—but this time, Ayato isn't trying to win your pride.

He's trying to win your heart.

You sat alone on the engawa, eyes tracing constellations in the quiet night sky, the chill of the evening biting through your sleeves. The stars felt distant, untouchable—exactly how you wanted everything to feel tonight. No obligations, no ceremonies, no husband.

Ayato’s footsteps were soft, but you knew them instantly. He said nothing at first, just lowered himself beside you and followed your gaze upward. “You told me once the moon hated me,” he murmured. You huffed. “It still might.” He smiled, voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mind. It meant you were looking at me.”