Hi beloveds! Small break from Of Princesses and Princes. The context behind this idea was influenced by a Durarara! comic, and a little bit of Koe no Katachi just so you know. I will provide context at the end of the story!

It happened by chance. It seemed like fate had brought them together. Three simple events was all it took.

Their first event was calm.

It started with an invitation from the Moon Kingdom.

"Now girls, we have been invited by the Moon Kingdom to attend a party." The two girls looked up at their mother, glee on their faces. She let out a small laugh. "I know you two are excited. It's been quite a long time since your last party hm?" The girls nodded excitedly. "Well, this party is to help Prince Shade choose a suitable consort." At this, the two girl's reactions diverged.

One smiled wider, already wondering what to wear. "I'm going to choose a dress!" With that, she left the room.

The other, well, she was still excited about meeting her other friends.

"Oh dear, don't look so down Rein." Their mother said, giving the blunette another pat.

"But I don't want to be set up with someone I don't love!" The little blunette replied, arms crossed. "I want to marry the person I love!" Another laugh escaped their mother's lips.

"It would be rude not to show up. This invitation is specifically aimed towards the princesses of each kingdom." She said. She uncrossed her arms, but her pout remained. "It would make your sister happy. You know, if you're lucky, maybe you will meet your prince charming there." With that, her eyes lit up, her previous feelings gone.

"Really?"

"Really." With that, Rein dashed out of the room herself in search of her sister. The ball arrived in the blink of an eye.

The two girls excitedly rode to the party, wide smiles on their faces. They were both excited to meet the potential love of their life. The two girls dashed in, and quickly split up the minute they entered the door.

The red head found her goal first. The prince was everything she dreamed he would be. A calm appearance, with a mysterious aura. A blank expression that held a million mysteries. She didn't want to call it love yet, but he was breathtaking.

"Good evening. My name is Princess Fine of the Sunny Kingdom." Fine said, keeping her head down to hide her embarrassment. When she looked up, she saw a small smile on his face.

"Welcome, Princess Fine."

The blunette on the other hand, was having trouble seeking one who matched the description. She wondered if her standards were too high, but brushed it aside. It was what her mind was telling her after all. Her chance meeting happened when she was about to give up her search. She spotted him. A gentle expression, with kind eyes and an aura that seemed to put anyone at peace. Her heart raced, but that didn't stop her from approaching him.

She was surprised to see her sister there too.

"Oh, Rein! This is Prince Bright. I met Prince Shade, and he introduced me to him. They're good friends it seems." The blunette just stared at him, her eyes sparkling with delight. He gave her a soft smile, and Rein was sure she would collapse right there.

"Good evening, Princess Rein." He said calmly. Rein felt her heart speed up, but she didn't look away. She felt disappointed when someone interrupted the moment.

"Who is this?" Her eyes left her prince charming for a moment, meeting a pair of dark blue eyes. For a moment, she felt lost, like there was over a million things hidden behind them.

"My sister, Princess Rein." Fine replied. Rein gave a small nod, before turning back to Prince Bright, her eyes slightly lingering on him. Shade on the other hand, did not look away. The conversation continued in idle chatter, until the prince of the Moon Kingdom asked a question. "What do you two think of the party?"

"I didn't think you would approve. You seem like a 'I fall in love with time' kind of guy." The prince gave him a hard glare.

"I'm not sappy."

"Whatever you say." Shade rolled his eyes before turning to Rein.

"It's really extravagant. It's so bright and cheerful."

"I thought so too. But it's hard to reject my mother."

"I think the food is the best!" The three turned to the red head, who seemed to be eyeing the food table they stood next to. "Everything is great, I would love to see dessert." Bright let out a small chuckle, and Rein felt her heart skip a beat. "A seven layered cake or a tower of treats would be perfect!" Rein stared at Bright, his laughter not ceasing. He blush only increased.

"Are you sure you should eat that much? You might need a new dress-" Rein quickly stomped on his foot with the heel of her shoe.

"She can do whatever she wants." Rein hissed. Shade let out a small whimper as he crouched down and massaged his foot.

"I'm going to get some drinks." He said before trudging off. Rein crossed her arms before turning back to Bright and Fine, who seemed to have already gone back to conversing.

"My sister is a good cook you know. Maybe I can ask her to bring you something."

"I would love that! What can she bake?" Fine asked.

"I'd love it if she could bake strawberry cake." Rein added with a smile.

"She can bake just about anything." Bright replied, not even glancing at Rein. For a moment, Rein felt a small jab in her heart, but brushed it off.

"I want everything then!" A laugh escaped Bright's lips, and Fine was left to her imagining. A more noticeable jab hit her heart, and she understood that she wasn't really needed in this conversation.

She stared at her feet awkwardly before looking up and loudly saying, "I'm going to the dance floor. Join me whenever you feel up to it." She waved goodbye at her sister, but felt her heart sink when Bright half heartedly waved as well.

Even though she had just met him, she already felt a little heartbroken. Love at first sight was tough. With that, the blunette was left to wander the crowds again. She wasn't in the mood to dance, nor was she in the mood to socialize. Instead, she entered an empty hall, happy to find a balcony. Gently, she pushed open the doors, only to be hit by a strong gust of wind.

Her eyes gazed at the sky in amazement. Stars dotted the sky in all shapes and colors, the moon shining brightly next to them. It was a scene she would have never seen in the Sunny Kingdom.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" A voice asked, startling her. She quickly turned around to see Shade, striding towards her with two drinks in hand.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I saw you run off. Seems you felt left out too huh." Rein sighed, staring at the sandy ground below the balcony. The two royals stood in silence for a while, before the prince spoke again.

"Did you know? 'The moon is beautiful, isn't it' has another meaning." Rein asked in the silence. She turned towards the prince, and understood why she seemed so taken in with his eyes. They were the perfect color for the stars.

"Does it mean something else?" The prince asked, leaning his back on the railing while staring at the moon.

"It seems an author was trying to figure out the best way to translate 'I love you' to his language. That was the result he came up with. Romantic, huh?" Rein said as she stared at the moon herself. She heard a small chuckle escape his lips.

"I've read plenty of romance novels in my life. Never have I heard that before." It was Rein's turn to laugh.

"Guess you haven't read enough then." Shade gave her a slight shove, and the two spent the rest of in the pleasure of each other's company.

The second event occurred like a storm.

The party ended unsuccessful. Prince Shade was unable to find a suitable consort. Instead he found a good friend.

Princess Rein, out of curiosity, frequented his castle often. "Why do you always come over?" He finally asked.

"Because this is the only place where I can see the stars this clearly." Rein replied. That was how they had spent their days. In the pleasure of each other's company.

Shade taught her all kinds of things, while in return, Rein told him all kinds of facts she learned from books. They grew close. So close, to the point where it was like Rein lived in the Moon Kingdom.

It was after six months had passed that Rein finally received her first kiss.

She was invited to the castle, something which rarely occurred. The devious prince took her for a ride on his pet, before stopping before a star shaped lake after sunset.

"I knew you'd like it." Shade said as he watched her happy face. He approached her, and watched as she dipped her hand in the water. The entire lake was glowing, and Rein never felt more appreciative of the sky than this. Slowly, Shade approached her, and took a seat.

"Thank you." Rein whispered as she turned to the prince. "Thank you for everything." Unable to contain it anymore, the prince slowly leaned forward, capturing the puzzled princess's lips. Slowly, he leaned back, watching her expression unravel. "Wha..." He took her hand, and stared at the sky.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" For a moment, Rein froze. After a couple more seconds passed, she began to shed tears.

"Yes. It really is." She sobbed as she squeezed his hand. Shade sighed, pulling her into a small embrace.

With that, the two began their unusual relationship. They were more than friends, but less than lovers. Shade was more than happy to name Rein as his consort, but Rein was still unsure of how she truly felt. The queen was more than happy to welcome her into the family.

However, after a year, tragedy struck.

The queen was murdered. The results seemed to reveal that she was poisoned.

"Arrest him!" The prince angrily ordered as he pointed towards the culprit. "He killed the queen!"

"You have no proof!" An old man shouted back.

"You may say that, Prime Minister, but these bottles say otherwise. They were found in your room." The prince replied, his voice dangerously low. "You will be executed within the year."

"Don't think this is the last you have seen of me. I will return, and that throne will be empty when I do!" Shade's glare only got darker as the Prime Minister was dragged away. Once that was settled, Shade walked towards his room, one hand clenched in anger, the other covering his eyes. Rein immediately followed after him. She took him by the hand, calming his clenched fist.

The two slowly walked to his room. When they opened the door, Rein led him to the bed and sat before him. "You know, I discovered something interesting the other day." Rein began, stroking his hand with hers. "I discovered that there was another author who attempted to translate I love you to his own language." The two sat in silence, until Shade finally spoke up.

"What did he say?" Rein looked up at him, and gave him a sad smile of her own. She reached up to his cheek, and wiped some of his tears before telling him.

The third event...

"I would like to thank you all for coming to this party to celebrate my coronation." Shade announced. "I would like to thank all of you for supporting me, even after my mother's recent passing. I will not disappoint, and I will make sure this kingdom thrives, no matter what it takes. I would be grateful if all of you could help me along the way!" A cheer roared across the party. He stepped down from the thrown and into the crowd, greeting people left and right.

While Rein wanted to congratulate him the most, she couldn't bring herself to break through the crowd. She was extremely happy however, that Shade finally got what he wanted.

"I'm so happy for you Rein!" Fine's sister said as she hugged her. Rein laughed and hugged her back.

"Thanks sis." Rein wanted to burst into tears. "I'm still so nervous."

"The wedding is in a month! You have a lot of time to keep composed!" Fine laughed. Rein frowned before giving her sister a small shove.

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Fine let out a laugh once more before finally releasing her sister.

"Well, I must return to my date. He may not mind, but I still feel bad about making Prince Bright wait."

"You still call him Prince Bright hm?" Rein smirked.

"W-Well!" Fine replied with a furious blush. "Things are slow going okay! See you soon sis. I'm looking forward to the wedding."

Rein waved goodbye, and turned around, making sure to keep a distance from the growing crowd. She stood by the wall, waiting for the crowd to clear so she could personally congratulate Shade herself. As she surveyed the area, she caught a glimpse of something suspicious.

A servant dressed in all black pour something into a drink. At first, she thought nothing of it, but when he started heading towards the growing crowd, Rein grew worried. Quickly, she approached the crowd, trying not to lose sight of the suspicious man. For a moment, when she had entered the crowd that swarmed Shade, she did lose track of him. She somehow managed to emerge in the center of the crowd just in time to see Shade take the cup from the servant.

"Rein!" Shade said excitedly once he caught a glimpse of her. "How could I forget. I have one more announcement to make." He held out his hand towards Rein, which Rein hesitantly took, eyeing the drink in his hand. Slowly, he lead her back towards the throne, a small smile on his face. "This woman here has taught me so many things. She is the light and love of my life, and I could never hope to deserve her more. In fact, I probably wouldn't even be here if she hadn't been there for me. I would like to give a toast to my future bride! Princess Rein of the Sunny Kingdom!" The crowd cheered again, and Rein watched as Shade brought the glass closer to his lips.

In a swift movement, she took the cup from his hand and drank all of its contents. "Long live the king!" She shouted as she held up the glass. Shade chuckled before giving her a kiss on the forehead and leading her back towards the people. Rein happily greeted everyone who gave her congratulations and cheers. However, she realized how much harder it was trying to stay standing.

"Shade, I need to go outside for a moment. Would it be alright...?" Shade nodded, leading her to the nearby balcony. She walked towards the rails for support and stared at the sky, noticing her vision getting hazy.

"This is it. Where it all began for us." Shade commented as he stared at the moon. "Who would have thought that the first thing I said to you would end up meaning so much more?" Rein let out a strained chuckle, but it came out as a cough. She collapsed to the ground a few moments afterwards, coughing up blood. "Rein!"

"So... it was... poison...haha..." Rein rasped out. Her entire body was burning, and her vision was blurry. She could barely make out Shade's face.

"A doctor! Someone bring me a doctor!" Shade shouted. Rein wasn't sure what happened after he shouted that. All she could see was Shade, his expression pained. "Rein, please hang on!" Rein coughed up a little more blood before placing her hand on Shade's face. "Where is the doctor?!" Shade's voice felt distant, and all she could see in her vision by now was the giant moon in the sky.

"Moon..." She breathed.

"The moon..." She was barely able to hear, but could hear his shaky voice nonetheless. "is beautiful, isn't it?" She felt something wet on her face, and wondered for a moment whether it was her tears or his.

"I... can die... for you..." Those were the last words she breathed.

The third event separated these two forever.

Some fun trivia!

ALRIGHT, so this one Japanese author named Natsume Soseki translated the english 'I love you' to 'the moon is beautiful, isn't it' because it was uncommon to directly say I love you back then in Japan. Then there was another Japanese translator who translated the Russian 'I love you' to 'I can die for you' because of the same reason, and I honestly thought it was extremely sweet. (Plus that DRRR comic gave me feels about it.)

Koe no Katachi is where I discovered the 'the moon is beautiful' because a translator implied that it was alluded too, but I'm unsure and so is the translator.

Anyways, this definitely didn't turn out how I wanted but I don't even know what I wanted so this is what you get. Love you guys!