It was a Sunday, on the way home from church. Silvio of the Fontana family had gone into town on horseback with a group of boys his age. They were all old, close friends.

Usually, they got along very well. But now, the boys were trying to pry into each other’s hearts.

Silvio stifled a laugh and listened to the exchange between the three childhood friends.

“You’re so fucking stupid. You sent her a letter, didn’t you? I heard the maid talking.”

“You gave her money to talk.”

“How was the reply?”

“I haven’t received a reply yet.”

“Liar. The maid said she returned the letter.”

“I heard that you gave her a lace fan. The maid told me.”

“Did you also let her grab your money?”

“So, what’s the response?”

“Nothing much.”

“The f*ck is nothing much; explain clearly!”

Silvio chuckled behind their backs as the three of them earnestly discussed. His father called a distant relative’s daughter from their territory the other day.

She was a sixteen-year-old girl known for her outstanding beauty since she was a child.

The men of the family – mainly the younger ones – were completely enamoured by her beauty. The girl had been the talk of the town for some time now.

“Thanks to your allowance, her maid is making a fortune, isn’t she?” Silvio snorted in response.

His companions grumbled.

“I can afford it. You mean the heir to the head of the Fontana family could win if he wanted to?”

“No way.”

Suddenly the topic was directed at Silvio, and he shrugged his shoulders.

In the first place, she was a girl summoned to meet the King, or Crown Prince, to unite them. All the grown men understood that messing with such a person could get one into trouble.

But the boys, all of whom are around fifteen like Silvio, were all taken aback by the sudden appearance of a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl. Without thinking of the consequences, they were in love with her.

(However, she doesn’t seem to be taking any notice of them at all….)

It was only natural. Silvio’s father had made it clear. His friends were not happy with Silvio’s attitude, even though it seemed logical.

“You must be out of your mind to look at such a beautiful person and not think anything of it.”

He laughed lightly at the accusation.

“I’m just distinguishing whom I’m allowed to like and who I’m not. You’re the ones who are out of your minds if you can’t even see that.”

“Because I am the son of the head of the family, I know restraint. I will properly assess my partner and make a beneficial union for the House. I won’t lose myself* just because of a pretty face. Unlike you guys.”

*Silvio says ‘deboned,’ which means to lose oneself as bones are considered the foundation.

“That’s right!”

He closed one eye and his friends fist bumped each other from horseback pretentiously. They laughed it off and galloped with their horses. Silvio and his friends were trotting through the streets, jostling each other as usual when suddenly there was a bang as if something had fallen over. At the same time, people screamed. Together with his friends, he looked in that direction.

“What?”

If one looked closely, one could see that a carriage was stuck behind a crowd of people. One of the wheels had come off, and it seemed to be leaning heavily.

“That’s….”

One of his companions groaned. No wonder. The back of the carriage was adorned with a familiar family crest. A large rose, blooming in all its magnificence.

“That’s the Leveaux family carriage…..”

“────”

Silvio ventured closer to it after a moment of contemplation at the sound of his disgusted companion’s voice. A man of stature would use a horse to get around. It was usually women, children, or the elderly who rode in horse-drawn carriages.

“Hey …!”

“Don’t, don’t get involved.”

He dismounted from his horse, heeding that warning from behind. He jumped down from his horse to the tilting carriage. He first inspected the inside through the window, which had come loose from its clasp and was open.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

As he peered through the fluttering curtains, daylight streamed in with him, brightly illuminating the figures inside.

Poof, Silvio gasped as he caught sight of the person the light shone on.

“──────….”

A girl younger than himself looked up at him with an anxious expression. She wore a modest dress of pale colour, perhaps on her way home from Sunday service. Aside from her innocent beauty, her hazel eyes, which shone earnestly, grabbed hold of his heart without relenting. It was impossible to take his eyes off her as she looked at him, her eyelashes quivering slightly. With sweet admiration, he watched as her eyes, so wide they looked as if they were about to burst into tears, gradually became hot and flushed – her porcelain-white skin turned a pale colour, and her petal-like lips opened vulnerably.

“Silvio, what’s going on? What’s going on inside?”

The voices of his companions fell on deaf ears.

“──────….”

He was rendered speechless and continued to stare at the other.

(Is there such a lovely girl in this world? …)

Silvio knew that the arrow of love had deeply shot him at this moment.

(She’s like an angel….!)

He had to retract the words he had said to his friends just a few minutes ago. Silvio did not have the time to contemplate whether he liked her or not. True love, he realised, had captured his heart. It was madness.

(My God, …)

As he revelled in the happy thrill of the world being reshaped, he also understood that he was entrapped by a fate from which he could not escape.

(I can’t believe I’m with someone who is the daughter of the Leveaux family…)

For love to come to fruition, they must overcome great barriers. While his rational mind was already beginning to wrap itself around such a reality, his heart was floating with happiness to the point of stupefaction. But if there were a future with this girl beyond the anguish, he would be able to endure any hardship. With such optimistic confidence, Silvio stretched out his hand towards the carriage. The girl’s hand, which was held out to him, was strong despite her slender appearance, and he gripped it back.