Petals of flowers fell gently… a clear blue sky above…
By a tall tree, the young little girl of the Bairol household sat, only eleven springs old, with wavy silver hair that gleamed as if woven from moonlight, styled simply yet elegantly… Her eyes were a captivating, dreamy violet, framed by thick lashes that covered half of them, and in her hand was a medium-sized blue notebook with a pen.
"Ah…"
Rylia sighed. "I finished it, finally… but… it seems it was worth a whole week of effort."
She smiled, calm and innocent.
Her gaze then shifted to a grand palace in the distance.
"The Imperial Palace still amazes me every time I see it, as if it's the first… Nothing compares to our home."
Her words were frank, yet utterly true—the Imperial Palace was one of the most beautiful and largest palaces in the world, with golden ornaments and a dark crimson color matching its immense grandeur.
"Anyway… seems there's still some time left…"
She frowned, disliking waiting and wasting time.
"Why did my father even bring me here?"
She muttered, though she had known the answer since childhood. Her parents, Count and Countess Bairol, always forced her to attend noble gatherings to strengthen ties with other noble children. Still, whenever Rylia attended such events, she secretly carried a small notebook and pen in her bag.
"But at least… here I can write freely, without anyone discovering me."
"How dare you, Regis!"
Suddenly, a harsh voice screamed—a maid.
"What is this?" Rylia said curiously, glancing over.
"What!!!"
She gasped, stunned at a scene she expected everywhere except the Imperial Palace.
A boy, no more than twelve, with deep forest-green eyes, dark skin of stunning beauty, and short jet-black hair, wore below-average clothes that didn't suit his face. He looked at the screaming maid with complete indifference, yet the coldness in his eyes made the atmosphere tense. In his hand, he held a cake that looked expensive and luxurious.
"As the Queen said, you don't belong here!!"
The maid stepped toward the boy to strike him, but before she could—
"What are you doing here?! Does this suit Imperial Palace servants?!"
Rylia stepped forward, shouting to stop the maid from harming the boy, named Regis.
"You… w-what… a-a-are you doing here!!"
The maid stammered, her voice trembling as she tried to suppress it. A scandal like this in the Imperial Palace would cause chaos.
"Step away from the child… and I won't tell anyone."
Rylia said firmly, her face filled with seriousness.
The maid clicked her tongue. "Fine… whoever you are!! But don't think you'll get away every time!"
She muttered angrily, then turned to leave.
"Ah… that was close…"
Rylia muttered in relief, then turned to the boy behind her. "Are you okay?"
"Why?" the boy asked coldly.
"Why what?"
"Why did you defend me?" he asked, furrowing his brows.
Rylia froze, unsure herself why, but seeing the boy almost getting hit reminded her of her writings, and she instinctively stepped forward to protect him.
"Answer me quickly!"
Regis cut through her thoughts, and she replied irritably:
"First, you should thank the one who saved you, before asking why!!"
She felt embarrassed for a moment, then added:
"And… I don't like seeing children get hurt…"
"Do you think I'll believe that?? No one in the world would do this… You want something in return, but don't raise your hopes. I have nothing… just a rejected prince, who is of no use to you."
He said sharply, carefully hiding a deep sorrow beneath.
"Fine, there's me, and I don't want anything from you." She said quickly, realizing only then: "Wait… did you say… the rejected prince, son of the former Empress!!"
Rylia shouted in surprise, and he looked at her with curiosity.
"What did you expect from a child stealing a cake in the Imperial Palace??"
Finally, Rylia understood, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at her own foolishness.
"Anyway… you still haven't answered my most important question!"
The boy reminded her of his question.
Rylia remained silent, unsure herself why she saved a random boy, not even knowing his identity.
"That's not important!! What matters is that I saved you!"
She said, changing the subject.
"Huh… strange."
Regis let out a hollow sigh, muttering under his breath.
"Rylia!!!"
A middle-aged man, with deep violet eyes and chocolate-brown hair, appeared.
"Father…"
Rylia replied in a gloomy tone.
"Why are you here, and not with the other children!! How many times have I told you that political relations should be built from childhood!"
He said, trying to hide his anger.
"Your account at home…" he added threateningly.
"I'm used to that…"
Rylia muttered softly, so no one could hear, but Regis overheard.
"What…"
Regis muttered, clearly surprised.
…
Count Bairol noticed Regis, bit his lip, and muttered in annoyance under his breath: "Damn it."
He grabbed his daughter's hand firmly and led her to the carriage, while Regis looked at Rylia's hand, which Bairol had held tightly—but for some reason, a tightness surged through Regis' chest that he could not understand.