"Why? What do you want from me? Why put me through all this? Just stop it already! What did I ever do to deserve this? Why me of all people?
No answer. The only thing "he" could see was the faint reflection of an unsheathed sword.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he said as the blade descended upon his unguarded body.
*****
Leo lazily opened his eyes to a day no different from any other.
Another one, the boy thought as he acknowledged the nightmare with a completely unknown cast. While this was a common occurrence, he couldn't help but feel annoyed at how his sleep had been disturbed. That, and he had push through yet another uneventful day.
At only 14 years old, the young boy already took it upon himself to let everyone around him know that life was just a samsara of uneventful days, with nothing new to make him feel alive. The only change he liked to acknowledge regarded his height as he felt somewhat self-conscious that his best friend was the same height as him. He found it unfair that a girl could compare herself with the young noble in both stature and strength even if she was only one year older.
Regardless, another boring day started for Leonard Leopold. A day he expected would be so monotonous that he didn't even consider leaving his bed. Instead, he shut his eyes and rolled over to the other side. That was when the young man felt a faint, unfamiliar smell.
Lavender? No, that's my bedsheet, the boy acknowledged. But what could have such a strong floral smell? And how did the air in the mansion get so hot and humid?
Overwhelmed by curiosity, Leo slowly opened his eyes again to something he could not clearly understand at first glance.
There, at the side of the bed, just a couple of centimeters away from his face, a young girl stood, staring into his eyes. The girl was around his age—but her innocent beauty and elegant clothes were a dead giveaway at the position she held within the small country of Rema.
Her pink dress was one that no common folk could get their hands on. The delicate, wavy model complemented her hair to a T. The necklace she was wearing was a gift she had gotten from Leo a year ago that she had been refusing to take off since. Her usually pink cheeks had a red hue that gave away the fact she was not prepared for the sudden roll Leo performed.
After noticing her slightly flustered yet undoubtedly pretty face, Leo opened his eyes wide and stood up before the girl could even open her mouth.
"Slept enough yet? Your Highness."
The irony in the soft voice of the princess, who spoke to him while playing with her hair of a brown tint, almost identical to Leo's, got the young boy to straighten his posture before he could think straight.
"Giulia? What do you want so early in the morning?"
"Morning? The sun is high in the sky! How long were you planning to sleep?" the girl asked, her flustered expression slowly turning into a pouting one.
"How long? …Ahhhh… Not long enough…"
The snarky response given by the boy was not one that would help him out of the current situation. He felt a surprisingly strong palm grip his wrist and start pulling with enough vigor to drag him out of bed and onto the cold floor.
"What is wrong with you? I could have gotten hurt, you know? How are you going to drop somebody on the floor and call yourself their friend?"
But the boy received no answer; instead, the girl named Giulia let out a small laugh, put her hands on his shoulders as if to show empathy, and started playing with his short, somewhat wavy hair.
"That won't do. There's no way I am letting you go out of the house like this."
"…Out?"
"Come on! Get yourself changed into something good-looking! Call me when you're ready, and I will take care of your hair. I will be waiting outside."
With no viable way of refusing the orders given by the youngest daughter of the Emperor of Rema, the boy put on his best shirt and picked a fitting green robe. He decided to skip the popular manly skirt and instead went for a pair of puffy, oversized shorts his father had gifted him a long time ago. It was the first time he felt like the pants fit well enough to be worn. He was proud of how much he had been growing lately.
After changing into his traditional renaissance attire, he had the girl come in with a comb and take care of his hairstyle, making sure that it complemented his sharp facial features.
"Good enough, let's go!" Giulia said while dragging Leo, who missed the short time window he had to form a thought.
As they were exiting the mansion, in front of them appeared a fine woman with a body and a face that would take away the breath of any noble in the country. She waited there, dignified, and gave a serious look to the girl who was running away with her boy.
"Miss Isabella, I am taking Leo to the city today!" the girl informed her with a bow.
The stoic expression of the lady quickly turned into a smile. She did not mind the boldness of the girl. If anything, she had gotten used to it a long time ago.
"Come on, Mama, stop her!"
"Oh? But why would I? It is about time you went out for a walk… after sleeping for half a day. Princess Giulia, please take care of my boy," the lady said, grabbing her dress above the hem and giving a deep bow.
"Of course!"
"Mama…"
And thus, Leo was taken, against his will, to Merlobasso—the capital of Rema.
Dealing with the spoiled princess who seemed to get a thrill out of bothering him as often as she could was just another one of his daily struggles. It was a boring life that Leo often complained about—the daily life of a young noble who had nothing to do but study, learn the ways of the sword, practice spells, and play with the most beautiful princess of the country. He would often call it a life that offered nothing to be happy about.
*****
On that warm summer day, the sun complemented the pink hue of Giulia's dress and blended it perfectly with the color of her cheeks.
As far as Leo was concerned, the coif she wore seemed like an odd choice; it did a good job protecting her from the sun, yet he couldn't help but feel annoyed at how it hid her beauty. He did his best to look good as to not drag down the image of the princess in case the people looking at them got the wrong impression, yet why didn't she do the same? But then again, keeping her true identity hidden while walking down the street was better than having people recognize her and stop them for a chat.
Neither Leo nor Giulia had ever known danger in their time spent in Rema. Why would they? The whole city was filled with hardworking, respectable people. Everyone had everything they needed to get by. Hence, there was no need to prey on others.
Such was the way of a perfect capital. There weren't even a lot of people who would recognize the noble or the princess, as it mattered little who was leading a country that had been prosperous for as long as they could remember. Life in Rema had been stable for the longest time.
Even so, today's walk did include some familiar faces.
"Oh, young mister Leo! How is it going?"
"Giovanni? It's been a while! How is the store?"
The middle-aged man they met on the street laughed as he was arranging his mustache. "Same old, same old. Who is the lady?"
"Oh? Just a friend. That aside, look at this!" Leo made a throwing motion at the man, and all of a sudden, the water from a nearby fountain flew to the almost empty glass that Giovanni was holding.
"It's hot today; don't forget to drink enough water! Who knows when those old bones of yours may dry out and turn to dust?"
"Haha. I see you've been practicing! Keep at it! But, boy… I don't think the lady is happy with the way you presented her…"
Leo, confused by the remark of the man, looked at Giulia, who kept walking next to him. No, he looked at Giulia, who had stopped a couple of steps ago without him noticing.
"I think somebody is going to regret his words soon. Young lord, do you know what to do in such a situation?"
"Huh? Did I do anything wrong?" the boy protested, looking at the soon-to-turn-red face of the missus.
"Now you are digging yourself even deeper! You know, even on the hottest days, the hand of a lady is still ice-cold. It is the duty of a man to warm her."
"Ha? Old man, we are not like that… I mean…"
"Time's up, boy; she's comin' for ya."
The boy had no time to react when the annoyed girl suddenly took his hand and dragged him away without saying a word. Giovanni, left behind to tend to his store, sat on a chair and laughed while taking a sip of the water delivered to him by the magical prodigy.
"You may be good with that magic of yours, but you still have a long way to go with the ladies!"
"Giovanni! Don't just stand there! Help me calm her down!"
"That's on you, Leo! That's all on you!"
Thus, the boy was taken away by force. He didn't know where they were going, but he at least understood that he didn't have a say in the matter anymore. Of course, that didn't stop him from complaining all the while he was being dragged away.