A fated encounter can never be stopped. In the capital, a gathering for children under the age of five was held by the imperial palace to find friends for the imperial princess. All children were to attend the ball, except for Princess Andrea, who was excused due to her recent kidnapping. Eveline, the archduchess, and Rakhil, the young master of the dukedom, were special guests and highly respected. Eveline started the preparations three days before the party and taught Rakhil how to behave properly according to the imperial etiquette. Little Rakhil was never one to obey
On the day of the ball, Eveline and Rakhil arrived at the palace in their luxurious carriage, pulled by four horses. The ball was in the evening, and the children were all having fun running around freely without restraints. Rakhil was never interested in making friends, so he went near the sweet counter to pick his favorite sweets while Eveline went towards the other ladies. The ladies welcomed Eveline with all their heart as she was a highly respected figure. Soon there was music playing, and the Queen and Princess made their entry. Princess Fiyona looked absolutely cute in her silver dress that twinkled like the night stars in the sky. Every person at the ball looked at her in awe of her cuteness, while the only person who still had his eyes on the chocolates was Rakhil.
Rakhil soon caught the attention of Fiyona, just because he was ignoring her. Fiyona, a princess beloved by all and pampered by every person she ever met, was shocked by her first experience of being ignored. After the greetings were done, she confidently walked through the crowd to Rakhil, who still did not notice her.
"Ahem ahem!" She cleared her throat, hoping for him to notice her. But Little Duke had more important things on his mind than a girl whom he barely knew. She tapped his shoulder hard to get his attention. Rakhil turned to her, furrowed. His eyes had anger, and his small red lips were pouted, but they were covered with brown chocolate, and his face had whipping cream on it. Seeing Rakhil's messy face, Fiyona burst out laughing, "Hahaha! What is this on your face? Are you a beggar? Why are you eating so messily? Don't you know noble etiquette?" For Fiyona, it was the first time seeing someone who broke the rules in the imperial palace. Rakhil glared with his red ruby eyes and spoke, "Don't you dare make fun of me. I am a prince." Rakhil was still lacking in pronunciation as he still had teeth coming in.
"You are a prince?" Fiyona asked in confusion as she only knew one prince, her elder brother. "Yes, I am the archduchess's son," Rakhil spoke proudly. "Oh, I see then. I am higher in rank than you; I am the imperial princess," Fiyona said, proud of her own rank. "So?" Rakhil was not bothered by her status. "So? Huh! What do you mean by 'so'? Put your snacks down and greet me," Fiyona replied, now getting annoyed by his behavior.
"Ahh, is that it? Greeting, Princess," Rakhil greeted and continued eating his snacks. Other children were too afraid to approach the princess and prince who looked fierce while fighting, but in truth, Rakhil did not even want to bother speaking with Fiyona.
As Fiyona was getting redder with anger, she heard a voice in her head. It was the voice of a lady in her late teens. The voice spoke, "Calm down, baby, don't be angry. It's a day for you to find friends. How about you also enjoy snacks with him and chat like a normal person, forgetting etiquette for a while?" Unknowingly, Fiyona spoke aloud, "How can I do that? Isn't etiquette very important?" Hearing Fiyona speaking to the air, Rakhil's interest and curiosity piqued, but he still kept stuffing his mouth with snacks.
The mothers were in another room, allowing children to play and eat without being stared at or scolded. The nannies and maids were there to take care of them. Again, the voice spoke to Fiyona, "I don't think etiquette is more important than happiness and freedom." This time it was the voice of the same person, but aged ten or twelve. "You're right. I should live for my happiness, not by obeying etiquette made by others," Fiyona spoke aloud, clenching her fist.
Rakhil hurriedly placed the plates on the table and wiped his face with a tissue. He cleared his throat, "Ahem, Greetings to the moon shining brightly for the citizens. I am blessed to meet you." Fiyona was shocked by his sudden reaction and enthusiastic greeting. She stepped back, "What... do you want? Is there something you are scheming?" "No, my princess, I just want to know something important," Rakhil replied. "Important? Heh, sure, this benevolent princess will forgive your rudeness and tell you what I know," Fiyona smirked and proudly spoke.
"Well, my Princess, from a few weeks, I hear voices from something or someone I can't see," Rakhil spoke in a calm voice.