The prickly, sickly young duke Adrian, and the brave, sociable country girl Olivia.
Their first meeting was a disaster.
“Filthy.”
But Olivia wasn’t discouraged. She sought out the boy hiding behind the window every single day to say hello. Even when he ignored her, she kept coming back.
“I didn’t even give you a job. What are you thanking me for?”
“But you didn’t say no, so it’s basically a yes!”
“…”
He used to get annoyed and call her impossible to talk to. But before he knew it, he was swept up in her bizarre logic. Slowly, he let his guard down.
“Who’s she?”
“Why do you care?”
“Just curious. You look close.”
“Yeah. She’s my friend.”
Adrian declared her his friend without hesitation, even in front of noble guests from the Capital. But after those guests left, Olivia strangely began to avoid him.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then why do you keep avoiding me?”
The boy’s eyes were red. Even so, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth. The guests had mocked her behind his back, saying she wasn’t fit to associate with Adrian.
“What does it matter? You might be fine with them insulting you, but I’m not.”
Olivia tried to pull away. Adrian didn’t hide his hurt, snapping right back at her.
“Come out. We’re late for our walk.”
“Ah, but…”
“But nothing. You’re my companion, not my mother’s.”
He seemed selfish, but in truth, he paid attention to her every moment. That winter, two people from completely different worlds slowly left their mark on each other.
Then one day, Adrian left for the Capital without a goodbye. They both sent letters wanting to reconcile. Not a single one reached the other.
Seven years later, a fully grown Olivia returned to her hometown by chance. There, she ran into that prickly boy again.
Olivia considered those days her brightest memory. She suggested they go back to being “good friends” like before. But…
“Friends? Do you think I spent all this time looking for you just to be friends?”`
The man, who could no longer be called a boy, flashed a crooked smile.
