The First Meeting, a Flashback

"Lady Eva, hewe is your puwse," Lorelei said, handing her the red purse she clutched in her tiny arms that reminded her of the sweet cherries she ate as snacks. The little girl, so frail and thin with long strawberry red hair was only two but is already being trained as a lady-in-waiting for the only daughter of the Farenas clan.

Eva stared at Lorelei. She was a cute girl herself, but she always felt insecure with her maid. She always made sure that Lorelei dressed badly to hide her appearance, especially when she would walk near her.

Lorelei would accept any cloth given to her since she used to have nothing--a slave from the Tuveran region covered in dirt, until she was saved by Sir Farenas. However, today is not a day where Eva would feel insecure about her appearance because only those who are invited to the grand banquet for the third birthday of the imperial crown prince were allowed to enter.

"I wonder how the crown prince would look like," Eva remarked, her face blushing. "The King is handsome, so I guess he'd be handsome too. What do you think?"

Lorelei cluelessly looked at her. "Lowee has no idea, but fow me you aww the most beautifuw!" the two-year old exclaimed, her bright green eyes glistening in the dark, with utmost sincerity peeking through her tiny shell.

"Very well," Eva said as she stood up and looked at herself one last time in the mirror that was way too big for a tiny three-year old girl." I will go now. I am counting on you to stay put. Promise me you would never let anyone see you."

"I pwomise!" Lorelei answered as she bowed. Eva was satisfied so she left her, shutting the door.

However, it's been three hours since the young lady left and still hasn't returned. Lorelei was growing impatient as she watched the fireflies three stories away from her as they flew and blinked, illuminating the roses of every color planted in the imperial garden.

Suddenly, a young boy sprinted rapidly as a dog ran behind it. To Lorelei, it looked like he was being chased and the dog didn't show any sign of stopping at any moment. Concerned, Lorelei hurriedly left the room, ran as fast as she could down the golden stairs with a red-carpet flooring, and she did not mind the way she tripped.

The only thing she had in mind was saving the poor boy from the dog.

Her nose was bleeding when she finally reached the ground, and she entered the rose garden to search for the boy.

However, the boy was running towards her, while the dog was nowhere to be seen. The two didn't have the length of the legs to evade each other and they ended up clashing.

The both of them were not hurt but Lorelei suffered more damage. Her frequent tripping from the stairs caused her little red nose to bleed. The little boy was concerned and was about to help her when suddenly,

"Aww you okay?" the little girl, who was clearly more hurt than he was, just asked him. He was fine and all, but the look on the face of the girl startled him.

The moonlight glimmered on her very skin, and not even the blood on her cheeks was able to hide her beauty (cuteness). The little girl was wearing a maid uniform completely different from what the imperial maids wore on their day-to-day lives.

Her green eyes resembled that of a gem, but they, for some reason shone more brightly than the finest crafted stones.

"I saw you bewing chased by a big dog" the little girl continued as she offered him a hand. The little boy took it and the both of them stood up. He looked at her eyes directly.

There was utter chaos in his young heart, it was almost the tiny organ wanted to leap out of his chest to offer itself to the girl before him. In her eyes he saw something pure, something ethereal,

Something

Lovely.

It was like he knew he met the person destined for him.

"Haaaa! The dog!" she yelled at the sight of the dog that approached them. However, even though she was cowering in fear, she stood in front of the boy, shielding him from what she thought was an imminent threat.

The dog turned out to be a young and cute puppy and it stopped running as it sat before them, wagging its tail.

Turns out, the dog she thought was a monster, was a cute puppy that belonged to the boy who was dumbfounded by her actions.

"Hahaha" the boy giggled as the girl went all red. But after a while, she also laughed at herself for doing something strange.

They sat at the bench in the middle of the garden.

"What is your name?" the boy asked her as he pet the puppy who now sat in his lap. He took out his white handkerchief and wiped the little girl's blood in her cheeks from her nose. The now clean face of the girl enchanted him, freezing his hand in place.

Just then, the little girl also took out a green handkerchief and wiped the face of the boy. "You sweated so much, you must have bwen tiwed."

The boy tried his best not to laugh at her inability to pronounce the letter 'R'.

The little boy looked at her again. "It's my birthday today, can I ask you to give me that handkerchief as a gift?"

"I don't think this hankie will be sufficient to give you on a vewy special day," she sadly said.

However, the boy took her hand and snatched the handkerchief away from her.

"That is not for you to decide," he said, his face blushing. "I really like it."

The girl also blushed at the sight of his handsome face. She couldn't say no or even protest because her heart was beating so loudly to the point that she feared he would hear it.

"Were you the one who made this embroidery?" he asked her, curiosity evident in his blue eyes. The green handkerchief was intricately designed with forget-me-not flowers with a bee that looked happy. It did not seem like the work of a professional, and it was evident that a kid made it, but to the boy, it looked beautiful.

Of all the gifts given to him, he liked the handkerchief the most.

"You never answered my question," he repeated. "What is your name?"

"My name is Lowewei," she said, blushing from ear to ear. She always hated her name because it always made her stutter whenever she introduces herself.

"Lorelei?" he asked. He understood. "I... Like it" he whispered, but the girl didn't hear him.

"Yes!" the little girl's eyes widened in surprise and happiness, since it was the first time someone got her name correctly in an instant. "How about you? What is youw name?"

"I am Aar- er- I am Eros," the boy lied, afraid that if she realizes his identity, she will treat him differently. However, as a courtesy, he took her hand, bowed, and kissed it.

Lorelei was so shocked she leapt out of the bench, but still she managed to pull herself together. Eros looked at her again, the fireflies illuminating his eyes. The same was happening to Lorelei, and the two of them looked around.

"It's strange," he said, clutching the handkerchief he received tightly, returning her hand to her. "The moon seems to shine more beautiful tonight. The garden too."

Lorelei reached out her hands and a firefly wandered in it. She looked so happy and her face lit up.

That was all it took for Eros Aaron (Eros) to be enthralled. He suddenly touched his chest, seemingly in pain, and Lorelei let go of the firefly to reach him.

The sight was so beautiful it hurt him.

"Ewos? Ewossss" Lorelei cried. "Ewos"

"I'm okay," he replied. "Don't worry about me."

Suddenly, the clock tower started ringing and Lorelei remembered the promise she made with Eva.

"Oh no," she cried.

"What's the matter?" Eros asked.

"I have to go back now!" she exclaimed and started running. However, Eros caught her hand.

"Why?" he asked again.

"My lady will be back soon," she said. "I cannot be seen by people!" she said, tears started forming in her eyes. Eros was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"My lady doesn't like people to see me because I am hideous, she said it is a cuwse for their eyes," she paused. "Oh no, you have seen me, now youw eyes will be huwt! I apologize!" she kneeled.

Eros lowered himself and directed her gaze at him. "You are not ugly, and do my eyes look like they are hurt?"

Lorelei looked at him. He was the first person to look at him directly, and there was no hint of disgust in his face. Her tears welled up and she ran as fast as she could out of panic, abandoning Aaron and the cute puppy by his side.

"Don't go!" He screamed, but she was far too gone to hear his words. "I haven't even asked you where you live."

The puppy whined beside him and he looked down to pet him.

"Do you think I'll see her again?" he asked the dog, but the little creature could only lick his hands in return.

"Your Majesty," a servant dressed as a butler entered the garden and bowed before him. "The King and Queen requests your presence."

"Very well," he said, and left the garden.

His beautiful night was made even more beautiful by the friend he just met, but as he walked on the grand banquet again, he was welcomed by people who only looked at him because he was the crown prince.

'Hundreds of people's attention are on me, but none of them matter if your gaze isn't directed at me' he thought and just continued with the night, hoping to see the girl again.