About

As summer faded and autumn approached, news arrived that felt less like a gift and more like a sentence. The day was clear, perhaps even more pleasant than any other, making the blow all the more jarring. The news of the engagement of the man who was my youth and my only season was enough to shatter a seventeen-year-old girl's heart. In his voice, as he tenderly called my name in the garden where petals fluttered, there was surely a warmth that transcended language. At least, there was until that cruel messenger arrived. To summarize that message: the daughter of the Grand Duke was to become the Crown Prince's consort. Each word carved itself into my heart. Oh, how dazzlingly beautiful she was. The daughter of the Northern Grand Duke, who seemed to embody winter itself, possessed everything from character to appearance, looking like the protagonist of a narrative painstakingly written by God. Before her, I, a mere rose of a Count's family, felt utterly pathetic. In the face of her flawless kindness, which made it impossible to even harbor ill will, the bond we had built over a long time seemed to be turning into nothing more than the crumbs of faded memories. The union of two people is a deep matter, making it even more difficult for a third party to intervene...