A young boy with soft cheeks, a mess of green hair, and sparkling yellow eyes was running through a garden. It was Frederick in his younger years when he was ten years old.
"Teresa?! Where are you?"
Frederick looked around in confusion. There were big hedges and trees but not a single person.
"Boo!"
"Waaah~"
Fredrick fumbled to the well-trimmed grass, landing flat on his rear. He looked up, half-pouting and half-happy.
A young girl was cheerfully laughing at her prank. Her deep teal hair was tied into twin-tails, her light brown eyes were fixed on Frederick, and her smile showed two adorable dimples.
Teresa, the girl Frederick loved the most. But also the cause of his grief and anger.
"You lost, Frederick!" Teresa said with her finger pointed in a victory pose. Her exaggerated movements with her small figure made her even more adorable to Frederick.
"Teresa, how often do I have to tell you not to disappear? I was worried about you."
Frederick patted the dirt off his bum and scolded Teresa lightly. He had been looking for her all over, only to be tricked.
"Sorry, Frederick. But it's fun playing with you."
Her words made Frederick blush a deep shade of red. He had been in love with her ever since they met.
It was back when Frederick was a mere seven years old. He attended a gathering of nobles in the western region with his family.
Every noble and their children were in attendance because a member of the royal family was inspecting the region.
Outside on the balcony, Frederick ran into a small girl. She was dressed in a turquoise dress with frills, looking like a blooming flower.
The girl, Teresa Amerose, introduced herself as the daughter of the Amerose Baron. The two chatted for a long time and played games together. The two grew closer and more comfortable with one another.
For Frederick, Teresa's soothing presence made him feel happy, and he was glad to have been dragged here by his family.
From then on, he's tried to meet with her at every chance. His aunt, Ivanka, usually smiled at the puppy love he had toward Teresa while watching over them as they played.
Today was another gathering of nobles to welcome a guest from the northern region. Frederick had run into Teresa, who told him to meet her in the garden where she hid and waited.
"It's fine if you understand. I'm just worried you might disappear for real." Frederick mumbled shyly.
"What did you say?" Teresa looked at Frederick with her innocent eyes. She could not hear his words.
"It's nothing!"
Sweat rolled down Frederick's brow. In the past years, he was too scared of confessing his feelings. He didn't want to scare her away or ruin this friendship they had built.
But there was one other reason why Frederick was holding back on his feelings.
"Hmmm, ok. Tell me if there's anything I can do to help!" Teresa poofed her cheeks.
"Definitely!" The young Frederick lied. This was one thing he couldn't tell her.
Teresa grabbed Frederick's hand, making him blush more.
"Let's go see Gilbert! I haven't seen him in a while~" Teresa softly whined with a slight red glow on her cheeks.
Frederick's face lost its red flush, replacing it with a bitter smile as his face fell. This was the one reason he could not confess.
Teresa was in love with Gilbert, not him.
Frederick followed after Teresa, who ran with brisk and springy steps with anticipation in her eyes. He was the complete opposite, with a sad face, but he remained slightly behind Teresa to hide his sorrow.
"Gilbert!~" Teresa called out to a skinny boy with slightly sunken cheeks.
Gilbert Lockwood had blue hair and blue eyes, but he was almost all skin and bones. Every few moments, he'd let out a slight cough. His face was covered with makeup to hide his paleness.
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"Teresa. Frederick. I'm glad to see you two." Gilbert said softly with a small smile.
"I was worried your family would make you stay behind. I'm glad you're here. I wanted to see you." Teresa said with bright red cheeks.
"My family wouldn't risk leaving me behind if someone tries to bring up the fact they didn't bring all of their children."
For big events like this, nobles were obligated to bring all children to pay their respects—even the unwanted legitimate children like Gilbert. Not doing so would suggest a form of disrespect.
Gilbert sighed depressingly, knowing he was out here only because of the family's duty rather than their love for him.
"Nevermind that. Here's some tonic I had specially made for you. You'll feel warm and energized after drinking it." Teresa softly spoke as she pulled out a small bottle.
Gilbert's face slowly distorted as Frederick chuckled. Teresa's tonic was the worst of all medicines that made anyone gag. Gilbert quickly thanked Teresa and took the bottle, stowing it away. Before Teresa could say anything, he switched his attention to Frederick.
"Hello, Frederick. It's nice to see you again. How's your aunt?" Gilbert greeted Frederick.
"Good to see you as well, Gilbert. My aunt is working hard in the Blue Ocean Pavilion. She's in the Inner Hall and almost on her way to Knight Exalt." Frederick smiled back, but he felt dispirited inside. Seeing Teresa's affection for Gilbert made him upset.
"Knight Exalt! That's so cool." Gilbert's dull eyes lit up with excitement. "Your aunt is amazing."
"Hmph, there's nothing that amazing about her." Frederick pouted.
Teresa, on the side, looked at the two boys talking with a wide smile. She was glad to be friends with them.
"In the future, when we're sent to the Blue Ocean Pavilion, let's go on missions and travel together." Teresa said with longing. Her eyes looked straight at Gilbert with adoration.
"Cough. Ok, it's a promise. But with our bloodline, we might not get the best Exolsias. I don't believe I'll have a high-grade Exolsia." Gilbert spoke with a hoarse voice from the coughing.
Since his, Teresa's, and Frederick's families were mere barons. Unlike the other noble bloodlines, theirs were less inclined to produce more powerful Exalts.
One way to become stronger was to marry people of stronger bloodlines or great Exolsia, but as barons, they usually got the short end in options. Most great families disdained to marry down and had better conditions to entice powerful Exalts and talents.
The hope was for a mutation in one of the children to produce a genius of greater potential. This was the case for Frederick's aunt, Ivanka Klein, who possessed Grade Seven talent.
"Don't give up. Just because you're sick doesn't mean your Exolsia might be bad." Teresa confidently straightened her back and comforted Gilbert. Even if Gilbert had low Exolsia, she would take care of him. The thought of being together with Gilbert as Exalts filled her heart with anticipation.
"She's right. We'll have to wait and see. As long as we have Exolsia, we can do it!" Frederick boosted up the mood with Teresa.
Gilbert smiled and laughed. "You're right. Who knows what the future would hold."
The trio merrily played and chatted about various things. They admired the great plants, flowers, and beauty of the garden.
Throughout the time together, Teresa nudged closer to Gilbert like a puppy waiting to be patted, to which Gilbert helplessly complied. Sitting on Teresa's other side, Frederick looked at this scene with a complicated look in his eyes.
'It's alright. Teresa looks so happy with Gilbert. If I can't be with her, I'll still be her friend.' Frederick had made his mind up on this. He would accept it and cheer them.
Although his heart ached at the thought, Frederick believed it was fine so long as Teresa could live happily.
"Ha, people do flock in groups. Trash only goes together with other trash."
The sudden voice alarmed the three children who were enjoying their time together. They turned around to face the intruder.
It was a young boy with yellow hair and eyes. His cheeky grin with his chin turned upward made him look proud.
"Samuel. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be boasting about yourself and telling lies to the others?" Frederick spat on the floor and cracked his knuckles, ready to fight.
Samuel would try to make himself the head honcho of the barons and viscounts at every gathering. Of course, he avoided offending the higher nobles, but he roamed freely amongst the others.
This led to various conflicts with Frederick, who boasted a mind of justice like his aunt. He protected Teresa every time Samuel tried to harass them.
Gilbert grew slightly pale. He remembered Samuel shoving his weak body down. If it weren't for Frederick and Teresa helping him, he would have been severely hurt. That was how he met them and became friends.
"Shut up, you upstart. I am the son of a viscount; you're nothing more than a lowly baron." Samuel's young face was covered in rage, making Teresa wince and retreat behind Frederick.
Frederick glanced at Teresa, who was slightly shaking. He hated Samuel, but he enjoyed the feeling of protecting the person he loved.
"Don't worry, Teresa. I'll take care of this. Gilbert, watch my back for me."
Frederick advanced closer to Samuel. Although they were ten years old, they stared at each other with immense hatred.
"Don't–"
SLAP
The clear sound of a slap resounded in the quiet garden. Frederick had his hand stretched out while Samuel's head was sideways with a clear red mark.
"Upstart this, lowly baron that. Well, this lowly baron slapped you in the face. What are you going to do?" Frederick taunted.
"Guh….You…." Samuel's eyes were red and tearing up.
"You what? I'm tired of hearing anything you have to say. My family is on its way to being viscounts. We may even become Earls, with my aunt leading us. What about you? Your family hasn't produced a strong Exalt in a while. I heard you did badly on the previous inspection. It's only time before your family is brought down to barons."
Frederick did not allow Samuel any room to talk back. Every single one of his words was filled with poison.
"WAH!" Samuel balled his hands into fists and went berserk on Frederick. But Frederick had been beaten by his aunt numerous times in training, so Samuel's flimsy attacks were like jokes to him.
SLAP
Frederick slapped Samuel on the other cheek. The latter was dizzy and unable to utter a single word before running back inside.
"Coward." Frederick wanted to spit on the ground but didn't want to show something gross to Teresa.
"Thanks, Frederick!" Teresa and Gilbert cheerfully applauded Frederick's victory.
"I'll make sure to protect you, no matter what. We're friends." Frederick smiled.
However, on the way back, his father scolded him for making trouble and spanked him until his rear hurt. But Frederick thought the pain was alright as long as Teresa could remain safe and smiling.
At the same time, Samuel would be heavily punished by his father for not only causing trouble but also losing the fight and running, especially against a baron's child.
Frederick, in the carriage with his buttocks facing up, couldn't wait for the next time he would meet his friends, mainly Teresa.
The playful trio would be happy for many moments until Gilbert suddenly changed.