Lieselotte was six, and Siegwald was eight. A year after they had first met, the two were officially engaged on a fateful autumn day. Then, a few days later, Lieselotte and her father made their way to the royal palace.
As she was betrothed to the crown prince, the girl was to begin her education as the future queen. Thus, they were there to visit Tiana, the crown princess and mother to Prince Siegwald.
Knowing that the children were still young, Tiana wished to keep stiff formalities to a minimum, and invited everyone to join her in the castle garden.
“Allow me to formally introduce my eldest daughter, Lieselotte Riefenstahl.”
As the marquis beckoned her forth, the little girl stepped out from behind him. Trembling with anxiety, she bent her knees and bowed her head in an awkward curtsy.
The king and marquis followed with formal introductions of their own. The whole time, Lieselotte was petrified. But then, a woman hugged her out of the blue.
“Everyone here is family or will be one day, and today’s meeting is a relaxed, private affair. Don’t stiffen up like that, sweetheart. It’s nice to meet you, Lieselotte. I’m Tiana, Siegwald’s mother.”
The smiling princess stole away Lieselotte’s gaze. She had luscious chestnut hair and light brown eyes that almost shimmered gold in the sunlight. What was more, the graceful lady had a charming smile, just like the prince Lieselotte loved so much.
Now Lieselotte was frozen in reverence instead of shock. But another, smaller silhouette then called out to her.
“This is our second time seeing each other, right? Ahem, I’m Siegwald. It’s nice to meet you!”
When Siegwald paired his brilliant smile with his mother’s, Lieselotte could hardly look without squinting. Tiana noted the girl’s reaction and faint blush, and she let go with a happy smile. The crown princess was so happy with how they got along that she decided to give them a little push.
“The men will go on and on, so how about you two go off and play? Sieg, be a dear and show her around.”
“Okay! There’s a pretty flower over there that has the same color as your eyes. Let me show you!”
With a twinkle in his eye, the young prince tried to lead Lieselotte by the hand. He’d done so the first time they met—in fact, they’d held hands that entire day. And so, he didn’t even think about it when he tried to do so again.
“Okay—ah!”
Yet as Lieselotte reached out to take his hand, her father’s teachings sprang up in the back of her brain: “To show favor is to show desire. Perhaps a desire for love. Perhaps a desire for special treatment. On the other hand, if you can resist these expectations, then you shouldn’t need to express your favor. I know you’re engaged to him now, but he’s still far above you in stature. Keep these things in mind.”
As a loyal retainer to the crown, Marquis Riefenstahl had intended to quell his overeager daughter’s enthusiasm. He knew that a young girl would not understand all that he meant, but hoped that she would understand by the time she rose to the throne.
In a cruel twist of fate, his words of wisdom had morphed in Lieselotte’s mind to become a curse that would bind her for years to come...
“No!” Lieselotte screamed, slapping away Siegwald’s hand.
“Huh?” The prince stood in utter shock. He stared at his own hand. The tears forming in his golden eyes drained all the color from Lieselotte’s face. “...Why? But we held hands last time... You even said you liked me...”
Hearing Siegwald mumble sadly worsened Lieselotte’s complexion further. She began to tremble violently. The first time they’d met, her father had not yet tightened the bolts on her heart; she had been free to say what she believed.
However, now Lieselotte knew that had been a mistake. She loved him, but she wasn’t supposed to tell him that—but also, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. The various things she had to juggle got tangled up until she was too confused to make sense of them. In a fit of perplexity, she shouted the first thing that came to mind.
“I... I don’t like you at all!”
And so, in the autumn of Lieselotte Riefenstahl’s sixth year, she grew her first thorn as a tsundere. Such was the beginning of a long, ten-year love story fraught with misunderstandings.