The morning sunlight penetrated through the gaps of the thick curtains covering the luxurious second-floor bedroom window.
"Nova... Nova, wake up!"
A gentle yet firm voice—Hanah Nightwind, Nova's mother, stood beside the king-size bed.
"I told you last night to sleep early, didn't I? So now you have to wake up quickly. Otherwise, we could be late for today's important event."
Hanah shook her head seeing her only child still curled up in the thick dark blue blanket. She had been standing here for ten minutes, but Nova showed no signs of waking up at all.
On the bed, the teenager with messy black hair groaned softly while covering his face with a pillow.
"Nova Nightwind! Stop pretending to sleep!"
"Ugh... Mom, can I not go today? My head is still dizzy," Nova finally spoke, though his eyes remained tightly shut. His voice was hoarse.
"No way! You know very well what day this is. Don't even try to escape." Without mercy, Hanah immediately pulled the blanket from Nova's body. "Wake up quickly! The Moonwhisper family is already waiting for our arrival."
The cold morning air immediately attacked Nova's skin, forcing him to open his eyes. His black eyes stared at the bedroom ceiling.
"Mom is mean..." he mumbled while slowly sitting on the edge of the bed, his hair messy in all directions.
"Mean how? Mom just wants you to wake up." Hanah smiled satisfied seeing her child finally surrender. "Alright, Mom will wait in the dining room. Don't take more than an hour, or Mom will come back up here."
After hearing his mother's footsteps fade away in the corridor, Nova fell silent again. His eyes stared blankly toward the large window facing the backyard garden of the mansion. His room was indeed very spacious—almost as large as an ordinary family's living room—with various luxurious facilities like a mahogany study desk, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and even a sofa for relaxing.
*Today... the day I will meet my fiancée whom I haven't even seen her face yet.*
Nova sighed deeply while scratching his still messy head.
"Excuse me, Young Master. Are you awake? Or still sleeping while sitting like that?"
At the bedroom doorway stood a young girl around twenty years old. Lina Silverbell, Nova's personal maid since he was still a baby. The beautiful girl with long silver hair and clear blue eyes wore a black-and-white maid uniform that was always neat and clean.
"Ah, Lina. Sorry, I am awake already. Just... a bit confused about what to do today," Nova shook his head while getting up from bed.
"Isn't today the day Young Master will meet your fiancée? This should be an enjoyable moment," Lina said while entering the room and starting to tidy the messy bed.
"Enjoyable?" Nova laughed bitterly. "I don't even know what she looks like, Lina. How can it be enjoyable meeting a stranger who will suddenly become my fiancée?"
Lina stopped tidying the sheets and looked at Nova with a sympathetic gaze.
"Young Master, I understand your feelings. But isn't this the tradition of both great families? The Nightwind and Moonwhisper families have been friends for a very long time. This arranged marriage must have good reasons."
Nova walked toward the window and opened the curtains wide. A beautiful view immediately spread before him—dense forest surrounding the mansion, vast green grasslands stretching to the foot of the hills, and a playground.
The Nightwind Mansion was indeed located far from the hustle and bustle of the city, surrounded by pristine nature.
"Lina, do you know about the Moonwhisper Family?" Nova asked without shifting his gaze from the window.
"I only know a little about them, Young Master. They are a famous wizard family.
"If you're talking about your fiancée...
"Miss Ena Moonwhisper. From what I've heard, she is the smartest student at Crystal Moon Academy. Though still twelve years old like you, her magical abilities are already equivalent to intermediate-level wizards."
*Seems like she's a genius child,* Nova thought to himself.
His mind drifted to one day ago when Hanah told him about this arranged marriage.
*"Nova, Mom has something to discuss with you," Hanah said while sitting on the edge of Nova's bed.*
*"Talk about what, Mom?"*
*"You already have a fiancée! Her name is Ena, Livia's daughter. You two have been betrothed since you were still in the womb."*
*Haha, somehow I ended up laughing.*
"What's wrong, young master?"
"Nothing, you can wait outside Lina, I want to shower and change clothes."
"Alright, then I'll wait downstairs," she said and walked out of his room.
Several minutes later,
After finishing his shower, Nova wore a formal white kimono.
"Is Young Master ready?" Lina asked when Nova came down to the first floor.
"Ready. Where's Mom?"
"Lady Hanah is already waiting in the carriage with Master Noah."
In the front yard, a luxurious black horse carriage with gold ornaments was already waiting. Although the world had begun entering the technological era with various new innovations, horse carriages were still the main choice for noble families for medium-distance travel.
"Ready, Nova?" Noah Nightwind had long white hair and wore a black mask that only covered both his eyes, but strangely somehow he could see the road and other things clearly.
"Ready, Dad."
"Get inside. The journey to Z City is quite far," Hanah said while shifting her seat to make room for Nova.
Nova climbed into the carriage followed by Lina who would accompany him. The carriage interior was decorated with red velvet fabric and soft cushions. There was even a small table for placing food and drinks during the journey.
The carriage began moving with a regular rhythm. The high-quality black horses belonging to the Nightwind family were indeed trained for long-distance travel.
"Nova," Hanah suddenly spoke after they passed the main gate of the mansion.
"Yes, Mom?"
"Mom knows you're nervous. But remember, Ena is also still a child like you. She must be feeling the same thing. So act natural, don't be too stiff."
Nova nodded.
The journey to Z City took about two hours through stone roads. Throughout the journey, Nova preferred to remain silent while gazing at the scenery passing outside the window—golden wheat fields, small villages with traditional houses.
"Look at that, Nova. We've arrived," Hanah said while pointing ahead.
Nova followed his mother's finger direction and his eyes immediately widened in amazement.
Before them stood the magnificent Z City, one of the largest metropolitan cities in the kingdom. Two silver-colored twin towers soared to a height of 644 meters.
"Wow, this is better than I imagined," Nova said.
When their carriage entered the city limits, Nova was slightly surprised. The streets were already equipped with modern traffic light systems—green crystals meant go, red crystals meant stop. Tall buildings stood side by side.
Along the main road, Nova could see various people walking around, shopping for clothes, and there were many shops surrounding them.
"This is your first time in Z City, right?" Lina asked while also looking out the window.
"Yes. All this time I've only heard stories from Dad and Mom. It turns out to be far more amazing than I imagined."
"Wow, young master's face doesn't look surprised at all, even though you just said it was amazing," Lina said with a smile.
"Really? What can I do, Mom said my face is similar to Dad's face when he was young, Mom said Dad's face used to be flat like mine."
Their carriage finally stopped in front of an elegant two-story building in the city's central district.
"Here's the place," Noah said while getting out of the carriage.
Nova followed, his eyes immediately drawn to the luxurious nameplate in front of the building: "Silver Moon Restaurant & Lounge". From outside, he could faintly hear the gentle flow of classical music streaming out.
"This restaurant belongs to the Moonwhisper family," Hanah explained while straightening Nova's kimono. "Alright, let's go inside."
When they entered through the automatic glass doors, Nova was slightly enchanted by the interior. The first floor was filled with round tables with clean white tablecloths. Several noble couples were enjoying lunch while chatting in a romantic atmosphere.
In the corner of the room, a beautiful woman was playing piano with her eyes closed.
"Wow... this is really beautiful," Nova said looking around.
"Hanah! You've finally come!"
A melodious voice from upstairs made the entire Nightwind family look up. A beautiful woman came down from the second floor. Livia Moonwhisper had long black hair and purple eyes.
"Livia! It's been so long since we met," Hanah greeted warmly while hugging her friend.
"Yes, long time no see."
Then Livia's gaze shifted to Nova who was standing somewhat awkwardly behind his parents.
"And you must be Nova," Livia smiled gently while bowing slightly. "My goodness, you've grown this big now?"
Nova quickly bowed politely. "Good afternoon, Aunt Livia. It is a great honor for me to meet you again."
"Come on, no need to be so formal. We're already like family. Just call me Aunt," Livia laughed lightly while gently patting Nova's shoulder.
Nova nodded.
"Now," Livia clapped once, "I'm sure you can't wait to meet Ena, right?"
*Not really...* Nova thought to himself, but of course he couldn't say that.
"Yes, Aunt. I'm... curious what she's like."
"Ena! Come downstairs, dear! There's a special guest who wants to meet you," Livia called toward the second floor with a loud enough voice.
A few seconds later, soft footsteps could be heard from the wooden stairs.
Ena Moonwhisper.
The twelve-year-old girl had a face very similar to her mother's. Her dark purple eyes looked at Nova with a gaze that was hard to interpret—not cold, but not warm either. More like... evaluating.
She wore a long white robe.
Ena came down the stairs calmly.
The distance between them was only one meter when Ena finally spoke.
"Welcome to Silver Moon Restaurant," her voice was gentle but very clear. "You're Nova Nightwind, right?"
Nova was slightly surprised hearing his future fiancée's voice for the first time.
"Ah... yes, that's right," Nova finally managed to answer after being silent for several seconds. "I'm Nova. Nice... nice to finally meet you, Ena."
Ena nodded slightly, the corner of her lips slightly raised forming a thin smile that was hard to interpret. "I'm Ena Moonwhisper, nice to meet you."
Behind them, Hanah and Livia exchanged glances and smiled satisfied.
"Alright, you two sit at the table near that window first. Mom and Aunt Livia will go upstairs for a moment to join your fathers to discuss boring adult matters," Hanah said while pointing to one of the empty tables near the large window facing the city park.
Nova's father had already gone upstairs earlier.
"But Mom—" Nova started to protest, suddenly feeling unprepared to be left alone with Ena.
"No buts, Nova. You two need time to get to know each other without interference from nagging adults," Livia interrupted with an indisputable tone while winking. "You can order anything from the menu. The waiter will come soon. Consider this your own home."
After both their mothers went upstairs, Nova and Ena sat facing each other at the designated table. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. No one knew where to start the conversation.
Beside Nova stood Lina, whose face somehow looked happy.
Nova played with his fingers on the table while occasionally glancing at Ena who seemed calm while gazing at the city park view outside the window.
"So..." Nova finally opened the conversation. "How do you feel about... all this?"
"All what?" Ena asked back with a casual tone, though Nova was sure she knew what he meant.
"About our arranged marriage."
Ena was silent for a moment, her fingers playing with the small flower embroidery at the edge of her dress. Her facial expression was hard to read.
"Honestly?" Ena finally spoke while looking directly at Nova. "At first I was very upset. It felt very strange to be matched with someone I'd never even seen. I don't like it when life is arranged without my consent."
Nova nodded, feeling relieved that he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"But..." Ena continued, "after meeting you today and talking like this... I think the situation isn't as bad as I imagined."
"What do you mean?"
"You're not what I expected. I thought you'd be a spoiled and arrogant child. Turns out you're quite normal and easy to talk to."
"Wow, turns out my image in your eyes was very bad."
"Not anymore now. You're actually... decent."
"Decent?" Nova raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment or sarcasm?"
"It's up to you how you want to take it," Ena answered playfully.
"What about you?" Ena asked back curiously. "What have you been thinking about this arranged marriage all along?"
"Honestly I have to say, this makes me very uncomfortable. We're still very young for something serious like this. But I don't want to make my mother sad and disappointed. If I refuse this arranged marriage, my mother will definitely be very sad. I don't want to do that to her."
"Wow, turns out you really love your mother."
"That's obvious, isn't it? Is that strange?"
"Not really. Uhh, how about this," Ena suddenly looked like she was thinking hard. "We are now officially engaged, right?"
"I think that's what our status is now. Why?" Nova asked curiously.
"Even though we are officially engaged, that doesn't mean we have to love each other by force, right? So we can do whatever we want individually. You can do whatever you want and I can also do whatever I want."
"I don't understand what you mean. What do you actually want?"
"Simply put—we are engaged but don't love each other and we can do whatever we want in our respective lives. In front of our families, we have to pretend to love each other and be happy, but when they're not around or we're far from them, we can do whatever we want. What do you think?" Ena explained in great detail.
"So, you want to say that we are engaged but don't love each other, right?"
"Exactly! How about it? That way we can live freely as usual like we've been doing all this time."
"I think that idea is quite good and makes sense. But I once heard from my mother that eventually engaged couples will fall in love with each other after being together for a long time," Nova explained while thinking.
"Are you trying to say that I will fall in love with you in the future?"
"Not really. If so, I think I agree with your idea."
Fortunately at that time Lina had gone to the bathroom, so she didn't hear their conversation.
After that they stared at each other in silence, each thinking about the agreement they had just made. This was the beginning of their long story together. The question is—is what Nova's mother said true or not? Will they fall in love with each other in the future?