Chapter 1

In a small kingdom tucked away within a vast forest, a young queen stood on her balcony, allowing the gentle summer breeze to blow through her long hair. Her oddly colored eyes observed the place she ruled over and a soft sigh escaped her lips. She cared deeply for each and every citizen and wanted to be there for them as long as she lived, but her advisors were pressuring her to find a companion to rule beside, and, honestly, she wasn't ready for a relationship just yet. Though, they weren't talking about a petty girlfriend-boyfriend situation, this was a solid, life-long marriage that she was dealing with. The young queen narrowed her eyes sadly at the thought of trying to find everlasting love so quickly. If she didn't find someone suitable by the end of the month, then she would be forced into an arranged marriage, which surely would make her unhappy. After all, how could she spend the rest of her life with someone she didn't love?

"Queen Mary?" a voice called to her.

The young queen turned around and noticed a servant standing in the doorway to her room.

"Yes?" she responded in her soft voice.

"You are needed in the throne room to discuss important matters," the servant continued.

The marriage, of course, is what they would be discussing. Mary knew this, yet she said nothing about it. Instead, she gave a simply reply.

"Let them know I'll be there soon, please."

The servant nodded in compliance before leaving and shutting the door silently. Mary was a gracious queen, even to her servants, that's why the whole kingdom adored her. Along with her kind nature, she was actually quite beautiful with smooth porcelain skin and the depiction of a delicate flower about her. She was a fair and equal ruler, but from her lack of social time she was often very timid and sometimes panicked around strangers. Deep down, she was just an innocent little kid, and even the civilians couldn't deny that no matter how much they respected her.

Mary took a deep breath to prepare herself for the conversation that was to come, then she exited her room and headed through the maze of hallways toward the throne room, being careful not to trip over her ankle-length gown. Here we go again, she thought to herself as she pushed open the large doors and entered her destination.

By the time the conversations of finding a suitor, the benefits of the kingdom, and other things of the like were done, Mary's head was spinning. She sat in the castle's garden and gazed at the setting sun to clear her mind, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get those dizzying thoughts out of her head. The responsibilities of a queen were just too much sometimes, and right now Mary felt like she would be sick.

"Are you alright, my queen?" an unfamiliar voice asked her politely.

Mary let out a squeak of surprise and fell off of the bench she was sitting on, being the clumsy girl she was. The owner of the mystery voice, a black-haired boy with honey-brown colored eyes, rushed over to her.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you! Are you okay, did you get hurt?" he questioned in a worried tone.

Mary gazed up at him for a few moments before replying. "N-No, I'm fine."

"Allow me to help you up," the unknown boy offered his hand out to her, which Mary tentatively took.

There was silence for a couple of seconds, then the boy spoke again.

"I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?" he laughed nervously. He bowed respectfully to her. "My name is Kousuke Seto. It's a pleasure to meet you, Queen."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Mary responded quietly.

She was rendered speechless by this strange boy, but at the same time intrigued. What an interesting character, she thought in bemusement. Seto straightened his posture, no longer in a bowing position, and smiled warmly at her.

"I'm sorry if I'm invading your privacy, but you looked so sad that I couldn't bear just to stand idly by. I hope you don't mind," he apologized.

"Was is that obvious how I felt?" Mary wondered lowly mostly to herself. Then, realizing she hadn't really responded, she quickly continued. "I-I mean, I don't mind at all. Actually, I never get the chance to talk to many people, so it's nice to meet someone who isn't a royal advisor."

"Is that so?" Seto smiled at her once again.

Mary nodded slightly.

"Well then, if you don't mind, could you tell me why it is that you're so sad?" Seto inquired.

Mary looked away and instead stared at the ground. "I... I have to get married soon."

"Do you love someone?" Seto asked. Before Mary had the chance to answer though, Seto shook his head with a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry like that. I should probably leave before I ask any other personal questions. Goodbye, Queen. I hope we'll meet again."

Mary watched Seto's figure as he disappeared into the fading last rays of sunlight. She wanted to say something or reach out a hand to stop him so they could talk longer, but she knew that as a queen she mustn't do such impulsive things. So, she could do nothing but watch the strange, but admittedly kind, boy walk away, leaving her all alone once again. Though, the comfort of the silence in the garden that had once been there was long gone, and now held only the bitter reminder of loneliness. Mary's eyes veered their gaze to the first twinkling star in the night sky, and she allowed herself a faint smile at the thought of Seto.

"Yes, I do hope we meet again."

A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm here with a brand-new story that I literally thought of like twenty minutes ago. Please let me know if you'd like me to continue it, and if you don't want me to... like I said, I thought of this randomly like twenty minutes ago. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

Have a wonderful day/night/whatever~