Most fairy tales start with 'Once upon a time,' but this isn't a normal fairy tale.
In a normal fairy tale, there is usually a princess, a knight, and a dragon, in some form or another. Sometimes the princess is a simple girl, or a typical maiden in distress, or really royalty, just like the knight could be a street rat, or a normal boy, or actually a knight, and sometimes the knight is a jealous peer, or a bitter witch, or really a dragon, but they're always there, in disguise, playing their own part in their story. The princess is always sweet and demure, the knight brave and valiant, and the dragon crazed and evil. But, as I said before, this isn't a typical fairy tale, and as such, instead of a princess, we have two princes, a lazy knight, and a cursed, yet happy dragon. Some might even say our fairy tale isn't a fairy tale at all, but I digress, I will tell it as such all the same.
The two princes, Feliciano and Lovino, were twins, meant to rule the kingdom together. Feliciano, the younger twin, had no real interest in his position, and always drifted off and never paid attention to their lessons or meetings, yet was liked by nearly everyone in the castle for his happy and outgoing personality. Lovino, the older twin, was more interested in the crown he would inherit, but no one liked him, not nearly as much as they loved his brother due to his rude, crass demeanor. It made him bitter, since the king, their grandfather, favored Feliciano and always treated him better, encouraging his art and singing and always yelling at Romano when there was a mistake, even if Feliciano had messed up.
Feliciano spent most of his days painting or bothering his personal guard, a serious knight named Ludwig. He had several friends throughout the castle, from their grumpy music tutor, Roderiech, their royal seamstress, Elizaveta, to the king's quiet royal advisor, Kiku. But Lovino didn't have any friends, scared anyone who might try to be his friend away. As a result, he spent most of his free time alone in a field, which sat on the border of the forest and was abandoned and overgrown, kicking around a ball in a game he and Feliciano made up when they were younger.
Lovino would never admit it, but he was lonely, even in the crowd that was the castle.