Prologue

1789

The pounding of the horse's hooves and the tense muscles of her mount under her calves were the best gifts she had been given in her life. She was lucky enough to ride as often as she wanted, which wasn't common for aristocracy.

Her loose hair blew in a pleasant, slightly cool breeze as she raced at a gallop.

Lady Luna Lovegood was galloping through the green areas of the Duchy of Somerset, and she did not care. It was her last day of freedom; tomorrow she would be sent to the School for Opulent Ladies in London where she would stay for the next six years.

Six long years away from home.

This was the price her father paid for having a daughter and being a widower. He was well aware that he alone would not be able to raise her well enough to be the perfect lady and a candidate for a wife for some count.

After the death of his beloved wife, he was looking for a wife, but none of the prospects understood the philosophy of life that he and his daughter lived by . They were only interested in wealth and jewels, whichBaron Lovegood did not possess. He had aristocratic roots and the title of baron, but apart from a modest estate, field, and the stallions he bred, he belonged to the rather poorer part of the nobility. This fact was another one of the factors that led him to send his teenage daughter back to London.

Xenophilius was sure that a good marriage was the best possibility for Luna. The dowry itself was not a problem, her mother had taken care of it before she passed.

But the most worrying thing for him, as her father, was Luna's uncontrollable behavior. The girl lived with her father and horses, close to nature, away from posh society and strict conventions. Her daydreaming and her uncouth and constant disregard for social rules gave the governesses a headache and made the experienced matrons smirk.

Luna's behavior had meant that she was unlikely to marry well. She was only thirteen, and Xenophilius wanted to fix it and ensure she would be looked after by a husband from a good family.

Luna directed her horse down the hill to see two red-haired figures standing on the other side of the paddock. Her heart immediately began to beat like crazy. William Weasley, future Duke of Somerset, and his brother Charles, who was two years younger.

Luna felt herself getting hot — since childhood she had been hopelessly in love with Charles, who also went by Charlie. It all started when her mother, Baroness Lovegood, was alive and going to social teas in the Weasley Duchy. Duchess Molly had a daughter Luna's age, Lady Ginny. The girls got along very well in childhood and were like close friends — sisters — to each other.

They drifted apart when Luna's mother died and her father was unable to socialize her properly anymore. So Luna saw the Weasley siblings only at the Sunday masses in church attended by the aristocracy.

Arthur Weasley, Duke of Somerset, was one of the most respected people in the area, second only to the Malfoys who inherited the title of Duke of Fife. His eldest son, William, Bill , was now twenty-four and was raised to be a successor.

Luna rode over to them and saw Charlie exchange a knowing look with Bill, which made her blush even more.

Bill, seeing her, nodded his head and smiled, saying, "Good morning, Lady Luna. It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

Charlie just nodded at her and was silent, a muffled curse on the tip of his tongue.

"Good morning, Lord Bill, Lord Charlie." Her hushed voice made Charlie raise an eyebrow. Of course, he couldn't help noticing that the girl was beet red and her tongue seemed to be tied.

Luna Lovegood had always been a naive, daydreaming girl. And in his company, she always acted as if she was losing the ability to form correct sentences.

An awkward lady from a peculiar household.

"Do you need a hand, Lady Luna?" Bill, tactful as always, offered to help her get off the horse, but she declined.

"Thank you, I'm on a short ride. He's a young stallion, he doesn't like to stand idle for too long," Luna solemnly stroked the silky neck of her bay horse. Her father bred Thoroughbreds and sometimes preferred them over humans.

Charlie looked at the stallion appreciatively; the horse was less than two years old in his estimation, and such a hotheaded horse in the hands of a young, inexperienced person could cause trouble.

"It's certainly a beautiful horse, Lady Luna. Like all of them in your household stables. Please say hello to the Baron from us." Bill smiled at the teen, who nodded awkwardly. "We have new Hackneyes in our stables, one of the mares foaled and the other ─ a stallion ─ was bought at auction. Charlie rode over on our new stallion. " Bill pointed to the paddock where a pitch-black horse was grazing.

Luna held her breath; this horse was beyond beautiful.

Luna had a soft spot for all kinds of animals, from injured kittens and puppies to small, friendly goats. But horses held the softest place in her heart. She had spent most of her life in stables, and if she could choose her fate, she would most likely be married to some breeder.

But she had no influence on her fate, she could only hope that her future husband would have horses. And would allow her to visit the stables. That would make her happy, in the end.

"That's indeed a great stallion," Luna whispered and Charlie snorted. Bill shot a chilling look at his brother, but luckily Luna didn't notice the scene. She was still staring at the stallion.

"What's his name?" she let slip out, immediately she burning with embarrassment, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. She shouldn't have addressed them that directly, it went against proper etiquette.

"It's Demon, Lady Luna." Charlie's voice made her shiver, she hadn't expected him to answer her question. She looked at him and saw that, for a change, he was admiring her horse.

"Oh." Her ineloquent answer must have convinced the brothers that good manners were foreign to her. "Our horse's name is Uriel." Luna didn't know why she said that, but she was so stressed out now that the only thing she wanted to do was gallop away.

"May I say hello to Demon, Lord Charlie?" Her voice trembled as she tasted his name on her lips. Charlie gestured with his hand and shrugged. Luna waved them goodbye and directed Uriel towards the black stallion.

Suddenly Charlie felt the slap and Bill's concerned voice. "Her horse is also a stallion, right?"

Charlie realized what his brother meant. Demon showed aggressive behavior towards other stallions and it would be naive to believe that it would be otherwise now.

"We have to stop her,"Charlie said with alarm, and the brothers dashed towards Luna and Uriel.

Luna noticed that Demon raised his head and watched them. His ears were upright, his eyes alert. She felt her own horse tense as the distance between them narrowed to a few meters.

She quickly realized that her idea was not the smartest one. She wanted to turn back, but it was too late. Demon started walking towards her. His nostrils rose and she heard a harsh sound that heralded no good. Suddenly, Uriel reared up, and Luna, not expecting such a turn of events, fell off him and hit the grass with fullforce. Uriel ran off scared, galloping towards the Lovegood's mansion.

Demon stared at her and she found his eyes were glowing yellow.

"Lady Luna..." The voice from the distance was strange, humming, slightly hoarse, rumbling, almost inhuman.

Luna closed her eyes and tried to calm the spinning in her head., She had fallen off her horse plenty of times before, but today she was completely unprepared for such an eventuality. She put her hand to her temple and noticed a metallic smell, feeling stickiness on her fingers. The fingers of her delicate lawn mitts were soaked with blood.

"Holy shit, she's hurt, Charlie." Bill's voice was blurred, but she heard the answer very clearly.

"She'll be fine." Charlie knelt beside Luna and began examining her head and neck and found that there wasn't anything broken. "She's probably in shock. Lady Luna, " he blurted out her name through gritted teeth, and she nodded slightly. "Could you please stand up, m'lady?"

She shook her head, and he lifted her off the ground without hesitating. He did it so smoothly, as if she weighed nothing.

"Grab my neck." His direct words didn't bother her, his voice was so pleasantly smooth the moment she ignored the bitterness.

"I'm going back to our manor andI will send a carriage for you." Bill jumped on Demon and, seconds later, he was gone. Charlie sighed as he looked at the thirteen-year-old in his arms.

Luna Lovegood, an ethereal blonde, was covered in sand in a mud-smeared blue dress. Her split eyebrow, the blood smeared on her cheek, and her closed eyes made him whine.

"Charlie." She whispered, but her voice sounded dreamy. She was completely unaware that she was saying it aloud. "Charlie, I love you so much."

Her half-closed eyes told him that Lady Luna was only a body, wandering without a soul.

He sighed. The last thing in life he had ever wanted was her naive, childlike attention. Especially given by a crazy child like Luna Lovegood.

He was sure that Luna would grow up to be a beautiful woman in the future, but he knew he wanted nothing to do with her. Fortunately, as a second son, he wouldn't be forced into a quick marriage and will be able to enjoy life as befitted a young man.

WIlliam was the heir to the property and title and would have a life set by society.

And he, Charlie, would travel the world, meet beautiful women and enjoy life.

At least that was the plan.