Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 57: Frederick's Past

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 57: Frederick's Past

"Frederick, I'm here!" A pleasant, cute voice called out to Frederick.

A young boy with soft cheeks, a mess of green hair, and sparkling yellow eyes was running through a garden. It was Frederick in his younger years when he was ten years old.

"Teresa?! Where are you?"Cheêck out latest novels on n/o/ve/l/bin(.)c/o/m

Frederick looked around in confusion. There were big hedges and trees but not a single person.

"Boo!"

"Waaah~"

Fredrick fumbled to the well-trimmed grass, landing flat on his rear. He looked up, half-pouting and half-happy.

A young girl was cheerfully laughing at her prank. Her deep teal hair was tied into twin-tails, her light brown eyes were fixed on Frederick, and her smile showed two adorable dimples.

Teresa, the girl Frederick loved the most. But also the cause of his grief and anger.

"You lost, Frederick!" Teresa said with her finger pointed in a victory pose. Her exaggerated movements with her small figure made her even more adorable to Frederick.

"Teresa, how often do I have to tell you not to disappear? I was worried about you."

Frederick patted the dirt off his bum and scolded Teresa lightly. He had been looking for her all over, only to be tricked.

"Sorry, Frederick. But it's fun playing with you."

Her words made Frederick blush a deep shade of red. He had been in love with her ever since they met.

It was back when Frederick was a mere seven years old. He attended a gathering of nobles in the western region with his family.

Every noble and their children were in attendance because a member of the royal family was inspecting the region.

Outside on the balcony, Frederick ran into a small girl. She was dressed in a turquoise dress with frills, looking like a blooming flower.

The girl, Teresa Amerose, introduced herself as the daughter of the Amerose Baron. The two chatted for a long time and played games together. The two grew closer and more comfortable with one another.

For Frederick, Teresa's soothing presence made him feel happy, and he was glad to have been dragged here by his family.

From then on, he's tried to meet with her at every chance. His aunt, Ivanka, usually smiled at the puppy love he had toward Teresa while watching over them as they played.

Today was another gathering of nobles to welcome a guest from the northern region. Frederick had run into Teresa, who told him to meet her in the garden where she hid and waited.

"It's fine if you understand. I'm just worried you might disappear for real." Frederick mumbled shyly.

"What did you say?" Teresa looked at Frederick with her innocent eyes. She could not hear his words.

"It's nothing!"

Sweat rolled down Frederick's brow. In the past years, he was too scared of confessing his feelings. He didn't want to scare her away or ruin this friendship they had built.

But there was one other reason why Frederick was holding back on his feelings.

"Hmmm, ok. Tell me if there's anything I can do to help!" Teresa poofed her cheeks.

"Definitely!" The young Frederick lied. This was one thing he couldn't tell her.

Teresa grabbed Frederick's hand, making him blush more.

"Let's go see Gilbert! I haven't seen him in a while~" Teresa softly whined with a slight red glow on her cheeks.

Although his heart ached at the thought, Frederick believed it was fine so long as Teresa could live happily.

"Ha, people do flock in groups. Trash only goes together with other trash."

The sudden voice alarmed the three children who were enjoying their time together. They turned around to face the intruder.

It was a young boy with yellow hair and eyes. His cheeky grin with his chin turned upward made him look proud.

"Samuel. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be boasting about yourself and telling lies to the others?" Frederick spat on the floor and cracked his knuckles, ready to fight.

Samuel would try to make himself the head honcho of the barons and viscounts at every gathering. Of course, he avoided offending the higher nobles, but he roamed freely amongst the others.

This led to various conflicts with Frederick, who boasted a mind of justice like his aunt. He protected Teresa every time Samuel tried to harass them.

Gilbert grew slightly pale. He remembered Samuel shoving his weak body down. If it weren't for Frederick and Teresa helping him, he would have been severely hurt. That was how he met them and became friends.

"Shut up, you upstart. I am the son of a viscount; you're nothing more than a lowly baron." Samuel's young face was covered in rage, making Teresa wince and retreat behind Frederick.

Frederick glanced at Teresa, who was slightly shaking. He hated Samuel, but he enjoyed the feeling of protecting the person he loved.

"Don't worry, Teresa. I'll take care of this. Gilbert, watch my back for me."

Frederick advanced closer to Samuel. Although they were ten years old, they stared at each other with immense hatred.

"Don't–"

SLAP

The clear sound of a slap resounded in the quiet garden. Frederick had his hand stretched out while Samuel's head was sideways with a clear red mark.

"Upstart this, lowly baron that. Well, this lowly baron slapped you in the face. What are you going to do?" Frederick taunted.

"Guh....You...." Samuel's eyes were red and tearing up.

"You what? I'm tired of hearing anything you have to say. My family is on its way to being viscounts. We may even become Earls, with my aunt leading us. What about you? Your family hasn't produced a strong Exalt in a while. I heard you did badly on the previous inspection. It's only time before your family is brought down to barons."

Frederick did not allow Samuel any room to talk back. Every single one of his words was filled with poison.

"WAH!" Samuel balled his hands into fists and went berserk on Frederick. But Frederick had been beaten by his aunt numerous times in training, so Samuel's flimsy attacks were like jokes to him.

SLAP

Frederick slapped Samuel on the other cheek. The latter was dizzy and unable to utter a single word before running back inside.

"Coward." Frederick wanted to spit on the ground but didn't want to show something gross to Teresa.

"Thanks, Frederick!" Teresa and Gilbert cheerfully applauded Frederick's victory.

"I'll make sure to protect you, no matter what. We're friends." Frederick smiled.

However, on the way back, his father scolded him for making trouble and spanked him until his rear hurt. But Frederick thought the pain was alright as long as Teresa could remain safe and smiling.

At the same time, Samuel would be heavily punished by his father for not only causing trouble but also losing the fight and running, especially against a baron's child.

Frederick, in the carriage with his buttocks facing up, couldn't wait for the next time he would meet his friends, mainly Teresa.

The playful trio would be happy for many moments until Gilbert suddenly changed.