1. First encounter

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"My goodness!! My Lady, please slow down or you will get hurt!" Mary shouted worriedly at Julia.

Mary is the only family for Julia, she was her nanny since her first breath and first step. She is there solely to raise Julia into an adult with love and care that Julia didn't encounter after her mother died.

"I will be back soon, Mary!" Julia exclaimed not hearing her own voice.

Julia loved doing new things, she is a curious and optimistic person whose sometimes mature for her age and sometime immature.

Her joy in life was discovering this very field.

She was around 7 when she got lost in the town to only find this empty field with zero care. "Who would leave such a treasure untouched?" she thought to herself. She later brought Mary over and since then she would always come here, when happy when sad when tired when excited, the whole time this place was closest to her mother embrace, always making her feel better with just a simple glance at the greenery scene with one single tree up a hill.

The tree looked older than her father, but it was standing strong not budgeting from soil so stubbornly. It was just like Julia when she set her mind something.

Julia loved using guns and riding her horse, she loved cooking and painting, as well as playing the piano, she loved many things and wanted to try everything. However, her requests were never heard on her own house, an ignorant father and a mean stepmother a rude butler and servants giving her a pitiful looks, other than Mary and Anderson at the house she had no one to rely on.

With a tiny budget her father left for her Julia managed to buy a pony and raised it, the pony was black from head to toe, she looked a fierce predator more than a horse. Julia loved riding on her.

Going around the mansion Julia found a room contented of many weapons, of course, from swords to guns, the history of their kingdom was huge and remarkable. Julia snatched one of the guns and would always practice with it on the field.

Julia rode on her horse wildly around the field, the horse wanted to trot and she wanted that too, both of them seemed to enjoy the cold winter breath slapping their faces, their hair running strips through the air, her horse moving her muscles in an impatient rythem around the wet grass, she ended injuring her thigh by a tree and she lost control and Julia saw her life flashbacks behind her eyes.

William was with his friends, Lord Alexander Hamilton Winston and Lord Maximilian Twist Dorian. Each was riding a horse and a gun on the belt.

"I will be the winner today, Will, Max." Alexander declared.

"Oh let us see about that, Alex." Maximilian dared competitively.

They were boys in adults bodies when they were alone, they are all on their early 20s, they have powerful families responsibility on their shoulders, families with wealth authority part of their kingdom's history. However when these boys are alone, they turned to children on their teen days where everyone and everything lit fire on their competitivity.

As children they competed on who to be married first? Or who would have a child first? Who will take the family head position first? Who would be the strongest? Who would be the most famous among girls? Who would this, and who would that. That was entirely the reason why William returned after graduating early came and took the responsibility of the family head. Alexander was the first to marry and Maximilian was the most famous among girls.

William laughed a sinister smile, "you think you can actually win?" he asked, he put his hand on chest with a thumb sound "when I am here none of you can win!" he said proudly.

The two lords couldn't say anything about that, that was true, William was far more talented than them with handling weapons.

"Move out of the way!!" a girl cry between the trees of the forest they were at.

They peacefully made way for her. It was Julia. Her horse passed between their horses so peacefully. The three men were surprised.

Who is this girl wearing a trousers like men rushing this way with her horse in a dangerous speed!? The three of them didn't move for a moment and William was the first to move his horse towards her direction.

Julia naturally learned how to drive on her horse alone with no training, and such thing didn't occur before because she was always at a safe speed but even that safe speed injured her mare and it lost reasoning.

"Give me your hand!" William said offering his hand.

He followed her with his horse and now trotting the same speed as her horse. Julia did not budge. How could she jump from one horse to another like it is just a difference between two stair steps? She was so scared that she will fall and break something and if that happened, it will be the worse to her.

William frowned, he closed the distance between the two horses just by an inch then extended his hand, with his bodily strength William grabbed Julia hand and pulled her entire body to his horse. He accidentally lose the grip on the horse and both of them rolled down the horses.

Julia opened her eyes when she felt the rolling stop, his hands were around her body protectively, she looked at him and noticed he wasn't responding to her movement.

"Is he dead?" she asked, she broke free from his hands like a burger sliding off a bread. She moved him slightly but he still did not respond.

"Sir? Are you dead?" she asked worriedly expecting an answer. "Did he hit his head somewhere? All because of me?" she started crying and sniffing.

William stood up scratching his head in pain. Julia hugged him happily "thank you for not dying!" she said.

He was surprised, usually girls avoid him but now she is throwing herself at him.

"You would think someone would die because of such role down?" he asked offended. she thinks he weak.

Julia felt his steady breath in the middle of her head and his heartbeat beating a bit fast that it was. It made her face feel heat. She looked at him and blood flowed from under his long hair. His hair was up to the beginning of his back, slightly under the neck, styled messily, he was wearing comfortable cloth opposite the kind of cloth the nobles would wear. She thought he is either a hunter or just a weird noble.

That was quite offensive to her life saver but her opinion was hers, it is not like he can hear her thoughts or anything. And it was certainly not the time for this, he is hurt, because he saved her from the fall.

Julia took a handkerchief, got closer to his face, she put the handkerchief on his head as it was bleeding. He looked down at her as her face too close, since he found dealing with women foreign to him, he was quite anxious at the close distance.

"Does it hurt? Shall we go see a doctor, I hope it is not deep!" She said worriedly.

"It is not serious." He said as he held the handkerchief from her hand.

He stood up then she grabbed his hand worriedly, her hand pulled his hand made him hiss in pain. Julia stood up directly.

"We must fetch a doctor! let us go!" Julia grabbed his shirt in a small grip worriedly.

Now he is looking closer at her, she was so beautiful, no beautiful wasn't enough of a word to describe her beauty. Her dark blue eyes like that of night sky and hair hair that was golden blonde like the sun rays kissed her hair made her look like she was an actual shinning sun walking on land.

He was mesmerized.

Julia found him quite attractive, those light honey like eyes and dark brownish hair, he was a lot bigger than hers and it seemed strong built and muscular, she now gets how he came out partially hurt. His sharp eyes and jaws so attractive. In this town, he is far the most handsome man among all she has seen through her life. And he was nice enough to save her as well catch the fall from her.

She directly knew that it was love at first sight.

Alexander shouted "hey, are you okay out there?"

Julia noticed two other men and the horses behind them. They went out of the forest to the field and Mary came running.

"Good gracious! My Lady! Are you hurt anywhere? Look at the dirty!! Didn't I tell you to not go so fast now see what happened." Mary shouted angrily.

She hit Julia back angrily. Julia cried "nanny, I am fine! These gentlemen saved me!"

Mary looked at them, despite their simple wear they were clean off and seemed noble clean and elegant. Faces she never encountered living in the west for 20 years. The only faces foreign to the people are tourists and the Duke face, they hear he come from time to time to stay at his territory manor that is right behind the forest. Those people might he the noblest men in the west at the moment and she knew this field belonged to the dukedom, now he knows that they trespassed his lands on his absence he will definitely punish them.

Mary knew all along that this field is owned by the Duke but everytime Julia came here her mind felt at ease and she was happy, Mary did not wish to brake that happiness so she hid the fact that the land was owned and always came here. Now the landlord stands by her knowing they touched his assets without permission. They will be punished.

Mary knelt to the ground and apologized "I am sorry Your Grace!!"

Julia was surprised. She looked at the three men and she knew just by looking who is the one with most authority here is.

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