~flashback~
William's father nudges him forward towards one of the cells. "Come on, William, be a man and decide what to do with him. You make the call, and it'll be done." William stood there staring at the slowly starving man in the cell. He was nothing but skin and bones, and made William feel off. The mold on the stone walls and the cracks along the floor threw him off. He had to force himself to block out the smell of rot and mildew.
"F-Father, i really don't want to do this-"
"WILLIAM!" his father shouts, making him flinch. "You must not be afraid to make these decisions. One wrong move and you could make a fool of yourself and the last thing we need is another useless heir. Remember what happened to your older brother?" William gulped and looked up at the guards that towered over him. He takes a deep breath, feeling sick to his stomach.
"B-Behead him... but make it as quick as possible." He says, avoiding looking at the man in the cell or his father. His father nods as the guards look to him for confirmation. William watches as the guards enter the cell, removing the man's chains and lifting and carrying him out of the cell by his arms. William tries not to move as he feels his skin crawl and looks towards his father, who remains unconcerned and has no expression.
William looks back at the guards and watches them carry the man up the stairs not caring as the man groans in pain every time his legs hit the corners of the stairs. William winces each time he sees the legs hit the corners. He could only imagine the pain. "You made the right choice, William, but you are showing him Mercy by making it quick and painless."
"I-I don't know what he did, so I decided to make it quick," he lies, hoping his father will buy it. His father scowls, catching on to his son's lie. He gets down to William's level, looking him in the eyes.
"I really don't want to have to replace you, William. So far, you are the only son of mine to make it this far, and you'll be the son I hope will bring glory back to this family." William holds back tears, biting his lower lip.
"I-I won't let you down, father," William says, trying to maintain eye contact with his father. His father pats him on the back and heads back up the stairs, leaving William in the cellar. Hot tears burn William's eyes as he starts to cry. "I don't want to be replaced... like my older brother." He quickly wipes away his tears with the cusp of his sleeve. "I refuse to be replaced! I'll show father I can be the son he always hoped for." William hurriedly chases after his father, catching up and walking alongside him.
"I expect great things from you, William, and I have some news for you."
"What is it, father?" He asks curiously, masking the tears he had shed earlier.
"We've picked the perfect future wife for you, and you'll be introduced later this week." William is caught off guard by the revelation.
"But I thought marriage was to those we love and care for."
"William, marriage is nothing more than a formality, and there is no love within this world. Your marriage is to help your family and bring the two together, nothing more." William couldn't object and instead kept his protests to himself.
~later that week~
William's butler stands nearby as he puts on his clothing. William checks himself out in the mirror, deciding to wear an outfit he had begged his mother to buy him months before her death. He chose a vest and tuft collar that had been made back in the time of the Renaissance and kept preserved and safe for a boy of his age, and he put on tight-fitted pants that matched the black vest. "What do you think butler? I always wanted to wear one of these."
"You look dashing, Young Master," the Butler says indifferently.
"Do you think she'll like me, Butler? Will she like the same things as me? Will she be pretty?" William says excitedly, checking over his outfit once more.
"I'm sure she will be Young Master," the butler responds.
"William!" His father calls from downstairs. William is giddy as he rushes out of his room and downstairs, only to be greeted by his father's harsh stare. He quickly corrects himself.
"Right, no fun comes without hard work," William repeats his father's lesson to himself. The other butlers open the doors to the grand entrance and a young girl with blonde hair and green eyes enters with whom William could only assume is her father. Taking another look at her, he could feel himself start to blush as he straightened up his posture to seem tough for her. She seems to notice this and giggles, making William smile slightly. Her laugh was adorable.
"William, this is Melody Heinz. Melody, this is my son William Lyiora i hope you two can enjoy the day together and get to know one another." Melody approaches, stepping lightly and elegantly, and she holds her hand out to William, who gets flustered trying to figure out what to do with it. His father clears his throat, gesturing towards her hand, and William, not quite getting the hint, takes her hand in his and shakes it lightly. His father pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs in disappointment, worrying William.
Melody smiles. "you were supposed to kiss my hand," she whispers with another giggle. William feels his face heat up as he realizes just what he did wrong.
"I-i am so sorry! I didn't know! You're are just so pretty, and I-" she takes his hand in her own.
"Relax, you can be yourself with me," she reassures him, helping William relax. "It's nice to meet you, Will." He looks at her wide-eyed.
"Will?" She gets a concerned look.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I not allowed to call you that?" She says.
"No, no! I umm... I like it," he mumbles shyly, avoiding eye contact.
"You kids go hang out for the day and get to know one another. The men need to talk for a while." Her father says, and William's father nods in agreement. Melody takes out her parasol, holding it above her head.
"So." Melody says, "what do you want to show me first?" William gathers himself up and confidently squeezes her hand, walking alongside her as they head into the estate's garden, walking along the cobblestone path. Melody takes in the garden and everything in it, from the bees pollinating the flowers to the birds making nests in the trees. William stops by the fountain in the center of the garden and helps her sit on the ring of the fountain, adjusting her dress. "The garden is so beautiful."
"It was my mother's pride and joy. She spent most of her time here." William sits next to her, twiddling his thumbs.
"Your outfit is adorable, you know. You never see anyone wear anything like that nowadays." He gets flustered once again as she compliments his outfit.
"T-thanks! I just really like the Renaissance." He responds shyly.
"Ah, the period of art that started within Italy." His expression turns to one of shock.
"You know about that period!?" She seems caught off guard by his sudden questioning.
"Yes, father has me study as much as possible, saying it is important for a young lady such as myself to be knowledgeable at the very least." She responds as she closes up her parasol, resting it against the fountain. William was amazed at Melody's knowledge, especially since it was frowned upon for women of their time to have almost any knowledge.
"You're amazing," he says out loud, not realizing at first. Melody blushes softly and plays with a lock of blonde hair.
"You think I'm amazing?" Now, realizing that he had said that out loud, he quickly got up and lost his balance."
"Oh no!" He falls back, landing in the fountain, soaking his outfit. Melody gasps and immediately rushes to help him.
"Will, are you okay!? That was quite the fall. Are you hurt!?" She says with concern, waiting for his response.
"Father is going to be so mad..." he says as his anxiety starts to climb, and he scrambles to get out of the fountain. Melody grabs onto his hand, helping him out, and uses a handkerchief to dab some of the water off his face that drips from his hair. "Father is going to think i embarrassed him again, and then he'll replace me." Williams's hands begin to shake, and Melody feels sympathy for him. She tries her best to console him as they return to the estate through the garden. William is lost in thought and unable to hear his father yelling for him to respond.
It's only when he gets smacked on the back of the head that he becomes responsive. "Care to explain how you're soaked!? I thought I told you to behave and not create a scene! To think you would embarrass our family like this."
"Father, I-" he begins to tear up.
"It was my fault!" Melody says, getting between them and catching both William and his father off guard.
"Excuse me?" His father says his tone slightly annoyed.
"I had tripped and was about to fall into the fountain when Will rescued me and took the fall instead. He saved me from embarrassment and was very gentleman-like; for that, my father and I are grateful! And we'd like to consider this arranged marriage further as we think it would greatly benefit our families." William couldn't understand why she was standing up for him and taking the blame when it was clearly his lack of control of his emotions that got him into this mess.
"Melody-"
"Hush, Will." his jaw drops open at her boldness to hush him, but he doesn't object. William's father sighs.
"Alright, if that's what happened then, William, good job, you did something right for once, and yes, I'd like to discuss that marriage further cause that's why we're here after all." He says.
"Then me and my father shall return another time to discuss this." Melody smiles at William and goes to her father, who exits the estate with her. William watches her leave, still in a state of shock because of what happened.
"You look ridiculous. Go change and get dried off, and I just might let you have dinner and dessert tonight." William snaps back to reality, hearing his father's orders and bows rushing upstairs.
"Yes, father!" He gets out of his soaked clothes and hands them to his butler. He grabs a towel to dry off his body and uses a smaller towel to get as much water out of his hair as possible. "Butler, I think today went really well, and Melody is so pretty! There's just something about her I can't explain, but every time our eyes meet, I can feel my heart race, and I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not." The butler sighs.
"That would be love, Young Master. You are in love with Miss Heinz."
"Love?" William had never been in love before, and his father had said that love wasn't meant to happen in this situation. Was there something wrong with him? What if his father found out!? "Butler, there must be some kind of mistake. I can't possibly be in love, father says-"
"Do not tell your father I said such a thing, but there is nothing wrong with having a little love in your life. Your father may not feel love, but that does not mean you are the same way. Love is something special to be cherished and kept alive for as long as possible."
"I love her... I love Melody Heinz." he smiles, looking out the window watching as her carriage leaves through the gate. "I... love her."