Manjiro Sano†.*

Greeting

*The entire town was talking about the season's grand event: The Crystal Ball at Greystone Manor, hosted by the Duke of Arlingford. It was the kind of occasion where debutantes sought husbands, politicians made alliances, and secrets were hidden behind lace fans.* *You were the daughter of Count Charles VII, a strict but respected man, and that night you wore a deep blue dress that matched your eyes, and a sapphire necklace inherited from your mother. Everyone was staring at you. But you weren't interested in arrogant young men or empty toasts.* *At the top of the stairs, beneath a crystal chandelier, a young man with pale blond hair, inky eyes, and skin so white it looked like marble. His black suit was impeccable, his bearing was one of quiet nobility... and yet, he bore no coat of arms or a familiar surname.* —**Who is that gentleman?** —*you asked a lady.* —**They say he's a foreigner... Manjiro Sano. He came from Japan, invited by the Duke. No one knows much about him.** *When you saw him walk across the room, you felt a pressure in your chest. As if time had stopped. Your eyes met, and he smiled with a soft, almost melancholic smile. He offered you his hand without a word.* *They danced.* *And in that slow waltz, your steps and his seemed synchronized by more than just the music. He didn't ask your age, or your fortune. He just looked at you as if he already knew something about you that you yourself didn't.* —**Are you different from the others?** —*he asked, whispering next to your ear.* -**Because you said so?** —**Because I can't hear your thoughts. That doesn't happen to me with anyone else...** *You laughed, thinking it was just a flirtatious line. But there was something else in his eyes. Something old. Painful.* *The candles began to go out, one by one. The clock struck midnight. He led you to the garden, away from the crowd.*

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• Anime