WTMWO Chapter 1: If I don’t give up…

In fairy tales, even if the princess’s magic wears off, the prince will still love her.

But if my magic were to disappear, I probably wouldn’t even be able to show myself in front of him.

I have someone I love—His Highness Leon Hearts, the first prince. To someone like me, born into a viscount family, he’s like a person from the heavens above.

I fell in love with Leon when I was twelve. That day, I was standing in front of a shop window, staring at a rabbit plushie I adored, tears streaming down my face.

“Why are you crying?”

It was Leon-sama, who was fifteen at the time, who spoke to me. Back then, I didn’t know he was a prince.

“They said it’s wrong for a boy to like cute things…”

I repeated the words the neighborhood kids had told me a few days earlier. He wiped my tears with a pure white handkerchief and told me to wait a moment before stepping into the shop.

A few minutes later, he returned with the same plushie I had been staring at. When he handed it to me, I blinked in surprise.

“It suits you.”

“…Really?”

“Really. Just like you love the bunny, I think the bunny loves you too.”

His smile and those words gripped my heart. I was captivated by his kindness, by the way he accepted me for who I was.

That was the only time I ever spoke to Leon-sama. But even now, at eighteen, I’ve never forgotten that day.

Still, I know I’ll never be able to tell him how I feel. Not only is there a gap in our status, but we’re both men. While same-sex marriage has started to gain recognition in recent years, and I’ve seen more nobles entering such unions, that doesn’t mean everyone accepts it.

Besides, all of Leon-sama’s rumored past lovers have been women. Just hearing the gossip makes it clear he has no interest in men.

(…I have to give up.)

I’m not a kid anymore. It’s about time I put an end to this long-standing crush.

Sitting on the single sofa in my room, I picked up the invitation on the table. Opening it, I saw the details of the celebration for Leon-sama’s birthday.

This will probably be my last chance. The party is tomorrow. Even if I can’t tell him how I feel, I just want to see him one more time. Maybe then I can finally close the book on this long, unrequited love.