Isabella had a close friend. Vincent grew up with her, he is the eldest son of a famous businessman in the town. Sometimes he would sneak out of the Estate to buy some tiny pretty goods that were sold at the night market just to see Isabella smile. Since her mother passed away, Vincent was her only confidant. Last year, he left the Estate to the Capital to continue his studying. The two kept contact through letters, and when Isabella learnt that Vincent would come back in two weeks to visit her, people could see her smiling all day, longing for her best friend.

As Isabella was playing chess with the bird in the greenhouse again, the handmaiden announced the arrival of Vincent. She immediately rushed outside, seeing a tall man dressing in a brown suit and an overcoat, talking and laughing with her father like old friends.

Vincent was a man of virtue, they said. He had that bluish eyes that could seduce others with a glimpse, a pale skin that glowed under the sun and the lips that murmured the sugar-coated words, like the seraphic melodies of the mermaid in those ancient legends. His black hair used to be left messy and all natural, like representing the free soul of a boy, but might be because of academy's rules, it's now brushed back neatly, some hair strands could still be seen on his forehead. 

"Oh, here you are, Bella. Look, Vincent has grown so much since last year!" her father laughed, indicating Isabella to greet Vincent. Vincent turned around to the father's talking direction, his eyes narrowed to see the maiden from afar due to his bad eyesight.

Isabella ran towards him like a joyful child, she wanted to hug him tightly but Vincent gave her eye contact, secretly calming her down as her father was still standing there. Isabella smiled shyly, before leading Vincent to the greenhouse.

"Playing by yourself again?" Vincent asked, observing the chess board and the sporadic pieces on the table.

"No of course not! Have I mentioned this little girl right here to you before?" Isabella excitedly showed Vincent the birdcage placed neatly next to the chess board. Vincent smiled and shook his head, approaching the bird for a better look. "She is charming. Such a beauty will just fly away in waste if you don't keep it in a cage, Bella. Her feather looks like your silky hair, but she seems to dislike me a lot. Is it because of my perfume?"

Isabella blushed, "Absolutely not! You're so kind that even fish stop swimming when they see you, Vincent," she changed the topic, "How was life in the Capital anyway?"

Vincent burst out of laughter at her fish story. "Well, it was the most boring period of my life, Bella. Everyday I wake up, study, then sleep and repeat. I barely had time to enjoy the places and festivals. No night markets, no glorious events, no Isabella." Vincent said, his tall frame towering over Isabella, making her lean back against the table edge.

"O-Oh, that was absolutely sad...But you know what, the good thing is that you finally came back. To be honest, I was a bit...surprised when I saw you. You changed so much." retorted Isabella.

"Hmm? How have I changed to be exact?" Vincent leaned even closer this time, keeping Isabella between his arms, his grips on the table next to her was undeniably overwhelming.

"Uhhh...maybe it's your physique? You look like a gentleman now. B-But first, can you please move back a bit? I cannot breathe..." Isabella reluctantly pushed Vincent away a bit.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, Bella. It's just...I wanted to observe every single detail of you closely after a whole year of separating..." Vincent grinned, his bluish eyes sparkling with tenderness. He patted her head like a loving brother, "how about I finish this game of chess with you on behalf of this birdie?"

Then again, the bird remained silent in the cage, observing the scene.