My Childhood Friend Is a Duke’s Heir

Lise, the daughter of a baron, and Alfred, the heir to a ducal house, have been childhood friends since they were young. Ducal families are elite nobles, each blessed with a unique and special Power, while baronial houses sit at the very bottom of the aristocracy. Despite the vast difference in their social standing, their fathers are close friends, and Lise and Alfred grew up together like siblings. Recently, however, Alfred has been attending a distant academy, and each time he returns home, his physical affection toward Lise becomes… a little too intense. Flustered by the change, Lise decides to put some distance between them. On one such day, when Alfred comes to visit, she hides by climbing a tree only to be startled by a sudden animal and lose her footing. Alfred, who had been searching for her, throws himself forward at that moment to break Lise’s fall, suffering a serious injury in her place…!