Thirty-three years ago, the second Princess of Dowa Kingdom, Schnee, began to take an interest in national affairs, to the concern of the King’s advisor, Qwalm. With the agreement of the king, Qwalm asked Abend, the princess’s aide, to make it appear that she died in a boating accident so that she could be removed from the royal register. Abend also took his family servant and son with him. The princess is happy to live as a citizen in Badon and she and Abend part ways, but she is kept under observation during her life there. She met a young man and they married and had blonde-haired son, Jean, and then a daughter, Lotta. Prince Schwann was born ten years later to the youngest princess. The family servant's son Nino joined the young Jean at school to watch over him. Unfortunately the former Princess Schnee, her husband and the family servant died in a train derailment leaving the children orphans. Nino explains all of this to Jean, including the fact that he has no claim to the Dowa throne.