We polished off our plates, and our bellies were satisfied.
“Misha, thank you for this delicious breakfast,” Prince Rena said. “I hope this is enough.”
I was handed an aedile gold coin, a currency worth more than a normal gold coin. One of these was around 500,000 yen in Japanese standards.
“Huh? What is this?” I gaped.
“Fee for breakfast,” Prince Rena replied.
“I don’t need money!”
“But…”
“You treated me to a feast yesterday, didn’t you? This is my way of paying you back.”
Prince Rena seemed reluctant to have a free meal, but I viciously shook my head. I couldn’t take her money. And so, she ultimately gave in and took her money back, much to my relief.
After I tied all of my textbooks into one bundle, I was ready for class. I eagerly stepped outside with Prince Rena, but I immediately froze.
“Is anything wrong, Misha?” she asked.
“Um, I wonder if your entourage would push me aside if they found me with you,” I muttered.
“Hm, yeah, that’s a little dangerous.”
The prince may have slipped away in the morning, but the group would surely rush for her if she were spotted. I could easily see myself being shoved away and trampled.
“Then how about this? Cheval!” Prince Rena called.
A magic circle appeared, and her familiar, the unicorn named Cheval, proudly appeared.
“We should ride Cheval to class,” Prince Rena offered.
“Atop a unicorn with a prince…” I murmured.
Will I be allowed to ride on its back? I’m not confident that I’m worthy… The prince told me that it wasn’t an issue, so I gingerly approached her familiar. I gave a sheepish introduction to which the beast proudly huffed in response.
“There’s no saddle, though,” Prince Rena said. “Misha, have you ever ridden bareback?”
Oh, so there isn’t a saddle…
“Never,” I replied. “The snowy region where I’m from isn’t suited for horses anyway. I’ve never ridden a horse before, actually.”
“All right… Then does your region have any other creatures suitable for riding?” Prince Rena asked.
“Yes, we’ve got elk. They look like large deer.”
When I told her that there were elk as large as the cabin I lived in, she looked at me with disbelief.
“Wow, I had no idea,” she said.
I was about to suggest that she head to class first when Gem, who was behind me, surprised me again. It bounced a couple of times before it landed on Cheval’s back and transformed into a saddle. It even stretched its appendages out to form reins as well.
“Ah, this works great,” Prince Rena said. “Your familiar’s a genius!”
“Yes… I agree,” I replied.
I thought that I could avoid heading to class with the popular prince, but I wasn’t so lucky. Thanks to Gem, I could ride on the back of a unicorn with Prince Rena for the first time. I was worried I’d get thrown off, but that didn’t happen. There weren’t any opportunities for me to ride a horse in my previous life when I worked in Japan, so this was a new experience for me, and it naturally came with some anxiety. Prince Rena held the reins in one hand and wrapped her arm around my waist with the other. It was surprisingly stable, and I felt safe if I didn’t try to lean too hard in one direction or the other.
Cheval started off with a slow walk before gradually picking up speed. The breeze felt nice against my face, and I enjoyed a higher vantage point than usual. The familiar only needed to rush in a straight line—an avenue lined with trees led to our class. Ginkgo leaves on the ground dyed the path golden. It was a more stunning sight than usual on the back of a unicorn. When I saw the maple leaves changing colors up close, I let out an enchanted sigh.
The students who arrived for class noticed Prince Rena at once, but they couldn’t approach her since she was on Cheval’s back. Her plan had worked, but I quickly noted the dubious glares of my classmates.
“Who’s the lady with Lord Rena?” one asked.
“I don’t know… I don’t recognize her from the new class of students.”
I’ve been here since day one! I felt the urge to shout my existence to the world, but I held myself back and faced the ground so that I wouldn’t stand out more than I already did. Prince Rena’s entourage was already waiting for her in front of the shoe rack located at the entrance to the building where our class was held.
“I came here on Cheval to avoid them… This is a conundrum,” Prince Rena muttered.
“Shall we enter the building from the courtyard?” I asked.
“That’s a great idea.”
She told me to brace myself, and I did just that as she gave a strong tug on the reins. Cheval let out a neigh and leaped over everyone.
“Whoa?!” I gasped.
The school building was four stories high, but Cheval leaped over it as if it were nothing and landed in the courtyard. I would’ve fainted had I not been a fan of roller coasters. It was quite a thrilling ride for me. When I dismounted from Cheval, my legs wobbled, and I couldn’t even stand up straight as I sank to the ground.
“Misha? Are you all right?” Prince Rena asked.
“I-I am,” I replied. “I was just a bit surprised, that’s all.”
Gem reverted to its usual spherical state and used its appendages to support me as it propped me up on my feet. It took a short while for me to calm down enough to walk toward the roofed corridor. I was grateful that Gem obediently tagged along today.
When we reached the school’s shoe rack, the prince’s entourage wasn’t around, just as I’d presumed. I quickly switched into the shoes the school required before heading to class. It was a peaceful moment to enjoy without anyone crowding around, and the other students only stared at us from a distance.
“I wish it were always like this…” Prince Rena muttered under her breath.
I guess it’s not easy being royalty. When we reached our classroom, classmates swarmed the crown prince, and I squeezed through the crowd to head to my seat, Gem rolling behind me. Ehr was already seated, and he raised a hand in greeting.
“Hey, morning.”
“Good morning,” I replied as I plopped into my seat and sighed.
“Why did you come to school with Rena today?”
“Some stuff happened.”
Rumors had already begun to circulate within the classroom about how Prince Rena and I came to class atop a unicorn. When I turned toward the royal and somehow locked eyes with her, she winked back, flashed a faint smile, and even gave a subtle wave in my direction.
“When did you start getting all chummy with him?” Ehr asked.
“I bumped into him yesterday after school,” I explained.
“I see…”
He didn’t pry further and switched topics to today’s breakfast. The dorms had a buffet-style breakfast, and students were allowed to eat whatever they wanted to their heart’s content. Prefects, however, kept a watchful eye, ensuring that students weren’t taking more than they could eat or spending too much time talking. A single glare was all it took to put the other students in their places, and Ehr sat in the corner and quietly munched away so that he wouldn’t stand out.
“What did you eat for breakfast?” Ehr asked.
“Macaroni with tomato sauce and potato galette,” I replied.
“Sounds amazing. That’s more than enough—no need to be overly fancy for breakfast anyway.”
When Ehr lived downtown, it wasn’t rare for his breakfast to be a slice of bread and a glass of water. When he started drinking rich pottage and munching on Danishes made generously with butter, he would get an upset stomach.