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THE Purple Forbidden Palace had two methods of advancing one’s studies. The children of influential Jinlongian families and bureaucrats who lived in the Left Enclosure attended one school. Those who lived in the Right Enclosure–otherwise known as the Canopy–attended another school.
The Left Enclosure’s academy was referred to as Primary School, and classes were separated based on age. A person began schooling at the age of eight and graduated at fifteen. Those who wanted to become government officials would advance to the Imperial University. However, only those who passed the bureaucrat exam after graduating would become government officials.
Those who wanted to expand their specialized knowledge would attend the Imperial Academy. Magic wasn’t studied at Primary School or the Imperial University, as it differed greatly based on one’s individual nature. Rather, people studied magic after entering the Imperial Academy or under a home tutor.
On the other hand, the Canopy’s place of learning was called the Advancing Wisdom Academy. Hostages from multiple surrounding vassal states studied at this private school. The Canopy had a high turnover rate of residents, and academic levels differed based on country. Because so few people attended the Advancing Wisdom Academy, the concept of school years didn’t exist. Everyone studied at their individual pace based on their aptitude. Yet, due to the Canopy’s communal lifestyle, everyone learned together rather than hiring home tutors. After graduating, those who wanted to continue studying could attend the Imperial Academy.
Per tradition, the Jinlongian royal family had attended the Advancing Wisdom Academy for generations. In fact, Angelina would start attending this year. Despite being somewhat young for school, she would attend at the same time as Ryuho, who’d just turned eight. Junshi Lang—Angelina’s private tutor—had been the one to convince Feilong to enroll her in school early. He’d done this for her benefit, as she was so intelligent.
Junshi was a young man who spoke in a relaxed tone, and his drooping, purple eyes radiated kindness. He’d discovered Angelina’s brilliance. Currently, he was doing everything in his power to make her dreams come true.
Incidentally, Kyril had graduated early, having skipped several grades thanks to his good marks. As of now, he was studying magic and internal administration while participating in government affairs.
Angelina headed towards the academy with Ryuho, her brand-new bag filled with writing utensils. As the pair marched alongside each other, the rays of the spring sun felt warm and pleasant on their skin. Meanwhile, bush warblers sang back and forth competitively.
A young boy in Andan clothes stood at the entrance of the academy. It was Hisame. When the students walking back and forth noticed him, they whispered to each other.
“Why is a fiend here?”
“It’s true then—an Andan student is studying here this year.”
“Will we be able to have class together? I’ve heard fiends are violent.”
The cruel whispers reached Hisame’s ears. He bit his lip and stood up straight. He couldn’t let anyone else know how disheartened he felt. In any case, he still wore the conical hat and cloth face covering befitting an Andan prince. As a result, the other students avoided him, as if there was an invisible wall around him.
This is about what I expected, he thought. Beginnings are always the hardest…
Being regarded as an oddity caused Hisame to lose his composure. He’d been the one to propose studying abroad in Jinlong. That way, he could be close to Angelina and stay true to himself. Unfortunately, his resolve was already being tested.
Upon finding her friend standing at the entrance, Angelina called out to him. “Hisame!”
She ran over to him with a bounce in her step. When Angelina first met Hisame last year, he’d parted his hair down the middle and worn the clothes of a young girl. Presently, his hair was pulled into a bun, and he wore boy’s clothes. Nonetheless, he still had the rose quartz amulet from last year’s festival attached to his sash. Angelina had a matching lapis lazuli amulet fastened to her waist as well.
“Angelina!” Hisame cried.
The two friends joined hands. Upon seeing Angelina, Hisame’s heart grew much lighter. After all, he could act like himself around her.
“Lina!” Ryuho yelled, breaking the other two apart. He hissed in Hisame’s direction.
Ryuho’s loud voice startled Hisame, causing him to shrink into himself. Hisame was a coward by nature who couldn’t handle yelling. He felt very self-conscious about that.
Angelina looked up at Ryuho with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong, Ryuho?”
Hisame glanced at the other boy. “…Ryuho?” he repeated.
Rather than responding, Ryuho merely puffed out his cheeks sullenly.
Hisame then looked at Angelina. “He has the same name as your tiger?”
Angelina responded to Hisame’s surprise with a strained smile. Ryuho averted his gaze awkwardly. Until now, Hisame had only seen Ryuho in his feline form. The Nanranese royal family had kept Ryuho’s identity as a Flame Tiger a secret. They feared people interpreting his childish statements as the oracles of a sacred beast. When Ryuho enrolled in the academy, his older sister Shua instructed him to keep his feline form a secret. Thus, Ryuho couldn’t reveal himself as a Flame Tiger—not even to an acquaintance like Hisame.
“You think that’s weird?!” Ryuho spat.
Hisame quivered. “N-No, not really…”
As Hisame continued acting flustered, Angelina took his hand. “Ryuho is my good friend,” she said. “I’d be happy if you two could get along.”
When Angelina grinned, Hisame couldn’t help but respond with a nod.
“I’m Ryuho Ruo,” he introduced himself in an offhand manner. “A Prince of Nanran!”
“And I’m Hisame Hirefu—a Prince of Anda.”
Hisame timidly lifted his cloth face covering to observe Ryuho. When the other boy responded with a withering glare, Hisame hid his face again. Ryuho’s straightforward eyes were too radiant to behold.
“Do you have to wear that cloth, Hisame?” Angelina asked. “It’s sad not being able to see your face.”
“Well, I don’t have to wear it, but…” Hisame trailed off.
He considered his face covering a good disguise. For starters, it prevented others from reading his facial expressions. Likewise, no one would know what he was thinking or looking at. Since Hisame had an anxious nature, wearing the cloth provided him with a sense of relief. It made him feel protected.
Hisame was worried about something else as well. He’d matured since last year, and as a result, he’d begun to display the traits of an Andan. Hisame’s rapidly changing body scared him and made him uneasy and embarrassed. Truth be told, he just wanted to hide.
“I’ve started growing fangs and a horn,” Hisame said. “They might scare you…”
Hisame was fond of Angelina. Since she was unaccustomed to seeing fangs and horns, catching a glimpse of them would probably frighten her. If nothing else, Hisame didn’t want Angelina to hate him.
“Ryuho has fangs, too, y’know?” Angelina noted.
She beckoned to Ryuho, who bent down and brought his face close to hers. Then, she opened his mouth and showed his fangs to Hisame.
“They’re cool, aren’t they?” she asked with a grin. “Not scary at all.”
Ryuho looked rather pleased with himself.
After bending down in front of Angelina, Hisame timidly lifted his face covering. A slight protrusion grew from his forehead. Though it wasn’t yet large enough to be called a horn, it was clearly a trait that Jinlongian people didn’t possess.
“It looks like a bump,” Angelina said while gazing at the protrusion curiously. “Does it hurt?”
“Not at all,” Hisame replied.
“May I touch it?”
“…Sure.”
When Angelina grazed Hisame’s horn with her fingers, the small protrusion proved harder than expected. She rubbed the horn like a cat’s forehead, as it felt nothing like a painful bump.
“May you become a magnificent horn!” Angelina cried, her right palm glowing with light.
Indescribable happiness overcame Hisame, and he narrowed his eyes blissfully. Just being patted by Angelina lessened his embarrassment about his differences. He now wanted his bump to grow into a magnificent horn, just as Angelina had said. When Hisame smiled, his fangs sparkled in his mouth.
“Yep!” Angelina cried. “Just like I thought—fangs are cool!”
Ever the competitive one, Ryuho exposed his teeth as well. “But my fangs are so much cooler!”
Upon seeing this, Hisame giggled. I feel like an idiot for being so self-conscious, he thought.
He took off his face covering, and his field of vision opened up all at once. Spring sunlight shone down upon Angelina’s hair, causing it to sparkle. A rainbow luster glittered in her azure eyes, which could have been excised from the sky itself. Her soft cheeks were as plump as peaches and seemed just as delicate.
“I might have missed out on seeing something precious,” Hisame mumbled to himself with a soft laugh.
Upon seeing his charming smile, the students watching them from a distance gasped. Angelina and Ryuho already stood out on their own, and now, they were having a friendly conversation with the handsome Prince of Anda. The students all leveled envious gazes at the group. When Hisame noticed all the attention, he flushed and hung his head.
“It looks like everyone wants to be friends with you,” Angelina said with a laugh.
“Come on already—we’ve gotta get to class,” Ryuho pestered, pulling her by the hand. “Right, Lina?”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
When Angelina and Ryuho raced off together, Hisame chased after them as fast as possible. Despite being new, this place was no longer frightening.