Chapter 10: Her Name Is Angelina
ONCE again, a golden cloud trailed across the upper air of the Purple Forbidden Palace.
The gray-haired knight squinted as he looked up at the bright sky. “Looks like the Golden Dragon is making another appearance today.”
The brown-haired knight chuckled. “I don’t think anything special is happening today.”
“Well, the Golden Dragon is overprotective of Angelina,” the gray-haired knight said with a sigh, oblivious to his own overprotectiveness.
The brown-haired knight nodded. “Who can blame him when she’s so adorable?”
“From what I’ve heard, even Lord Rachiel has been doting on her as of late.”
“And who can blame him when she’s so adorable?”
When the brown-haired knight repeated the same line, the gray-haired knight shrugged. “No arguments there.”
The two knights shared a laugh while looking up at the golden cloud together.
✦ ✦ ✦
🐅 🐅 🐅
THE Golden Dragon formed a coil in the flower bed of the Big Dipper Garden. Angelina and Ryuho had cultivated this simple flower bed. Snapdragon flowers resembling the Golden Dragon shone with a radiant light, their fragrance dancing in the wind. Meanwhile, the Bai Ze dozed peacefully while zinnia flowers caressed his mane.
Angelina had begun learning magic from Rachiel. No one in Jinlong could give her detailed tutelage as she’d inherited special abilities from the Yulan royal family. Apart from healing, she could also process magic, drawing out and amplifying the abilities of others.
Though Rachiel returned to Heaven briefly, he’d come back to visit Angelina. “I’m here to foster your talent,” he’d said.
Angelina and Rachiel were spending yet another day studying magic while leaning against the dragon’s coil. That said, Rachiel was humming while weaving a floral wreath. His flapping wings were proof of his good mood. Teaching me magic is just a pretext for wanting to see me, Angelina suspected.
The Golden Dragon’s chilly scales felt pleasant against their skin. Ryuho lounged in the early summer sunlight, his tiger ears and tail popping out. He could still change between his human and tiger forms.
“Will I become a Flame Tiger even though I decided to be human?” Ryuho asked anxiously.
“You are both a Flame Tiger and a human,” the Bai Ze answered.
“But everyone said I would have to choose one or the other when I grew up.”
The Bai Ze smiled. “Lack of precedent doesn’t mean impossible.”
Angelina squeezed Ryuho’s tail in her arms. “Isn’t that great?” she asked with a smile.
Ryuho grinned bashfully. If pressed, he would have chosen to become human, as that would allow him to be with Angelina. Still, what could be better than having the strengths of both a human and a tiger?
“All right then!” Ryuho shouted, balling his hand into a fist. “I’ll work my tail off to use my full tiger strength as a human!”
“I believe in you!” Angelina cheered.
Rachiel placed a floral wreath on her head as she laughed. A moment later, he placed a similar wreath on Ryuho’s head.
Ryuho blinked while looking at Angelina. “You look so cute, Lina!”
Angelina blinked back at him in a similar fashion. “You too, Ryuho!”
Ryuho purred, grinning with an air of delight. Angelina’s heart fluttered. She’d been feeling a bit peculiar as of late. For some reason, her chest constricted, and her face flushed whenever Ryuho fixed his gaze on her. The young boy had grown quite a bit. He’d been sparring with Feilong daily to hone his martial prowess—something he already excelled at. That pursuit had sculpted his physique into a robust, masculine form. Moreover, he’d begun to take his studies seriously after feeling like a dead weight in Yule Castle.
As Ryuho continued to grow into a gallant young man, Angelina struggled to process her feelings. Until now, she’d always regarded him as an adorable little cat. Lately, however, he’d begun to look more mature. In short, he was incredibly dashing.
“What are you thinking about, Lina?” Ryuho asked, peering at her from a short distance away.
Jolting, Angelina whipped her head to the side.
Ryuho’s face fell, his expression hurt. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately,” he said, his ears drooping. “Do you hate me now?”
“No…” Angelina mumbled, still averting her gaze. “Not at all.”
Rachiel grinned at the children’s adorable exchange. Unable to handle the cloying atmosphere, the Bai Ze stood up, kicked off from the flower bed, and returned to Mt. Jinlong.
Ryuho grabbed Angelina’s face with both hands and bumped their foreheads together. “Then look at me if you don’t hate me!”
Angelina squeezed her eyes shut, her cheeks boiling.
“Why are you closing your eyes?” Ryuho asked, his voice quivering with unease.
Slowly, Angelina opened her eyes to peer back at him. “W-Well…”
“Yeah?”
“My chest kind of hurts…”
Puzzled, Ryuho rubbed his nose against Angelina’s. “How come?” he asked with a nonchalant grin. “We’re always together, right?”
“Yeah, we are,” Angelina mumbled in response. “I don’t understand this either…”
Her chest ached as her heart raced. Why couldn’t she understand her feelings?
“You don’t hate me, right?” Ryuho asked, his tone still anxious.
“No, I love you,” Angelina replied.
In the past, she’d regretted not telling her loved ones that. If possible, she would never make that mistake again.
“Then everything’s fine!” Ryuho exclaimed, smiling as he rubbed his nose against hers again. With that, he threw himself down against the Golden Dragon’s coil. The scent of summer wafted from the grass, which was slightly damp and warm, unlike the dragon’s scales.
“You’re not mad?” Angelina asked timidly.
“Why would I be mad?” Ryuho answered.
“And you’re not in any pain?”
Angelina couldn’t decipher why only her chest ached.
“Not at all,” Ryuho said with a smile, his ears perking up. His wagging tail slapped against the dandelions, causing their fuzz to float into the air. “I’m happy, having fun, and you’re cute. I’d hate to be a nuisance ’cause I just want you to be happy too!”
It’s a little vexing that I’m the only one in pain, Angelina thought.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and peered into his face. At that moment, his cheeks turned bright red, and his mouth hung open.
Wait, does Ryuho feel the same as me?!
As happiness and delight overcame Angelina, she bumped her nose against Ryuho’s. She rolled over beside him to flee from his startled expression. Blood pounded in her ears, and the muggy odor of summer grass tickled her nostrils. A smile danced upon her lips despite the ache in her chest.
“Your heart is racing, Lina,” Ryuho mumbled, perplexed. “Is this what you were talking about?”
Angelina nodded.
“Then I feel the same way!” Ryuho exclaimed, rolling over to face her.
Angelina met his gaze. “Really?”
“Yep, sure do.”
Both children blinked while gazing at each other, their cheeks flushing.
I love you.
That thought crossed both their minds.
A moment later, they stood up. Both felt embarrassed upon remembering the Golden Dragon’s presence.
“Angelina!” Hisame called out.
The Andan prince could now speak loudly, unlike when he and Angelina first met. He, too, had grown into a gallant young man, his beautiful horn extending from his forehead. Appearances aside, he held a basket filled with glass bottles of various colors. “Let’s eat something cold,” he said, taking out three bottles and making snow fall inside them. They could make shaved ice by pouring fruit syrup inside the colorful bottles.
“I want that one,” Ryuho said, pointing to the peach syrup. “It’s the same color as Lina’s hair!”
While Hisame chose blueberry syrup, Angelina struggled to decide. Peach and blueberry both seemed appetizing, but the strawberry syrup reminded her of Ryuho’s hair.
“Which one should I pick?” Angelina asked.
Rachiel scattered snapdragon petals over the snow. “Just pour every syrup over your ice!”
“Okay!” Angelina responded with an emphatic nod, a smile splitting across her face.
“Then I’ll do that too!” Ryuho shouted.
“Me too,” Hisame agreed.
The Golden Dragon stirred languidly. “Shaved ice does sound quite appetizing, what with today being so hot.”
“Oh yeah,” Angelina said, cupping her hands into a bowl. “Could you give me some more snow, Hisame?”