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HEAVY footsteps interrupted Angelina and Ryuho’s precious leisure time. They exchanged glances.
“Please wait, Father!” Kyril called out in the distance.
Angelina cocked her head. “What’s going on?”
The next moment, her door flew open with a bang. When Feilong entered the room, he appeared as demonic as any fiend. Ryuho’s tail reflexively puffed up. The cruel emperor’s bloodlust terrified even a Flame Tiger.
“Fodder?” Angelina asked.
“Lina!” he shouted. “What’s your relationship with Hisame?!”
His forcefulness caused her eyes to widen. “Hisame?” she repeated timidly. “We’re friends.”
“Do you have a special relationship?!”
Angelina cocked her head again. “Um, special?”
As Feilong hounded her with questions, Kyril attempted to hold him back with both arms. “Father! You’re scaring Lina, don’t you see?”
“But Kyril!” Feilong bellowed.
After deciding that talking to Feilong would only complicate the situation, Angelina turned to Kyril. “What’s this about Hisame, Big Brudder?”
“So you are friends with Hisame?” he asked.
“Yeah! Ryuho is, too!”
“Like hell I am!” Ryuho grumbled.
“I see,” Kyril said. “Where did you meet Hisame?”
“In the outer enclosure during the ascension ceremony,” Angelina replied. “Mishter Knight was there too.”
Feilong cursed under his breath. “Useless scum. Perhaps I should execute him…”
Kyril shot his father a withering glare and turned back to Angelina. “How interesting. And what kind of child is Hisame?”
“She’s like a really smart and cute older sister!”
“Erm, cute older sister…?”
“Yep! You saw her with the Andan delegation, right?” Somewhat anxious, Angelina regarded Kyril with upturned eyes as she posed her next question. “Should I not have become friends with her?”
Since no one had told her beforehand not to speak with Andans, she hadn’t given the matter any thought. Even so, the position of the imperial princess came with many constraints. As Angelina looked at her silent older brother, she grew even more anxious. Based on how Feilong had stormed into her room, perhaps she’d caused some major problem. Tears welled in her azure eyes, her heart began to race, and her hands quivered.
“I’m sh-shorry…” she mumbled. “I, um, didn’t know any better…”
Watching Angelina tremble broke Kyril’s heart. “No, it’s okay,” he said. “You can speak to Andans, Lina.”
“But you can’t be friends with Hisame!” Feilong roared.
Angelina stiffened. She was so frightened she nearly burst into tears. When a sob escaped her lips, she pressed her hands over her mouth.
Immediately, Ryuho wrapped his forepaws around her. “Don’t yell at Lina!” he barked at Feilong.
Kyril shot the emperor yet another withering glare. “Father!”
“Why can’t I be friends with Hisame…?” Angelina asked. “Can I not send her letters…?”
She viewed Hisame as a precious friend from another country who’d taught her a great deal.
“You think of Hisame as an older sister, correct?” Kyril asked for confirmation.
Angelina nodded. “Yep.”
Such beautiful girls shrouded in an aura of evanescence were a rarity.
“Those dastardly Andans!” Feilong roared. “They’ll pay for using such underhanded tricks to deceive Lina!” He muttered under his breath with a wicked smirk on his face. “But a big sister, eh? Hmph. If that’s how Lina thinks of the child, perhaps that serves them right…”
Kyril let out a soft sigh. “Listen here, Lina. Hisame has requested to come study at the Purple Forbidden Palace.”
Angelina whipped her head up. “Really?!”
“Yes. Does that make you happy?”
“Of course!”
As Angelina’s face split into a wide grin, Feilong gritted his teeth hard enough to crack a molar.
“But there’s something else I need to tell you, Lina,” Kyril said. “Hisame is actually a boy.”
“Huh?” Angelina asked. “A boy? Are you mistaking her for someone else?”
“No. Hisame is the sixth Andan prince.”
Angelina cocked her head and looked at Ryuho.
“You didn’t notice?” he asked with a deep sigh.
“Wha? You knew Hisame was a boy this whole time?” She gaped.
“Yeah. He smelled like a male.”
Angelina fell into dumbfounded silence.
Come to think of it, Ryuho always referred to Hisame as a kid, not a girl, she realized.
Though Angelina had mistaken Hisame for a girl this whole time, so had the people of the outer enclosure. Hisame dressed in feminine robes and wore his hair long. Likewise, he spoke in a gentle tone and had an adorable face. Angelina hadn’t seen any reason to doubt his gender.
“I see,” she said, her face falling. “Maybe I should apologize to him when we see each other again. Mistaking a boy for a girl is rude, isn’t it?”
Kyril chuckled. “I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“Then why did you come here?” Angelina asked, cocking her head again.
Hisame being a boy or girl made no difference to her. She didn’t believe their friendship would change based on gender.
“I thought this news might surprise you,” Kyril said, “so I came to tell you about it beforehand.”
“Oh, I see. Thanks for letting me know, Big Brudder!”
Smiling quietly, Kyril patted Angelina on the head. “See, Father? There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worried,” Feilong replied.
“Then should we accept Hisame’s request?”
Feilong nodded reluctantly. “I suppose so…”
Considering how dearly Feilong now treasured Angelina, he no longer wanted to fight pointless battles. Instead, he wanted his daughter to live a peaceful life. Since an armistice with Anda would help facilitate this, he had no choice.
“Ryuho,” Kyril said, looking at him seriously. “Hisame is the sixth prince of Anda. We’ll come to an official decision after deliberating with Prime Minister Tomi and the others, but, as a nation, there’s no reason for us to turn down his request. On the surface, Hisame might be studying abroad, but in reality, Anda is handing over a hostage.”
Jinlong and Anda had been at war for a long time. By welcoming an Andan prince into the Canopy, Jinlong would effectively be declaring an armistice. Furthermore, Anda had made this request, and they hadn’t demanded an exchange of hostages. These were favorable conditions for Jinlong.
Ryuho didn’t understand what Kyril’s words implied. “Huh?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
Kyril couldn’t suppress a chuckle. The official letter from Anda had included an unofficial letter from Hisame. The young prince personally wanted to study in Jinlong and detailed his reasons with great enthusiasm—Angelina being one of them. His fondness for her had been abundantly clear. After reading this letter, Feilong and Kyril sensed that Hisame wanted to study abroad just to see Angelina.
“I won’t give him Lina as a bride,” Feilong had said, getting somewhat ahead of himself. Moments later, he’d stormed into his daughter’s room in a fit of rage.
Isn’t it a little early to be talking about marriage? Kyril had wondered with some exasperation. However, with Angelina being the imperial princess, marriage proposals would start pouring in sooner or later.
But considering how much Father loves Lina, I doubt he’ll accept a political marriage, Kyril thought. If Lina does have to get married someday, it should be with someone she loves, and that person should treasure her.
Still, if Angelina and Hisame had been in puppy love, Feilong wouldn’t have allowed Hisame into the Canopy, regardless of whether it sparked a war. Fortunately, Angelina had viewed Hisame as an older female friend. There was no reason to forbid him from entering the Canopy.
Kyril handed Angelina a letter. “This is to you from Hisame.”
Apart from the letter addressed to Feilong, Hisame had also included a letter to Angelina. While this letter was personal, it was still written by the prince of an enemy nation. As such, the contents had already been verified. The subject matter was what one might have expected from a child.
Angelina opened the letter and read Hisame’s elegant handwriting.
Dear Angelina,
My world has grown much brighter since meeting you. Therefore, I would like to learn about your country by your side. If I’m allowed to study abroad in Jinlong, please remain close to me. I hope we become friends with an even stronger connection than you and Ryuho.
Sincerely,
Hisame
It was practically a love letter. Even so, Angelina took the words at face value since she’d never received anything of the sort before.
“Hisame’s coming back to Jinlong!” Angelina cried. “That’s so exciting! Right, Ryuho?!”
“Not at all!” Ryuho shouted, thwapping his tail against the ground. “I object! I’m putting my foot down! I’m totally against this!”
Hisame’s letter sounded like a declaration of war to Ryuho. He couldn’t remain calm.
As Kyril watched Angelina celebrate with sincere innocence, the prince breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he had mixed feelings. From his perspective, Angelina was still an adorable little girl. He didn’t want her thinking about romance yet.