Ryu Astre (Point Of View)

"What is the princess doing here?" I mumbled.

"What?! Don't let her in!" Shin said in haste.

"I can hear you, Prince Shin," Yume said, talking at the other side of the door. "I know you don't want others to see you with Lady Rosie, so you don't want to let me in, and I honestly don't want to bother with your affairs either. So let me just talk here outside, but I need an answer! Are you the one responsible for the class F-1's involvement in the third-year class expedition?"

The room went silent for a few seconds, she continued, "Listen here! I'm only telling you this once. If I ever find out that you mess with my friend, then don't blame me if I support your brother instead! I'm leaving!"

"Wait!" Shin said, "What do you mean? Who is the friend you are talking about?"

"Who else?! The person with the black hair...! The one who knocked you cold. He is an innocent man for you to play around with! This is my last warning, Prince Shin!"

"You dare threaten me, the crown prince?!"

"Then why don't you try it? Think about it, I never used my family's influence even you had your affair while still being engaged with me. But I won't let you mess with someone because of me!"

Bam!

"Your Highness, the Lady left," Max said.

"D-did she just slammed the door?" Rosie said.

"It's the first time I saw her get mad," Shin said, "so she's a normal lady after all."

"Shin! Don't forget the bad things she has done to me!"

"If I think about it, I never literally saw her do those things."

"Shin!"

"Pfffft!" I said, hearing these traitors fight with each other has finally knocked my head into thinking rationally. It seems the princess is still blaming herself for lending me her sword.

"Is there something funny?" he said, looking at me directly in the eyes.

"So you only learned now how cute the princess, I mean Lady Yume really is? Well, that's not my problem though, see ya."

"...Cute?" he mumbled.

"Where are you going, Sir Ryu?" Rosie said, blocking my path towards the exit.

"Where? Leaving, of course, I just made up my mind so I respectfully decline your offer." I shoved her off gently with my arm, because of our strength difference, she wasn't able to stop me.

I halted for a second when the prince shouted, "You think I will stop the expedition because of a Lady's threat?!"

"No, but even if you don't stop it... I will."

"Hey! Wait! What do you think you can do?! I'm warning you! If you leave now, then you will be my enemy forever!"

Clink... Bam!

"Your Highness, Sir Ryu left," Max said.

***

Sigh...

I was sitting on the academy's roof shaded from the sun by a tree while watching the princess release her anger.

"How dare I threaten you, you said?" She said, kicking on a poor boulder. "You disrespected and embarrassed me by having an affair" — thud! thud! thud! — "But I didn't care much! Now, you want to ruin someone because of me?" — thud! thud! — "Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Thinking about what the prince said earlier. It is also my first time seeing her this angry, and it was for my sake. Even in the novel, she was described as a modest, elegant, intelligent, and quiet lady. Not until people started to accuse and punish her, there she went into a rage, which made her look worse. But now, she was venting her frustrations by kicking a huge rock.

She even called me her friend. "Pffft," I laughed, smiling like an idiot. "She really never cease to surprise me. Seeing her in real life is really different."

"Your Majesty," Felix said, appearing beside me kneeling with one leg.

"Report."

"It was the Crown Prince and Vice-Principal of the Academy."

"I see, anything more?"

"There is not much evidence, but it seems the scholars are trying to steal our technology and inventions."

"Don't worry about them even if they do succeed, it doesn't matter. I'm already used to these kinds of things. As if they can fight against me, one of the toughest businessmen ever lived! So anything more?"

"Nothing more worth your attention, Your Majesty."

"Alright, you can go now."

"As you command, Your Maje—"

"Oh, wait! Another thing, I want you to stop the third-year junior class expedition, do everything in our power to do this. This might be a little reckless on our side, intervening with the enemy and showing our power might blow our cover, but it's better than making the princess do... that."

"Do what, Your Majesty?"

"Look," I said, pointing at the boulder below.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"I-Is that the princess? Why is she kicking that rock?"

"That's what happens when you make a lady angry, Felix. So if you ever have a lover in the future, you and I know what to and not to do."

Gulp!

"I'll keep that in mind, Your Majesty..."

"Now hurry up and leave."

"Sorry?"

"I'm the only one who can stan her, you better close your eyes... or better leave."

"You mean stalk" — shiver went down his spine as I looked at him with my don't-say-anymore eyes — "A... Alright. I'll... I'll leave... Haha." Felix quickly disappeared.

"I'm not stalking her... I'm stanning her, I'm sta-nni-ng!" I mumbled. Now I'm alone, I can finally concentrate watching her, but it was too late to realize that the princess is gone. "Eh? Where did she go?"

"Who did go?" a voice said, coming from behind.

"What do you mean, Felix? The princess of course. She was just kicking that boulder like a cute child, and now she disappeared... Wait..."

My brain suddenly went into a hundred percent working mode, trying to compute the basic algorithm of possibilities where Felix would disobey my command and go back here. But... Every time I draw the scenarios in my mind, the result always says that I should start running for my life. Sadly, for some reason, my feet went cold, and sweats started marching on my face.

*Inserts final boss background music*

Dan-dudududun... Dudududun... Dudundudundudun...

"Hmm? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Hahahaha... Princess, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't that what I should be asking, Sir Ryu? What is a person doing on a roof?"

"Oh, just sightseeing."

"Did you saw?"

"No... No! I didn't see anything about you beating the poor rock."

Her face flushed. "You did saw!"

Shiiiing!

"Princess! W-What is your sword doing hanging around my neck?"

"Who... are you, Sir Ryu?" Her voice trembled. I can see that this question is serious, so I stopped grinning and started to concentrate on her question. Remembering what happened earlier, I already decided to be honest with her. Since this is not a novel anymore that I should be dilly-dallying just to prolong the story. Because her life is already at stake and it's not something to joke about.

"I'm..."

Shiiiick!

"Huh?" I said. Without waiting for my answer the princess sheathed her sword but didn't stop there. She put her sword down on the roof, and I wondered what she is trying to do. Then, she pressed the back of her skirt with both hands as she curved down like she was trying to, "Sit...? Princess, it's dirty here!"

"Haha, I know."

"Then, why do you still want to sit here?"

"I also don't know why... I just feel like being carefree whenever I'm with you, Sir Ryu," she said, tilting her head. "It's like I already knew you for a long time. Who are you really?"

"Haaa..." I looked up at the sky with two hands behind my head and laid my back on the roof. "Well, I can tell you if you can keep it a secret."

"Alright, I promise."

"Actually, I'm the King of Xan Kingdom, Ryu Xanastre."

The princess became silent for a few seconds, until she said, "Oh, I see..."

"You believed me?"

"Of course, because to tell you the truth." She leaned towards me as she whispered, "I'm actually the Empress of the North Continent."

"E-Empress?" I repeated. I was so shocked by this information. The novel didn't mention anything about Yume being an empress, unless. "Are you really an empress?"

"Pfffft!" she laughed, forcing herself to stand up. She grabbed the side of her skirt and bowed. "Please forgive my insolence for lying, Your Majesty... Pffft! Hahahahaha!"

Now I understand, she was mocking me. I quickly sat up saying, "You actually didn't believe me!"

"Hahahaha!" She continued laughing for a while until she went back from sitting. "Ah, my stomach hurts! I'm sorry, Sir Ryu. But what you said is so hard to believe. For example, who in the right mind, and especially a King, would go to another Kingdom's academy just to be a student?"

"Who? He's in front of you."

"Mm... Well, let's say I believe you for now. The fact that I feel relieved when I'm with you is also true. It doesn't matter if you are a king or a commoner since I will still envy you."

"Envy me? Why?"

"Because you can still do what you want, even being in that position. Is that why you have the guts to knock out a prince of another kingdom?"

"Are you saying that from experience?"

She nodded, laying her head above her knees while looking at me. "Yes, as you can see, I was selected as the fiancee of the crown prince. But he already has someone he likes. All my life, people are telling me to become someone worthy of the crown prince. Now, there is a chance that I will not marry him, then the purpose of my life will be gone. My father already adopted someone to be his inheritor. I was kind of afraid to be exact. That is why I found it fun even though I just met Sir Ryu... That flying experience... Even for a short while, I felt I can finally breathe, so I'm thankful for letting me have fun. Hehe."

"...Then, do you need my help?" I said.