"Are you excited, Your Highness? You're finally starting classes today!" Ina cheered as she followed behind Shiyao, a large parasol over her head to shield the morning sun.

"I haven't studied in years." she replied, "I'm a bit nervous, I was never a good student."

"You'll pick it up fast, Your Highness. Ranharan culture wasn't that far removed from ours."

"It's the magic I'm worried about." she admitted, gathering her robes up as they came to some steps leading to a short bridge. Ina had tried to talk her into the pink one but the colour was too strong for her taste, so she opted for a champagne coloured leine with gold embroidery down the swinging sleeves, and a dress that was a powder blue hue with matching gold embroidery. She had forgone the seaicead, the short split sleeve jacket, for the weather was getting too hot for it.

"I heard that your teacher is from the university." she continued. "He's a well respected leader, the Queen chose him herself."

"What's his name?"

"Yu Liang." she whispered, head darting left and right to check that no one had overheard her. "He writes novels, too, Your Highness, beautiful love stories that would make any girl's heart skip."

"Novels, huh?"

When was the last time she read something for fun? Everything was for work or for research, between that and meetings she had never thought to read for pleasure.

"Can you find his works for me? I might be able to understand him better."

"I have them all!" she stressed, hopping down the last two steps on the other side of the bridge and stumbling slightly.

"Watch yourself."

"This way, Your Highness."

"Why is this so far?" Shiyao complained, fishing a fan out from her pouch. "Why can't he come to see me?"

"He insisted upon the classroom."

"There's a classroom?"

"The Palace is its own world, Your Highness. The children of nobles are educated here, but don't worry. You'll be in a private room."

"Well that's a relief." she sighed, fanning and walking at the same time towards the green, blue and red stone building with "Laoji Academy" inscribed along the top of the main gate.

"We'll be inside at the back, Your Highness."

"What if he thinks I'm an idiot?" Shiyao wondered, following Ina through the gate and into the main courtyard where some students were gathered around on shaded platforms, looking over books together and not noticing her entrance.

"You chose a nice outfit today, Your Highness. You even have the crane headpiece on, he'll love that!"

"Why?" Shiyao whirled around, startling the younger woman.

"Well, it's from the legend, the Children of Rin." she commented. "You don't know the legend?"

"No I don't know!" she hissed, the pins in her pretty braided half up-do shaking slightly.

"Maybe he won't mention it?" Ina smiled weakly, glancing at the clock on the stone archway. "We have to get going, Your Highness!"

"Okay, right." she shook her head, joining Ina as they picked up the pace and rushed through the inner courtyard of the school that was lined with what looked like classrooms full of young children.

As they reached the main building, the age of the students seemed to increase, teenagers occupied one classroom and another one was full of young adults, it seemed. Towards the back there was a study hall, library, teacher's study and a large open door leading to the outside garden.

"It's out the back, Your Highness." Ina pointed to the open door.

The women emerged outside once again, the private garden quite tranquil and as they turned right there was, indeed, a room with 'Private Member's Room' written across the top. It was raised up, just like the rooms in Kingfisher Residence, and she could see the shadow of a figure sitting by a table through the paper screen doors. She wondered why they were closed on such a hot day.

"Let's go inside, Your Highness." Ina nodded, looking more nervous than she'd ever been before.

In a show of solidarity, Shiyao linked her arm through Ina's, the pair of them climbing up the short staircase. Shiyao knocked first, and a clear voice replied that she could enter. Ina stepped forward and slid the door open.

"Presenting Her Highness, Princess Shiyao!"

The princess gathered her robes once more, looking down as the door opened and she carefully crossed the threshold.

"Your loyal subject kneels before you."

Shiyao smiled at his greeting. His voice was very pleasant, she imagined it wouldn't be difficult to learn from him and as she glanced at his bowed head, she noticed that his hair was wavy and cut short, a style she had yet to see in her short time in Revenet.

"Please rise, teacher." she said warmly, looking to Ina as she hopped over the threshold, keen to take a glance at the famous author. "You have hair in your eyes..."

She was distracted for a moment as she helped her lady in waiting pull a few strands of hair from her eyelashes, smiling as she got them all free and Ina could see clearly again.

"Shall we get started, Your Highness?" Yu Liang asked and Shiyao turned back to face him, her face falling as she took him in.

The short, dark wavy hair.

Wide, sharp eyes.

Strong eyebrows and an even stronger bone structure...

As she took in his features, her heart felt like it stopped beating in her chest and her right hand grabbed Ina's forearm. Why was there a lump rising in her throat? And why was her vision getting blurry? She couldn't see how concerned Yu Liang was with her odd reaction, even Ina, who was a huge fan of his, wasn't feeling this overwhelmed.

"Your Highness?" Ina asked, her head dipping to try and get a better look, though the princess turned away to look elsewhere, willing the moisture to dry up, a hand on the base of her neck trying to calm herself down.

Yu Liang was the spitting image of Prince Min.

It was true that he had been in her thoughts more and more as the days passed. She often wondered about how he was doing and where he might be. The further she found herself from her old life, the more she needed the good memories to keep her going in her new life. Sometimes she dreamed about the moment in the Court Room, when Min found out that she had lied to save his life and the lives of their people.

Sometimes she went to him.

Sometimes the others killed him.

And sometimes, his voice desperately called out for her.

Min was a shameless flirt, he was proud and boisterous and didn't listen to her when she told him to stop pursuing her. He was the first person she trusted enough to give everything of herself to, which turned out to be one of the best decisions she had made. But he couldn't ever be hers, not in the way they would have liked. He was a Prince and she was apolitical by default and that was unethical and not allowed.

He was her first love that couldn't be a first love.

She had never given him much thought while in Ranhara, not really. He still managed to find a way into bed with her when he was visiting his parents in the Palace, but aside from that, he wasn't someone who had occupied a big part of Ara's heart.

But Shiyao thought about him a lot.

She often thought about the last time she ever saw him in his blood stained clothes, how he turned his back on all of them and not knowing what he did next sometimes kept her up at night. Leaving like that was admirable, she thought. It wouldn't be easy for him, no matter what he decided to do after.

By comparison, she felt like a coward.

She took the easy way out, using the excuse of anger and lies to run away from making her own path. This was where she came from, but she often doubted if this was where she belonged. The image of Prince Min's back served to remind her that she had other options and no one ever forced her to go to Revenet.

At the very least, right now, she had to survive the present.

The Princess let out a long, quiet breath, sniffing briefly and blinking the tears back, her shoulders dropping in relief as the moment passed her by. She managed a bright smile, finding the courage to look at Min once more.

No, he wasn't Min.

Yu Liang...

Yu Liang.

He wasn't Min.

"Let's get started, teacher." she nodded, waving Ina off and greeting Yixing as he arrived to guard the doors.