Prince Andrelandros had expected another boring audience. After all, how many noble ladies of Dorandian high society had been paraded in front of him now? Far too many to count. He expected this was just another ploy to sneak another one in front of him and his brother.

Lance took it better than he did, the bastard, but both of them would still complain about it together over a goblet of wine every now and then.

Those thoughts were far from Landros' mind as the young woman in front of him was first stripped of her veil, then, the pins rather viciously pulled from the clever styling, revealing the most unique hair Landros had ever seen. And he’d seen quite a range in his romps.

This woman, Frances or whoever, now had his attention.

What was father saying? The Academy?

Landros smiled, already plotting their first meeting.

♥♥♥⸸

I knew it would be bad getting back in the carriage.

“He called me a fool!” my father shouts, sitting so far forward in his seat, he’s barely on it.

“Now, now,” Madam Rosanna says, patting his arm. They’re both across from me.

For some reason, the sight of her hand on his arm irks me. Does it linger a little too long? Is that it? I look away before she can catch me staring.

“You could’ve been whipped,” I say, trying to give him some perspective.

“That would’ve been preferable to the king naming Duke LaVelle a fool in front of the entire kingdom!” He drops his flushed face into his splayed hands.

I decide to stay silent. It doesn’t matter, anyway. What matters is I will be going to the Academy!

Thank you, Saint Dora! I will not waste this opportunity.

Although, it is strange that the king wants me to graduate so quickly. Four years of study to be completed in two years? Is it even possible? Skipping the long summer breaks and the short winter breaks would help, but it will still be…I gnaw on my lip, contemplating the odds.

What’s the rush?

Perhaps I’ll ask Thorne when I share the news about the Academy. He might know something.

♥♥♥⸸

The king sat with his two trusted mages in his favorite, private study. Back here, when it was just the three of them, all pretense disappeared.

“She’s beautiful,” the king said. “You failed to mention that in your report, Russo. She’s as beautiful as she is spirited. She didn’t even flinch when I ordered her to graduate in two years.”

Russo smiled, but it was somewhat sad as he remembered his first encounter with Lady Florence. “Her beauty was the last thing on my mind that day, Your Majesty. But, I will not argue with your assessment—the young lady is certainly very, er, pleasing to the eye.”

“Ha. Clerics,” mumbled the king with a low chuckle. Russo especially showed no interest in romance or women, not since the time-trap incident involving his twin, Felix. He'd lost interest in many things since then.

The king shook his head. That was over and done with. Today, they were here to puzzle out a new conundrum: Lady Florence LaVelle.

The three of them had gathered to look at a portrait—an odd, old portrait. In it, the king and queen at the time were in the foreground, their profiles on opposite sides of the painting, facing one another. Between them was a landscape, with some artistic liberties taken, but the three men gathered today were hopeful that the contents of the painting were accurate, if not the placement of them.

Dorandia Castle, where the three of them were now, sat at the base of Mount Doran in the distance, rather than its true home of Doran City. At the peak of Mount Doran, a dragon was perched, her tail curved around and down the mountain peak, her head bowed gracefully toward the King and Queen. A guardian at peace.

Her colors—gold, coral, pink, and lilac—were a reminder of the setting sun.

“Her name was Aurora,” the king said, his voice almost reverent. “She was the last to hold a covenant with the deh Doran line. It’s said her bones rest within Mount Doran, but that cannot be confirmed.”

As if coming to his senses, he turned around to face the clerics.

“What of the Hellscape? Can you confirm it was Aurora’s shade?”

The twins looked at one another.

“Confirm?” Russo repeated. “No. But, it is our opinion…”

“Our belief,” Felix interrupted.

“Our belief that Lady Florence was blessed by Aurora’s shade. What Aurora’s shade was doing in the Hellscape is another matter…”

“Or perhaps not.” Felix looked pointedly at Russo, then toward His Majesty. “We cannot rule out that everything is related. The curse, the mana-binding placed on Lady Florence, Aurora’s presence and gift, Lady Florence’s similar hair color and newly awakened mage powers…”

“That is why you will keep a close eye on her,” the kind said, staring down at them. “Russo, I want you to keep researching the curse. Find out why Florence LaVelle was targeted—if she was the target. Felix, you will be the one to watch her. Befriend her if you must. Provide her counsel when she seeks it. Report everything to me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

If the king noticed a rosy flush creep down Felix’s cheekbones, he did not mention it.

♥♥♥⸸

Dear Ren,

Do you like your pseudonym? We should use it during training, too, rather than your real name…I would ask you to please consider allowing me to refrain from using “Lady” while we train, to further conceal your identity. I apologize for my impertinence.

I expect we can begin your training in about two weeks. This is a delicate manner—I again apologize for my impertinence, but in order to train properly, you need appropriate garments. May I send my trusted seamstress to you for measurements?

-T

My cheeks flush at him mentioning new clothing. Why? I didn’t think I would be training in dresses…but it hadn’t occurred to me how I would obtain the proper garments. It’s not like he’ll be the one measuring me.

Now my cheeks feel hot. What is wrong with me? Am I ill? Could it be all the stress from earlier in the day?

I splash some cold water from the basin onto my face until I feel normal.

Dear T,

Yes, my pseudonym is perfect and I agree with abstaining from using my title while we’re training. It wasn’t impertinent to ask. In fact, I appreciate how thorough you are being to arrange things for me. Please send the seamstress at your earliest convenience.

I had an audience with His Royal Majesty earlier today, to be formally introduced now that I have debuted. He has ordered that I attend the Academy as soon as possible. But…he has also ordered that I graduate in two years or sooner! Do you know why he would order that? I do not mean to question his command, I just worry I won’t be able to fulfill it. I think I remember being a good student as a girl, but there will be so much to catch up on, and so much I don’t know…

Oh, I did not mean to air my grievances to you. There is no need to respond to my rambling.

Thank you for making the arrangements.

-Ren

Satisfied, I return the journal and pen to my hiding spot and take out The Path of the Mage.

Two years. Everything needs to happen in two years. I need to graduate, I need to learn how to use my powers well enough to get by—it’s unrealistic to assume I’ll be a master mage by then, and I need to get stronger. I also need money.

It’s the last part of my plan that makes me furrow my brow. I need money. I can save my allowance as much as possible, but I still need to make purchases from it, so I can’t rely on it fully. It’s also not going to be enough to live off of after I graduate from the Academy.

Maybe Thorne would have some ideas. Surely he has connections, being close to Lord Trevor?

My brow relaxes. He probably would. He is turning out to be quite the dependable fellow—but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t still be wary of him. He’s bending and breaking rules for me, which means he likely bends and breaks rules for others. Still, as long as he can help me, I want to use him.

I need him.

Decided, I turn my attention to the book and use my newly learned power to open the cover and turn the page to the place I have marked. At first, reading was difficult, especially a book like this. But I've had so much time to practice, now I can breeze through the text and exercises, easily learning another few maneuvers that I practice around my room.

I worry about it being so easy for me. Shouldn’t it be more difficult for a beginner? Especially for someone teaching herself?

But it is awfully convenient, I think to myself as I launch the book across the room with my power, hide it away, and lock the hiding spot all without leaving my bed…just seconds before Mary enters the room.

My mind wanders back to the loose plan I've outlined. It's a good start, but it's far from perfect. For the first time, I can relax knowing a future outside of the LaVelle Duchy is possible. I just need to work hard and have patience.

If there's one thing I learned in the hellscape, aside from running and hiding, it was patience.