We learned to see in the dark because we were cast out of the light. Why should we be afraid of what we can find, with the eyes we have been given?

  —Archduke Maklim Frustazco

  Arnen cast his gaze upward from his phone toward the stables, a sigh on his lips. Beneath him, Hamlet sneezed and shook his head, letting out a crooning yawn as he looked around in boredom. Arnen felt bad for the poor creature, but he wasn’t much in the mood for riding around anymore.

  His initial hope had been to show Her Highness the ropes, riding around the meadows and nearby grove with her at his back while the sun was still shining, but after that violet… eyesore was the only word that could describe Arnen’s gut reaction to the myrh—arrived, she immediately took it to the stables and hadn’t emerged since. The clouds had since coated the skies and the forecast was claiming evening rain that would last through tomorrow. Thus, his plans were doused, and if he wished to grow closer to Her Highness, he would have to find another way.

  Perhaps I could opt to spar with her tomorrow? He frowned, There is no guarantee that she would have been raised to be as deft with the blade as her mother. She is an Aphtangloa by birth after all, not a Drimus like the current Exaltare. Even if not, she’s a decade my junior, surely I could still show her a thing or two about dueling. And even if not…

  It could still be a good bonding activity—one that she might even enjoy, considering how apparent it was that she had inhereted the Drimus’ hot-bloodedness. Arnen would do anything to once more see the way she smiled when talking about her mother the Exaltare at the Moonsend banquet.

  “‘Brighter than the moon high above.’”

  “Dare I even ask what has you quoting Lucille?”

  Choking on air as he was nearly startled off his myrh by the sudden intrusion into his privacy, Arnen twisted his head around to look at the snapping hydra glowering up at him, her piercing scarlet eyes half-lidded in weary indifference.

  “What brings you to the field today, Dahlia?”

  “That’s ‘Lady Dahlia’ to you, Mano.”

  “Are you going to go on again about how you’re the ‘chosen one’ because of your eyes and name?” He rolled his eyes at her, “Have you still yet to realize that you were likely named because of that genetic aberration?”

  Surprisingly, that got her cheeks to darken in embarrassment, though she maintained a stiff upper lip as she refused to break eye contact with Arnen. “I was but twenty-nine at the time! Scarcely smarter than a toddler! Let us put the past to rest… shall we? I’ll even be magnanimous and overlook your breach in etiquette.”

  He rolled his eyes, “And yet you seem insistent on needling me for quoting—”

  “Let me guess, it was Lycoris, wasn’t it?” she cut in, closing her eyes and folding her arms as she muttered, “Ancestors know near everyone in the academy is stuck thinking of her and nothing else.”

  “And you aren’t? Sounds like somebody might be a touch jealous to be out of the spotlight.”

  “Hardly… Though I won’t deny my reasons for visiting the fields.” Dahlia hadn’t even changed out of her regular uniform. Meaning she wasn’t planning on going for any rides today.

  Far more striking than Dahlia in her uniform, was that she was completely alone. Arnen could scarcely recall the occasions where she didn’t have a plus one accompanying her around as an echo chamber. Even when they had separate classes, at least one of the twins would be waiting for her, if not Iris.

  …Then she doesn’t want them to know she’s meeting with Lycoris? I smell trouble. But for whom… He rubbed his chin, inquiring further with narrowed eyes, “And what do you intend with Her Highness?”

  Dahlia rolled her own, leaning back to dramatically shrug, “Arnen, the last thing she needs is a noble knight to protect her. You were there when she tossed my dear uncle around, were you not? Or were you perhaps distracted by something else about her,” she sneered.

  “My apologies for having this little thing called curiosity.”

  “I believe most would call that lechery, Arnen.”

  His face flushed, and he spoke through gritted teeth, “I meant about your business, Dahlia!”

  In turn, the girl put her hand to her mouth and tittered, “Are you trying to tell me you were quoting Lucille without thinking about any of the context around One Thousand and Twenty Four Words of Love? We all know what that poem’s about, you reek of a guilty conscience. You might as well be asking if you can kiss her on the lips.”

  “I know full well how improper such a thing would be. Courtship etiquette would dictate a polite peck on the back of her fingers at most. You just want me to give you a ride over to the stables,” he grumbled flatly. He had dealt with Dahlia enough that it was plainly apparent why she was even bothering to talk to him. Arnen just happened to be the only person nearby that she could attempt to co-opt. Even though she was young, she was still an Idra—a monster that devoured anyone of use and spat out the remains once they were done.

  Though that was being a little melodramatic when, in this case, all she wanted was a lift. If only she could learn ask without also trying to get one over on him. Then again, that was partially why they were all even attending Alephertz. To sharpen their wits for when they might one day take over their families.

  “I would certainly appreciate one, if you’re offering. Otherwise I won’t waste any more time speaking with you,” she admitted with as little restraint as one would expect from a girl who had never tasted the pain of setback even once in her life.

  All his grousing aside, he was a gentleman, and his law of conduct was greater than his personal distaste for Dahlia. He squeezed his thighs and commanded Hamlet to crouch down for Dahlia to climb up behind him, sitting side-saddle as she gave a fair smile.

  “See, was that so hard?”

  “Hamlet, let us hurry before the rain starts,” he ordered with a smirk and snap of the reins.

  Immediately, the myrh stood up and began sprinting toward the stables rapidly, much to Dahlia’s dismay. She let out an inelegant yelp, wrapping her arms around his waist to keep herself from falling off.

  “H-How dare you!” she cried.

  “What’s that? You never asked me to return slowly, Dahlia. Hold on tight now.”

  The two of them rushed back, as the little brat let out a string of words that no proper noble scion should know. Her every curse only served to make him feel more vindicated, his smile growing wider as the myrh’s home came into sight.

  Sometimes, it was nice to be the one getting the final point.

  ＊

  “Kwiiiieeee… Kawwww…”

  “…”

  Lycoris pointedly ignored the keening whimpers of her steed, while giving a different stabled myrh a gentle rub on the beak and a snack after ordering it to lay down and roll over. Specifically within eyesight of Mira. Cecily had impressed upon her that this was the best way to get him to start paying attention and taking her seriously, and that it was lucky that Mira was so attached to Lycoris in particular. It wouldn’t have worked as well otherwise.

  It didn’t make her happy to hear him so upset, but Cecily was still there to make sure that he wasn’t going to do anything reckless or hurt himself. She was also making sure that Lycoris didn’t give in to the desire to turn around and give Mira any attention for whining, as that would simply undo all the work they were putting in.

  I’m sure you wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but this hurts me just as much as it does you, Mira…

  Especially since there wasn’t any sort of physical abuse, which Lycoris had been more than a little worried would be necessary. She didn’t know how the Fourth had trained their horses, but the sounds Lycoris had overheard from the stables at times…

  “Just what in the world is making that racket?”

  The familiar voice made Lycoris’s hair suddenly stand on end, tearing her out of her momentary reverie. She froze in place, the myrh she was feeding continuing to lick her hand. She wasn’t even sure why her reaction was to freeze up—perhaps shame over how her personal pet was acting.

  A moment later, the violet-haired girl rounded the corner and looked straight at her. Dahlia’s expression instantly shifted from confused irritation to affectionate warmth, and she swiftly but gracefully made her way toward Lycoris. Though, she stopped just sort of greeting distance as she looked at the myrh that had put Lycoris’s entire hand into its mouth now like it was sucking on a chew toy.

  “…Why are you covered in dirt, Lycoris?”

  “I have bad luck with animals,” was all the reply Lycoris gave. A moment later, she remembered what she was doing and withdrew her arm from the stabled myrh with a sigh at the saliva sticking to her hand. “What brings you to the stables, Dahlia? Surely not to handle the myrh, given…” she gestured toward Dahlia, indicating her clothes—with the non-saliva-covered hand.

  In return, Dahlia blinked and tilted her head in surprise as she responded in the most natural tone possible, “Why, you of course. I knew it would start raining soon, and—”

  “Hweiiii…”

  “—wasn’t sure if you would—”

  “Waaaarrk…”

  “—Okay, what exactly is that myrh doing? Why is it being so—”

  “Kwaaa…”

  “—LOUD!”

  Dahlia stamped her foot down as she shouted, causing a shiver to run through even Lycoris’s spine. Several of the other nearby myrh—all of whom Lycoris felt pity for already, given the disturbance Mira was causing—whimpered and shrunk deeper into their pens in response. Forgetting herself, she marched past Lycoris and up to the pen Mira was sticking his head out of and thrust her finger at Cecily, who was standing awkwardly in front.

  “Who on earth are you and what are you doing here?!”

  “Good afternoon,” Cecily bowed gracefully, “My name is Cecily Oxalis. I serve as Her Highness’s personal—”

  “What are you doing here? This is a private institution.”

  “…My sister and I are here to attend Alephertz at Her Majesty’s recommendation,“ she paused, and then further explained as she saw Dahlia furrow her brow, “Her Majesty’s exact concerns were that we were ‘not up to the basic education standards required to properly serve Her Highness,’ and sent us here to shore up our education in lieu of our adoption into Lycoris’s personal workforce.”

  “And, what family did you say you hailed from, again?”

  “The Oxalis, Miss. Small land-owners from Kranes County… though, it’s just my sister and I now.”

  Dahlia folded her arms and frowned, no doubt reading between the lines of her explanation. Being a land-owning family in Kranes meant they were once under the domain of the Vanas, she knew Lycoris had been to Kranes, and was well-aware of Lycoris’s “bleeding heart” as Dahlia had put it. There were only so many permutations of what could have happened that made logical sense.

  “Oxalis… I can’t say I have ever heard of such a vassal family, though perhaps Iris would recognize you.”

  At the mere mention of her name, Cecily’s eyes lit up and widened in a way Lycoris had never seen before, and she gasped, “Lady Iris would recognize me?! I… I highly doubt that, Miss—”

  “That’s ‘Lady Dahlia Idra’ to you. Do you even know how distant your blood is from our Ancestors?”

  “M-My apologies, Your Ladyship. We’re eigh—”

  “Waaah…”

  “What is wrong with that beast?” Dahlia turned to stare at the myrh, as he resumed whining for Lycoris’s attention.

  The most likely cause was Lycoris walking away to fetch a towel for her slobber-coated arm. There was also no small measure of embarrassment over Dahlia encountering Mira and Cecily. As if a secret of hers has just been stumbled onto or uncovered. She didn’t want to disappoint, though… When did I start caring about who I associated with? That isn’t like me.

  Cecily nervously bowed at Dahlia, “We’re in the middle of trying to get Mira to behave. So long as he keeps whining, Lycoris is supposed to ignore him. It’s discipline training, in essence.”

  “‘Lycoris,’ hm? Barely a step up from a commoner, and you think you deserve to refer to Her Highness as an equal?”

  “A-Ah, she asked me to.”

  “Right. It’s people like you that have poisoned her mind into—”

  “Kweee…”

  “I swear upon my Ancestors that beast needs to learn how to behave quickly or else! You should do as my family does. Pluck a feather for every transgression.”

  “That’s horrible!”

  “It’s effective. And they learn by example, too. Treat one that way and the rest learn to behave as well. Honestly, I worry for Her Highness’s wellbeing if children like you are to be her—”

  “Dahlia.”

  Lycoris put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, squeezing hard enough to cause the Idra heiress to wince in pain. Even though she’d walked a distance away, she still overheard the entire conversation. And while she didn’t want Mira to cause trouble for the other students, she wouldn’t stand for that kind of treatment. Nor did she appreciate how Dahlia talked down to Cecily.

  She spun the girl around, glaring at her face to face. Lycoris hadn’t lost her composure yet, but Dahlia seemed to understand that she would have to choose her next words carefully. At least, the slightly crumpled frown and fang biting into the edge of her lip gave that impression.

  “Lycoris… welcome back. I see that you’ve dealt with the mess. Are you ready to quit this place?”

  “Apologize to Cecily.”

  “…What?” Dahlia’s pupils narrowed.

  Lycoris had been taken in by flowery words and kind gestures—and a crippling loneliness—but at the end of the day, Dahlia was still an Idra. She was still a Vampire. And Lycoris wasn’t going to let her dictate the tempo of their conversation like her mother always did. Not so long as she was the Princess and Dahlia just a noble girl, if that was the game the Idra wanted to play. If there was anything she had learned over the past week, it was that there were ways to leverage her position that didn’t involve being a blunt instrument. Or swinging one around.

  But she was still very, very upset. Not just at Dahlia, but also at herself for nearly slipping once again. She should have taken Cecily’s side to begin with. And in turn, that only reminded her of how she had distanced herself from both Raine and Dahlia when she first encountered them.

  “You were out of line. She is both a servant of mine, and a friend I confide in like yourself. If you want to keep associating with me, you will apologize both for talking down to her like that, and for suggesting something so horrible to my myrh.”

  “Bok.”

  She saw the mental calculus happening behind Dahlia’s eyes as the girl glanced around her face, searching for something. Lycoris couldn’t figure out what, but eventually she closed her eyes and sighed, folding her hands over her waist as she spoke coolly, “I’m disappointed, Your Highness.” She was intentionally putting space between them verbally. “It’s clear that you have potential, but… you’re still too soft.”

  “If you think apologizing or owning up to being hurtful is ‘being soft,’ then that simply demonstrates what a child you truly are.”

  “What?”

  “Do you think that the Exaltare is somehow above owning up to mistakes? You mistake arrogance for confidence. When Mother is shown that she has erred, she apologizes, and makes amends. It isn’t weakness to do so, it’s being a responsible person. You know what trying to solve everything yourself, and thinking you’re the smartest person in the room accomplishes?”

  Lycoris sneered, exposing her fangs as she leaned forward, letting her anger spill out in a different form.

  “It leads to a silent death by poison in the middle of the Palace’s throne room.”

  Dahlia leaned back to match Lycoris, her eyes widening and her mask slipping for just a moment as some strange mixture of surprise, realization, displeasure, and concern flashed across her face.

  “Besides, I heard just fine from over there,” Lycoris stuck her thumb over her shoulder behind her, “and I already knew. Cecily’s still of noble blood. Shouldn’t that be good enough by your metrics? I still don’t really get why you seem to be so aghast at the idea of a commoner associating with a noble anyways,” she leaned back, raising her nose and shrugging her shoulders in a slightly exaggerated swagger, “after all, beneath the lofty seat of the Aphtangloa, everything appears equal.”

  Something in Dahlia’s countenance changed. She froze up like a deer that just heard a branch snap. Her eyes lost their focus. Nobody said anything for several breathless seconds—not even Mira. Not until a sudden fwoosh of rain struck the roof of the stable, the cloudburst popping the tense air inside as well. There was no leak in the roof, but a single wet streak slid down Dahlia’s cheek as her face twisted like she’d sunk her fangs into a lime.

  Shakily, ponderously, she turned on her heels and inclined her head toward Cecily, fumbling over her words, “At Her Highness’s request, I formally apologize for degrading your status. I still believe that there is a gulf between and is strange she finds no wrongness with treating you equal, but perhaps that is hypocritical. Now, if you’ll excuse me,”

  “Hypocritical? Wait, Dahlia!”

  Before Lycoris could grab or stop her, the other girl ran to the ramp and vanished down to the lower floor. Chasing after, Lycoris couldn’t catch her before she had already fled the stables and into the rain.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Worry arrested her heart. She must have struck a nerve, but it certainly had not been her intent. When they argued over this before, Dahlia had been much more composed and easily smoothed over the conversation, which may have been to Lycoris’s deficit at the time. Or maybe not… Lycoris had a hard time deciding if being friends with Dahlia was good or bad—setting aside the issue of her being a Vampire.

  How in the world did I go from wistfully imagining what a quiet family life might look like to this? Lycoris wondered while shuffling back up to the second floor. She returned to where Cecily and Mira were, the latter having finally quieted down, now simply looking at her with trepidation.

  Lycoris wanly smiled at the confused and curious Mira. “Does this mean we should reward him with a treat now?”

  “I did say no honeybark for a week. Maybe just give him some attention for now.”

  Cecily seemed a little dour, something that seemed nigh-unthinkable to Lycoris, but she didn’t seem particularly eager to share why. Deciding to let the topic Dahlia brought up slip aside, Lycoris attempted to smother her trepidation over the tenuous state of their friendship by instead following Cecily’s suggestion.

  Giving Mira a vigorous rub on his beak and scratch around his ear canals, she whispered to him, “See boy? If you’re quiet and patient, you’ll get all the attention you could ask for from me when I visit. I won’t be able to come every day though, so you’ll have to be good and ration your time with me.”

  Not that she thought Mira had any concept of what rationing would entail or mean. He was smart enough to understand her words, but that didn’t mean he could necessarily grasp advanced concepts. Cecily described it as toddler-level mental development. So essentially, she had to speak to a child every time she was dealing with her steed.

  “Chrrrr…”

  “That said, I should go look for Dahlia. No doubt she wanted to invite me to study after an early supper, maybe I can catch her at the Library? …O-One of them, at least,” Lycoris winced, a troubled frown spreading across her face. It only dawned on her after she vocalized it that there were several libraries across the campus, though there was only one that was grand enough to be called the Library. But Dahlia could go to any one of them—or even her own, assuming the Idra dormhouse had a private study room like her miniature tower.

  “Kwer?!” Mira suddenly nuzzled further through the gate and nipped at one of Lycoris’s twintails.

  In turn, she scratched the top of his head, ruffling his fluffed out feathers. “I’ll be back soon, okay Mira? And I’m not leaving just yet.” And in a cutesy voice that startled even Lycoris herself somewhat, she added, “I missed you too after all~! Trust me when I say that being cold towards you is perhaps one of the hardest things I’ve done.”

  It was fortunate that most other students had already returned their myrh and left due to the rain—both for Lycoris’s sake and Dahlia’s. If anyone overheard her returning Mira’s chirps with her own quiet cooing, Lycoris probably would have imploded.

  …This makes Cecily a very dangerous ally, doesn’t it? Her gaze twisted around to look at her friend, who was busy humming to herself as she looked through a nearby storage container for caretaking materials. The bird leaned forward and continued to nibble on her twintail, like he was trying to help preen her rolled up tube of hair.

  Lycoris clapped her hands to her cheeks, dispelling the thought with a grumble, Ugh no, there’s no reason to think like that. Dahlia’s just got you paranoid, Lycoris. Quit being anxious!

  “Cecily, you should probably meet up with your sister. You still don’t have your uniform or dorm key, right? Best to get all of that sorted before the sun sets. Not, that the actual sun itself matters, I suppose…”

  “Hm? Auoof!” She pulled her head up abruptly, smacking it on the steel paneling and rubbing it with a whimper, “Mmnh… She said she was going to come here, since we both knew how important it’d be to properly stable your closest accomplice.”

  Lycoris blinked, holding a hand to her chest instinctively. Where Mizar dwelled. “Ah, well… I suppose he is a partner in crime, after a sense.”

  “Kwei!” The bird proudly puffed out his plumage and raised his head tall.

  “Yes you! You behave, Don’t give Cecily any more trouble than you already have. I’ll come by again tomorrow after fencing to check up on you. I hope to see some good progress on learning patience!”

  “Kwaaah…” Mira lowered his head and gave her cheek a sad farewell lick.

  Cecily bowed her head, holding a large battery-powered brush in her hands. “Take care, Your Highness.”

  “Please don’t let her words get to you, Cecily. I like it when you call me Lycoris. I’m my own person and can make my own decisions. Although… it might be better to keep that to private spaces,” Lycoris admitted with a frown.

  The two of them parted ways, and Lycoris made her way down and out of the stable, immediately becoming soaked as the rain mercilessly fell upon her. Turning around, she realized she didn’t see any umbrellas in the stable. Marching through the rain and suddenly feeling very soggy in her riding gear, she wondered if the changing room’s outfit-supplying system could give her one. And if they at least had showers there.

  Dahlia probably would have known the answer, which only caused the fresh wound of Lycoris’s regret to tear back open.

  I hope she isn’t angry at me, Lycoris worried, shivering from the cold. She’d never experienced a proper friendship as equals before—even Mizar’s ragtag group had her mostly as a guardian watching over them—and that meant she had never experienced the pain of having one fall apart, either. That had ended with a different sort of pain. Perhaps I could inquire at the dorms, or the faculty building. I’m sure Iris or the twins would know where she is.

  Making a plan of attack to compensate for the anxiety in her chest, Lycoris shook the water from her hair and sprinted toward the changing facility.