The Crown Prince In Hiding

As planned... the scene opened on a large hill overlooking a stretch of forest and a winding river—part of the land behind Artheris Institute, in Anfield.

Dan unfolded a hand-drawn map where he had already marked the location of their home.

”Alright, let’s stop here for today... we’ll pick it up another time.”

It was already past noon.

”Mostly just forest, forest, and more forest... kinda reminds me of Zentinel. But in terms of safety, this place is decent. No monsters like back there.”

”I think the professors and the state probably cleared everything out by now, Your Highness.”

”Yeah, but even so, we’ve mapped out three or four escape routes already. The only thing left is the river. That’s still unexplored.”

”I can do it, Your Highness.”

Zeedee squatted down beside Dan.

”If I use my true form, I can swim from the far right to the far left of the map in one go.”

”How long do you think that’d take?”

”Roughly four hours, if you want detailed data.”

”Don’t need the details. I just want to know if there are any dangerous creatures living in the water, that’s all.”

”Then about two hours, round trip.”

”Okay... mid-afternoon like this, students should still be in class. No one will be around to see. And you’ll be underwater anyway... we should be fine.”

”Kiss me on the cheek once and I’ll do it.”

Dan rolled his eyes at her.

”That’s a royal command.”

”So?”

”??????”

Dan was speechless.

”Freya, stop playing”

”Kiss me on the cheek and I’ll do it.”

”Freya!”

”Kiss me on the cheek and I’ll do it!!!!”

”What the hell is wrong with you!? You’ve been acting weird since yesterday!!!”

It wasn’t his imagination. Lately, Zeedee had been acting more and more strangely.

”Did Chris and Tristina brainwash you or something? Did you soak up some bizarre human cultural nonsense? Someone like you, who despises humans, actually let those annoying humans mess with your head?”

”N-no I didn’t!”

”Obviously...”

Dan folded up the map.

”Tell me right now—what did you say to them? What exactly did you say to them, Zeedee? Answer me!!!!”

Dan had to raise his voice. His black-gloved hand—which covered the dragon tattoo on his palm—reached out and grabbed Zeedee’s face, pulling her closer for interrogation.

Her breath brushed against his face. She squirmed, clearly flustered. Eyes shut tight, fidgeting, unable to meet his gaze—but he wasn’t letting this go.

”Freya!!! Answer me!!!!”

”I... I...”

”Answer me!!!!”

”I asked them for tips on how to flirt with youuuu!!!!”

Dan froze.

”... You asked them for tips?”

”Chris has a boyfriend... and Tristina has a new guy every week... so I figured they must know how to be charming, like a human...”

”And you thought that’d work on me??? On me, who literally shapeshifted alongside you???”

”... They said I should start by teasing you, make it playful...”

”We’ve been reproducing since I only had one horns! What do you mean trying to flirt with me?????????”

”It’s gotta work somehow!!!!”

”It was doomed from the start!!!”

”I don’t careee!!! I don’t care, I don’t care!!! Uwahhhhhhh! ”

Zeedee dropped to the ground and rolled around.

”If you don’t kiss me, I’m not doing anything!!!”

” Disobey royal commands and you get what?!”

”Execute me!!! Go ahead!!!!”

Zeedee flung her arms wide, flopping dramatically...

Dan clutched his forehead.

”Freya sighs deeply... how many times do I have to say this? I. Have. A. Wife. My wife’s name is Casca Saint-Maximin. Not you.”

”Don’t care.”

”... I’m out of ideas , your stubbornness hasn’t changed in ten years. What am I supposed to do with you...”

She said nothing, just rolled over to her side and crossed her arms.

”A kiss on the cheek is all, right...”

And suddenly, Dan leaned in and pressed his lips to Zeedee’s cheek. His gloved hand tilted her face toward him.

”!!!”

Zeedee’s eyes flew open.

”You!!!!”

In the blink of an eye, she was a whole different person—whipping around, grabbing the back of Dan’s head, and kissing him full on the lips.

”Hey hey hey! That’s enough!!!”

He pushed her away.

Zeedee licked the corner of her lips with a smug smirk like she’d gotten exactly what she wanted... But in one hand, she held a strange rectangular object that Dan had never seen before...

”Hey... what’s that?”

He pointed, but Zeedee tucked it away into her bag.

”Nothing at all~ Your Highness~ I’m off to scout the river now.”

”Hey hey hey—wait a minute... Something’s off... What did you just do????”

”I got your kiss, so I’m satisfied.”

”Answer the question!!!”

Crack!

A streak of green lightning burst out. Zeedee transformed back into Freya, her green-black Diablo form.

”Hey! I’m giving you an order!!! What was that thing just now!!!”

But the towering 1.9-meter demon woman didn’t answer. She turned to face him, and he grabbed her thick arm. She smiled, and then leaned in.

”Your Highness. Remember this. Whether it’s ten, twenty, or a hundred years from now—I will pull you back to me.”

”What was that device?”

”Just a plain old metal box.”

”Lie.”

”I love you.”

”... Freya...”

Suddenly, her tendrils lifted his chin, and the demon woman gave him a peck on the forehead before leaping off the cliff into the river below, beginning her reconnaissance at once.

”... What the hell? That was unsettling...”

Freya was a unique kind of soldier—”unique” in the sense that she was a walking contradiction. Silly, but serious. Foolish in her antics, but cunning when it came to what she wanted—unpredictable and impossible to read.

The only person who might match her madness... was probably Casca.

”Casca... please show up soon, I’m begging you...”

Dan sat on the same high hill, nibbling on an apple. His personal notebook lay open beside him as he stared off toward the horizon.

His thoughts drifted to the morning’s events.

The words Rafinya Saint-Pauli had said:

”You think this is funny or something? Pathetic. You think this mess is gonna earn you an A?”

Yeah.

This mess... was supposed to earn him an A?

Getting angry at being insulted wouldn’t be wrong. But beneath that insult was a truth he couldn’t deny—she might have been right.

The new knowledge Fury had discovered firsthand—human weight training—was entirely unfamiliar to him... and he realized he needed to do it. Otherwise, how could he earn an A and keep his scholarship?

His sword skills might be passable, but if he had to fight Rafinya, it wouldn’t be enough. He needed a lot more training.

With that thought, he tossed the apple away, straightened his back, and unfolded the map again.

”Maybe I should build a personal training ground somewhere around here?”

Just then, something slimy brushed his back—an octopus tentacle. The prince flinched slightly. That damp, sticky appendage could only belong to Freya, just returning from her dive.

”Report.”

”No dangerous animals in the water. But there’s one spot with a huge school of fish. If we hunt there, we’ll catch a bunch, Your Highness.”

”Then I’ll assign that task to you.”

”Understood... by the way, did something happen? You seem kinda out of it.”

”Just some class stuff.”

”What kind of stuff?”

”I think I need to start training my body in a new way.”

”What kind of way?”

”Don’t worry about it.”

Dan handed the hand-drawn map to his bodyguard, who had returned to her human form.

”Take care of the back end. It’s almost time for my evening training.”

”Got it, Your Highness.”

”By the way, don’t engineering scholarship students like you have to do training or anything?”

”I’ve got lab work, Your Highness.”

”Wow... must be nice...”