RHEIN'S POINT OF VIEW
I shut my eyes tightly and drew a deep breath. "Fine." I forced myself to calm down.
Lovely stepped toward me, arms open, but I shook my head. "I'm fine. I just need some air outside. Go ahead and sleep-don't wait up for me."
Grabbing my notebook and pen, I headed to the balcony of our dorm room. I braced myself on the railing, then leapt onto a sturdy tree branch-the same spot I had lingered on last night.
"Rhein, it's already curfew. We might get caught," my pracien warned.
"We won't. I didn't get caught last night." I smiled faintly, feeling the breeze brush against my skin. "I stayed here last night too, when I couldn't sleep. No one caught me."
"This is trouble. Trouble."
"Don't worry too much about me. I know I'm your responsibility as your pracien... but it's also your responsibility to trust me."
"Fine," she conceded. "Are you okay now? You still seem hurt about Allie breaking your phone. On her behalf, I apologize."
The moonlight was bright enough to write by, so I opened my notebook and settled in to work on my assignment.
"I'm fine. I understand. I just... reacted without thinking."
"That's good. You don't need material things to remember the people you love, right? Memories are better kept in your heart."
I glanced at her with a smile. "Giving me life advice now? How come?" I teased. She raised a wing, ready to swat me, but froze when I suddenly asked, "Grandfather Lembo mentioned that Sister studied here too. Come with me to the information office tomorrow."
"All right."
ALLIE'S POINT OF VIEW
"Allie, that was too harsh. You could've done it in a nicer way," Lovely scolded.
"She's right, Allie," Owlice chimed in.
"What else was I supposed to do? Ever since we were still in Abracadabra, she's always been crying whenever she looked at her phone. You can't blame me. I don't want to see my friends cry," I told them. When I noticed them smiling at me, I shot them a glare. "What's with those faces?"
"Nothing. We're just happy to know you have a soft side," Lovely replied with a smirk, settling onto her bed. "Since you became friends with her first, tell us-she's not really royalty or part of the Lithosowan Clan, right?"
"No." Of course, I wouldn't tell the truth. Great Crescent Master and I had promised Forelody to keep everything we knew about Rhein a secret.
"Your mind's not completely closed, Allie. Don't lie."
I turned toward Kate, who was staring at me intently. If she managed to read my mind, then she wasn't just an average rescemnarillaza-she is nearing the level of the Great Crescent Master himself.
When I looked at Owlice perched on my shoulder, she gave me a small nod. I faced the other two again.
"Fine. I'll tell you the truth now, but you have to promise to keep it between us. Rhein still doesn't know who she truly is. She's still undergoing the trial given by the rah and nhar."
"Wow." Lovely's eyes sparkled with the revelation. "She's a princess for real."
"So she's the rumored second princess?"
I nodded. "Yes-the younger sister of Princess Rona Luoxegeime Clandeglowan."
RHEIN'S POINT OF VIEW
Forelody and I woke up early. Allie was still groggy by the time I finished showering and changing. I told them I'd head out first-not giving them the real reason. Instead, I said a student had knocked earlier and told me to go to the information office.
I'd already memorized the academy's map, so getting there was no problem.
I knocked twice on the office window. A drowsy staff member slid it open, blinking slowly before forcing a polite smile.
"Good morning," I greeted warmly.
"Good morning. How can I help you, young lady?"
"I just wanted to ask if you have records of former college students here. Do you?"
"Oh no. Sorry. The college records are kept in the college department. We only store the files of senior high school students here."
"All right. I'll just go there then."
"Miss, non-college students aren't allowed in that building, so you probably won't get access if you go alone. What's the name of the student whose record you're looking for? I can try to get you a copy, as long as they're a relative."
"She's my sister. She graduated here, but I can't remember the exact year. Her name is Rona Montenegro Gomez."
"Rona Montenegro Gomez? Hold on, let me check the general database." She typed several codes into her computer, and after a few moments, a table appeared on the screen.
"There's no record of her. Are you sure your sister studied here?"
"Yes."
"Maybe, she changed her name. The only record here is for 'Rona Luoxegeime Clandeglowan.' She's a hwizta mnarillaza, the firstborn of the rah and nhar. She's the known first princess of all Mnarra."
The world seemed to go silent around me.
"Are you all right, pracien? You're trembling. Are you cold?"
I forced a smile, trying to hide my unease. "Yes. It's colder than I thought. I forgot to bring my jacket. Could you run back to the dorm and ask Allie to bring it to my classroom? Tell her to just meet me there."
Though hesitant, she agreed. "All right."
Once she left, I faced the smiling staff member again. "Do you have a picture of the first princess in her record? I just want to be sure."
She gave me a strange look. "Is she your relative?"
"No."
"In that case, you can't view her records. Data privacy, hmm?"
"I don't need the record-just a picture. You said it yourself: she's well-known in this world. I came from the human world, and this is my first time here in Mnarra. I'd just like to know the face of our very own first princess."
She studied my face for a moment before turning back to the computer. She showed me an image of a smiling girl, wearing the exact same uniform as mine.
The moment recognition hit me, I could feel every drop of blood seemed to drain from my face.