The Crown Prince In Hiding

Morning — 7:30 AM

The sun had just risen, birds soaring through the golden skies.

Dan Burn and Zeedee strolled through the gates of Artheris Academy at their usual time, their uniforms pristine and freshly laundered.

They passed fellow students, exchanging polite greetings along the way. Then they saw her—

Princess Nora Ophilis, ever graceful and poised, sat reading on a white bench in Eden Garden, a gentle fountain burbling in the background.

Her face resembled that of a porcelain statue, unmoving and composed. But the moment she saw Dan, her eyes lit up, and she waved with subtle enthusiasm.

“Prince Fury!”

Dan offered a half-bowing, mock-formal gesture.

“A pleasure, Your Highness.”

Coming from someone of similar social rank, it leaned more toward playful than protocol.

“You’ve mixed my names again,” he teased.

“Dan,” Nora corrected, pointing a finger at him, the corner of her mouth rising slightly.

“I thought I forbade you from reading?”

“This isn’t a textbook.”

She flipped the cover to show him—an old classic from the kingdom of Zentinel.

“Whoa, so you do read things other than manuals.”

“I usually read before bed,” she replied calmly.

“What’s it about?”

“It’s classic Zentinel literature. You should try it sometime.”

“Zentinel lit’s definitely got a reputation.”

She nodded in agreement, then turned to look at Zeedee’s new appearance—red earrings, a bright silver-engraved bracelet, and a trace of perfume in the air.

“You look lovely, Zeedee.”

“Well said, princess,” Zeedee beamed.

The three sat together on the bench, with Nora scooting slightly so she ended up between the two.

“Oh, that’s them,” Zeedee suddenly announced, standing up.

“Your Highness, I’m off! The Angel Gang’s here~!”

Dan gave her a wave.

“Giiirrrllll~~!”

(Runs off, vanishes from view)

Dan’s hand was still mid-wave when he leaned back into the bench, now alone with Nora.

“Those girls... Chris and Tristina—they don’t know about Zeedee, do they?”

“Other than the other side of the ocean, it’s just you, Princess.”

Dan replied.

“But it’s nice, seeing her so full of life again after over a month.”

“Zeedee’s your personal guard, right?”

“Correct.”

“Is that like our Royal Guard?”

“Diabo doesn’t have fancy titles like that. But yeah—same concept.”

Nora nodded in understanding.

“You seem very... energetic, Princess.”

“No, I’m just... excited? Nervous? A little bit of both.”

“Even someone as icy as you can’t hide it, huh?”

“I’d rather no one else found out.”

“There’s barely any literature in the world that talks about Diabo—other than in war and trade. Honestly, we don’t know anything about you, Dan.”

“Not surprising. We’re a closed-off country.”

“What’s it like on the other side of the sea? Does it look like here? Is it... livable?”

“Casca’s been there ten years. What do you think, Princess?”

“It must be quite peaceful, then.”

“And what do you get from knowing all this, hmm?”

“Curiosity,” she answered simply.

“Insatiable, aren’t you? No wonder you’re top in everything.”

Dan reached into his satchel and pulled out a bundle of papers.

“Nora, this is Professor McClaff’s assignment. Mine’s done. Once we combine them, all that’s left for Magic class is the final exam.”

She took the papers gingerly. He could almost see the three sweat drops fly off her in comic-book lines. It must’ve felt surreal for someone like Nora—to have a man who was practically a living legend as her group assignment buddy.

“Well then, I need to check in with Professor Foden as a scholarship student.”

“All right.”

“See you in class.”

“Geography exam today, don’t forget.”

“I know, I know. Thanks for the reminder.”

As Dan walked away, their interaction didn’t go unnoticed. A certain noble girl nearby tilted her chin and sneered.

“Well, well... That’s Dan Burn?”

Professor Foden’s Office

“First, let me congratulate you again for being awarded the Knight’s Scholarship.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Dan and Rafinya replied in unison.

Rafinya... even with a short bob haircut, she stood taller than him—at least 175 cm.

Should’ve asked Everton to stretch my legs a bit... damn it.

His eyes fell to the table and spotted her full name on a form:

Rafinya Saint-Pauli

“!”

The “Saint” in her name was the same as Casca’s.

This girl had to be from one of the high-ranking noble families!

He remembered what Casca told him clearly: the middle name “Saint” was bestowed only by the Pope of Luminous. Only knights of divine appointment could carry that title.

Casca Saint-Maximin

Rafinya Saint-Pauli

Anyone with a “Saint” in their name was guaranteed to be Luminous nobility—at the very top.

“Now that you’re on scholarship, that means you’re under my direct oversight. I can revoke your privileges at any time if you behave inappropriately. Understood?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Your job now is to train. You’re being groomed to become high commanders of Luminous. This includes representing us in the Academy’s combat tournament.”

‘The tournament.’

Fury had heard whispers about it since day one.

It was exactly what he expected—a brutal fight between top-tier students. A bloodbath before royalty and dignitaries in the grand stadium shared by the five kingdoms.

A massive event. And he and Rafinya were to represent the Knight’s Division.

But wait…

Dan looked at her again.

She had a “Saint” name. People like her were usually rich beyond reason. Why would someone like her even need a scholarship?

Unless… she had her own motives?

“What are you staring at?”

“!”

He’d accidentally been staring too long—still not used to human behavior.

“Nothing.”

She looked away.

Dan gulped.

Yikes… the pressure. It felt like she’d stab him on sight.

After the briefing, Dan dashed back just in time for the Geography midterm. As he arrived, students were preparing to enter the exam hall—including Nora Ophilis, reciting from her thick book even though she’d practically memorized the whole thing.

“Barely made it.”

“Did your meeting go well, Dan?”

“Yeah, no issues.”

Post-exam chaos

The bell rang. Students poured out, groaning in despair at the test’s difficulty.

“They made us draw the entire map! That’s insane!”

“That was brutal!!!”

“Who the heck could remember all that?!”

“And the questions were so obscure!”

Complaints from the #1 academy in the world echoed down the hallway.

Dan admitted he’d fudged a few parts—he couldn’t be perfect all the time.

Passing through the back door, exchanging nods with classmates, he suddenly sensed the towering presence of one very familiar girl—

Nora Ophilis, hugging her signature thick book, following him quietly.

“How was it, Nora? You okay?”

Of course she was. She probably aced it.

“Yes, Dan. And you?”

“The test was tough, to be honest.”

“Really?”

“You didn’t think it was?”

“...Well, no, not really?”

“I barely even studied.”

“But you didn’t seem worried at all.”

“That’s because I answered from experience. During the war, I must’ve seen maps of the five kingdoms tens of thousands of times. Redrawing them from memory isn’t hard. The challenge was not overdoing it—putting in too much detail would blow my cover.”

“What kind of details would give you away?”

“Stuff like regions with dangerous beasts, hidden tribes… secret military bases the spies discovered.”

“Secret bases? Where?”

“Well—”

“...”

“...”

“…Nice try, Princess. You almost got me.”

“Just this close, Mr. Fury.”

“When you become empress, you won’t need to remember this stuff. Someone else will do it for you. Trust me.”