The Crown Prince In Hiding

Professor Foden granted Dan an exception—he wouldn’t have to attend morning training for a day after the brutal beating he took.

Freya had no idea what had happened in the ring the night before. Fury didn’t want to make a big deal of it. Only he and Nora knew the full story. Freya only noticed a few small bruises, assuming it was just a standard knightly scuffle—nothing unusual when blades were involved.

The morning bell rang loudly, echoing across the campus.

Dan arrived at the dining hall at 8 a.m. Class would start in about thirty minutes, and he was sitting alone.

Suddenly, he saw some of the knight scholarship students pass by—Jenny and her group of friends.

She saw him. He was sure of it—their eyes locked for a fraction of a second. But then she looked away, as if she hadn’t seen him at all.

This was the respect he’d earned from being beaten to a pulp yesterday.

“Oh, Dan!”

“!”

A voice called from across the room.

Senior Aaron Rogers strode over.

“How’re you feeling, kid? Sleep well last night? Still hurting anywhere?”

“I’m okay… Senior Aaron.”

“Glad to hear it.”

He nodded and sat beside Dan, joining him for breakfast—just the two of them.

“You know, let me tell you something, rookie—”

Blah blah blah—

Aaron kept chatting, laid-back and cheerful. He felt like the only one who still respected Dan.

But behind Dan’s crimson pupils, the demonic eyes of Crown Prince Fury quietly studied this man.

He’d encountered many people—cunning, manipulative, skilled at deception. He could spot a fake from a mile away. He’d assumed Aaron Rogers, with his intimidating looks and boisterous energy, was a façade—someone who’d lure you in with kindness and then beat you behind the school.

But he was wrong.

Because by now, Fury was almost 100% certain that Aaron’s words came from genuine sincerity.

Still, the prince wanted to test this second-year knight scholar just a little.

“Senior Aaron…”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Why are you so kind to me? Even after seeing what happened yesterday… seeing me get completely wrecked… Why do you still respect me?”

Aaron went quiet for a moment.

Then, a faint smile appeared, and he responded.

“You’ve figured it out by now, haven’t you? The customs of Luminus?”

He nodded slowly.

“Strength earns respect. That’s the norm in our country. Most of the Luminus folks you’ll meet… they’re like that.”

Then his smile faded.

“But I want to be proof that not all of us from Luminus are like that.”

“Senior Aaron…”

“I’ve been lower than you are now… been laughed at by hundreds of knight students. I know what it feels like. And what I’ve learned is: you can’t give up. Or you’ll never climb out of the pit. You need someone to believe in you. So I’ll be that person. Just like someone once was for me—someone who helped me rise up and stand proud again.”

“Who was that?”

“He was a senior knight scholar. Graduated decades ago. Probably a Four-Stripes Knight by now.”

“Was it Casca Maximin?”

“You kidding me, brat?! As if I’d know Lady Maximin! Someone of that level? Way out of my league. Besides, that guy was a Five-Stripes Knight!”

“Just teasing. Thought it’d be a cool surprise.”

Aaron pointed at him.

“The surprise I want is to see you get stronger… And I’m not cleaning that gym for you a second time. Got it?”

“Haha… Got it.”

During Professor McClaff’s magic class, Fury went through the motions like usual—lectures, theory, basic application. But his mind was spinning with thoughts, making him seem a little dazed…

“Hey! Focus, student!”

“Sorry, sir!”

He nearly caused a fireball to explode from his fingertip, and if Professor McClaff hadn’t stepped in, it might’ve detonated right in his face.

His class partner, Nora, definitely noticed he was spaced out again.

“Mr. Fury… You seem distracted today. Did you get any sleep?”

“Ah… Not really. Just been thinking about a few things.”

“You always seem to have something on your mind. What are you thinking about now?”

“Thinking about what to do about Casca.”

When the class break came around, Dan and Nora found a quiet spot beside the training field, each holding a magic textbook.

“Even Larma doesn’t know where Casca went after leaving Snowhaven. It’s a total blackout. I’ve got no idea what else to try—unless I gamble on Professor Foden.”

“She doesn’t seem too impressed with your performance, does she…”

“Which brings me to the next plan—maybe I need to pretend to be a good knight.”

“How would that even work, Mr. Fury? You can’t revert to your old self. Professor Foden would sense it.”

“Guess I’ll have to train my body properly, then.”

Dan tilted his head.

“And pray that for the Madison Square Garden sparring exam… I get paired with anyone but Rafinya.”

“Well, if I end up being your opponent… should I just throw the match for you, Mr. Fury?”

“Don’t. You can’t do that. You’re a princess.”

Nora turned away to stare ahead.

She wanted to help Fury. Wanted to repay him.

“Then let me try another way. I’ll reach out to my contacts and see if I can get any leads on Casca.”

“You can?”

“No promises. Snowhaven wasn’t particularly close with Casca. But I might be able to dig something up.”

“Yahoo~ Thank you so much, Lady Nora!”

Just then, class ended.

Students began exiting the magic field in small groups.

At that moment, Dan saw Rafinya walk past with two or three fellow knight students.

She glanced his way—saw the bandages. A smirk curled at the edge of her mouth before she turned back to chat with her friends, completely unfazed.

Nora saw it too.

And she noticed something else in Rafinya’s gaze—not a look of contempt toward her, but toward her decision to stay close to Dan. As if that friendship had become a waste.

“We’ve got no afternoon classes today. What will you do, Mr. Fury?”

“I’m going to finish exploring the rest of Anfield.”

He turned toward her, already preparing.

“And I’ll be hauling in the last batch of stuff to the house… The things you bought. Zeedee should’ve picked them up by now.”

*Zeedee skipped morning class.

“.....”

Nora nodded lightly, her aura noticeably deflated.

Dan tilted his head slightly—then her energy brightened again the moment he said:

“Could use some help, actually… But I’m guessing Her Highness probably has reading to do.”

“One outside reading session might not be so bad, Mr. Fury.”