"Yes, that is my race." The shadow boy stated, no emotion in his face at all. "I am a Shadow Tytolari and currently under surveillance."
His words made me wonder what he was talking about. "Surveillance? Wh-Why?" I asked. Even if he is a Shadow Tytolari, he looks older than Anna and his eyes were crystal black but unlike the monster, the outside of Miura's eyes were white, not yellow. Wait, is he loyal to her?
"Even though I'm a friend of our princess, I am the enemy. This means that the Spirit Kingdom is making sure that I do not betray them." He answered, seeming to be a bit bored of the matter. "Can't you figure it out yourself?"
Anna rushed to my side when I blinked at the insult, anger building inside me. "Miura! Don't be rude!" She yelled at the boy who only went back to the table. My best friend looked at me and smiled. "Sorry about him. He's just really blunt and says what's on his mind. Miura is actually the first friend I made here."
"What?" I asked, forgetting about my anger. "Your first friend here?"
"Yeah." Anna smiled as she led me to the table. "As I said, there are four Elemental Nobles that send their second child to be knights for the Royal family. However, there are colonies that are mixed breeds. For example, Ed is a Lightning Tytolari, a child that has both Air and Fire Tytolari blood. This doesn't mean that he can control fire and air, but can control the lighting in the clouds."
"Then he's a mix?" I asked with an attitude, pointing at the shadow boy. I looked at him to see him nodding. "Shadow… Light… What's the mix?"
"Sorry, that can't be talked about." Anna shrugged. "Everything about the Shadow Tytolari is to be restricted. We can talk about Miura, but we can't ask about his family or hometown."
"I see…" I answered, giving the said boy a side-eye. I don't want to treat him badly since his Tytolari race scared me, but he was the type of person that I couldn't deal with. I noticed how he stuck close to Anna and got a bit concerned. "How did you two meet?"
Anna blinked at the question and smiled. "Let's sit down and I'll tell you." She walked over to push me to sit next to her. Luke and Jason sit on the other side with Ed in the middle. I'm sitting in front of Jason, beside Anna, and a bit annoyed that Miura was on the other side. "Let's see… Well, it was a few days after I came here.
…
I was sitting in the waiting room with two maids. They looked at me as if I was a ghost, unsure of what to do with me. It had been two days since I came here and they were making me wear some cute dresses and my short hair was down and braided into two pigtails. I looked at the maids who gave me some cookies.
Annoyed, I decided to talk to them. "Um, where's that king? Why can't I go home?" When I spoke to them, they jumped in fear. "Hello! I'm talking to you!"
"They aren't going to answer you."
"Huh?" I turned to see a boy who looked older than me with black crystal eyes. He was wearing something like a knight or prince from a fairytale book. "Who are you?" I asked. "Why can't they answer me?"
"I'm Miura. Those maids were told not to say anything to you until the King said it was okay." The boy answered. He held out a hand and looked at me with no emotion. "Come, let me take you around."
"Why?" I was a bit concerned, but I wanted to leave the room. "Why are you breaking the King's rule?"
"I'm not," Miura answered. "I'm telling you that he said we can't answer any questions of yours until he says so. Come on. Let's go play."
Surprised, I grabbed his hand and followed him outside. He played for hours with me. It was hide-n-go-seek, then tag, and lastly, making flower crowns in the garden. He never laughed or smiled, but he did have a soft look in his eyes so I knew he was enjoying his time. Since he was older, he did outrun me or was impossible to find, but he would slow down or even make some sounds so I could catch him. He seemed pleased when I was excited to find or tag him, like he was proud of himself for making me so happy. While making the crowns, I looked at who was better at making these crowns and leaned closer to get his attention.
"So, do you live here?" I asked, curious.
"Yes, I live with my uncle."
"Your uncle? Where's your mom and dad?" I asked, curious.
"At home, but I can't go back." He told me, sounding sad. "Well, I'm happier here so it's fine."
"You're happier here? Why is that?"
"Because now I have a new friend." The black-haired boy said as he looked up at me, his lips curving up to a small smile. "Thank you, Princess."
"Eh?" At that moment, I thought he was a lonely kid. When we played, he was patient with me. Was he the only kid here? Hold on. What did he say? "Princess?"
"Oh."
"Eh?" I repeated as he blinked with concern.
"Hmm… The King won't like this."
…
"And then I was locked in my room for the rest of the day with no meals." Miura explained as he took a bite of his food. While Anna told the story, we got our dinner and were eating as we listened. Honestly, it sounded cute. "Although, Princess did bring me some snacks in the middle of the night."
"Dad found out and let it slide tho." Anna giggled. She looked at me and smiled. "By the way, he is my first ever best friend, Christa."
A bit annoyed, I just rolled my eyes. "Oh, really? Then you don't need me then. When we get back to school, I'm not letting you see my notes."
"Geh! No!" Anna hugged me, making me laugh. "Please no! I need them!! You know I'm already struggling to keep up with my grades!"
"Lair!" I announced, making everyone in the room laugh.
"To see someone be so friendly with our princess is refreshing," Lillian spoke up, making me jump since I forgot about her. She walked over and sat next to Jason, leaning on him. "I finished everything you asked from me, Anna."
"Thanks, I'm sure Christa will be happy to hear." Anna smiled, making me confused. I guess she saw my confused face because she started to explain. "I asked her to organize your clothes so that you won't wear medieval dresses. I mean, you look pretty, but I know it's a bit uncomfortable."
"Oh, I see. It is hard to move in these clothes." I looked at Lillian, about to thank her but I saw Jason feeding her a piece of his food. She happily took a bite and he only took another bite after she put his fork in her mouth. "Um, thank you."
"Yeah, no problem." Lillian waved at me and got up. "I'm heading to bed now. Thanks for the bite, Jay."
"Of course," Jason told her as he took another bite and got up. "I'll walk you to your room."
"Why thank you, my partner~!" Lillian giggled as she looped her arm with his. "Well, then. Good night, everyone."
"Night~!" Anna waved as everyone waved as well. "I gotta meet with dad so I'm gonna go. Miura, come with me?" She got up and the said boy got up as well. "Ed, you can come along, so that Luke can walk Christa to her room."
"I can go back alone!" I argued, annoyed that I wasn't trusted to walk around alone. "I'm not a kid."
"She means to make sure you are protected in the castle," Luke explained as he walked to my side. "Not everyone is loyal like us knights, so we must be careful. Please understand, my lady."
"Y-Yeah…" I struggled to argue since he was treating me like a princess. He extended his hand towards me and smiled. "I don't trust you, but I'll accept."
"Good night, Christa. My dad is meeting you tomorrow." Anna waved as she and her two knights followed her.
"I'm meeting the King tomorrow?" I sighed. "Well, I wonder what he's like. Can you tell me, Sir Luke?"
"I'm afraid not," Luke told me as he held my arm and pulled me to walk beside him. "Right now, the castle is on edge. Subjects like the royal family, the Shadow Tytolari, and the human world are restricted due to us not knowing who is with or against the king. It's very delicate."
"Oh, I got it." I responded, starting to get the idea. Anna being half-human must have been kept a secret, seeing that she had her purple eyes on since she left my room. So someone in the castle must have found out she's half-human, followed her to the human world, and saw her hanging out with me, thinking I was a good hostage. That's why they aren't saying anything about some topics.
Deciding to change the subject, my thoughts wandered to Lillian's words. "Oh yeah. What did Lillian mean when she said that Jason was her partner?"
"Ah, those two are training partners." He pointed out. "We have to train to fight to protect our royal family. To do so, we spar with our opposite element to get stronger. Jason trains with Lillian more than Zoey and I, so they're very close."
"I see, I wonder if I have to learn how to fight." I wondered out loud. "I mean, I can use a… Wait, I shouldn't talk about the human world. Sorry. Though if I do get the opportunity to train on how to fight, I have fast reflexes."
"Oh? I can help you with that." He told me, smiling. His smile was softer than before. "I don't know if they want you to fight our enemies or in this war, but I can train you so you can defend yourself to an extent."
I stopped in my tracks, making him stop, and stared at Luke. "Really?! That would be so much fun! I mean, today, I went to town, but I was already trying to think of ways how to entertain myself while Anna was working. I mean, Jason can't stay with me all the time and neither can you, but I could train to keep myself busy while I stay here!" I blinked when I saw his shocked face and blushed at my excitement. "Sorry, I just never had a trainer before and I'm kind of excited. Back home, I was a bit of a bookworm, but I did like to exercise with Anna when I could. I won't be able to keep up since she's a ball of energy, but it was fun."
"I see." He looked away, his hand up to his mouth. "I can find a way to help you then." He moved his hand to reveal his smile. "Now, let's get you to your room so that you may rest. I'll ask the princess about your training."
"Thank you!" I giggled, a bit excited. Once we arrived at my doors, Luke bowed and left me alone. I walked inside the room and saw that the wardrobe was filled with new clothes. They were still medieval but a modern version. "Wow, Lillian made these?"
Pulling out a dress that had a red ombre to white, I was amazed to see it with a few frills and ribbons at the edge. It reached to my knees and looked so pretty. "I guess I have a dress for tomorrow. I could wear these shoes and some white stockings."
I then began to plan my outfits for the next few days, thankful for Lillian and Anna. Maybe living wasn't going to be so bad? I get to train with Luke, wear these cute dresses, and hang out with my best friend. Maybe this is a good birthday?