[19.2] A Perfect Gift

Cyrus stomped ahead of us fuming with anger as we all kept our distance. First, he was cute, but now he is acting a bit scary.

I'm even a bit afraid to speak up.

…Although I suppose this is cute too. He's like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

I snickered at the thought.

Cyrus spun around with a malevolent look on his face, "Why are you even following me!?!"

"Eep!" I pushed Hazel in front of me to protect myself from his wrath.

Hazel: "?"

Caldwell stepped in to placate Cyrus, "Young Master… These two are also out looking for birthday gifts for Felix… It makes sense for them to come with us…"

Cyrus hissed at him, "You aren't allowed to speak!"

Caldwell jumped to hide behind me. He whimpered out with a hurt expression, "Young Master…"

"Hmph!" Cyrus stomped ahead with his head held high.

I turned to Caldwell with an eyebrow raised, "Why are you hiding behind me?"

He forced a smile, "Why are you hiding behind Hazel?"

I laughed, "No one would hurt an innocent girl."

"I share the same sentiment."

I gave him a harsh look, "You're hiding behind me for protection?! That won't protect you!"

He tapped my shoulder to reassure me, "Fear not. Young Master would never dare hurt you. That's why you are the perfect shield."

Hazel spoke up ignoring us, "Prince Cyrus. Where do you plan on going?"

He clicked his tongue, "Felix has been wanting this rare root so he can study and replicate it. I'm going to get it for him."

Hazel nodded, "I plan on giving him a gift from my homeland that is traditional for birthdays."

I stuck my nose up in the air proudly, "Well I plan on getting him the best gift ever! Art supplies."

Zephyr snickered, "That sounds boring."

I frowned, "Oh? And what will you get him?"

Zephyr waved his arms, "A big pile of nothing."

There was a sudden commotion on the street and we all looked over to see two men fighting and a crowd gathering around them. Hazel's eyes lit up and she grabbed my hand. Before I realized what was happening, she started pulling me toward the group.

"Eh!?"

She giggled as she watched the fight with a look in her eyes I'd never seen before. She started mocking fight moves, "Come on! Uppercut! No!! You're open!! What are you doing!?"

I stared at her in disbelief, "..."

What happened to the innocent shy girl!? This is a complete personality switch!!

She noticed I was staring at her and cleared her throat awkwardly. She forced a smile, "Don't you find it entertaining to watch?"

I spoke with a yawn, "What? Seeing men feel the need to fight for money because of their toxic masculinity and their instinctual need to assert dominance? No. Not really."

She blinked in confusion, "I… I don't really know what all that means. But I don't have anything like this in my Country. Look! Everyone bets on the fighter and the winner gets a hefty sum of money! Ah… It seems so fun."

I looked at her closely, "...Do you want to be a street fighter?"

She scratched her cheek and averted her eyes. She spoke in a small voice, "I can't fight for any reason, or else I would be kicked out of this country…"

I deadpanned, "So you have more of a problem with not being able to fight rather than the actual fighting?"

Before she could respond, the Headmaster quickly ushered us away, "This isn't good for children's eyes… The last thing I want is for you to get any ideas."

My mouth dropped, "Why me!? She's the one who likes it!"

He raised his eyebrow, "Maybe. But you're the one who almost destroyed the Academy."

I looked ahead with a scowl, "...Let's just buy the gifts."

After we purchased all the gifts, we returned back. I tapped my finger while looking at the gifts sprawled out on my bed, "Hmm… It's missing something."

Zephyr slept on my bed in his fox form. He let out a yawn and sprawled out.

An evil grin crossed my face, "Heh… I wonder if fox fur would make a good paintbrush."

He picked up his head, "Eh?"

…

I sat on a stool wearing my new dress as the Headmaster attempted to do my hair. Zephyr sat on the bed in his fox form. He watched me with aggrieved eyes as he licked his bald spot to facilitate hair growth.

My eyebrows twitched from the crude attempts that the Headmaster was trying to do with my hair. He kept looking at his parenting handbook as if following directions, but it wasn't going well.

He frowned, "It doesn't look right."

I sighed, "Can't I just brush my hair and call it good? Why are you being so uptight?"

"One must look their best for a Royal's birthday."

I raised an eyebrow, "You just want to show off, don't you?"

"That's another reason."

I winced as he yanked on my hair with a brush, "I really think it's fine."

"Ugh." Zephyr clicked his tongue and pushed the Headmaster away, "Let me do it. You are taking too long."

With fast and skilled movements, he created a masterpiece in an instance. My mouth dropped as I looked at my reflection, "How do you know how to do this!?"

He shrugged, "I had a lot of sisters and they always demanded I do their hair."

I looked at Zephyr meaningfully.

There's a lot about him I don't know… But he doesn't look willing to share, so I won't push him.

I stood up and pulled on the pouting Headmaster, "Come on. Hazel is already outside and we don't want to be late."

If I miss that free food I will be very upset.

A carriage was already waiting outside, so we quickly got inside. Hazel was sitting inside, grinning ear to ear. I ignored her as I sat down and Zephyr sat beside me. The Headmaster had already stored our gifts with his magic, so the four of us left quickly.

Felix was having his birthday party at his family's home which was a bit of a journey away from the Academy. Just like Cyrus, he stayed in the dorms. However, his reasoning was that he didn't want to make such a long commute every day.

As we traveled, I quickly realized that the Capital was sectioned off based on the social class living there. When I first awoke in this body, I was in the worst area: the slums.

Then, there was the middle-class section which was better, but not by much. The higher class area was where the Academy was located and was one of the best areas to live in if you were in the city. However, Felix's family lived in the aristocratic area.

Compared to the others, the aristocracy was a totally different world.

Huge mansions were sprawled out with beautiful gardens which had a natural beauty that couldn't be explained.

The sight was truly breathtaking.

I pressed my nose to the glass as we traveled in the carriage. Zephyr sat beside me doing the same. Hazel was more or less used to seeing such grande places so she didn't seem as enthralled.

The Headmaster noticed our stares and spoke, "Are you jealous you can't live in one of these houses?"

I shook my head without removing my eyes, "Hardly. Those houses are so huge it would only make me feel lonelier. No, our tower is perfect."

The Headmaster paused then smiled. He glanced out the window, "Our tower? Hm."

Zephyr's tail wagged, "Don't you think it would look amazing if we set one of those mansions on fire?"

I rolled my eyes, "Those Mansions are made out of stone. It won't look that amazing because fire won't burn the stone."

He clicked his tongue, "Magic. Duh."

My eyes lit up, "Good point."

The Headmaster stiffened, "You can't set their houses on fire. They are Aristocrats and will definitely seek the harshest punishment against you if they find you."

I glanced at him, "So if they couldn't find out who did it then it would be okay?"

"..."