Back at school, Aylin received a severe scolding from the teachers. However, they let her off the hook because she was a good student. Lua smiled brightly upon seeing Aylin back in her classes and gave even more exhilarating lessons.
Aylin seemed to be in better spirits than ever.
On a rainy winter day, Aylin had a few errands to run, leaving me alone for the day. I found a quiet spot and sat down, not realizing there was another person sitting right next to me. When we both looked up, we realized who it was as we pointed fingers at each other.
"It's you!" we both said in sync.
Emovi pushed her face closer to make sure it was actually me. Once she confirmed it, she asked what I was doing at the academy.
I told her I had enrolled a few months ago. She pondered how she hadn't noticed me in class for so long, then hit her head lightly as if trying to clear cached memories.
"Sooo… can you finish where we left off?" she asked excitedly.
"About my life story, right?"
She nodded vehemently and made herself comfortable.
I told her what I remembered of my childhood before becoming a stray—that I once had a loving mother, siblings, and a place I called home.
"Well, that all ended the day my mother left and never came back. She promised us, like on other days, that she would return before we woke up. But that was the last time I ever saw her."
Emovi fell silent, and the story drifted toward an awkward end.
That's when I looked up and saw Aylin standing there with a cold glare.
Emovi's eyes darted back and forth between Aylin and me.
Aylin crossed her arms, turned around, and started walking away. I quickly apologized to Emovi before running after Aylin.
"You're back sooner than I thought. What did you do?"
"Some compensatory work for missed lectures."
We headed to the club, and Aylin pushed herself through the door the moment I unlocked it.
She sat down immediately and opened her book.
"Don't you want to relax first before writing?"
"It's fine."
I poured her a cup of her favorite fruit juice anyway and placed it beside her. She was clearly mad at me—but why? Was it because of what happened earlier, or was she just in a bad mood?
I slid a snack next to her hand and waited for her to eat it. She didn't even glance at it and continued writing.
"Say, Vivshi—who was that girl you were talking to?" Aylin asked calmly.
"That's the royal princess. She's in the same class as us."
"Oh. Those people."
"She's different from the other royals, though. She gave me food when I was a stray."
"Wait, what?" Aylin finally looked at me in shock.
"She really gave you food?"
"Yeah."
I explained what happened that day and told her about Emovi and Viego. She let out a sigh of relief and asked what Emovi wanted from me.
When I told her Emovi wanted to hear stories about strays, Aylin couldn't believe it. A royal who actually listened to and sympathized with strays was unheard of.
The next day, after class ended, Aylin walked over to Emovi on her own and invited her to our club for a brief talk.
Emovi sat awkwardly, looking at Aylin, who had her arms and legs crossed.
"So, you are the Princess of Fukviyu?"
"Yes, I am."
"Why do you wish to know the stories of strays?" Aylin asked, with a hint of hostility in her voice.
Emovi rested her hands in her lap and answered calmly.
"To answer your question—ever since I was a little girl, I never felt like I truly belonged in the royal family. I was different. I didn't have the same hair color as the rest of my family, nor the mannerisms of a royal. I was isolated from the world and couldn't see it for myself. Everyone seemed happy when the royal family visited, but something inside me told me that wasn't the truth. That's why I wanted to know what life outside the castle was really like."
Aylin uncrossed her arms and legs before asking if Emovi was even truly royal. Normally, the royal family wouldn't bother lowering themselves to speak with a stray—yet here Emovi was, sitting in the same room and talking openly.
Emovi hesitated before admitting she was royal, but only half-royal. She turned her face away in shame as memories surfaced.
"The king took concubines?"
"I don't know…" Emovi said quietly, her head lowered.
"There would be a scandal if it came out that the king was sleeping with multiple women."
"If that's all your questions, then I'll be taking my leave now." Emovi stood up and exited the room.
Aylin admitted that Emovi didn't seem like a bad person—but that it would take more than a good first impression to convince her that a genuinely good royal existed.
I leaned back on the sofa and closed my eyes, wondering why the color of Emovi's star felt so familiar. The sofa shifted slightly as Aylin sat beside me, holding the snack I had given her earlier.
She took a bite and began thinking as well.
"I'm sorry for doubting you," Aylin mumbled.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"Nothing, you idiot."
She snapped the snack in half and handed me the smaller piece.