Sharp-eyed staff spotted the moment Earl Rosewood bit down on his first slice of pizza. With that, the noise in the dining hall increased exponentially as the staff tucked in enthusiastically. Some groups shared and swapped slices, while others ate their entire pizza by themselves.
“Thank you, Ayden,” Hadrian said.
“Eat, eat,” Otto Silvercharm said, sitting next to Hadrian. “If you’re still hungry, there’s a second round! It’s not often that Earl Rosewood makes this. Look, you can pour more oil on top…”
Ren Xiyang looked at Hadrian and Pollux. “Would you like a half-slice of the pizza I made?”
Pollux glanced at Hadrian. “We wouldn’t mind,” Pollux said.
Otto Silvercharm made a complex expression. He raised his hand and shouted, “Hey, can I get two glasses of milk here, please?”
Ren Xiyang didn’t blink as he halved a slice for Pollux and Hadrian.
Later, when Pollux’s mouth felt as though it was on fire, he understood that spice could be that spicy, and the milk could be used that way…
On the day that Earl Rosewood left the Capital for school, it was sunny in the Rosewood fief, though there was a slight chill on the wind.
The staff at the Rosewood manor gathered to see him off.
It was hard to believe that Earl Rosewood had been in power for only three years. The harvest this year looked like it would be better than ever. Starvation was becoming an old memory: in their fief, no one went hungry for long.
Which other fief had a better lord than theirs? None!
It was also funny to realise that Earl Rosewood had been in power for three whole years and was only going to school now.
Their young Earl was growing up! Their little Earl Rosewood was finally going to school!
“Farewell, my Lord!”
“Study hard, my Lord!”
“Don’t worry about us, my Lord!”
“Yes, yes, we’ll definitely work hard in your absence!”
Ren Xiyang glanced at the Rosewood staff. “Is that so?”
“Yes, my Lord!”
“Don’t forget to drink your milk and eat your vegetables,” Mrs Cooks said. “If you find the food hard to eat, don’t hesitate to call me to the Capital.”
Ren Xiyang opened his mouth to speak.
“— Yes, yes, I understand that His Highness Crown Prince Rian has his own Imperial chefs who are trained in the new-Rosewood cuisine, but if you ever miss the taste of home—”
“I’ll be back in at most two weeks,” Ren Xiyang said.
Mrs Cooks gave him a look. “You shouldn’t spend so much time travelling back and forth and neglect your studies.”
Ren Xiyang knew when to stop arguing (for now). “I’ll miss your cooking.”
Mrs Cooks patted on the arm. “Now, get on board, don’t delay.”
Ren Xiyang nodded. He looked at everyone gathered once more and gave them a nod of goodbye. Then, he went into Pollux’s carriage, and they were on their way.
The travelling group consisted of several carriages and carts.
Ren Xiyang sat in the Pollux’s carriage with Pollux, Hadrian was in his carriage, while Kel and Maria sat in the Rosewood carriage.
Sir Allen Copper and Sir Tielo Russet—who still took their ‘guard’ duties seriously—flanked Prince Pollux’s carriage.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Ycmf atf rbecvr bo atf ubbvysfr rajgafv ab ojvf jkjs, Efc Wlsjcu aegcfv ab Ubiiez. “Vb.”
Pollux took out a small bag with 10 gold coins. “I’m ready. What should I do?”
“Just sit,” Ren Xiyang said. “You don’t even need to relax.”
Pollux inwardly snorted. It wasn’t as though he could do much more than sit.
“You can read a book or do something else,” Ren Xiyang added. “Don’t mind me.”
“I want you to tell me what you’re doing.”
Ren Xiyang inclined his head. “Alright. First, I’m examining my own body, so that I can have an understanding of how the bones, muscles, and nerves are arranged.”
A few minutes passed in silence. Pollux was starting to think that he should get a book after all.
“Okay, now, I’ll examine you, using a combination of healing and perception magic. I want to familiarise myself with your body, and I want to see if I can compare and match similar things in your body with what is in mine. You should be able to sense my magic moving through your body. If it starts to feel weird or painful, you should tell me.”
Pollux suppressed his sudden nervousness. He felt Ayden’s magic enter him as a cloud of unfamiliar warmth.
Ren Xiyang’s eyes were half open, but his gaze was unfocused as he analysed the magical sensory differences between him and Pollux. The arrangements of precise blood vessels and nerves were different, but he could identify major organs, such as the kidneys and the stomach.
His lips curled downwards as he explored further. From what he could tell, lightning had entered through Pollux’s lower back. It had branched, spreading down both legs before discharging through the soles of his feet. Skin, nerves, blood vessels, tissues and muscles all showed traces of past injury. Some of the spinal vertebrae were fractured.
Pollux had survived through the power of magical healing.
Ren Xiyang couldn’t tell right away what needed to be done in order for Pollux to walk again. But it felt like a waste to do nothing, so he started working on the area he was most familiar with—the groin. He started to strengthen, rebuild and reconnect the nerves down there.
Pollux suppressed a grimace. Damn it, he was afraid that this would happen when Ayden had described the healing method. But as long as Ayden wasn’t embarrassed and he wasn’t embarrassed, then it was fine.
It wouldn’t help him walk, but he didn’t stop him.
When Ren Xiyang reached the limit of what could be healed in one session, he made one final sweep of Pollux’s body before pulling his magic out. “A moment,” he said. He took out his notebook and quickly jotted down all his thoughts.
Pollux pressed his lips together, his heart sinking the more Ayden wrote. Was the problem bigger than Ayden had expected? Was it going to be impossible after all—
“—Okay, let’s decide on a schedule,” Ren Xiyang said. “How does Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week sound to you?”
“You can do it?” Pollux blurted out.
“Yes,” Ren Xiyang said without batting an eyelid. “Can I discuss matters with Rian? He might know some healing spells that we can use to speed up the process.”
Pollux’s heart lifted again. “Oh. Yes.”
“Great. I’ll organise an initial plan of attack and share it with you. I suspect I’ll be busy tomorrow, so how about Wednesday evening? I can come over to the Angio embassy.”
“Yes.” Pollux exhaled, finally relaxing. “Yes, come over when you’re free.” Unknowingly, his trust in Ayden increased.
Ren Xiyang didn’t want to say more until he had more time to plan. There appeared to be many things to heal, but some of them shouldn’t be directly related to walking, though they might affect the comfort or pain levels. Things needed to be prioritised.
He also wanted to see whether another healer could be brought in to help. He realised that he didn’t know Cassiopeia’s current skill level. In ten years, she could become the most skilled healer in this world, but how was she right now? Could she instinctively heal Pollux, or could she be guided?
—But these were problems for another time.
Ren Xiyang turned his notebook to another page and changed the topic to the floating chair project.
They stopped at the Rosewood border for lunch, and Ren Xiyang went back into the Rosewood carriage and talked with Kel and Maria.
They headed to the Rosewood house in the Capital first. Kel, Maria, and Hadrian would be staying there. They bid farewell to Pollux, who headed to the Angio embassy. Ren Xiyang unloaded the various potted plants to a corner of the Rosewood yard. And then, Ren Xiyang went to the Imperial Magical Academy.
Ren Xiyang had cut it very close. It was the day before classes started properly and also the very day that there was a welcoming dinner for the new students. Everyone else would have already moved into their quarters at the Academy—he would be the last.
The Imperial Magical Academy had an opulent dormitory building for all the students. The kind of rooms a student could get depended on how much they could pay.
Ren Xiyang didn’t know what he was getting, since Rian had organised everything and had been secretive about it all.
He was ‘prepared’ to be ‘surprised’.
The Imperial Magical Academy was a place where all young mages in the kingdom of Sedaveria studied for three years, learning magical skills and cultural knowledge. It was also a crucial time and place for networking and making connections.
The Academy was adjacent to the Imperial Magical University, and their combined grounds were larger than the grounds of the Imperial Palace. White walls with elegantly curved elements separated the front of the academy from the main road. Green leafy trees fluttered in the wind, visible above the walls. The main Academy building itself towered above walls and trees, made of pale brick, pointed arches, reflective windows, red roof tiles, and four mage towers of differing heights that reached up to the sky.
The gates were wide open. On the spacious grounds just beyond the wall and before the main building, there was a crowd of people, with Prince Rian at the centre. He was surrounded by chattering kids and Royal Guards and various servants and staff.
“—Ah, Earl Rosewood is almost here. Forgive me, let’s continue this conversation later,” Rian said.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Some children reluctantly stepped back, while others perked up and headed to the open gates to see if they could spot Ayden first—while Earl Ayden Rosewood wasn’t as friendly as Prince Rian, he had his own little fans.
“I see it, the Rosewood carriage!”
Rian walked forward ahead of the crowd. The other children smartly stood back.
The Rosewood carriage came to a stop, and the door open.
When Ren Xiyang stepped out of his carriage, Rian was now at the front of the crowd.
“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” Ren Xiyang greeted.
“Earl Rosewood, good afternoon,” Rian returned. He gave Ren Xiyang a look of approval—he was wearing the outfit that Rian had told him to last night. Not only did it make Ren Xiyang look like a handsome, cool young master, but it also subtly matched Rian’s outfit, with similar motifs in contrasting colours.
Rian waved over a Royal Guard, who held up a briefcase. “I’ve already completed your registration, and the registration and welcoming materials are all here.”
Ren Xiyang glanced at the briefcase and then at the smiling/grimacing academy staff.
“Welcome, Earl Rosewood, to the Imperial Magical Academy,” one of the academy staff said. “Indeed, His Highness has already completed all necessary procedures for you. You have been assigned to subclass ‘A’, and—”
“And I will show Earl Rosewood his quarters,” Rian said smoothly.
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Rian turned to the children. “I shall see you at tonight’s dinner.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Ren Xiyang also nodded to the kids. “Hm, see you later.”
“Yes, Ayden!”
Ren Xiyang floated his luggage from the carriage and told the coachman to return to the Rosewood manor.
The coachman gave one look at His Highness Prince Rian and agreed.
“Come on,” Rian said. He pressed a hand on Ren Xiyang’s back and nudged him forward.
Ren Xiyang fell into step beside him, while Rian’s Royal Guards followed behind.
“How was your trip today?” Rian asked.
“Fine. When did you move in here?”
“I haven’t,” Rian said, with a twinkle in his eyes. “Of course, my belongings have been organised. But the Palace is such a short distance away.”
Ren Xiyang glanced at Rian. “You haven’t been annoying Alexius or Their Majesties, have you?”
Rian pouted. “How dare you accuse me, Ayden!”
Background Royal Guards: We heard nothing, we heard nothing…
Eventually, they reached the dormitory building.
The Eburnean Residences, named after a famous academic normal-element mage of times past, was to the side of the Imperial Magical Academy grounds. Its walls were made of ivory coloured brick, like its namesake. It had its own entrance and driveway for easy access. The ground floor was various shared and bookable rooms for students to use, while the living spaces were upstairs.
Rian led Ren Xiyang up to an ordinary-looking door in a corridor. “My Lord, your quarters are through here.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Ren Xiyang said.
Rian opened the door and Ren Xiyang stepped inside. He was met with a spacious office-lounge, with two sets of desks and bookshelves, and several sofas and low tables.
Ren Xiyang understood.
The furniture looked familiar, as was the overall decoration. There were heating lamps from the Azure-Rosewood line, an ornate chandelier that wouldn’t be out of place in the Imperial Palace, and several plotted plants, flowers and small fruit trees arranged around the room.
There were two doors on either side of the room.
Rian turned around, smiled at his Royal Guards, and closed the door in their face, leaving only him and Ren Xiyang inside.
He introduced the space with a flourish. “My Lord, here, we have a seating area for meetings. These sofas and tables were hand-made by artisans to match those in my quarters at the Imperial Palace. This way, you and I can feel comfortable and at home.”
“Mm.”
Rian took Ren Xiyang’s hand and pulled him around the sofas.
“Look, this is your desk and that’s my desk. They’ve been arranged so we can easily see each other when we’re working, which will facilitate collaboration. Those are your bookshelves and cabinets, and these are mine. All the books and papers and pens we’ll need have already been arranged.”
Rian turned Ren Xiyang around. “Now, to the left, there is your bedroom with private bathroom. To the right is my bedroom. Would you like to see my room first, or your room first?”
“How did you manage this?” Ren Xiyang said.
Rian smirked, his chin tilting up. “Well, I am the Crown Prince.”
Ren Xiyang raised an eyebrow.
“It was completely legal and nonthreatening,” Rian pouted. “Poorer students have to share quarters like this, with a common study-living area. I merely requested this for you and me.” Rian wrapped an arm around Ren Xiyang’s shoulder. “Now, my Imperial Mother protested, but as you can see, she would rather I live here, than for me to walk over to your bedroom every night and leave your bedroom every morning.”
“Smart,” Ren Xiyang deadpanned. “You’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you,” Rian said generously.
Rian: Here’s our apartment together!
Ren Xiyang: Oh. I’m extremely so verily surprised.
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Yay school life… Sweet how Rian wanted to prepare everything. It looks very good in my imagination. And I still think Ren will skip as many lessons as possible 😀 – let’s see.
So funny where Ren started to heal Pollux, the most important part for men – LOL.
I have some knowledge where he has to be healed and that’s why I’m looking forward to read, how you are going to write it, bafflinghaze.
Thanks!
Yes, it must look very good!! Rian has high standards 😏😏 As for Ren Xiyang’s behaviour in school, we shall see~~~~
Hey, it’s a very important part for men, and something that Cassiopeia wouldn’t be able to solve 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Ren Xiyang is the expert!!
You have knowledge???? Now I have to research better 🤣🤣🤣
Yay school life… Sweet how Rian wanted to prepare everything. It looks very good in my imagination. And I still think Ren will skip as many lessons as possible 😀 – let’s see.
So funny where Ren started to heal Pollux, the most important part for men – LOL.
I have some knowledge where he has to be healed and that’s why I’m looking forward to read, how you are going to write it, bafflinghaze.
Thanks!
Rian worked hard indeed! He has the right to feel smug! 🤣
Thank you for the update.
Rian is often smug, little smug prince he is 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thank you for reading!
wow, how unexpected! they’re sharing a room 🤭 ren xiyang probably saw that coming from a few miles away
Given how often Rian sneaked into his room during the Hraun trip, Ren Xiyang guessed it 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for the chapter
Thank you for reading!
I love Ren so much, ahahah
He started the inspection from the right side))) With an important thing that he is familiar with
And I just now remembered that Ren is red, but now he has changed them to black and made them straight)))
I wonder how other people (who don’t know about it) would you react to red? After all, he has a bright appearance because of these red curly hair))
Hooray, the joint life of our newlyweds has begun
Congratulations, I wish you happiness!
Queen: No!
Waiting for a new chapter ♥
🤭🤭🤭🤭 I’m glad you like Ren Xiyang~~~ Yeah, Ren Xiyang’s new body’s hair is originally red! It would definitely be a shock if he suddenly didn’t dye it or suddenly didn’t straighten his hair 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Gosh, feels like any student going off to school…then Rian shows off the new digs…lmao! Thanks 🤣❤️🤣❤️
Hehehehe 🤭🤭🤭 Thanks for reading!
Ready for beeing surprised Yangyang 😁😁👌💪🥰
🤭🤭🤭