Lorin unwrapped the bandages and flexed his arm slightly. Apart from a little stiffness, all other discomfort had vanished.

"Didn’t expect the people here to be this skilled."

Lorin still had no idea what strange concoction those people had smeared on his arm that day—but it clearly worked.

After two days of rest, his energy had mostly returned. He no longer looked like the dazed shell he’d been at first.

With a maid’s help, he changed into his academy uniform.

He couldn’t shake off Xueyi’s words from yesterday: *I’ll explain everything at that place.*

*What exactly does she want to tell me? Why so mysterious?*

The only spot he could think of was behind the library—the very place he’d first found her.

As usual, he rode the carriage to the academy. But the moment he stepped down, something felt off.

Normally, only a few students would greet him; the rest ignored him completely.

After all, the heir to the throne was confirmed. Soon, he’d leave the Royal Capital for his assigned territory. No need to curry favor.

Yet today, barely inside the gates, he felt dozens of eyes on him. Whispers followed him like shadows.

"Good morning, Second Prince."

"Your Highness, how’s your health?"

...

Lorin disliked this sudden spotlight. But he knew: the more ignored you were before, the more attention you’d draw after an incident like last time.

He finally reached his classroom. Xueyi was already there. He slid into his usual seat—*his* seat. It was *she* who’d chosen to sit beside him, not the other way around.

"Doesn’t everyone seem weird today?" he murmured to Xueyi. "At least five or six girls came to talk to me."

*If I didn’t look so little like Romon, I’d think they mistook me for him.*

Xueyi shot him a glare. "How should I know?" Her icy tone reminded him of their first meeting.

"What’s *your* problem now?"

First the strange stares, now Xueyi acting odd—it really felt like she’d challenged him to a fight today.

Throughout class, Xueyi didn’t speak another word to him. Lorin dozed off as usual.

When he snapped awake, her seat was empty.

He stretched, gathered his things, and muttered to himself, "What *was* she going to tell me?"

If she hadn’t insisted on *that place*, he’d have asked her right in class.

He circled behind the library, just as he remembered.

Weeds choked the path—no one ever came here. One misstep, and you’d trip.

A short walk in, he spotted Xueyi. Just like last time, she was playing with stray cats.

"If you like them so much," Lorin called out, "why not take them home?"

Even if she didn’t get along with her family, bringing home a few cats wouldn’t cause trouble. Things had improved lately.

"I want to," Xueyi said, shifting her hold to lift a kitten. "But they don’t seem to want to."

The kitten, docile moments ago, suddenly arched its back. Fur stood on end. It darted toward a hole in the wall.

They knew her intention. They allowed her touch—but never dropped their guard.

"Hey," Xueyi stood, eyes locking onto Lorin’s. "I have a question. Do you... want to raise a cat?"

"A cat?" Lorin glanced at the hole. The kittens were long gone. "If I could, sure. But I’m not really *from* here. Taking care of a pet might just cause trouble."

As he thought this, Xueyi—who was half a head shorter—stepped forward. She rose on tiptoes and pressed a clumsy kiss to his lips.

Lorin froze, fingers brushing his mouth. He stared at her, stunned.

His real age was older than this body’s—but this was his first kiss. Ever.

Xueyi balled her hands into tiny fists, cheeks flushed like a kitten about to pounce.

"...Meow... Meow... Meow~"

Lorin stumbled back. *Am I still sleep-deprived? Is this a hallucination?* He rubbed his eyes.

A weed snagged his foot. He fell backward.

Before he could rise, Xueyi arched over him.

"...Meow~"

*Where did she even learn this?!* The pose was dangerously suggestive. If anyone saw them—

"What are you *doing*?!"

"You... said you wanted a cat, right?" Her voice trembled, movements awkward. "So... can’t *I* be your cat?"

Her face drifted closer.

"Wait!" Lorin gripped her shoulders, holding her at arm’s length. "Do you even know what you’re doing?"

One more second, and he’d have lost control.

"I *know*!" she snapped, face burning crimson. "Don’t treat me like a child!"

*Since when do cats blush?*

"Then why act like this?"

He recalled her accusing him of "improper things" at the black market—she *knew* what this meant.

"*Why?*" Xueyi finally shoved his hands away, scowling. "I get embarrassed too, you know!"

"*So?*"

She met his gaze, gathering her courage.

"But! I like you!"