I scurried home, replaying in my head everything that happened. One specific memory brought a smile that almost masked the throbbing in my scorched ears. Each step pulled at torn muscle fibers, little lightning bolts shooting up my legs. I winced, then immediately scanned around to see if anyone had noticed. What was I doing back there? Making a stand? Farming aura, as the kids say? And for what? To make an enemy of a racist brat who probably had his bodyguards plotting my demise already? I lie to myself when I say I don’t have issues with pride anymore. I still have a lot of self-work ahead of me.

  The paving stones on our street caught the last golden rays of sunset just as I rounded the corner. Through the window, I could see Uncle Flo setting out plates and Aunt Estrah folding napkins with her usual care. I stopped at the door, suddenly noticing how heavy the ornate sword felt in my hand. It made a satisfying clank as I leaned it against the entryway wall, my 'trophy' announcing my arrival before I could.

  “Boy, do I have a story to tell.”

  “You sure do.” Uncle Flo's eyes widened at my singed ears. He set down a blue-swirled soup pot. “What happened?”

  “I got a job, just like Aunt Estrah wanted.” I slid into my usual chair at the table, wincing as my sore muscles protested. “I am socializing with so many new people.”

  Aunt Estrah's eyebrows furrowed as she wiped her flour-speckled hands against her apron. “I see, well, I hoped for a better caliber of people,” she uttered, coming closer, and tilted my head to examine the burns. “Let us have a look...”

  I waved her off. “Don’t worry, it’s just a scratch. No need to waste mana.”

  “It’s my mana to waste,” Aunt Estrah interrupted, her silver ring already glowing with a pulsing verdant light as she gripped my chin firmly. “Besides, your ears are one of your better features. It would be a shame to lose them. Hold still.” She narrowed her eyes, turning my head to check the burns carefully. “Looks clean. Was it a fire spell? Second-degree at most.” She whispered, “[Numb the pain. Regenerate the wound.]”

  A familiar warmth spread over my head, sinking into my skin and healing the burns. The pain faded, replaced by a pleasant tingling. “Thank you,” I said, trying not to touch my ears. “You didn’t have to numb the pain, though. It really wasn’t that bad.”

  Aunt Estrah’s eyes grew serious. “We haven’t talked about healing magic yet, but you need to know this.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “A regeneration spell without pain nullification makes grown warriors scream until their throats bleed. The cells multiply so fast it feels like you are torn apart from the inside.”

  "Noted," I said, suddenly very interested in my plate. Uncle Flo served me stew, the potatoes and meat landing with soft thuds. Between mouthfuls, I told them about selling my toy designs, Gieffroy’s job offer with Luciana, and my run-in with Aleamme.

  Uncle Flo’s spoon froze halfway to his mouth. “You stood your ground against that brat?” His lips curled into a smile before hardening again. “But getting in that box was foolish, Zar. What if…”

  “You showed initiative,” Aunt Estrah cut in, her spoon tapping on her plate. “You told the toymaker what was happening and how to reach us, so you were still reasonably cautious while seizing an opportunity. Though picking fights with nobles…” She shook her head. “That wasn’t your smartest move.”

  I lowered my eyes to my empty plate. “I know, I acted before thinking.”

  “As long as you learn from this and make better choices next time.” Aunt Estrah’s knife clinked as she cut some cured meat for me. “So, how much are they paying you?”

  “Two gold pieces a week.”

  “Pffft...” Uncle Flo's herbal tea sprayed across the table, his laughter tinged with disbelief and pride. “Damn, kid. City life really does suit you, even I make less.” He wiped his muzzle with the back of his hand, shaking his head in amazement as he left a damp streak.

  “You will make much more after you move to the associate professor role.” Aunt Estrah’s fingers brushed his shoulder reassuringly. “I mean, I did force them to hire you on the spot with no advance warning, so it is to be expected.”

  “Speaking of money, what should I do with this thing?” I retrieved the sword from the entryway and laid it across the dinner table with a metallic thunk that rattled our plates. The polished scabbard gleamed in the candlelight, its gold filigree catching amber reflections. “Should I sell it?”

  Aunt Estrah’s slender fingers glided over the ornate hilt before she unsheathed it with practiced ease, revealing metal that shone with an earthy brown tint. Her expression hardened, crow’s feet creasing around her eyes as she tilted the weapon to catch the light. She passed it to Uncle Flo, whose furry ears twitched forward with interest as he balanced the blade on his palm, testing its weight. Their eyes met across the table in a wordless conversation laden with concern.

  “No, you will have to return it, Zar,” she said, her voice low and final.

  “Why? I fought for it and won.” I folded my arms across my chest, claws digging into my biceps. “I earned it.”

  “That you did, but there’s no way that spoiled child had the right to wager this. This is an orichalcum blade, forged in dragon fire. Veridia possesses only three such blades, each passed down through royal bloodlines for generations. They’re not mere weapons. They’re national treasures.”

  “Tsk.” I scratched behind my pointed ear, my claws catching on the newly healed skin as frustration and a strange sense of resignation warred inside me. “When you put it like that, I understand the severity of keeping it. Can I at least give it to Luciana? That way it stays in the family but slips from that jerk’s sweaty little hands.”

  “That is fine, you can even squeeze them for a favor, I would if I were you, but keeping it would make you a target. Speaking of which, take this.” Aunt Estrah twisted one of her silver rings off her finger, the metal catching candlelight as she placed it in my palm. “It’s infused with combat wind magic. You don’t want to use it more than four times before recharging. It creates a gust of wind strong enough to knock a fully armored knight off his feet. If you are mingling with royalty now, you need ways to protect yourself.”

  I slid the ring on, feeling its cold weight. “Funny. I thought I’d been around royalty my whole life. So what changed?” I met her gaze pointedly.

  “I may be a Ceedorec matriarch, but I've kept out of the Chogueux power struggle.” She traced the rim of her wine glass. “I was out of the loop, living in the Valley, but your story and that sword suggest that Luciana girl and Aleamme child are Veridian princess and prince. Though the crown prince is an adult, so they must be far in line of succession. Still, their kind always attracts trouble. You could get caught in a crossfire between an assassin from the capital and their bodyguards. Be prepared.”

  Uncle Flo’s ears flattened. “Perhaps the job isn’t worth…”

  “The world has teeth,” Aunt Estrah cut him off, reaching across to squeeze my wrist. “But we’ve taught him how to bite back.”

  The next morning, my eyelids felt especially heavy as the first light woke me up. I had to get up early that day, though. When I got to the toymaker’s shop, it smelled like fresh sawdust and varnish. The bell above the door jingled as I walked in. After exchanging pleasantries, Marken handed me the OAE paperwork, the ink still wet, along with a pile of old papers and two ancient but usable leather-bound journals with blank pages. My reversi board was there too, which surprised me.

  “I’ve already made three copies,” he said, tapping the board with a calloused finger. “You need to work on your woodworking before I can sell your pieces.” He showed me the uneven corners and rough edges. “Fix these and maybe pick better quality wood, then I can buy your items, not just your ideas.” Oh well, at least I could still use it to play with Luciana.

  When I stepped out of the Commerce Guild, I noticed the autumn wind bit through my thin shirt a little too harshly. It was time to buy a new set of clothes, something a little more impressive to look at, but still practical. After a visit to a local tailor’s shop, fifty silver pieces vanished from my coin purse with a painful lightness. In their stead, I received a pair of dark leather pants, the white long-sleeved shirt, and the burgundy vest, which complemented the russet of my fur well. Clothes in this world sure cost a lot, but looking out of place in a noble household will only cause more problems, so it was necessary to blend in and meet expectations. For the Academy uniforms, however, I will definitely look into the second-hand market, since those serve a practical purpose rather than social acceptance.

  I returned home to grab a late breakfast. Uncle Flo and Aunt Estrah have already left, but Margot was around and fixed me a sandwich. Upstairs in my room, the sword waited, glimmering on my bed. I wrapped it in cloth, the ornate hilt poking through like a guilty secret under my arm. Now, when I think about it, it was ridiculous of me to walk around town with that thing. Each passerby’s curious glance made my ears flatten as I hurried toward the Veridian estate.

  “Hey, you’re the new wolfkin kid working for Lady Luciana, right?” the guard asked as I walked up. “You really stirred things up yesterday. I wasn’t on duty, but another guard said it was something to behold.” He winked and let me through. I guess he was one of those ‘power to the people’ types.

  I went to the mansion and then to Luciana’s playroom. It was empty, so I unwrapped the sword and set it on her table. I put the reversi board on a small coffee table by the fireplace. With nothing else to do, I lay down in the ornate chest I’d arrived in the day before. It really was very comfortable inside.

  The sunlight had shifted across the marble floor, casting longer shadows through the tall windows, when the door finally swung open. Luciana burst in first, her emerald dress swishing around her ankles, with Gieffroy’s tall figure following close behind, his golden-buttoned uniform immaculate as always.

  “Remember when I called you stupid?” Luciana’s dark eyes widened as she spotted me lounging in the chest. “I take that back, you are completely, utterly insane!” Her voice echoed off the vaulted ceiling.

  “Good afternoon, my lady.” I flashed my canines in what I hoped was a disarming grin, my tail swishing lazily behind me. “I’ve brought a new game for us to try today.”

  “That can wait,” she said, though her gaze darted to the wooden board with curiosity for just a moment before she quickly composed herself and continued. “Do you have any idea what my brother will do to you now?”

  I turned to Gieffroy with a raised eyebrow. “Was there an issue with our sparring match?”

  He looked at me with a grave face, his golden eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his perfectly trimmed brows. “Technically, no, otherwise we wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now, but there is a matter of concern.” His gloved fingers twitched at his side, betraying his composure.

  “It’s the sword, you dummy,” Luciana shouted as she stepped closer. “Do you have any idea what you have? Please tell me it’s somewhere safe.”

  “Oh, that?” I yawned with feigned nonchalance. “It’s on your desk.” I gestured toward her mahogany desk, where sunlight caught the orichalcum blade, sending prismatic reflections dancing across the ceiling. They both turned immediately, Luciana’s silk dress rustling as she pivoted. “I prefer spears anyway, so you can keep it, my lady.” I paused and winked, my tail swishing against the velvet lining of the chest. “But just you, alright? I won it fair and square, and now I’m giving it to you, so it stays in the family and nobody has a reason to come after me.”

  Luciana’s jaw dropped, her dark eyes widening until I could see the ruby flecks within them. “You are... giving it to me?” Her voice had lost its usual commanding edge, replaced by a breathless wonder.

  “We are friends, aren’t we?" I met her gaze steadily, my ears perked forward to show my sincerity. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the tall windows caught in my russet fur. “I certainly can’t use it, but you might.”

  “Thank... you,” she whispered, her slender fingers fidgeting with the emerald silk of her dress. She turned to Gieffroy, composing herself with a deep breath. “Could you...” she hesitated, exchanging a meaningful glance with her butler, “bring me ‘the’ envelope?”

  Gieffroy’s eyebrow arched. “Are you absolutely certain, my lady?” His voice carried the weight of centuries of aristocratic caution.

  She nodded. “This would be a catastrophic scandal that my impulsive brother nearly unleashed upon our house. Zar acted with honor when many would have seized advantage. He is owed a proper debt of gratitude.”

  I flicked my ears in confusion, my tail twitching against the velvet as I waited. Gieffroy returned a few minutes later, his footsteps echoing on marble. Between his white-gloved fingers was an envelope that seemed to command the room’s attention. It was large, crafted from supple crimson leather oiled to a subtle sheen, with the Veridian crest embossed in gold leaf. An intricate wax seal decorated one corner, not sealing the envelope shut, but serving as a mark of authenticity that glinted like a ruby in the sunlight.

  I sprang from the chest, my claws clicking against marble as Gieffroy extended the crimson envelope. The leather was buttery beneath my fingerpads. The wax seal smelled faintly of cinnamon and something else, authority, perhaps.

  Luciana’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if sharing a royal secret. “The last time we gave one of these, the recipient became Lord Chancellor,” Luciana explained. “If you ever need help from our family with something… reasonable, of course, you can send a letter using this envelope. It will be accepted at any branch of the Commerce Guild and delivered to the royal palace in Veridia.”

  I slipped it inside my vest, feeling it press against my heart. I bent my knees and swept one leg behind the other, lowering my head. ”My lady honors me beyond measure.”

  She smirked, her dark eyes dancing with amusement as she lifted one delicate eyebrow. “What in the three kingdoms was that? You know only girls can do a curtsy, boys bow with their right arm across their chest, left arm behind their back.”

  “Alas,” I sighed, my ears drooping slightly in embarrassment, “while I know the basics, I was never trained in noble etiquette or anything of that nature.”

  She put her finger to her chin, tapping it three times. A look of mischief glinted in her eyes. Then she turned to her butler. “Gieffroy, please inform Mistress Cecile that she will have an extra student today. Zar needs immediate attention."

  “Wait, what?” I yelped, my tail bristling in alarm, but Gieffroy had already glided across the marble floor and disappeared through the ornate double doors, his footsteps fading down the corridor.

  “Well, as an extra reward,” Luciana declared with a regal tilt of her chin, “we are going to elevate your education. You should be honored, Mistress Cecile is renowned throughout the Morne Isles. Her nimble fingers have adjusted the posture of princes, and her sharp tongue has taught not one, but three kings how to navigate the treacherous waters of proper society.”

  I slumped my head, ears flattening against my skull while my tail drooped lifelessly behind me. Curtsy was too much. I reap what I sow.

  “Anyway,” she chirped, her emerald silk dress catching the late-afternoon light as she spun toward the wooden board, "show me that new game of yours!"