Just as Isla turned toward the grand exit to leave, a sudden, heartwarming thought struck her.
'Why don't I take a portion of this deliciously sweet plum pudding for Dorian?' she thought, a bright, affectionate smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
'He has probably never tasted anything this wonderful in his entire life, and I know he would absolutely love it.'
She spun back around to face the Queen.
"Mom, could you possibly have the royal chefs pack some of this plum pudding for me to take?
Actually, I..."
She paused, biting her bottom lip as a sudden wave of apprehension washed over her.
'If I openly confess that I am taking this luxurious royal dessert specifically for a lowly commoner boy, Mom will be absolutely furious and scold me for breaking the strict class boundaries again.'
Thinking quickly on her feet, she crafted a flawless, highly believable excuse.
"...Actually, the rigorous swordsmanship training makes me incredibly hungry, and I desperately need a heavy snack for afterward so I don't embarrassingly faint in the dirt again like I did yesterday!"
The Queen let out a soft, elegant laugh, her eyes crinkling with deep, knowing maternal affection.
"Oh, calm down, my sweet little princess!
Why on earth are you frantically giving me so many dramatic excuses?
I already knew that you would adore this dessert so much that you would inevitably ask to take some with you."
She gestured gracefully to a beautifully wrapped, golden box resting on a silver platter nearby.
"I had the maids pack your favorite pudding ahead of time.
Now, take it and hurry along!
Prince Lucier is already waiting for you outside by the carriage, and if you dawdle any longer, you will both be terribly late for your lessons!"
"Yes, I am leaving right now! Bye, Mom!"
Isla called out cheerfully, snatching the ornate box and practically sprinting out of the grand dining hall.
When she reached the sunlit courtyard, Lucier was leaning casually against the polished wooden door of the royal carriage.
His blue eyes immediately zeroed in on the golden box tucked securely under her arm.
"What is that?" he asked, tilting his head with genuine, innocent curiosity.
Isla instinctively clutched the box tighter to her chest, her old, defensive sass flaring up for a split second before she remembered their new truce.
"None of your business!
I mean... it is just some plum pudding from breakfast," she quickly corrected herself, rolling her eyes as she lifted the hem of her skirt and climbed into the carriage.
"Now come on, get in!
We are already running incredibly late for the academy!"
As soon as Isla stepped into the sunlit courtyard of the academy, her eyes immediately locked onto Dorian, and without wasting a single second, she gently pressed the beautiful golden box her mother had given her into his hands.
At first, Dorian couldn't comprehend what it was or why a royal Princess was suddenly giving him something so obviously expensive; he merely stared at the box, and then at Isla's face, with wide, innocent eyes as a thousand questions swirled in his mind.
"Dorian, where did you zone out to? What are you thinking about so deeply?"
Isla's voice broke his train of thought.
"Alright, stop overthinking this and just taste it so you can tell me how it is... it is my absolute favorite plum pudding, and I am completely certain that you are going to love it!"
"But Isla... how could I possibly eat this?"
Dorian hesitated, his voice thick with uncertainty.
"What do you mean, 'how', Dorian?
I lovingly saved this from the palace specifically for you, and now you are throwing a fuss? Please, just eat it!"
Isla insisted, pouting playfully like a stubborn child.
"Alright... I will eat it," Dorian replied softly.
The very second he took a small, hesitant bite of the royal pudding, the incredibly sweet, rich flavor melted on his tongue, and thick tears suddenly welled up in his large brown eyes, cascading rapidly down his cheeks.
Isla panicked, immediately asking, "Dorian!
Why are you crying?
What happened... did you not like the taste?"
Dorian hastily wiped his tears away, offering a painful, bittersweet smile.
"No, it isn't that at all... actually, in my entire life, I have never eaten anything so incredibly tasty and royal.
We poor commoners never knew the taste of anything other than dry, stale bread, and we could never even imagine anything beyond that meager survival. Thank you so much, Isla."
Isla crossed her arms with a bright smile, stating confidently,
"Friends never say 'thank you', understand?"
"Friends...?"
Dorian stared at her, utterly and completely confused.
"Yes, friends!
Why, is there a problem with that?"
"No... I mean, how can we possibly be friends?
You are a royal princess, and I am just a lowly commoner, so..."
Cutting him off, Isla feigned a dramatic, exaggerated anger.
"Dorian, do you seriously want me to land a solid punch right on your face?
Hmm?
Speak up!"
Dorian immediately threw his hands up in fright, panicking as he stuttered,
"No, no!
Please don't do that!"
Seeing his incredibly innocent, terrified reaction, they both erupted into genuine, roaring laughter.
Standing a short distance away, Lucier watched this entire heartwarming scene unfold with intense scrutiny; however, the bitter hatred that used to burn in his eyes was entirely gone, replaced instead by a strange curiosity and the faint glimmer of a new, unexpected camaraderie.
Suddenly, the academy teacher's loud voice echoed across the courtyard, announcing that the trainer had arrived, prompting all the students to immediately scramble toward the training grounds and fall into their strict formations.
But the scene today was noticeably different; everyone quickly realized that the notoriously strict trainer from the Snake Kingdom had not arrived alone.
Standing menacingly right beside him was his kingdom's most brilliant, dangerous, and exceptionally young swordsman.
The boy possessed hair as vibrantly red as a raging fire and piercing eyes the color of a predatory yellow.
Swelling with pride, the trainer introduced him to the terrified class as Kavien, explicitly boasting that despite his young age, he had already become the most ruthless, unparalleled swordsman in the entire Snake Kingdom.
The absolute second Isla's eyes landed on Kavien, a strange, terrifyingly cold shudder violently rippled through her entire body.
'Is he the one I think he is?'
Isla thought, trembling internally with a profound, suffocating dread.
'Or could it be someone else...?'
Before Isla could even attempt to calm the horrific storm raging in her mind, the young, cold-hearted swordsman abruptly drew his massive, incredibly heavy blade and hurled it with devastating force straight toward her.
The edge was so terrifyingly sharp that it sliced effortlessly through the dirt, burying itself upright into the ground just inches from her feet with a resounding thud.
Isla, who had been completely lost in her panicked thoughts, violently flinched at the sudden, explosive sound, a sharp gasp tearing from her throat.
As her wide blue eyes locked onto the weapon embedded in the dirt, her very soul turned to ice.
This was no ordinary training weapon.
It was the exact same blade that had ruthlessly slit the poor Queen's throat in the original novel!
The horrific snake emblem engraved upon the hilt looked so incredibly vivid and menacing that it seemed as though it might spring to life and strike her right then and there.
It was a massive, incredibly heavy, and deeply bloodthirsty weapon.
'It is the same one...'
Isla's heart hammered painfully against her ribs, her breath catching entirely in her throat.
'Yes, it is exactly the same blade... the exact same horrific snake logo, and the exact same suffocating, terrifying aura of death!'