The lesson was supposed to be about etiquette, again, but Ilyana couldn't focus.
She sat in the garden pavilion, surrounded by blooming roses and jasmine, while her tutor droned on about proper table settings and the correct way to address foreign dignitaries. Normally, she would at least pretend to pay attention, but today her mind kept drifting.
I hope Corvus is okay.
She hadn't seen him since yesterday evening, when they had finally climbed down from the tree. He had been escorted to the guest wing by the palace steward, and she had been swept away by her mother for a lecture about ruined dresses and proper princess behavior.
What if he was lonely?
Something moved behind the rose bushes.
Ilyana's eyes snapped to the greenery. For a moment, there was nothing. Then she saw it, a flash of gold eyes and messy black curls.
Corvus.
He was crouched behind the bushes, peeking out at her. When he realized she had spotted him, he grinned and waved.
She had to bite her lip hard to keep from laughing.
"Your Highness?" Her tutor, Madame Celeste, peered at her over her spectacles. "Are you paying attention?"
"Yes, Madame," Ilyana said quickly, forcing her face into a serious expression. "You were saying something about... forks?"
"Spoons, Your Highness. The proper placement of soup spoons."
"Right. Spoons."
Behind the bushes, Corvus made an exaggerated snoring gesture, his head lolling to the side like he was falling asleep.
Ilyana's shoulders shook with suppressed giggles.
"Your Highness!" Madame Celeste's voice was sharp. "This is important! You'll be dining with foreign ambassadors soon, and you must—"
Corvus popped up slightly, pretending to be a fancy ambassador. He mimed drinking from an invisible teacup with his pinky extended, his claws making the gesture absolutely ridiculous.
Ilyana snorted. She tried to cover it with a cough, but it was too late.
"Princess Ilyana!" Madame Celeste stood up, her face flushing. "What has gotten into you today? This behavior is completely unacceptable!"
"I'm sorry, Madame, I just—"
Corvus was now pretending to faint dramatically behind the bushes, one hand pressed to his forehead like a swooning maiden.
Ilyana lost it. She burst out laughing, doubling over in her seat.
"That is ENOUGH!" Madame Celeste's face was bright red now. "Your Highness, I don't know what you find so amusing about the proper use of silverware, but—"
"It's my fault."
Corvus stepped out from behind the bushes, looking sheepish but still grinning.
Madame Celeste jumped, clutching her chest. "I—you—Prince Corvus! What are you doing hiding in the—I mean—Your Highness, this is—"
She was flustered, torn between scolding a foreign prince and maintaining diplomatic politeness. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"I was... looking for the princess," Corvus said, not very convincingly. "For diplomatic reasons. Very important diplomatic reasons."
"I... well... that is..." Madame Celeste's face had gone from red to an alarming shade of purple. "I suppose... if it's diplomatic..."
She gathered her books hastily, shooting Ilyana a look that promised a strongly worded report to the queen, and scurried away.
The moment she was gone, Ilyana burst out laughing again.
"Diplomatic reasons?" she gasped between giggles.
"It worked, didn't it?" Corvus dropped onto the bench beside her, looking pleased with himself.
"Hello," Ilyana said, once she had caught her breath.
"Hi." His smile was warm and a little shy.
Now that he was closer, she noticed how pretty his eyes were in the sunlight.
"Your hair is blue," he said suddenly.
"What?" She touched her hair self-consciously. "Oh. Yes. It's... just a dark blue. Almost black unless you're in the light."
"It's pretty."
Heat flooded her cheeks. "Thank you."
"How was your first night here?" she asked quickly, trying to change the subject. "I was a little anxious when I didn't hear from you."
His face scrunched up, and she saw a faint blush on his cheeks too. "It was terrible."
"Terrible?"
"So hot!" He tugged at his collar. "How do you people sleep in buildings with no windows? And the bed was too soft. And there were like, seventeen blankets. I thought I was going to suffocate."
Ilyana giggled. "Did you sleep on the floor?"
"Maybe."
"You're cute."
His eyes widened. "I'm not cute!"
"You definitely are."
"No!" He stood up, looking genuinely offended. "I'm not cute. I'm a man!"
"You're fourteen."
"Still a man! I'm from the Leopard Clan!" He puffed out his chest. "We're fierce! Dangerous! Respected!"
"So?"
"So I'm a warrior! I've hunted in the northern forests! I've—I've—" He gestured wildly. "I'm a MAN!"
Ilyana laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach. "Okay, okay. Very manly. Very fierce."
"You're making fun of me."
"Maybe a little."
"I'll prove it." His eyes flashed gold. "I'll show you my leopard form. Then you'll see I'm not cute."
"Corvus, you don't have to—"
But he was already shifting.
The transformation was smooth, and one moment he was a boy, the next a black leopard cub stood where he had been.
He was small, fluffy, with oversized paws and those same gold eyes.
"Awwww!" Ilyana clasped her hands together. "You're adorable!"
The cub made an indignant sound that was probably supposed to be a roar but came out more like a squeak.
"Nooo," he said in his leopard form, and Ilyana was shocked he could still speak even in it. He paced in front of her, trying to look intimidating. "I'm not cute. You're supposed to respect this form."
"I do respect it," Ilyana cooed, reaching for him. "I respect how absolutely precious you are!"
He tried to back away, but she was faster. She scooped him up before he could escape, hugging the squirming cub to her chest.
"Let go! This is undignified! I'm a predator!"
"You're so fluffy!" She scratched behind his ears and felt him go still. His eyes started to close. "And you like ear scratches, apparently."
"I do not—" But a low rumbling sound started in his chest. Was he... purring?
"Not cute at all," Ilyana said, grinning as she tickled his belly.
The purring got louder.
"Your Highness?"