When Arian went back to his personal chambers later in the afternoon, he was exhausted; even though the lessons weren't interesting for him, since he already knew everything. He still had to be there. He still had to appear like a prince, which meant sitting straight all the time and not getting tired of the heavy tiara on his head.
Tomorrow I will wear the simple silver one again, Arian swore to himself. Even if it costs me my aura.
The other problem the prince faced was his deputy, Maloc. Arian wasn't sure what to do with him.
It was clear Maloc had overstepped Arian's boundaries more than once. He had ignored Arian's wishes and commands. Even though he tried to be subtle with it, Arian knew how his deputy was feeling.
He saw the whole mission at the academy as a joke and a disgrace. And with each passing day, he grew more lacking in his job.
The same could be said for the guards. While they weren't plainly disrespecting Arian, they weren't taking their guard duties as seriously as they had back in the royal palace.
During class, some of them always zoned out. Arian couldn't blame them, really, since the lessons were boring, but still, it felt like all his servants were losing respect for Arian and his work.
Only Marie treated Arian like she always had, which he was thankful for.
So when he couldn't sleep, because the issue of what to do with Maloc kept him awake, Arian called for her.
"I'm not sure how to handle this situation. On one hand, I want to punish Maloc. He has disobeyed my command. Normally, I should fire him. But then I ask myself if it's worth it. In the end, it would only reduce my already small party here. And ever since I punished Sir Balay, he has been distant from me. He even avoids talking to me. I don't want my servants to turn against me or betray me," Arian told his personal maid once she sat next to his bed.
"Indeed, it's a tricky situation, my prince. I would make my opinion clear to Maloc. Tell him that you don't like what he's doing. But don't threaten him. Because you are right, most of your servants who are here with you only started working for you after you had your accident. They don't know you very well, nor do they have a strong loyalty towards you. They serve you, because your father commanded them to do so, not because they want to."
Arian nodded in agreement, even though he was still hesitant. He was used to commanding his servants, and if they didn't listen to him, he would punish them. Not to threaten Maloc for his mistakes felt... odd.
"So what would you do? Surely you don't advise me to become friends with my servants?"
"No, but instead of treating them like they are less or worthless, treat them like they are your equal. Or at least closer to your status than they actually are. Try to be nice to them, talk with them. Don't just give them commands. Instead, give them a reason to follow you. I know you're hesitant about making friends after what happened between you and..."
Arian shot her a glaring look, which got his message across. Marie restrained herself from saying his former friend's name out loud.
"Just remember it's better to make friends than enemies," she concluded.
Again, Arian nodded. For now, he had to agree with Marie.
He thanked her for her advice before he sent her away and went to sleep.
He had hoped he would be able to sleep in the next day, but to his great disappointment, this was not the case.
This time, Sir Balay informed him that a girl named Shivani wanted to speak with him.
Of course, Maloc was there, as well. He wanted to tell the girl off immediately, but Arian stopped him.
"Go, Maloc. I don't need you. I will talk to her personally. Sir Balay, let her in."
The prince sighed when his deputy left and almost slammed the door behind him.
There go my resolutions, Arian mumbled angrily in his head. Hadn't he sworn not to talk to commoners personally after it went so horribly with Pidgeon?
But then again, Shivani had captured his attention from the first time she arrived at the academy. She and her friend Satori seemed to be far more educated than the rest of the commoners.
They stood out among the rest, so Arian swore to keep an eye on them.
If he saw it that way, he wasn't breaking his resolutions. I'm just trying to understand a mysterious girl, Arian thought as the door of his room opened again.
When Shivani entered his room, she wans't alone. Her friend Satori was with her.
So I have the opportunity to get to know both of them better.
Arian looked at the two carefully. Satori kept her head down, which made her big and hooked nose appear even more unsightly. She was fidgeting with her hands, too.
To the prince, she looked uncomfortable. It seemed like she wanted to be anywhere except here.
Shivani was the polar opposite of her friend. Breathtakingly beautiful as always, she met Arian's gaze confidently.
For a moment, Arian feared she looked more regal than he himself.
"Thank you for talking to us personally, it is a great honor," Shivani whistled, her voice sounding as smooth as the finest silk.
Then she nudged her friend, urging her to speak as well. But Satori only looked terrified at her, so Shivani shrugged her shoulders and continued.
She wanted to know if Arian really didn't know about beasts ranking up.
They didn't buy Maloc's answer after all, Arian thought and wondered who of them noticed it or if both had such keen observation skills.
But since he planned on giving a different answer than his deputy in the first place, Arian had no problem with sharing the truth.
"The short version is: It is possible, but it has never been done before."
While Shivani's face stayed completely natural, Satori's brows furrowed in confusion.
"Remember, the ranking system is not something absolute. It is only a tool that humans invented in order to understand a beast's power or to better compare it with the strengths of others. So what you mean by ranking up is actually a significant increase in a beast's power, so much that we humans would have to group it into a higher rank. Understandable, right?"
Shivani nodded while Satori still seemed confused.
"There is no proof that it is possible, since no one has done it before, but just as you learned in yesterday's lesson with teacher Braxton, at a certain rank, beasts can talk. Actually, the first beast that bonded with a former emperor, a late relative of mine, told him about it. It said that this is the reason why it has agreed to bond with a human."
Now Satori's eyes lit up, and recognition flashed over her face. "Because only with the help of humans can they increase their power significantly," she blurted out, her former awkwardness completely forgotten.
"Exactly. Many other beasts have talked about it too. You must understand that originally, the bond between a beast and a human is very advantageous for the human, since they can borrow the beast's powers, thus attaining supernatural powers for themselves, while the beast gets nothing in return. They are much more powerful than we humans, so why should they listen to our commands?"
"Because they need us humans to increase their power. The problem is, this process is very hard. And until now, no one has managed it. But the boon beasts could gain must be extraordinary, otherwise these beasts would never agree to bond with us."
And so many creatures and their humans try to increase their rank. Even though nobody really talked about it. It was a goal fr many beast tamers and their animals. Arian once had such ambitions,too. Back then, when he still had a beast.
Arian had no doubt, his father tried it as well. That's probably the reason why he spread school books that talked about an eighth rank. There, the second rank was 'August' and the first was called 'Illustrious', the rank for beasts of the August rank that managed to increase their power through their bond with a human.
Arian shuddered when he thought about his father's phoenix becoming even more powerful. What kind of power would that be?
He couldn't imagine. He doubted, his father could.
"So even if my beast is a 'Puny', it could still become a 'Dainty' one," Satori laughed, her body trembling from excitement.
Arian doubted he had ever seen a person being so thrilled about something.
She's a very passionate person, he concluded. Again, Shivani was the complete opposite, her face remaining stern.
Arian sighed. "For all we know, your beast could even become a 'Customary' one. To be honest, we don't know how strong that boost in power is. It could even be that a beast, after increasing its powers, could jump up four or five ranks. The possibilities here are truly fast."