Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

The night before my magic skills test, I can't help but be frantic and nervous about it.

I mean… come on! This would be my first test, and I know that this would be my first basis if ever I would be able to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming my father who was once a master wizard at our home village.

Will I somehow be able to pull this one through?

With these thoughts keep bugging me, I decided to go out of my room for a while and decided to dress as the prince upon doing so. I'll never know if I will suddenly bumped into another important royal official like the last time.

Now in the prince's clothes, I decided to wander around the lobby before going to the prince's office with a spellbook in hand. If you still remembered it, I stole my father's spellbook back when I ran away from home.

Sorry, dad! Love 'ya!

When I closed the door behind me, I started going after the table and sit in its chair and began reading the said book for me to carefully memorize all the spells that the panel might make me execute when the execution round comes on Friday.

Well, I was also studying for my written exams tomorrow. I need to pass it as well for me to move on with the next round.

I was so engrossed in reading the entire thing written in the book that I wasn't able to notice the cold sweat that starts to emerge from my forehead, or the fact that I wasn't able to lock the door and someone just entered the office without me knowing.

"Krisella?"

Upon hearing that voice in front of me, it was then that I lifted my head to know who it was.

'Crap, I forgot to lock the doors, for heaven's sake!' my mind exclaimed. I gave myself a whack on my forehead mentally.

But then my heart instantly felt at ease upon knowing that it is none other than Lucas who just entered the office.

"What are you doing at this hour? I thought some spy has entered here or something…" Then he looked at me while squinting his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping for your written exams tomorrow?" he asked, yawning in the process.

"Well, I can't. I am too anxious or nervous to even sleep a wink." I said in a panicking tone.

"Ah. Examination jitters." the lad said. My forehead instantly creased by what he said.

"The what now?" I asked with my right eyebrow arching at him.

"Exam jitters… a term that the prince made up whenever a student is having anxiety attacks because of his or her upcoming exams." the lad explained, chuckling as if remembering something funny in the past.

I looked at him with curiosity. "Did the prince had these exam jitters in the past as well?"

He looked at me as though I just went crazy in front of him.

"Oh no, silly. He is the single being I have ever known not to undergo the exams and yet managed to graduate early in the Gilead Academy at the age of… what… twelve years old?"

My mouth literally gaped at that.

Wow… what a magic prodigy indeed! I wish I could be like that, or maybe I could somehow find a way to borrow the prince's intelligence even just for a few hours of my life.

"If the prince wasn't able to take the exams, why make these so-called 'exam jitters' in the first place?" I asked once again, now curious how did the prince come up with that idea.

"Well, the prince was known in the school as your typical playful kind of student who likes to mess around with his classmates. Since he is already exempted to do the magic skills test because of the magic skill level that he already possesses, he came up with this sickness for his classmates who had to undergo the anxiety of having these examinations in their lives."

I heard Lucas chuckled once again upon remembering that part. I also can't help but to smile along with him as he did so.

Whenever Lucas is saying something about the prince, he made it seem to me that Prince Arthur was a really nice guy and an ordinary teenager who doesn't hold any special calling or superb magic skills… like us.

"I wish to meet Prince Arthur someday…" I blurted out of nowhere.

Lucas stopped chuckling and I noticed how his expression changed from happy to being sad in just a snap of a finger.

"Well, we are all wishing to locate the real Prince Arthur anytime from now. But after a year's search for him… it all went to vain since we still can't locate his whereabouts… or can't confirm if he is alive or dead since our search party hasn't found his body as well."

Lucas made a long, pronounced sigh after that.

"I'm praying that you would see the prince soon, alive and kicking." I put an encouraging smile at the lad to which he returned immediately.

"I hope so Krisella."

Since I can't still be able to sleep, Lucas decided to stay with me for a little longer and helped me in regards to reading some complicated spells that I was having a hard time to read and pronounce properly.

Then, in a brief moment, he also demonstrated some of the magic movements he knows for me to execute the spells with ease and accuracy so that I would avoid failing my class.

After a quick teaching session with me, he walked towards me and gave me a gentle pat in the head that stunned me for a while.

"You better sleep now, Krisella. It is getting too late after all." he said. "It won't do you any good if you take the written exam tomorrow without even sleeping a wink for the night."

Then I felt his hands moved to slowly caress my hair, which kind of surprised me for a bit with this sudden sweet movement.

"O-Okay…: I responded, stuttering in the process.

Lucas now withdraws his hand back to his side, looked at me for the last time, and flashed his genuine smile.

"Don't let your exam jitters overwhelm you." he simply said. "Good night, Krisella."

And just like that, he left the prince's office and closed the door behind him, leaving me dumbfounded in my place.

Curse this exam jitters!