After placing five books on Cassius' head, I took a step backwards and gave him a pleased smile. After dusting my hands off, I went to return to the nearby desk and chair.

"Uhh... don't princesses usually do this type of thing?" Cassius said in uncertainty as he tried his best to balance all of the books.

"At the end of the day, it's for your posture." After taking my seat I squinted my eyes at the struggling boy. "You naturally slouch, so this will help train you for the masquerade. It is in two days, after all, so we don't have much time to prepare."

As he took several shaky steps forwards, he kept his eyes glued up towards the books. "Is that so? Does this mean we'll practice slow dancing after this?"

My, he really is committed to the whole couple act. But in any case, he does have a point. We'll need to work on dancing too eventually...

"Sure, once the slouching issue is no more, then we can dance all you like," I remarked sarcastically as I flipped through one of the many library books on the table.

"Understood!" Cassius replied robotically. The determination must have kicked in as he was now marching back and forward like a trained soldier. I can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing...

As I returned my focus to the book, frustration started to kick in. Uuuu... no luck here either. I was hoping the library might have some books on demons. It would be within my best interests to brush up on Cassius' kind after all.

Turning around to face the boy once more, I hesitantly called out to him. "Hey, Cassius?" His marching came to an abrupt halt as he stared at me intently. "How much do you know about your own kind... y'know, demons."

Cassius' eyes shifted between me and the books repeatedly before I gave in. "Okay fine, you can take a break from the book balancing."

With a childlike smile, Cassius threw the books to the floor as he came rushing toward me to pull up a nearby chair.

"Well, demons are an ancient race that was created long before human beings even existed." Cassius started enthusiastically. "We're pretty unique in our own right too. After all, only demons are capable of using dark magic."

So, it's an exclusive form of magic then, huh? "What about light magic? Would it be like the opposite to demons?" I leaned in closer with excitement. "Can it only be used by angels?"

Cassius paused before chuckling to himself. "What? Of course not! Light magic is completely random, it's not specific to one type of being."

Man, what a let-down...

"Since demons are an older and arguably superior race to humans. Our magic is typically more potent." Cassius started to twirl his unruly black locks around with a nearby pencil. "But then again, that all depends on whether or not a demon has unlocked its full potential."

Full potential? I looked up at Cassius inquisitively. "What do you mean by full potential?"

Cassius placed the pencil down and leaned back into his chair. "Take me for example. I'm only a half-demon, so there's a lot of untapped power within me." Cassius released a sigh. "It'll only ever fully awaken if I become a fully-fledged demon."

Oh. He can become a fully-fledged demon? That was unexpected...

Scooting closer with my chair, I narrowed my eyes as I pressed for more information. "And how would you go about doing that? A ritual perhaps?"

Cassius bounced his head back and forth as he debated on how to respond to the question. "It's eh... more like perfecting my magic."

Hesitantly, Cassius started to scratch the back of his ear. "In theory, my demon side should strengthen once I graduate from this academy. That is if I master the art of my dark magic..."

Graduating is really a must for Cassius. In that case, I can't afford to butcher this mission. His future depends on it...

I closed my book swiftly and picked up my schoolbag as I rose from my seat, grumpily. "If that's all, then I think we're finished with the library today."

Following heed, Cassius stumbled to his feet as he picked up all of the books. "But what about the book balancing?" He started to frown as he looked at me pleadingly. "A-A-Am I not getting a reward anymore?"

I suppose it would be mean of me to just refuse him. He did seem committed to working hard after all.

...

Ugh, I guess I'll just have to relent. Throwing my school bag onto the back of the chair, I grabbed Cassius by the hand. As I led the nervous boy towards the back of the library, I was cautious as to check whether or not anyone was watching us.

"Why don't we practice dancing in your dormitory instead?" Cassius piped up. "Or even better, we could go to mine! I don't have any roommates so–"

"My place won't do. Ophelia is currently working on this big school project with some girl. So, I promised not to disturb them."

Using my own two hands, I straightened Cassius' posture as I corrected his hands into the proper waltz position. "My room still stands..." Cassius interjected.

Rolling my eyes, I kept my focus on the task at hand. "No thanks. I feel much safer in public spaces." Who knows if Cassius could suddenly turn possessive if we were all alone...?

Looking Cassius in the eyes I gave him a sweet yet forceful smile. "Watch closely now as I show you how to lead!"

After much accidental toe-stepping and fumbling around we were finally able to conclude today's dance lesson. I'm just glad that this library was dead, I don't know what I'd do if someone saw us!

As I returned to my desk to collect my belongings, panic quickly set in.

"Where's my bag?" I turned to Cassius worriedly. "You didn't take it, did you?"

Cassius firmly shook his head. Ugh, this is bad. This is really bad! My books, money and even keys were in there! What am I going to do now...?