Those who were raised in darkness

Dictionary

I didn't want to burden them with my birthday, so I celebrated secretly. With a new friend of course. Princess Grace, or just Grace.

"Happy birthday to Yudai!" She exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"Yes. Happy birthday to me!" I exclaimed too. I blew out the candles on the small cake. It was late at night, only a few candles in the dining room were lit, giving it a dim glow. We couldn't think of a better place to eat cake, but the dining room.

Things have been harsh lately. I was allowed to leave but I couldn't say that I lived in the castle. A depressed feeling spread through me whenever I thought of it. I felt like I was not wanted. I was restricted to a certain part of the library, so all that I could study was different languages and foreign law and lands, which is good but I want to see the map of the whole entire world, and it was in the restricted area.

I was the only one who didn't have lessons, so by the end of the first day, I knew how to speak two languages. One called French, and the other known as Japanese.

But, it makes no sense, if I can't even see a map. Of course, being able to learn five times faster than an ordinary human really helped a lot. I also found that because of the time, hoods are normal. So that's why that gaurd always wears one. It also helped me a lot too. I had an ominous feeling when I realized that you don't have bad days everyday. Whenever my wolf ears and tail showed, the villagers automatically disliked me a lot. And I had to always leave and come in the castle by a secret door.
So, it was nice to finally take a break. Who kept me smiling through all this? Grace. She was a sun.

  Not a sun as bright as mom, but she was there. She really likes her older brother though. He's her prince charming. It makes me haply that she'd found love. Whenever my mom talked about love, she told me that I should never interfere with it, as it was a beautiful thing.

And I see what she meant. When Grace talks about her older brother, her face seems to brighten. But over time, it seems to have dimmed, and its only been a few months. Overtime, her older brother, Prince Fai, seems to have grown to dislike me. I figure that if I read another book, I might understand what these feelings are.
"So Yudai, what did you wish for?" Grace asked.

"Princess, doesn't these work when you don't tell the wish?" I looked up from the cake.

"Drop the princess. Your older than me, plus we're friends." She complained.

"But prin-",

"Don't you dare. Its Grace." She put her finger in my face.

"Pr- Grace. I can't tell you my wish." I said cautiously.

"Why not?"

"If I do, it may not come true." I want to speak to mom. Just once. Just to know that she's okay.

"Ah. I see. Let's cut the cake!" She said excitedly. I was excited too. I was so excited, that I didn't hear them coming. We began to eat the vanilla cake. It was her first time eating a vanilla flavored cake.

"Mm! Where'd you buy this? How'd you get the money?" She asked in between chews.

"Well, as long as I hide my ears and tail, I work in forging and shoveling up roads. But only some days. I saved up enough money to buy a cake and also new stitching needles for my clothes." I said cheerfully.

"Wow! That's so cool! Your so honorable and mature!" She exclaimed.

"Nah nah. I'm not at all, ma chérie." I said.