Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Bonus Chapter 2: You Really Haven't Heard?

It was bad enough back when he was a kid and she and Farada were still teens, canoodling and being disgustingly in love all over the place...
But after years of being the queen in all but name, it would be better qualified as a deadly weapon.
God...

"Uh," Ruggie said after a few seconds.
"Not to sound like one a' those 'equal rights, equal fights' kinda losers, but-- you didn't actually end up HITTING her... And, even if you DID, I mean-- she's a human, right? And she looks more like the scrawny, bookworm-ish type than anything else... So, like-- what's the big deal?"

He winced a little as Leona shot him a sizzling glare, curling his upper lip again.
"That is NOT. The damn POINT. Ruggie," he snarled. "It doesn't fuckin' MATTER if she's a human, or how strong she is, or any of that shit. A woman is a woman-- and you never. NEVER. Lift your hand to a woman needlessly."

Ruggie took another breath through his teeth.
"Okay, okay, geez..."

After a second, Leona started walking again.
Ruggie trailed a few steps behind him, hands behind his head again.

"...Hey," Ruggie piped up after a few more seconds.
"I was kinda wonderin'... I mean, it's not that I don't get it, up to a point, but-- is it, like, a royal family thing to really drive home the whole respectin' girls thing? Like, don't get me wrong, I've seen the royal guardswomen back home, and they're real intimidating, but... I mean, is it because the royal court used to be mostly lionesses back in the King of Beasts' day, or what?"

Leona stayed silent for a few more seconds, jaw working tensely.
"...I guess," he muttered after a second. "That's probably got somethin' to do with it... But also-- ugh..."

Grumbling, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face.

"There's a lot of different reasons, basically. For one, a lotta' different countries are ruled by women. The Queendom of Roses, for one... The crown still only goes to the daughters, even though the monarchy's mostly just a ceremonial position now. Slip up with the wrong lady, and you might set off an international incident... Even if you're only a second prince, heh."

Giving a mirthless snort of laughter, he shook his head, lip curling a little again.

"So I guess it's pretty much been drilled into me from day one that when it comes to women, it's better safe than sorry... And--"

He stopped.

"And... What?" Ruggie asked after a second.

"....'S nothing," Leona grumbled, shoulders hunching a little bit. "Whatever."

"No, what?" Ruggie asked, and Leona could hear the grin making its way into his voice. "C'mon, Leona-san-- you can't just stop in the middle of a sentence like that after you've gotten a guy's curiosity all nice an' piqued!"

"I said it's NOTHING, Ruggie," Leona snarled, turning his head to glare sharply at the sandy-haired boy. "DROP it."

Ruggie recoiled a little...
But not by much.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

Then Leona gave a long, begrudging huff, tilting his head back to look up at the sky.
"....How much do you know about the king who came before the King of Beasts?" He asked.

"Uhhh..."
The note of surprise was evident in Ruggie's voice.
"N-Not much.... Well-- I know he was his brother, right? Aaaand-- he... Was kind of a dunce? Like, all brawn no brains kinda' guy?"

"...Yeah," Leona grumbled. "Apparently, under his rule, the kingdom was practically a wasteland. Even though he already had plenty of meat available whenever he wanted, he ordered the lionesses to keep hunting and hunting...."