The Royal Tutor

Episode 10

After Rosenberg is done leaning against a wall looking pretty and carrying off Heine in his arms like a bride, their visually unengaging ride to the palace gets spiced up by some verbal saber-rattling. When it's time for Rosenberg to drop the bomb and reveal what he knows about Heine's past, The Royal Tutor continues its tradition of slow unwrapping rather than exploding. More interesting than Heine's undisclosed-but-obvious criminal past is Rosenberg's declaration of the tutor being "not from our side". Their side of the border? Of a political or military conflict? The ruling ideology? Or something more supernatural?

While the last option would surprise me at this point, the source of Rosenberg's certainty is perhaps more relevant. He claims to know Heine's real identity, but it's all hearsay, and the show's most consistent theme has always the danger of making assumptions based on appearances. "It is not good to assume what is true without confirming it for yourself," Heine tells the princes when they refuse to believe there's a criminal among them at the palace, let alone suspect their beloved teacher. According to the show's rules, Rosenberg cannot know Heine, but Viktor can, and he's apparently known his sons' teacher for much longer than I would have thought.

What prompts Heine to give this episode's final lesson and almost reveal something he intended to keep secret at all costs is his realization of just how much each of his protégés has grown under his tutelage. For an unsettlingly long period of time, this progress review feels like a dawning goodbye, reinforced by the lamenting score, until Licht finally speaks the words – followed by Heine staring contemplatively into his Wiener coffee specialty. All four princes have matured from adorable works-in-progress to actual candidates for the throne, a possibility they're now approaching with the respect and dedication it deserves. In the aftermath of the Ralf von Fuchs incident, Kai is willing to face a world where not all people can be called good boys. Bruno has been inspired to (at least try to) inspire others in a scene that's not just superficially cute, but very well-timed. We hear the children's voices just when Heine is musing about Leo's growth, turning the idea of inspiration as a torch to be carried through generations into the beginning of a flashback to Heine's days at the church.

Fortunately, The Royal Tutor once again manages to infuse serious plot developments with enough humor to take off the melancholy edge, without betraying the honesty of its characters' underlying feelings. Jokes are on point, in-character, and come from very heartfelt places. Of course Bruno (who only joined the infiltration to protect his master's stuff) would fail to grasp Leo's sachertorte scheme and offer to go in Heine's stead to protect his teacher's dignity. Of course the boys would assume they were Heine's first and only students without ever wondering just how he got so good at what he does. And of course the idea of any predecessors before them shocks Leo more than Heine being so poor that he traded lessons for a bowl of food. Upon discovery of the mess in Heine's room, all four boys immediately blame themselves for taking up too much of their teacher's precious time before transforming into a color-coded cleaning squad, complete with pink smoke explosion. This scene takes the cake for sweet hilarity, and with Licht acquiring a high-ponytail hotness upgrade, there can be no further question as to which prince should be king.

With little screentime left and a childhood flashback coming up next week, I doubt we'll ever get to meet first prince Eins or see the supposed conflict between him and his father resolved. But let's not jump to premature conclusions based on assumptions. Heine has taught us better than that.

Rating: B

The Royal Tutor is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Anne is a translator and fiction addict who writes about anime at Floating Words and on Twitter.