ALL the female students were clustered around the desk of only one boy in the law classroom. The ringleader, Angelica, was sitting closer than any of the others.
Thanks to the rumors Felix had been subtly spreading, the girls had honed in on another boy as their target, leaving Felix’s periphery a blissfully girl-free zone.
It’s almost impressive how fickle they are…
Felix was relaxing at the back of the classroom, spinning a pen around his fingertips. The notebook on his desk was white and blank. He had never been one for taking notes. He’d only forget to look at them later, so why bother?
Mia always got her gears in a grind whenever she heard him say that. But all Felix had to do was pay attention in class, and he’d naturally end up memorizing the whole lesson. Actually, taking notes would break his concentration and lead to less learning on his end. Hence, the no-note policy.
Felix yawned hugely, surveying the classroom.
Law classes were complex. They’d mostly covered the basics by now, but classes would split into different focus areas from here on out. Law department students had a lot of options to take in their careers, after all. There was more variety in the Academy’s law department than in any other department.
The law was a facet of so many potential careers. Judge. Lawyer, of course. And most of the members of the government were law department graduates.
Not to mention…
Felix cast his unimpressed gaze over at Angelica. Most of the girls in the law department would go on to marry lawyers. Of course, there were some talented female students. But the rest of them? The way they acted made a lot of people wonder why they bothered coming to school in the first place.
Seeing them treat the school like a high society debutante ball always put Felix in a sour mood. He wasn’t even mad at them. He was mad at the fact that technically, he was part of their social circle.
Up until recently, he’d been Angelica’s intended prey.
Smiling dryly to himself, he locked eyes with the other boy, who was chuckling away amid the throng of girls.
He was the son of one of his father’s friends. His name was Zeke. He was tall and well-muscled with a placid and predictable personality. When Felix had spoken to Zeke with the academy president as chaperone, he’d kept the details light, but Zeke had still been enthusiastic about the plan.
“Anything that keeps the babes coming my way,” he’d said.
Felix’s request had been simple enough—take over the role of undercover prince attending the Academy in supposed secret. All he had to do was smile mysteriously whenever the rumors spread by Felix came up.
Lack of denial was as good as admitting to it in the eyes of the student body. Felix hadn’t been sure at first if Zeke would be able to handle the constant stress of deception, but he’d taken to it like a duck to water.
Also, he really was gifted at chatting up girls. Even girls who hadn’t been sure if he was their type or not at first. A few minutes of Zeke’s honeyed charm, and they were smitten. Felix hoped it would last. For now, he was enjoying being completely off the hook.
But whenever thoughts of the future crossed his mind, Felix found himself becoming despondent. He could run from reality for now, but he couldn’t run from the fact that he really was the prince. The royal family wasn’t free to pursue who they liked romantically. Felix wasn’t free. Even if he’d already decided who his heart belonged to…
Felix wasn’t dumb. He knew that his feelings for Mia weren’t going to lead to a happy conclusion, not without a huge battle along the way. But he couldn’t help dreaming. There was just something so special about this girl…
Ah…
Still mulling it over gloomily, Felix blinked as his eyes fixed on one student’s face in particular.
I’ve seen that face somewhere before.
But not around campus. No, the resemblance Felix was picking up on was that of their parents. Felix happened to know a lot of them through his father.
He ran through his mental list of social movers and shakers. The king had always drilled it into him how important it was to stay well-connected. And Felix was supposed to be paying close attention to the other students, by order of his father as well.
The royal family’s habit of sending their children to the Academy in secrecy served the objective of allowing them to identify potentially valuable human resources among the student body. As ordinary student Felix Keyserling, he would naturally be privy to the inside scoop in a way the prince simply would not.
But it wasn’t just friends and would-be future allies he’d be able to find here.
Rueger had told them all to put their best foot forward, and Felix had been wondering what exactly he brought to the group. Eventually, though, he’d cracked it. It was his status. He ought to be able to use his royal identity as a trump card to break through any obstacles that were placed in their way. That was how he was going to be able to help Mia.
But I won’t be able to stick around her forever…
Felix cast his gaze out the window. High in the cotton-candy sky, he could see two birds flying together. His sigh was barely audible.