Chapter 195:
The Beast Prince
WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK—visiting the Vahan estate—out of the way, there was nothing left to do but relax. Claudia’s graduation and the student council elections were getting closer, but Yulan couldn’t care less about either. He had no interest in Claudia, and the elections were fixed anyway.
On the other hand, Violette seemed a little preoccupied with these developments, perhaps because her friend was Claudia’s fiancée.
Gia leaned his elbows on the windowsill as he watched the hustle and bustle below. With an awed sigh, he said, “Dang. Graduation ceremonies sure are extravagant when a prince is involved.”
Yulan followed his friend’s gaze. His eyes narrowed into a glare as his icy voice echoed through the empty classroom. “Yeah. Still, the party afterward is the main event. Since it’ll coincide with the prince’s formal engagement announcement, it’s bound to be a gaudy, well-attended affair.”
“Ohhh. That must be why Pops said he’d swing by. Dang, Yulan… You look crazy annoyed.”
“Probably because I am annoyed.”
Yulan was aware of the deep crease forming between his brows as he frowned. He knew he should put on a happy face, but he couldn’t help being irritated.
He disliked parties to begin with, and in light of the royal engagement announcement, the crowd would be even bigger than usual. He loathed crowds to begin with and loathed royal crowds even more. Everyone at that party was sure to scrutinize Yulan and his eyes.
Why, he’s grown into a wonderful man worthy of those golden eyes, their stares would say—as if his eyes mattered most, and Yulan himself was merely an added prize. As they fawned over him, they’d completely forget how they’d tyrannized such a “wonderful man” in the past.
“My engagement’s going to be announced as well, so I see annoying hobnobbing in my near future,” Yulan grumbled.
“Hang in there, buddy.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“Hey, I was just tryin’ to console you, man,” Gia cackled.
Yulan shot him a death glare. Gia always got on his nerves, but he was in rare form today. Yulan wanted to smack him upside the head, but he knew Gia wouldn’t feel the slightest pain. Yulan might be taller, but nobody at this academy surpassed Gia in muscle and endurance.
It irritated him to admit it, but he knew there was no way he could ever defeat Gia in a fight. The fact that they weren’t enemies made fighting unnecessary, but if they ever found themselves in the same ring, Gia would easily beat him.
He was carefree, magnanimous, and impossible to restrain. He’d broken free of his shackles and dared to live life on his own terms; he was so much Yulan’s polar opposite that there wasn’t a single area where the two could relate. That was exactly what made Gia low-maintenance as a friend, but it was also why he irritated Yulan. He hated how their stark differences seemed to amuse Gia.
“Ah—actually, this’s great timing,” Gia said.
“Eh? For what?”
“Well, after graduation, I’ll introduce you to my pop.”
“Huh…?” Yulan’s listless gaze turned from the view outside to Gia, who was staring out the window beside him. His lips parted slightly, showing his surprise.
A sideways glance and snicker from Gia snapped him out of his stupor. Yulan’s gaze sharpened to fine daggers as he stared Gia hard in the eye, demanding to know what he was scheming.
Yulan’s death glare only made Gia snicker harder. Eventually, he burst out laughing. “Damn, if looks could kill! Ha ha!”
As he cackled uncontrollably, the look on his face was innocent and carefree, like a little boy after a successful prank. His boyish face looked even younger, which only fueled Yulan’s suspicions further. You could argue that Yulan was just predisposed to such feelings; still, mulling over one’s suspicions about Gia was a waste of time.
With another loud laugh, Gia stepped away from the window and closed the arms-length gap between himself and Yulan. The height difference made Gia look up at Yulan, but otherwise, his former traces of boyish innocence had all vanished completely.
His smile was elated to the point of being sadistic. “Yulan, I know you’ve been using me.”