Life Of A Royal Teen

The year was twenty-thirty, and it was another crisp, early morning at The Grand River University, the top university in all of the Kingdoms that houses students of wealth, fame, and political power. The university has been established since eighteen-thirty. It is atop a large field, gated off from the outside, allowing the students to relax upon the curvature of the hill freely and safely, should they have free time. It spans the field and the surrounding areas effortlessly, allowing nature to be a part of the university experience - Allowing the students who call The Grand River University home to participate in an array of extracurricular activities, such as hunting and fishing. From the several forests within the grounds to the fishing ponds, the countless greenhouses and outdoor gardens, the university boasts a one hundred per cent, all-natural ingredients diet for their students. The university has been standing on the field for countless generations and will remain for many more. It has the honour and prestige of being named the top university in all the Kingdoms for two centuries, a title it has never lost, nor has any plans on giving up the title anytime soon.

Kana, the twenty-one-year-old princess of the central Kingdom, has been more aggressive and lately has had a shorter fuse than usual. She is known for having quick judgement and a quicker temper. Since she is the princess and has to maintain an image, her style consists of top designer outfits and extravagant dresses, with the odd baggy t-shirt and pair of workout pants for comfort. The princess is five-foot-ten inches. Kana has silky, wavy red hair which reaches past her shoulder blades. She can occasionally be seen styling a ponytail but usually will have it free-flowing. Despite being the princess, she refuses to wear a crown or tiara as she wants to live as much of a “normal” life as possible. Regardless of her refusal to wear a crown, she frequently adorns her hair with flower accessories. Wearing a simple white designer t-shirt and pants, the princess slides on her new white and black kimono with a red sash around the waist and pink flowers neatly spaced around the collar and cuffs. It was an early birthday gift from her best friend. The princess has shrewd amber eyes and an even sharper tongue.

One would think that being the princess, Kana would have a gaggle of students swarming her daily, begging to be her friend to get a foothold within the Kingdom through her, but no. That is further than the truth. Her friend group is small, consisting of only four people she considers a true friend.

Kana grabs her clutch bag from her luxury dorm before leaving. She walks by her sentry, who stands guarding her dorm. She has six guards who swap and change daily; one guard stands by her dorm room, one follows her to all her lectures, and the other does the night shift. Edvard is on door duty, a tall and stoic soldier in his late twenties. He has a dark brown soul patch, silver hair swept off to the side and dark green piercing eyes. Edvard rarely speaks, suiting the princess perfectly. Even though he is no older than thirty, the portfolio lists he has had a decade of military training. He quickly rose through the ranks and became Captain, making him more than qualified for protection.

As for the guard assigned to follow her today, that would be a young woman called Parvati, only three years older than the princess herself. She is slightly taller than the princess, and as the expression goes. “She doesn’t look like she can harm a fly,” That expression couldn’t be further from the truth. She was pretty much bred for combat sports. Parvati’s portfolio contains such things as a junior martial artist of the year. Two-time Western Kingdom Kickboxer of the Year. The first woman in Western Kingdom history to become a Muay Thai champion and the only person in their history to defend the belt in seven back-to-back title wins. Her appearance does not befit her skill set. Parvati has long brown hair tied in a high bun style with kind brown eyes.

For the university to recognise the guards, each has their version of the student identification badge and a small circular pin on their uniform to verify that they are Kana’s guards. It isn’t just Kana who has guards. Just over half of students have guards since they come from families of wealth and fame.

With Parvati in tow, the princess makes her way down the hall of the dormitory, stopping at dorm 109 - Miss Niijima.

Kasumi S Niijima. Master markswoman, central and international Kingdom archery champion countless times within the under-twenties category. She is the daughter of the wealthiest trading family and Kana’s best friend. The biggest secret Miss Niijima has? Her middle name, at least according to the princess. She comes from a long line of merchants and traders, with the Niijima name being the most respected trading family in the Kingdom. Originally hailing from the Eastern Kingdom, her family moved to the Central Kindom before she was born.

Kana knocks on her door and enters before Kasumi can answer. 'You heard?' Her regular regal tone is more aggressive than usual.

Kasumi does not even look up from her phone to answer. 'Just because you are the princess does not mean you can barge into my room, you know…' She coldly replies.

Kasumi has a signature style; that style is black, dark, and gloomy. Her regular clothes consist of dark sleeveless turtlenecks, sleeveless red jackets, and a pair of black pants and pumps that match. On the rare occasions she is not wearing her turtlenecks, she will more than likely be wearing a similar robe. Today, she has dawned a black turtleneck, black leather pants and pumps. Kasumi is known for her sarcastic and monotone nature, putting most people off from talking to her for an extended period, but when the moon turns blue, she shows a sensitive, soft, and kind soul. She stands at a gigantic six foot five inch, easily the tallest female in the university, if not the tallest student, full stop. Kasumi has glossy black hair in a high ponytail and a sweeping fringe. She uses a red ribbon to tie her up, the same red ribbon her father gave her when she was born.

Kana burns a hole through Kasumi and ignores her statement. 'You are the “Social butterfly.” You should have heard, have you?' The princess barks back quickly.

'Sure. Alexis has returned. Big deal,' Her monotone answer enrages the princess further.

'Big deal?' Kana repeats, almost to make sure she heard her right. 'It should be! She left us both without warning! It should be a big deal!'

Kasumi sighs, slides on a robe and stands up. She stares at Kana, with the markswoman's pupils appearing as black as the night sky. Truthfully, her eyes are dark brown, but they give the impression of blackness. She always jokes about her eyes being the same as her soul. Kasumi flings her bag over her shoulder and grabs her flask of tea in one fluid movement. It was too early for Kasumi to deal with her attitude.

The pair know each other so well that despite the volatile attitude of the princess, Kasumi allows the princess to vent her frustration.

They both stroll down the dorm corridor to the entrance, through the university grounds and finally into the main university building. They walk past the “Art Wall,” walls covered with modern art and decorative frames housing the self-portraits of former heads of the university.

“Headmistress Diana Rivers.” 1830 - 1880

“Headmaster Joseph Matthews.” 1880 - 1915

“Headmaster Nial Loch.” 1915 - 1935

“Headmistress Cassandra Bailey.” 1935 - 1970

“Headmaster Maxwell Von Carter.”  1970 - 1985

“Headmistress Gene Roberts.” 1985 - 1990

“Headmistress Lillian Stone.” 1990 - 2020

“Headmaster James Delafontane.” 2020 - present

'Why is everyone walking into the auditorium? Do they have a meeting?' Kana asks Kasumi as they make their way down the main corridor.

'We all do. New students,' Kasumi responds.

'Now? The last week? Why now?' Kana asks, sighing slightly. 'Is it Alexis?'

Kasumi shrugs. 'Probs,' She answers with another shrug as she makes her way to the main auditorium, with Kana walking close behind her, complaining every step of the way.

They find a seat towards the back of the central seats within the large room and wait for it to fill up with the remaining students, roughly five hundred.

The director stands behind a small podium at the edge of the stage as the students continue to enter. 'Come on! You know the seating plan,' James Delafontane's authoritative voice rings throughout the auditorium. Mr Delafontane is a rather plump fellow in his late thirties. He has round glasses and a more than bushy handlebar moustache that obscures his face almost entirely. He has a silver suit over his tweed vest coat and pants. 'First years on the right-hand side, seconds in the middle and thirds on the left. Come on, you know this! Mornings do not equate to an excuse,' his warm but judging tone adds, along with his rotating wrist in the air, hoping it will encourage the students to speed up finding a spot to sit. 'Now. Good morning, students,' He bellows loudly, placing his hands on his rotund stomach after everyone is present. He gets answered by a scattered murmur of voices, half of which sound half asleep still.

Kana and Kasumi do not even give him a chance before they sigh and zone out, each dreaming of being anywhere but the mundanity of an early morning meeting. The natural lighting in the hall is thanks to the complete solar-powered roof, basking the auditorium and turning it into a beacon of an orange hue.

'We have two new students joining us, with one returning student. Now, I know what you must be thinking. “Why now?” “The last week of the current term?” “What a waste.” “Just wait until the next term starts,”' he repeats some questions the students may be thinking, but he clears his throat to continue. 'We thought it would be best for them to join now so they can get a feel of how we operate, get used to our schedules, get acquainted with the staff and hopefully, make some friends, so it will be easier for them when the next term starts,' He gesticulates calmly.

His comments cause a few students to grumble, but he silences them with his raised hand.

'One word of warning,' his tone effortlessly shifts from warm to direct. 'The new students are not from here initially. The far southern Kingdom, if I'm not mistaken, so I kindly and humbly ask that you show them respect, as their language may be slightly off or different. Understood?' he asks as he looks around, much to the student's unbotheredness. 'One final note for one specific individual,' he scans the room until he spots Kasumi. 'Miss Niijima,' James addresses her warmly but sternly. The mere mention of Kasumi has perked up some students. 'Firstly, good morning. Secondly, I believe you have had prior… altercations with the new students. I ask you to refrain from judgement, regardless of your previous experiences with them, and to give them a chance,' he pleads with her before turning to the entrance. 'Bring them in, please.'

His words involving Kasumi have sparked and ignited nothing but momentary rumours and speculation.

The headmistress enters, escorting the new students. The headmistress is a small, arrogant former teacher in her late forties with a witch-like personality and a banshee-like voice. Her voice constantly gets compared to nails on a chalkboard. It is a rumoured impression that she only got the position because of her family connections. Luckily for the students, she spends ninety per cent of her time in her office, much to the delight of the students. She rarely deals with the day-to-day hassle of the university, often sticking to filling out paperwork and working behind the scenes rather than focusing on chasing the spotlight. The headmistress stands next to the headmaster and positions the new students in front of them so the entire hall can see.

Kasumi lets out a faint but guttural. 'Fuck,' before flinging her head back in disbelief. ‘Kill me now,’ She whispers.

The students liven up when they spot Alexis Charlotté, a returning star student, alongside being former best friends with Kana and Kasumi. Alexis always had a strange friendship with Kasumi. Alexis, the bubbliest and most carefree student, paired with Kasumi, the most sombre and unpretentious student. Some say the pair is odd, an unexpected combination, but the duo take those comparisons in their stride as their friendship is much more than differing personalities.

The attention of Kana is now fixed solely on Alexis, with Kasumi's returning attention divided between Alexis and the two new students.

Alexis wears bright and happy colours, leaning toward red and pink. She is currently sporting a red, open-collared, three-quarter length shirt that barely covers her belly button, with small, white polka dots scattered around the shirt at seemingly unpredictable places with no pattern or reason, topped with a pink jacket to match. Alexis also has a multitude of thin, brightly coloured bracelets on her wrist. She has a red and black tartan skirt that stops before her knees, black tights and black lace-up shoes. Alexis is the most petite student the university has ever seen, only five foot three inches. Despite her size, she is almost untouchable on the track and during gymnastics. She has tightly braided brown hair that reaches her middle back and dark brown eyes that shine with happiness.

A mixture of attraction and confusion fills the room. Alexis was the former lead runner for the track team, so her university attire is naturally a tracksuit, with many students never seeing her out of it. Seeing Alexis in street clothes is a rare occasion, and judging by the gazes of some male students, it is also a delightful occasion.

'Now, now!' the headmaster raises his voice, using his hand to tell everyone to quiet down. 'Yes, Alexis has returned. I am also aware of the rumours and speculation surrounding her departure. However,' his demeanour suddenly changes again to that of the utmost importance. 'Any student found gossiping about Alexis, her departure, or bullying her will instantly, and I mean instantly. Will find themselves with a one-way ticket to my or Mrs Akina's office,' the room settles down significantly at the sheer mention of the headmistress' name. 'You all know the rules about bullying,’ he continues seriously. ‘Students of your standing should uphold the reputation your family name brings. To finish what I was saying,' he continues as if he did not just subtly pressure the students, his eyes peering around the room. 'Alexis will be rejoining the second-year students. I trust you all will welcome her back.'

Alexis takes a few steps back, doing her best to remain hidden, yet Kana has her locked in her sights, her mind racing with questions, questions she was determined to get the answers to.

'Onto the new students,' the headmaster steps away from his podium and stands in the middle of the pair. 'They are brother and sister. Representing the prosperous House Cervantes. Ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome Priscilla and Kian Cervantes,' The entire hall exchanges confused glances towards one another with a few gossips here and there; the Niijima family have been the most dominant and well-respected trading family, who have a reputation for systematically crushing the opposition, Cervantes being one of them, so for there to be a sudden rival is a shocker for them, paired with Kasumi's reputation spells a turmoil atmosphere.

Kana squints her eyes before leaning over to Kasumi, but before she speaks, she notices Kasumi is watching the brother-sister duo scornfully. 'Cervantes is the family that rivalled yours for a time, correct?'

'Mercilessly,' Kasumi's usual monotone voice exudes nothing but pure hatred at this moment.

'Think you could take her?' Kana jests, a smirk on her face.

'Master markswoman vs a daughter of a mediocre trading family? If you are serious. You insult me,' She snarls seriously.

The princess smiles and shakes her head before attempting to get a good look at the new students and tries to size them up from her vantage point from the back of the room.

Priscilla is average height, just taller than Alexis, so five foot five? Regardless, she has a slim figure. Long, glistening brown hair tied in a high ponytail with a slightly sweeping fringe and a thin, black bandana across her forehead. She is wearing a form-fitting black sleeveless shirt, similar to another trading family's daughter. She has black jeans and military-style boots. She also has an armband which looks to be supporting a local animal charity.

Kein is even smaller, roughly the same height as Alexis. Kein's bushy white hair looks puffy and well-maintained, almost too much, as he has been shaking his head to remove some hair from his eyesight. This Kein character has a blue jacket wrapped around his waist, with only an embroidered shirt covering his torso. His blue jeans go well with the jacket around his waist. He has a pair of white pumps with green laces that stand out.

The headmistress clears her throat, scaring every student and keeping everybody in unnecessary suspense, knowing they will hear her banshee-like voice any moment now.

'The Cervantes duo will be joining Professor Valent's seminars, the business course, effective immediately. Dismissed,' She shrieks, much to the dismay of the student's now injured eardrums.

Kasumi lets out another quiet, prolonged and defeated. 'Fuck', almost sounding like her soul leaving her body. 'They are with me…' She finally says as she stands up as the hall gets dismissed, leaving the students enough time to sort themselves out and arrive at their first seminar. With each step down the auditorium stairs, Kasumi mutters profanities, getting louder and louder.

Spotting that her friend is defeated, Kana wants to help, but the princess is not convinced what to say, deciding to follow her quietly instead.

Kasumi immediately takes her phone back out of her pocket to try and distract herself. They continue down the corridor, and the snipped conversations mention one topic and one topic only. Alexis.

Within a few minutes, Kana spots the woman in question and stops dead in her tracks.

Without looking up from her phone, Kasumi knows what is happening. 'You spot her?' She asks.

Kana doesn't answer because her chest gets tight: her throat becomes closed as her cheeks flush crimson at the sight of Alexis, who’s clutching her clutch bag close to her chest with her head down to try to avoid all the gossip about her. Alexis does her best to remain hidden from sight and opens her brand new, refurbished locker, which happens to be opposite her former best friends.

Kasumi gives Kana a friendly jab on the shoulder to snap her out of her mind-controlled state; Kana mutters a low thank you. But, despite being out of her trance, her attention is still squarely focused on Alexis. 'I wonder if she still smells like strawberries...' The princess thinks out loud.

Kasumi smirks and chuckles at her choice of words. 'You are thinking out loud again, princess,' She taunts her tremendously.

Kana grits her teeth and swiftly opens her locker to hide her now blushing red cheeks, her heart rate leisurely returning to normal. 'I hate you.'

Kasumi leans against her locker, scrolling through her phone, drowning out the noise. 'Sure, you do,' she replies with a smile. 'She is in the same lectures and seminars as us. Just thought you should know,' She adds, goading and teasing her further.

Kana's heart jumps back into her throat as she quickly looks around her empty locker, trying to regain her natural, calm composure before saying. 'And? Why are you telling me?' She does her best to sound convincing.

With a sigh, Kasumi shakes her head as she slides her phone back into her pocket and withdraws a piece of paper from her robe. The princess has studied her robes and jackets for years, yet the amount of hidden compartments they have seems to appear from nowhere and is never-ending. 'Not convincing me, princess. Just admit to yourself that you hate how you both left things.'

Kana hates how accurately Kasumi has just described how she feels. Kana growls through gritted teeth. 'Once again, I hate you.'

'Wow!' she says in a mocking tone. 'Twice? Wow!' she chuckles before snapping back to her normal behaviour. 'Like before. Sure you do. Our first period starts soon, so are you coming?'

Kana growls some incoherent gibberish under her breath.

Kasumi straightens up, leans over and whispers. 'Alexis is coming this way.'

In a panic, Kana withdraws her head from her locker and spins around frantically. 'What?! Where?!'

To her embarrassment, Alexis has not moved from her locker; however, she does have her back against it, clutching her bag against her chest and looking at her former best friends. Her eyes swap from Kasumi's and lock with Kana's eyes. Kana can feel a lump in her throat as a wave of sadness, mixed with regret, washes over her. All the anger she harboured against Alexis' sudden and swift departure has expired. Kana can feel her cheeks getting redder as her head suddenly becomes light, her eyes still transfixed on Alexis' big, innocent chestnut-coloured eyes. Alexis gulps before shaking her head quickly, and, looking down at the floor, she rushes off to her first seminar.

Kana’s breathing gets heavier at Kasumi's little white lie. 'HOW DARE YOU KAS'!' She shouts quietly.

'Proving my point. See you in science,' Kasumi's constant unbothered temperament perfectly negates Kana's aggressiveness and bossiness. Kasumi pushes off her locker using her shoulder and strolls to her first seminar, leaving Kana to stew in the hall for a few moments, with a few scared and cautious students looking her way, to which she answers with a blood-curdling stare.

After a few minutes of quiet composure and not succeeding in calming down, she decides to march into science with anger and frustration etched across her face, reverberating in each of her footsteps. All her rage instantly subsides when she sees Alexis sitting in the second row of the science room, her long flowing brown hair still reaching her lower back, her pink jacket on the back of her chair and all her textbooks at the corner of her desk, ready and willing to learn, as she used to before. The only difference is this time, they will not be sitting together. The future queen's questions can wait for the time being.

She freezes in her tracks when Alexis looks over and catches her staring directly at her, Kana's light amber eyes scanning everything about her: her face, hair and even her mannerisms. Even though the princess needn't study her mannerisms as she has them all burnt into her memory. The way Alexis turns her head when embarrassed, or the way Alexis twirls her hair when nervous, even the little pep talks the runner used to give herself before a big track event, all those engraved into the princess' memory. 'Does she have any new mannerisms?' The princess thinks.

It only takes one singular, small, shy smile from Alexis to make Kana blush and make her heart race to the point that it scares her. Thankfully, her phone buzzes as she breathes a sigh of relief. Kana slides her phone out from her jeans and checks her message. The message she got is from Kasumi, which reads.

It only takes one singular, small, shy smile from Alexis to make Kana blush and make her heart race to the point that it scares her. Thankfully, her phone buzzes as she breathes a sigh of relief. Kana slides her phone out from her jeans and checks her message. The message she got is from Kasumi, which reads.

'𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑲.'

Her gaze shoots over to Kasumi, who is relaxing in her seat in the back row as she looks down at her, a wide smirk on her face. Kana takes a cautious glance at Alexis, who is now focusing on the board, yet she can swear black and blue that she gave her a side glance, but the princess shakes her head and walks to the back of the seminar to join Kasumi.

'I hate you,' Kana reiterates to Kasumi again.

'Is that the third time today? A new record,' Kasumi says, her monotone voice somehow bringing a smile to Kana's face. 'You should be thanking me. If not for me, you would still be down there making puppy dog eyes at her. Am I wrong?' Kasumi asks as she tilts her head.

Kana scowls and looks away, not wanting to admit she is wrong. 'Silence in the presence of your princess,' She snarls. Kasumi smirks and shakes her head, victorious.

The teacher comes in moments after the bell, none other than Professor Hudgens. Despite his youthful age, he is well versed in life, and more importantly, to everybody's confusion, he appears to be in the wrong room.

His style consists of a long, grey trench coat that teases the floor, a fedora-style hat, and a Burberry scarf the same length as his coat. His style would look ridiculous on anyone else, yet he makes it work. The professor has middle-parted black hair and typically has a nicely trimmed goatee and delicate square glasses. This morning, however, he has no facial hair and no glasses. At first appearance, he may look intimidating as he has a deep yet faded scar across his left eye, from his eyebrow to his cheekbone. But once you speak with him, you will find he is a gentle and kind soul. You will feel guilty even thinking anything scary about him in the first place. He places his hat, scarf and coat on the coat rack near his desk. 'Good morning, class. How are we all?' He asks as he scans everyone, his soft-spoken tone waking up students who are still sleepy, who give him a heartfelt response. Underneath the coat, he has a stiff collared white shirt, a blue tie, a tweed waistcoat and a grey-striped blazer with a daisy in the breast pocket.

He holds an unquestionable reputation for being friends with his students, empathising with them and counselling them when needed. Kasumi becomes entranced by him just like Kana is by Alexis.

A student within the front row asks the question all the students want to ask. ‘Sir, why are you teaching us science?’

The students look at each other in confusion as they realise he is not their science teacher.

He raises a hand to silence the talking before it begins. 'Do not fret, Mr Davidson,' he says warmly with a smile. 'I am not some random pedestrian who has snuck into the university and decided to teach science spontaneously. Your usual science professor, Professor Sawden, is ill, and since I have no classes today, they deemed it necessary that I fill in for her. Just until they find a suitable replacement or Professor Sawden returns. Now,' he claps his hands gently. 'For those who do not know me, allow me to introduce myself,' the professor clears his throat. 'I am Professor Jin Hudgens. I am a professional therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist, a mouthful, I know,' he lets out a small chuckle. 'I teach criminal psychology and medicine. I have only two rules that I expect everyone to follow. One. Be respectful. And two. Do not talk whilst someone else is,' he lists seriously. 'Looking around, I teach and know some students sitting here. The first one is Miss Roffea. Good morning, princess,' He greets her warmly with a small head bow.

'Morning, Jin,' she replies with a nod and polite wave. ‘New style?’ She shouts down to him.

He chuckles and nods as he looks down at his current attire. ‘Is my attire passable?’ he asks. ‘A bit chilly outside, so I layered up. And I thought I would give these contact lenses a whirl,’ He explains, chuckling.

Kasumi pouts her lips quickly and whispers to Kana. ‘He looks good,’ she admits in a borderline flirting tone. ‘Superb,’ She adds.

‘You look dashing, professor,’ Kana finally compliments as she shouts to him.

‘As do you, if I may be so bold to return to the compliment,’ he says as he places one hand across his heart and the other behind his back before bowing his head, showing as much respect as he professionally can. 'Back to the lesson. Um…' he takes a better look around the room. 'Interesting. On second thought, I teach one student here,' he smiles, embarrassed. 'I am aware of Miss Niijima and the returning Miss Charlotté. Welcome back, Alexis,' He smiles at her warmly.

Kana didn't hear her response, but she knew she replied to him. The princess leans over to Kasumi and whispers. ‘Do you have the hots for my professor or something?’

Kasumi side-eyes the princess and smirks, sipping her flask and purposely ignoring her question.

'Who else do I know?’ Jin’s voice rings out. ‘Miss Deovo and Mr P…' He groans as he pulls a struggling face.

'Pioce,' A male student in the front row answers.

'Yes!’ he replies as he clicks his fingers once. ‘Thank you, Jay,' he chuckles as he nods repeatedly. 'But that is enough of that. Um. SCIENCE!' he shakes his head as he raises his hand high, losing his train of thought, and turns to the board, causing the room to smile and giggle at his stumbling and fumbling. Before the professor begins writing on the board, he stops and walks over to something on the desk. A gigantic gyroscope in the middle of the desk, spinning indefinitely. 'This is cool,' he mumbles as he looks at it from different angles. He turns around to face the students. 'You see this? This is amazing!' he says, dumbfounded, mesmerised by it. 'It won’t stop spinning.'

'It’s a gyroscope, sir,' one of the students informs him. 'Angular momentum keeps it spinning,'

'Interesting,' he replies sincerely, his attention fixed on this occult device. 'Physics?'

'Yes, sir,' Another student answers.

'Cooooool. I need one of these for my office,' he says, like a child seeing a toy for the first time. He quickly shakes his head, remembering that he is not a child but a teacher. 'SCIENCE!' He shouts again as he points to the board, finally peeling himself away from the gyroscope and doing what he is paid for. Teaching.

His enthusiasm for the object causes everyone in the room to become either confused or enthralled by him. Either way, he has the entire room in the palm of his hand.

Kasumi leans over and says to Kana. 'He teaches you?'

Kana majors in criminal psychology, and like all the students, she has lessons on her given subject every other day. 'He does. He’s cool.'

Kasumi nods in appreciation. ‘Wish my professor was him. He seems like a fun professor. I've spoken with him several times,’ she adds. ‘Never got taught by him, though.’

Kana breaks her concentration from Alexis to answer her. ‘Business is Professor Valent, correct?’

Kasumi shakes her head in agreement. ‘Bitch she is,’ She says with a heavy sigh before turning her attention to the board, freeing Kana from speaking and allowing her to focus on Alexis.

Kana is the second-highest scorer in science, so she feels like she can slack off, with Kasumi being the smartest. Professor Hudgens' words become white noise to the princess; all Kana can focus on is Alexis, making her thoughts run wild: 'Does her hair smell like strawberries?' 'Does she still run and train?' 'Does she still have the necklace I gave her?' these are just some of the questions running through her mind.

Her thoughts get interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. ‘What?! How long have you been there?!’ She growls at Nolan Sakimi, a close friend to Kana and Kasumi, and despite their constant bickering, they love each other platonically.

Nolan has short yet wild, spiky blonde hair and light stubble. His hair comes down to the back of his neck. He used to have red tips but dyed it back to his natural blonde. He prefers loosely fitting clothes of no consistency or regular style. Due to his nature, one can usually hear him before seeing him. He stands at an impressive six foot two inches, giving him the honour of being the second tallest student, behind Kasumi. Or one would think it is an honour, considering how much Kasumi and Nolan bicker about it. Nolan comes from a long line of highly successful and high-ranking family members, with his parents working for the ministry. Despite a bright future ahead of him, Nolan is known for being the jokester of the university, always wanting everyone to be happy and to have a good time, cheering up the spirits of those who need it. When he concentrates, he is easily within the top five of scores and exams. Nolan has been groomed to be the next prime minister or, if all else fails, a high-ranking politician or ministry member.

‘Just got here now. I'm sneaky. Shush,’ he lets out a small, playful giggle. ‘Party at my manor. Friday. Eight sharp. You coming?’

‘Pfft. Whatever,’ Kana says as she swiftly goes back to watching Alexis.

Before he speaks, Professor Hudgens states loudly. ‘Mr Sakami, I saw you. Please arrive on time in future. Perhaps you could ask Miss Niijima to fetch you an alarm clock from another kingdom, considering your current alarm clock seems non-functional?’ He jests with a smile.

The professor's statement draws the room in Nolan's direction, causing him to blush.

‘Sorry, professor!’ Nolan shouts back at him.

‘Very well, Mr Sakami,’ he nods. ‘Try not to distract the girls whilst you are up there,’ He adds before continuing to teach.

When the room settles down, Nolan slowly looks at Kana and spots her attention on Alexis, and then he has a lightbulb moment. ‘I can invite Alexis if you want…’

Kana instantly shoots a look at Nolan. ‘WHAT! WHY WOULD YOU?’ She growls viciously.

Nolan holds his hands up defensively. ‘She is my friend too, you know? I would have invited her sooner, but now you could invite her?’

‘Why would I?’ Kana snaps back instantly.

With a fed-up and annoyed sigh, Kasumi whispers. ‘Both of you shut up!’

Grabbing a piece of loose paper, she elegantly writes.

'𝓝𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓷'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓻, 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓪𝔂. 𝓔𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓹.'

Before Kana can stop her, Kasumi scrolls up the piece of paper and launches it in Alexis' direction, hitting her in the back of her skull. Spotting this, Kana hits Kasumi with an elbow rather sharply. ‘You hit her too hard!’ Kana growls at Kasumi defensively, but they are all drawn to movement within the front rows. Alexis turns around and looks directly at Kasumi, as she knows she is the only one who could have hit her with that much force.

Kana quickly hides her face in her textbook while Nolan pretends to focus on the room's sudden, seemingly fascinating top corner. Kasumi is not hiding, deciding to look Alexis in the eyes with a smile. Kasumi gives her an upward nod. Kasumi and Alexis always shared a special, unique bond. Kasumi could always see past her animated and bubbly nature, able to spot if she was lying or nervous by a simple twitch or shift in body language. When Alexis was out of town, Kasumi was the only person Alexis wrote to. With a reassuring nod, Alexis opens the scrolled paper and reluctantly smiles at it before giving Kasumi a nod in return. Kasumi winks and blows her a thank-you kiss before the star track runner turns her attention to the board.

Kasumi leans back triumphantly. ‘Done. She will be there.’

‘Perfect!’ Nolan says happily.

Kana would never openly admit it, but her heart was racing at the new news, and the only thing giving her away was her slightly red cheeks.

Nolan says with a wide grin. ‘You should be thankful you are coming, Kana.’

Kana shoots him a venom-filled look. ‘And why is that?’ She replies swiftly.

‘I can tell everyone that I beat you at games: Darts, ping-pong, pool. And you can try to convince everyone that I “Cheated.”’

Kana smiles for a moment before returning to her natural poker face. ‘You did cheat. Kasumi taught you. Plus, I let you win,’ She growls quietly.

Kasumi shakes her head at her two friends, who continue to fight playfully.

‘How?’ Nolan asks with a tilt of his head.

‘Getting Kasumi to teach you?’ The princess repeats.

‘I used the resources I had available,’ Nolan defends himself.

Kana ignores him and shakes her head. She looks up at the large clock above the board. Only ten minutes are left, yet Kana has learned nothing new; her attention for all fifty minutes has been studying Alexis, her coat on the back of the chair, every movement of her pen, every loose strand of her ponytail. All studied.

Five minutes left, and Alexis' hand shoots up to answer a question. At that moment, Kana could feel her heart beginning to race at the possibility of hearing Alexis' shy, quiet voice, but her voice did not reach Kana's ears.

‘Close,’ Jin speaks softly. ‘Nitrogen Monoxide, not Nitrogen Peroxide,’ He corrects her politely.

A few seconds later, a group of students sitting a few rows below Kana begin snickering. ‘All she's good for is her looks. No brains,’ Kana hears one of them mutter.

‘I bet she knows how to use that body of hers,’ another one whispers. ‘I bet she's tight-’

Kasumi quickly and violently throws her bulky science textbook at the back of the first guy's head, swiftly followed by Kana’s textbook hitting the second. To the surprise of no one, both spines connect to the back of their heads, causing the two gentlemen to shout out in pain and clutch the back of their now sore heads. Given the markswoman's proclivity for sharper and deadlier objects, the sniggering students should feel happy she chose to throw a less dangerous but heavier option. Unfortunately for them, she has near-perfect aim with any object that enters and leaves her hands, turning any item into a classified weapon.

‘Kasumi!’ Jin shouts in alarm.

‘But sir!’ Nolan tries to defend Kasumi's actions.

Kana's rage boils over before Jin can reply. She slams her fists on her desk, stands and shouts at the students. ‘APOLOGISE!’ Her breathing is heavy as she begins shaking with rage.

The laughter stops in an instant. Everyone within the university, even Professor Hudgens, knows it is not wise to anger the princess, but it would be him if anyone could get through to her and get her to calm down.

‘WELL?!’ She screams again; even Kasumi knows it is pointless to try to interfere as the entire room falls deathly silent.

‘KANA!’ Professor Hudgens shouts back. ‘Roffea, Niijima, Sakami. All of you! Enough!’

‘NO! I will not stop until the peasants down there apologise!’ Kana snaps back instantly, staring him in the eyes, pure venom in her voice.

Alexis sinks into her chair, half of it because she hates shouting and half of it being from embarrassment.

‘Sorry…’ The laughing students murmur.

‘More, you insignificant worms!’

‘We are sorry!’ The students say more coherently and loudly.

Still full of rage and anger, Kana glances over to the skulking Alexis, and all her anger swiftly gets replaced with sadness.

‘KANA!’ Jin shouts again. ‘Uncalled for! Enough!’ He warns.

After a few seconds of awkward tension, the bell rings, and the students pack up and leave swiftly. Alexis is the first student to exit the room, clutching her bag with her head down like before, walking fast.

‘Not so fast!’ Professor Hudgens shouts. ‘Mr Ambrose and Mr McAllister. Mr Sakimi, Miss Niijima and Miss Roffea. Stay behind, everyone else, kindly leave.’

Nolan stands and begins to make his way to the front, followed by Kasumi, leaving Kana standing still, unable to move due to anger.

‘Stay up there, you three,’ He asks as he holds a hand up to tell them to wait. James Ambrose and Maximilian McAllister make their way down to face the professor.

Kana joins Kasumi and Nolan on the steps leading down, staring daggers through the two young men at the bottom. They are too far away for the trio to hear their excuses. After a few minutes of hearing their explanations, the professor pulls a few faces, says something to them and then dismisses the pair. The trio can’t deduce what he said to them, but his face speaks a thousand words: disgust, anger and disappointment. He sighs as he rubs his eyes, breathing deeply. After twenty seconds, he beckons the trio to come down.

Nolan and Kasumi walk down the stairs, leaving only Kana on the stairs, her anger still present, the unpleasant comments ringing throughout her mind. Her vision becomes tunnel vision as she begins stewing in the comments.

After some time passes of an undisclosed amount, she hears the gentle voice of the professor calling her. ‘Kana. A word, please,’ he turns to Kasumi and Nolan, standing at the door waiting for Kana. ‘You two run off now. Please.’

‘See you, Kana,’ Nolan says, somewhat concerned.

‘English. E4. Professor Killian,’ Kasumi says casually, her back facing the room. They both leave together, just like they used to do in their first year, leaving Kana alone with the professor. She strolls down the steps and sits cross-legged on the long shared desk at the front.

The professor shakes his head as he rubs his eyes. ‘The last week…’ He says, his voice full of disappointment.

‘They deserved it!’ The princess snaps.

‘Be that as it may, you can not get mad because they made extremely sexist comments. Or rather, who they made them against. That is for us, the professors, to punish them, not their fellow students.'

His choice of words gets the full attention of Kana.

Defusing the volatile situation quickly, he continues. ‘Kana... You can not get mad at them just because of what they commented about Alexis. Nolan and Kasumi told me about the comments, comments I will not repeat. May you repeat them so I have your statement as additional proof?’ He asks.

‘They said, “All she's good for is her looks. No brains.” Sure, that isn't too bad. Offensive and completely incorrect, she is intelligent! It's what the other one said!’ She spits, her body shaking with rage.

‘Deep breaths, princess,’ He reassures her.

Kana closes her eyes and recollects her thoughts. ‘“I bet she knows how to use that body of hers. I bet she’s tight,” was the other comment.’

The professor closes his eyes and grumbles. ‘Yes. Your story matches the others. Rest assured, Mr Ambrose and Mr McAllister will be punished accordingly and very severely for their degrading and sexual comments.’

Kana doesn't respond to him, responding by looking away and scoffing, still trying to cool down.

The professor sighs deeply. ‘Have you spoken with her at all since her return?’

Her heart begins to race slightly faster as she struggles to speak.

A hint of a smile appears on his face, hitting his suspicions on the head. ‘I thought so. I heard through passing that you two did not leave on the best of terms?’

‘AND?’ She screams at him, her voice echoing around the room. A few seconds pass before Kana apologises to him.

Calmly, he says. ‘Speak to Alexis, as you know you will feel better, both physically and mentally, more so mentally. I am also aware that, since today is the start of the final week of the current term, Mr Sakimi is hosting a party at the end as a wind-down. Perhaps then is an adequate time to speak to her? Minus the alcohol, alcohol never helps matters.’

Silence befalls the room as Kana processes everything that is said. The professor sits alongside Kana, steepling his fingers as he sits down. ‘Kana. You know how I operate. What I am about to say is adult to adult, not professor to student, understand?’

Kana nods dismally.

‘Before Alexis left, you two were best friends, yes? You did everything together. Every time I saw you two together, you were a different person, and you let your guard down around her, but then she went away, and you closed up again. I daresay Kasumi has yet to see the real you. Am I right in assuming that so far?’

Kana does not answer, her silence speaking for her. After almost ten seconds, she replies. ‘Kasumi knows things no one else does about me,’ she whispers honestly. ‘The- the things inside my head. I’m scared of telling anyone.’

‘Remember you are in a safe space, yes? With all the help I have given you, I always tell you that you are safe, don’t I?’ He reassures her gently.

She nods slowly, her expression still dark.

‘No one is forcing you to spill your soul to Alexis. If you wish not to tell her, then don’t. But allow me to continue?’ He asks.

The princess nods again. One of the many things the princess likes about the professor is his constant calm and caring demeanour and how he often uses clear and short sentences to emphasise his points. Not to mention the time he gives her between his statements for her to process.

‘You smile so effortlessly when you are with her; your laugh is genuine, and even your sadness and anger manifest their true forms, as your outburst showed,’ he recalls. ‘I feel like Kasumi is the glue that keeps you three girls together,’ he pauses to allow Kana to absorb his words. ‘You have enlightened me to your feelings before. About being a princess and finding it hard to trust. I know your group of friends is small because you told me you do not like trusting people as you do not know if they will be sycophants or not,’ Jin takes a break to allow Kana to process everything again. ‘You have good friends: Kasumi, Alexis, Nolan, Lewis. Lewis may not be part of your inner circle, quote, end quote. But he is your friend too. Do not be scared to be more open. Take your own time in telling them. I’m not suggesting to bare it all to Alexis and anyone else who doesn’t know. Share what you are comfortable with WHEN you are comfortable,’ the professor begins to stand up before he stops and sits back down next to her. ‘Oh. How are things at home?’ He asks with overwhelming concern.

At the mere mention of home, the proud princess immediately brings her knees to her chest, almost as if they will protect her.

'Come the weekend. Will you be safe?' the professor asks cautiously, gauging her every-minute reaction. ‘How are… you know, the punishments?’ He asks with the same gentle tone, not wanting to trigger a panic attack or potential PTSD attack from his words.

Kana is silent, her eyes glazing over and devoid of life. 'C... can I stay here?' Her once-powerful voice is now weak and quiet, ignoring his questions entirely.

With a small, sad smile, he gently lets her down. 'If I were in charge, I would keep the university open for everyone facing turbulent and troubled home lives. Sadly, I am not in charge.'

Kana responds morbidly. 'It can work,' Her eyes staring at the floor.

'Oh? Please enlighten me?'

'The students who stay can take turns cooking lunch daily. The students can lecture others, so everyone is still learning. The river is just down the way, and the forest is not too far, so hunting and fishing will be easy,' Kana looks at him, her eyes full of sudden hope. ‘Plus, the security will keep us safe, so we will all be protected!’

The professor takes a moment to process everything he just heard. Everything she has just said is nothing but fact. 'Interesting,' He strokes his chin and massages his clean-shaven cheeks with his thumb and index finger. 'Regardless, I am not in charge. I can bring it up to James, but that may take time to finalise things. In the meantime, can you not ask one of your friends? Kasumi, Nolan?' He offers a potential alternative.

Kana feels her heart drop at his rejection. 'Kasumi will be too busy with her sisters,' she replies sadly. 'Nolan, he can be a handful at times,' a hint of a smile passes her face, albeit for a second. ‘But I guess, yes.’

With a deep breath, he asks sheepishly. ‘Alexis...?’

‘Her home life is just as crappy as mine,’ She informs him as she slowly unfolds herself, letting her feet dangle off the edge of the desk, her heels repeatedly bouncing off the front of it.

The professor smiles as Kana opens up again but quickly frowns when he hears about Alexis facing similar issues. ‘I see,’ he admits. ‘I guess asking her would be too much?’ He raises an eyebrow, trying to judge her movements.

Kana nods in agreement. ‘Considering we are still shakey. It will be awkward, too.’

Before the professor can respond, Kana's phone vibrates. After a beat, she looks down and shakes her head.

'Do you need to take that?' He asks.

She slowly reaches into her pocket and pulls out her new phone, the Eso fifteen. She has four messages. The first one is from Nolan.

'𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒌𝒂𝒚.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓.

𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉' 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑵𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝑺𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒊.”’

She shakes her head dismissively as she reads the second message, Kasumi's message.

'𝑰 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐. 𝑵𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅. 𝑲'

The third is a follow on from the previous message.

'𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔. 𝑨𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑱𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒕. 𝑼𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑯𝒆'𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒂.

𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅, 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈. 𝑲.'

With a sudden pounding heart, the fourth and final is from the forewarned Alexis, but Kana decides to leave that unopened for the moment, trying to bring her heartbeat back down to a more regular heartbeat. 'Just messages is all,' She says, feeling the need to clarify, her mood lighter than it previously was, even if it was by a small amount.

The professor looks at the clock and shakes his head, dismissing some unexpressed thoughts. 'Anyone interesting?' He asks, sounding genuinely interested.

Kana hands him her phone on the messages tab. ‘Just scroll down and click on it to read them.’

A smile appears on the professor's face. ‘I am well aware of how phones work. I am not THAT old. However, this phone model is new to me,’ he chuckles. ‘With your permission?’

Kana nods seriously. The two smile quickly before he begins reading the messages and lets out a small laugh. 'Free therapy. Nice to know I am good, at least,' the smiling and laughing come to a screeching halt quickly. ‘And... one unopened message from Alexis C, heart emoji, puppy dog eyes emoji, running emoji and a gold medal emoji,’ he lists and lets a small lip thrill loose. ‘That is a lot of emojis for one person,’ He jokes, trying to lift the mood.

‘Yeah…’ The princess answers him coldly, feeling slightly embarrassed that the professor knows what she has Alexis’ contact ID saved under.

‘You have her contact in your phone. That is something. As Kasumi said, she gave Alexis your new contact, meaning you had her number from before and never gave Alexis your new number. Not including the emojis next to her name. It’s clear your feelings for her are still present. Are you scared of opening it, perchance?’ He asks, once again, hitting the nail on the head with his assumption.

Kana nods her head.

‘Fear of what, exactly?’ He inquires seriously.

Kana looks him in the eyes for the first time in this conversation. ‘Can - can you read it?’ She asks, hopeful again.

‘Kana, even reading normal messages is pushing the boundaries of a professor-student relationship. I can not do such a thing, given your history with her. I -’ Jin is interrupted mid-sentence by another message. ‘Another message from Kasumi, bow and arrow emoji… crystal ball emoji?’

‘Snowglobe,’ she corrects him. ‘What does it say?’ Kana asks, encouraging him to read it.

With a heavy sigh, he nods and reads the new message from Kasumi.

'“𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑲.”'

He looks at Kana for confirmation, who nods for him to read it. 'Very well,' he clears his throat and begins to read the unopened message from Alexis, albeit reluctantly. 'If you want me to stop reading, just tell me, understand? It reads the following.

'𝑯𝒆𝒚, 𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒂. 𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕? 𝑰𝒇 𝑰 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐, 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆. 𝑰 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐, 𝒐𝒌𝒂𝒚? 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒑𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆. 𝑲𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒊 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒅𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈. “𝑨𝒎 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏?”

𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒅𝒐, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 - 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒊 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕.

𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔.

𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒅, 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑷𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇. 𝑰𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕, 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅. 𝑰 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒓 𝑭𝒐𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.

𝑩𝒖𝒕, 𝒚𝒆𝒔.

𝑹𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔.

𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔 𝑳 𝑪.'

The two are left speechless as he returns the phone to Kana as a cocktail of sadness and anger fills her at what she just heard.

‘Kana,’ he says softly. ‘You have my word. I had no idea of the reasons behind her departure. I was not in the loop, as it were. You also have my guarantee that I will not speak of this to anybody under any circumstances,’ he tries to reassure her. ‘Are you doing ok- How are you processing this?’ He readjusts his question.

Kana doesn't answer him at first, instead choosing to remain silent, her mind racing with angry thoughts, bordering on murderous thoughts against those who threatened Alexis. ‘Yeah. I- I need to clear my head a bit. Cheers, Jin,’ She says casually.

‘Wait, Kana,’ He says before he rushes over to his desk and grabs a piece of paper. After a minute or so, he hands her the piece of paper.

“‘ᴾʳᵒᶠᵉˢˢᵒʳ ᴹᵃʳᵗʰᵘˢ ᴷⁱˡˡⁱᵃⁿ.

ᶠᵒʳᵍⁱᵛᵉ ᴾʳⁱⁿᶜᵉˢˢ ᴷᵃⁿᵃ ᶠᵒʳ ʰᵉʳ ˡᵃᵗᵉ ᵃʳʳⁱᵛᵃˡ. ᴵ ᵏᵉᵖᵗ ʰᵉʳ ᵇᵉʰⁱⁿᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵈⁱˢᶜᵘˢˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿᵃˡ ᵃᶠᶠᵃⁱʳˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵒˢᵗ ᵗʳᵃᶜᵏ ᵒᶠ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ.

ˢʰᵒᵘˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ʷⁱˢʰ ᵗᵒ ᵛᵉʳⁱᶠʸ, ʸᵒᵘ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʷʰᵉʳᵉ ᵐʸ ᵒᶠᶠⁱᶜᵉ ⁱˢ. ᴴᵒʷᵉᵛᵉʳ, ᴵ ᵃᵐ ᵒⁿ ˢᶜⁱᵉⁿᶜᵉ ᵈᵘᵗʸ ᵗᵒᵈᵃʸ.

ᵂᵃʳᵐᵉˢᵗ ʳᵉᵍᵃʳᵈˢ.

ᴾʳᵒᶠᵉˢˢᵒʳ ᴶⁱⁿ ᶜ ᴴᵘᵈᵍᵉⁿˢ.”’

Kana reads the note and smiles quickly. ‘Your middle name is?’

‘Christopher. I much prefer Jin if you would be so kind as to continue using my first name or my title,’ He asks as he bows his head briefly.

‘Very well, Jin. And, thank you,’ She thanks him as she stands up to leave but gets stopped yet again.

‘I note you avoided my question earlier,’ Jin says, causing the princess to freeze.

The princess knew what question she had evaded. She has willingly discussed this issue with him before during her first-year counselling sessions, and it was always a delicate topic to speak about.

‘I am aware,’ she replies as she sighs deeply, her back facing him to avoid him seeing her scrunch up her face. ‘The beatings are still present, but given his health, they are more ideal?’

‘No beatings from a parent is ideal,’ The professor snaps before quickly catching himself. ‘Beatings from a parent or a parental figure are not the norm. You deserve a happy life, Kana,’ He adds warmly.

‘“Happy” Huh?’ She chuckles at the word. ‘I was happy with her,’ she thinks before she shakes her head. ‘I can dream. It is just a shame my dreams devolve into nightmares quickly,’ She admits sadly before finally leaving dejected. Her mind fills with rage as she slowly walks to her next seminar.

Despite the heavy ending conversation, his warm tone has eased and calmed Kana down.

During the walk to the English hall, her thoughts begin to run wilder, the only light being the words of advice, and before she knows it, she is standing outside 'E4.'

Deciding to mask her uneasiness, she takes a steady breath and opens the door with her shoulder. ‘Yo, teach',’ She proclaims, still feeling dejected and having mixed emotions yet doing her best to channel her inner Nolan. Even though Nolan would say it in a more peppy way, the princess can not muster that energy at the given time.

‘You are significantly late,’ The professor states as he stops writing on the board.

Kana waves the note as she walks over to him and rotates her wrist before handing him the note.

Marthus takes the note and carefully examines it, taking his time reading it. After he has read it, he swivels his eyes from the note to her and then back.

‘Well?’ Kana asks in an annoyed tone as she folds her arms and sighs.

He looks at her again and then back at the note before gesturing to the class, telling her to find a seat.

She locates Kasumi on the front row because Kasumi and Kana enjoy the lesson. Yet, to her horror, Kasumi is sat next to Alexis, chatting and smiling. Alexis stops when she sees Kana, and they both start to panic; Alexis panics so much that she stands up and begins scanning the room for a new seat. Kana can not hear the conversation, but Kasumi says something to her, and whatever Kasumi says to Alexis causes her to sit back down.

Before Kana can do anything, Kasumi whips her head around to face her. Kasumi points to her, then to an empty seat beside her, practically demanding her to sit her royal ass down. Just as Kasumi knows not to anger Kana, Kana knows not to disobey a direct order from Kasumi. The princess swallows her pride and takes a spot next to Kasumi. Like before, the golden trio are back together: Kana, the princess. Kasumi, the professional markswoman. And Alexis, the star athlete.

Together, they ruled the university - through looks, skill and grades. The trio let their grades speak for themselves. They consistently score in the top five in every lesson, usually within the top three in most cases.

The three sit silently, Kana and Alexis being too nervous about breaking first. Even though Alexis has only been away for just over a month, it feels like it has been years.

‘Hey, Kana…’ Alexis breaks without looking at her, her voice timid.

Kana's cheeks become flush, and her heart happily sinks as she hears her voice for the first time in months. All the princess can manage is a simple smile as her heart and mind are racing happily. ‘Alexis. Hi.’

‘Can I still call you that?’ She asks meekly.

‘Yes,’ Kana replies quietly.

‘I told you,’ Kasumi whispers to Alexis. She can’t be mad at you,’ She teases as she looks at Kana and flexes her eyebrows, causing the princess to grit her teeth but look away in embarrassment.

‘It's... um, nice to see you, and... thank you?' Alexis says, hiding her blushing cheeks.

'For...?' Kana asks, rightfully confused.

'Defending me,' She says bluntly.

'Yeah, well. No one speaks to you that way. Not having some insects insult the girl I-'

Alexis can not help but smile as the princess talks. Kana stops talking as it dawns on her what she was close to admitting, causing her eyes to widen and her cheeks to turn brighter than the sun.

‘I. Um, saw the message…’ Kana says, eagerly trying to change the topic.

‘What did you think?’ Alexis asks, her voice scared of the potential answer.

‘I understand. I am also furious, though.’ Kana may not be shouting, but her voice is speaking volumes.

Alexis looks guilty as her heart sinks. ‘Sorry…’

'Not at you, you fool!’ she spits. ‘Safety comes first. Do not be sorry. Besides, you could outrun anyone.’ Kana lets out a faint smile as she recalls the times Alexis beat her in several activities: Running, gymnastics, even the princess' speciality, a fencing match. Alexis defeated her with no prior training. Her victories cemented the star athlete as a true beast in any sport.

Alexis smiles widely but does not answer.

With silence befalling the trio again, Kasumi looks at them and shakes her head playfully. ‘Gods... get a room, you two,’ She teases, smirking.

Her comment causes a large, almost flirtatious smile on Alexis' face, leaving Kana immobilised momentarily by embarrassment, yet with a smile of her own.

After a few moments of continuous writing, the professor begins firing questions out for everyone. Alexis and Kasumi begin answering questions left and right, with Kana's mind running wild again, her attention significantly lacking.

With a few quick breaths, Kana leans over to Kasumi and whispers. ‘I need to speak with you during the break. Alexis, you too,’ She orders.

Kasumi clicks her pen twice, signalling her response. Alexis nods shyly. Given the trio’s history, they know what the conversation will entail. Sure. The princess could continue her business, acting like nothing is wrong. But she believes her mental health is at an all-time low, and now that Alexis has returned, she can ask her all the questions in her head. And given that extra push by Jin was enough for her to find the courage.

Before the trio know it, the ending bell rings, signifying the beginning of the two free periods, where the students can do what they wish, within reason: Some choose to relax on the hillside, some sleep, others fish and some even continue their studies. The trio knows where to go to speak about the issues facing them. The spot in question is a rather large, insulated, and sheltered wooden summerhouse within the university gardens, making it an ideal location to speak privately, away from prying eyes. It houses a large circular table in the centre and six different coloured armchairs around it, with a three-seater against the wall, making it a more than adequate space for any situation, regardless of the weather. They close the door before they place their belongings on the three-seater and take up spots around the table. They each slide their phones towards the middle, meaning they can limit disturbances and distractions. The summerhouse is used by girls so much so that it has a reputation for being their hotspot.

Kasumi takes the dark red armchair, Alexis takes the orange armchair next to Kasumi, and Kana takes the spot opposite Alexis, a blue armchair.

Several minutes pass in complete silence. Kasumi and Alexis share looks whilst Kana appears to be fighting with her thoughts. Kana shakes her head before rustling with her hair, eventually placing her hands on the table.

‘We need to talk,’ She says, finally, her gaze on the table rather than the girls.

Kasumi clears her throat to get the princess to look up at her. ‘Alexis and I already did. Everything is settled between us,’ she gestures to the room as she leans back in her chair, meaning she has finished.

Kana looks at Kasumi, feeling betrayed, sadness in her eyes. Alexis taps on the table twice. ‘Yeah. I want things to return to normal, to how it was. I am just going to ask, are you mad?’ She managed to voice her thoughts and only trembled slightly.

‘Mad?’ Kana scowls at her. ‘I was. You broke the news that you were going away by text. My rage was unprecedented. But now? Now I understand why you did it over a message.’

Alexis smiles as it would kill her to find out she hurt Kana, even unintentionally.

Kasumi clears her throat again. ‘Why am I here? I Feel like I am the third wheel here.’

‘Professor Hudgens said, “You were the glue that kept us all together.” I need you to mediate the situation.’

Alexis smiles and nods in agreement.

‘Fine. Alexis, you got anything to add?’ Kasumi asks.

Alexis shakes her head no. ‘Not anymore.’

‘Kana?’ Kasumi turns her attention to her.

‘I overreacted. I'm sorry.’ Kana admits, her eyes darting down to the table.

Kasumi looks at her, slightly disappointed. ‘Kana,’ she says coldly, not satisfied with the princess' answer. ‘Say it. We all know it.’

Kana shoots her a venom-filled look. ‘Are you enjoying this?’

‘You know you will feel better saying it,’ she repeats. ‘You almost said it earlier,’ Kasumi snaps, annoyed. ‘You two have been dancing the subject for years, yet none of you want to make the first move! We all know how you both feel, yet you won't say it!’ She barks at the pair, viciously scolding them.

‘Fine!’ Kana snaps back. ‘Alexis. I think I, truly um,’ she takes a deep breath to regain her composure. ‘Alexis, I, I, fuck! Why are emotions so hard?!’ She screeches and buries her face deep within her hands, using her fingers to block her ears.

A few moments pass before she hears a timid voice penetrating her defences. She looks up to find Alexis beaming at her, an ear-to-ear smile on her face and her dark chestnut-coloured eyes. ‘I am sorry. And I hope you were going to say it. I love you too…’ She admits, nervous. The room is filled suddenly with suspense.

Kana's eyes widen when she realises what Alexis just admitted. The princess opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. She had loved Alexis for years, but why were the words not escaping her mouth? She tries to articulate what her brain is screaming, but nothing is said, just an awkward and heavy silence filling the room like a toxic mist. Kana pushes away from the table, embarrassed. She snatches her phone and storms out of the room. A mix of rage and happiness hits her when the princess is halfway across the gardens.

Her anger stems from her failure to admit her mutual feelings. However, on the other hand, she feels elated because Alexis just said the L word. Despite what just happened, one thought crosses her mind. Did she cause more damage by storming away?

Her mind suddenly races off to possible outcomes, all with bleak endings. She stops marching when she notices a couple of students sneaking a few kisses near the lockers; if only the princess could be like that with her. ‘Do I go back to kiss her?’ her brain asks. She quickly dismisses that outrageous thought. If there was one thing, her father drilled into her since she was little. “Your destiny is to marry another Kingdom’s prince,” so any other relationship was pointless and a waste of time. Never once did the king take in her considerations and feelings. Once again clearing her head, she continues her path until it leads her back to the science corridor; did her brain lead her here subconsciously? Since she was there, she thought she would disturb Jin momentarily. She knocks and enters the same room from earlier. ‘May I have a word?’ She asks as he looks up from his desk.

Jin nods and dismisses himself from the class, closing the door behind him. ‘Princess. How can I help?’ He asks gently.

‘Alexis told me she loved me…’ She informs him bluntly.

The professor tilts his head in shock. ‘Oh? And you responded?’

With guilt across her face, she closes her eyes. ‘By storming out of the room…’

Jin rubs his chin as he leans against his back against the classroom door. ‘Walking away?’ he repeats as he sighs. ‘That’s… something,’ he whispers before clearing his throat. ‘Is that how you wanted to respond?’

Kana scoffs as she shakes her head a defiant no.

Jin nods as he smiles lightly. ‘Do you reciprocate those feelings?’

‘Obviously,’ she quietly admits. ‘But. My father…’ She closes her eyes and shakes her head, her voice becoming a whisper.

The professor notices her change. ‘What about your father?’

Kana takes a moment to answer, breathing deeply. ‘He told me I’m to marry someone I’ve never met. “For the security of the Kingdoms,” was the reasoning. But I don’t want to marry a fucking prince!’ she spits seriously, fed up and annoyed that her fate is predetermined and made for her without her input. ‘What am I supposed to do? Be a miserable puppet for the rest of my life? No. I fucking refuse, d- Jin!’ She says in a determined voice, seemingly convincing herself without needing the professor's input.

He smiles at her determination and willpower to stand up to those who control her. ‘Well done, Kana. As a singer once sang, “Aint love a kick in the head,”’ he chuckles before he stands up straight. ‘Follow your heart. Always follow your heart. You may get hurt, but the alternative is being unhappy. Nobody wants that for you. And something tells me if your heart leads you to Alexis, you won’t have a single unhappy day in your life,’ He offers his input, smiling with pride.

Thankfully for the princess, after the pep talk from the professor, Kana never saw Alexis for the rest of the day. Even though that wasn’t a good thing for her mental health, she couldn’t stomach the reaction of Alexis. Kasumi didn’t say a word about Alexis for the rest of the day either, which fuelled the princess's doubt.