JUSTIN'S POINT OF VIEW
I'd been secretly watching Rhein all day. I didn't even know why.
I'd planned to mess with her for what she did to me earlier, but that idea fizzled the moment Dylan told me she is Princess Rona's sister. That idiot Dylan had the audacity to laugh after watching me get scolded by Rhein—then teased me about it while I was using the student council office's bathroom.
"Stalking, huh? You like her, don't you?"
I smacked Andrew hard on the back of the head the moment he suddenly appeared beside me.
"Ouch! Hey! What was that for?"
I glared at him, eyes narrowed. "That's your fault. You startled me."
"So, why are you stalking her? Huh? Do you like her?"
Another smack.
"Argh! Damn it, Justin!" he hissed, rubbing his head.
My gaze drifted back to the princess, sitting under a tree on a bench, talking quietly to her pracien. I could think of no reason not to like her.
"What? She's beautiful and seems reasonable. What's not to like? I think I even had love at first sight earlier—"
Smack.
"Ow! What the hell, man? I'm just asking if you like her!"
I didn't bother answering, just gave him a lazy look.
Truth is, I don't know why I am following the princess either.
DYLAN'S POINT OF VIEW
"Hello, Principal Oak!" I greeted brightly when the principal walked into the student council's office without warning. I quickly scrambled to gather the scattered documents from my desk and the floor. "I deeply apologize for the mess."
She shook her head, shrugging. "You've been the top student in the whole academy since last school year. Last time, I let you run the student council alone. But this time, I'm putting my foot down."
I sighed. "If I have co-members, they'll just be distracted by my good looks and end up doing nothing. That's what happened last year, which is why I convinced you to dismiss them."
"Not this time, Dylan. Remember, Justin's eligible now—and the princess is here too." Her lips curved into a sly grin. "I doubt she'll be distracted by you."
Is this woman really the principal? Is she seriously using the princess as a shield against my charm?
I gave her a mock glare, but she only laughed. Shaking my head, I decided to mentally erase the fact that our principal might be losing her mind.
"Fine. But what about other female members?" I asked.
Her face turned serious, and I instinctively straightened my posture.
"Dylan, don't use your charm as an excuse. Last year, you managed to juggle your studies and council work. But now, you're struggling. Your adviser's reports show your grades are slipping. If this continues, you might not even graduate senior high. You can't do this alone anymore. You need help, young man."
I shut my eyes tightly, then nodded. She is right. Balancing being a student and council head is getting harder.
"Good. The selection will be Friday afternoon. Announce it to the students tomorrow, then give me the list of candidates," she ordered, leaving without another word.
I slumped into my chair, staring blankly into space. My gaze shifted to Tyler, who peeked out from under the desk before hopping onto my cluttered table. He'd been hiding from the principal—ever since she plucked one of his feathers every time they crossed paths.
"You're planning on picking new members for the ranking anyway, right?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell her you'd do it next month? It's only been a month since school started. She probably would've agreed."
"The principal's already worried about me. You know her decisions are unshakable once she gets that serious."
"What about the princess? She's not ready, Dylan! She doesn't even fully know her powers yet," he said, panic creeping into his tone.
"I know. I'm worried about her too. But you know what?" I felt my lips curve into a smile.
"There you go again, smiling! I thought you said you were worried?" he asked, baffled.
I let out a small laugh. "I trust her abilities, Tyler."
RHEIN'S POINT OF VIEW
The more I learned on my first day in the academy, the more confused I became. I thought I'd reached the limit of my problems, but apparently, there was still room for more.
I stopped working on my assignments, sat on my bed, and pulled my phone out from my backpack. A small smile tugged at my lips when I saw the picture of me and my sister on the screen. I hadn't even realized tears had started sliding down my cheeks. I missed her so much.
"Did you experience this too? Sister… I'm so confused," I whispered.
Forelody landed on my shoulder, peering at my phone. "You miss her?"
"Of course. Who wouldn't? Being this far from the person I'm closest to… I really miss her." I wiped my cheeks and laughed softly. "Sorry for the drama."
"Hey! No sadness allowed here!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"
"Ouch!"
Something suddenly popped up right in front of me—a skull mask. I screamed in shock and my fist moved on instinct, punching the figure hard enough to knock the mask off.
It was Lovely. She groaned, then burst out laughing. "Ow! You punch hard—but—HAHAHAHA—your face was priceless! Scared of skulls?"
The rest of our roommates joined in laughing, which only deepened my scowl. Things got even worse when Allie snatched my phone. Her cold stare froze me in place—literally. Then my eyes went wide and my jaw dropped as she crushed it with one hand. The shattered pieces clattered against the marble floor, silencing the entire room.
"Allie! Why did you break it?!" My voice rang out, shaking. I knelt, gathering the frozen shards in my hands, glaring at her.
"Do you know why I didn't bring a phone? Gadgets are prohibited here," she replied simply, her expression unchanged.
"That's not the point! You can't just destroy my phone like that! It has precious memories in it—photos with my sister and my friends. Memories."
"Pracien, calm down," Forelody urged, but I ignored her.
"I'm following the academy rules, Rhein. Ask them," she gestured to our two other roommates. "Their phones were collected and pulverized too." They both nodded sadly. "See? Be fair to them, Rhein. You're not the only one who misses someone."