Chapter 32: Keeping Flies Away (1)
Monday came around and Adrien found himself feeling much better than he had when he had first arrived in this world. The bruises that had peppered his back were finally faded enough that they could no longer be seen nor was the skin sore in that area anymore. His head still hurt when touched but the scar was healing nicely. He briefly wondered once again if there was a way to make Healing Potions more effective so that they could heal everything in one go instead of just targeting one injury to heal.
Because he found himself feeling so much better upon awakening, he decided to integrate some light jogging into his morning walk. The beautiful stone walkways guided his path as he navigated the campus grounds in his early morning jog. The flowering trees lent a light fragrant scent in the air. Crickets chirped, rushing in the end of the night as the sun’s light trickled in from behind the trees and buildings.
He slowed down to a walk, not wanting to exhaust himself. It would only do him more harm than good to start off with heavy and intensive exercise when his body wasn’t used to it yet.
Once he was done, he headed back inside the dormitory to start preparing for the day ahead. He had received his new class schedule yesterday and wanted to be prepared for what preluded to be an extraneous day.
He had passed most of the class assessment tests for all of his general classes and had successfully been placed in the third-level class for both math, science, and literature. He had completely passed out of history, but had only moved up one level for economics, which was better than what he had been expecting.
After making sure he had everything he needed, he set off for his first class. He didn’t need to stop by the cafeteria before class because he had grabbed himself something to eat in the dorm’s canteen right after his morning jog.
He walked into the classroom and came to a stop, his feet momentarily freezing at the sight before him. It wasn’t anything bad nor was there anything in particular happening. What had caused him to stop was the sight of his second brother sitting in a seat in the far back of the classroom.
Adrien had forgotten that Brayden had never skipped any levels. He sighed inwardly, already expecting the long year ahead of him and the future headaches that Brayden’s presence was sure to bring.
Would ignoring him make it better or worse?
Adrien knew it the moment that Brayden had spotted him. The room, which had been filled with idle chatter grew quiet upon seeing a new face. Brayden, who had been staring out the window with a blank look on his face, turned to look towards the door when the room suddenly grew quiet. His eyes rounded into saucers and a dumb look crossed his face. He shot up from his seat, nearly toppling over as the back of his legs hit the bench behind him. "Wha-what are you doing here?! Are you so stupid that you couldn’t find your class?!"
Wow, is he really this dumb? How in the world was the Original Adrien so afraid of him? The one he should have been wary of was Cedric.
"What do you mean? As of today, this is my class. Didn’t you know?" Of course, there was no way for Brayden to know this. Adrien hadn’t informed anyone in his family that he had skipped a few levels in some of his classes.
Brayden’s face warped. His hatred, confusion, and disdain for Adrien clearly showed in his burning eyes.
Adrien ignored him and took a seat in the front row. He was pulling out his books when the room once again sparked with conversation.
Adrien looked up just as a shadow fell over him.
"Kitten," Mikyle called out to him fondly, a warm smile softening his handsome features.
Adrien’s heart fluttered at the expression on Mikyle’s face. This was the first time that he had anyone look at him like that.
Wait, I’m in the same class as Mikyle? I could have sworn that he would have been someone to advance out of all these rudimentary classes.
Adrien was still staring in agape surprise when Mikyle slid into the empty seat beside him.
"Did you miss me?"
Adrien blinked, pulling himself out of his stupor. Another, more pressing thought filled his mind at the sight of this smug-looking prince. "How are you?"
Mikyle’s smile widened into a grin and his red eyes sparkled with a dazzling light. "Were you worried about me? I’m flattered."
"Why would you be flattered over me worrying about you?" With the way Mikyle was looking at him, Adrien was starting to wonder why he was even worried to begin with.
"You worrying about me means you care about me. That’s why I’m flattered."
"What the hell!"
Adrien and Mikyle both turned toward the sudden exclamation. Brayden was still standing up, staring down at them with pure disgust. "Not only did you somehow cheat your way in here, now you’re flirting with his highness!"
How did I cheat? I passed all those exams with my own hard work. And how is this flirting? It could even be argued that Mikyle was flirting with me, not the other way around!
"Hmm? Adrien is here due to his hard work, and because he is smarter than you. If his trips to the library are anything to go by," Mikyle said, defending Adrien.
Adrien noticed that the sparkling light in Mikyle’s eyes was no longer there, and his voice was hard, no longer soft and kind as when he had been speaking to him.
"Wha-what?" Brayden sputtered, not expecting Mikyle to come to Adrien’s defense.
"Oh, and I’m the one flirting with him." Mikyle’s eyes closed and his lips lifted up into a smile that was everything but friendly. "You would be best not to ruin this for me."
Adrien felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He couldn’t believe that Mikyle could say something so bold outright like that while in a room filled with people. He was also embarrassed over the fact that everyone now knew that something was going on between them.
Is it too late to cancel our date?
Mikyle turned his gaze back onto Adrien and it visibly softened. "Hmm. Red looks good on you," he smirked.
Adrien felt his face growing even hotter. He fought the urge to hit Mikyle in the arm, opting to turn away from him instead.
Is this the Prince’s true personality? And how can he talk like that with a face like that?! Adrien was slowly regretting the fact that he took after his sisters, it was entirely their fault that he couldn’t say no to a handsome face.
". . .Are you mad?" Mikyle leaned his face down on the desk, looking up at Adrien. "Hmm?"
Adrien gave in and looked down at Mikyle with narrowed eyes. How was this prince able to bring out such varying emotions from him?
"Why did you say that?"
Mikyle pressed the side of his face into his hand. "Hmm? Ah, you mean admitting to the fact that I like you?" His smirk turned smug when his words brought yet another blush from Adrien.
Why am I blushing so easily? It didn’t used to be this easy to get that kind of reaction out of me. Damn his handsome face!
"If you knew, then why did you do it?"
A chuckle escaped from Mikyle’s perfectly arched lips. "I was only trying to defend your honor from that brother of yours. And if my words help to keep any future flies away, then so be it."
Ah. So that had been his real intention. Mikyle was staking his claim early on. Adrien didn’t know if he should be miffed or flattered at Mikyle’s admission.
Adrien pushed down the butterflies that wanted to take flight and turned his attention away from the very dangerous prince. He pulled his focus onto the front of the classroom, which was a good thing because the professor walked in just then.
* * * *