Amyra was smiling in her sleep.
How could she not after what had happened yesterday?
Although there was slight inconvenience due to Nyx, she had finally beco friends with Alden.
So naturally, she was having one of the best dreams.
The dream was so sweet she forgot the passage of ti.
It was well past her usual ti when her eyes snapped open.
Looking at the shining rays of sunlight, she quickly understood it was late.
Quick.
I have to be quick.
How can I be so foolish?
It was the first day as Alden's friend, and she had planned to go to class together.
She jumped off her bed and quickly got her morning routine done and got dressed up.
She had to be prim.
There was still a little ti before Alden goes to class.
I can still catch up.
She exited her room, hearing the soft click.
After entering the elevator, she quickly arrived on the ground floor.
She expected it to be empty.
But there was soone there talking to Alden.
Amyra's expression froze for a mont.
Nyx.
So, she's not going to hide it anymore, huh?
Amyra didn't overreact like before.
She had already started to consider Nyx as a competition to her.
She didn't rush and started walking with slow and deliberate steps.
Her face didn't hold any anguish or frustration.
No.
She had grown above that.
Her footsteps were slow.
Deliberate.
Her face was calm, almost serene.
She smiled softly.
After all, conquest was a long ga.
And she had ti.
—
"Hi Nyx. Hi Alden," She muttered. "Good morning."
Alden blinked when he saw Amyra approaching.
She looked... composed. Almost too composed.
Her white hair was tied neatly behind her, and her violet eyes held a softness that didn't match the stiff tension rolling off her.
"Hi Amyra." Alden greeted her normally. "Good morning."
Nyx gave a small nod with a smile. "Good morning, Amyra."
A mont of silence stretched between the three of them. Not heavy, not yet awkward, just... uncertain.
"So..." Alden broke the silence, scratching the back of his head lazily. "Are you guys heading to class now?"
"Mm," she humd.
Nyx nodded too.
Alden shrugged, his expression calm as ever. "Sure. Let's go, then."
He turned, leading the way out the door, his steps relaxed.
Amyra fell into step beside him effortlessly, her pace matching with his.
Nyx smiled — a little too brightly — and took a quick step forward, slipping into pace beside Alden on his other side.
Amyra only glanced at her, her expression serene.
A pang of possessiveness appeared in her chest. It was instinctive and familiar.
But she exhaled silently, smoothing it away.
It was fine.
There was enough space beside him for two.
For now.
She would win fairly. She had already decided it
—
"So, Alden," Nyx said, flipping her hair back in a practiced move that looked almost natural. "You're pretty early today?"
Her voice was light, teasing.
Alden looked at Nyx dumbfounded.
Woman, you are the one who's always late.
Not .
But he didn't point that out.
"Yeah," Alden didn't speak much.
Honestly, he didn't know what to say.
Amyra watched the exchange from the corner of her eye.
She said nothing, just kept pace with them, her presence calm and sure.
Nyx laughed, a little too high-pitched.
Amyra turned to Alden, her voice soft, steady.
"Did you complete Professor Darian's assignnt, Alden?" she asked calmly.
Alden's movent froze for a second.
He turned towards Amyra. "What assignnt?"
Amyra smiled. "You know the one he gave one day before yesterday."
As soon as she said that, Alden recalled.
It wasn't that his mory was bad.
Nope.
He had spent a few days inside the trial and completely forgot about the assignnt.
He recalled a research assignnt they received a few days ago.
The assignnt was simple.
Mutation of Animals because of Mana.
They had to choose an animal and write an assignnt about how that evolved with ti.
How can I explain to that damn professor that I was actually spending ti with one such damn mutated monkey?
Alden sighed.
"I forgot," he replied to Amyra honestly.
Professor Darian was actually a very calm and wise person. But he didn't compromise if soone didn't do their assignnts.
Losing credits was the least of his concerns.
"I have an extra one," Amyra said. "You can take it."
"Huh? Really? But why would you have an extra one?" Alden asked, confused.
"I liked the subject, so I just prepared another one," she replied like it was the most normal thing. "You can have it."
It wasn't a lie. But it also wasn't the full truth.
She had made it for him. Just in case.
But she wasn't going to use it to trap him with gratitude. She just didn't want him to be in trouble.
Alden blinked, giving her a smile. "Thanks, Amyra, you're a lifesaver."
Nyx, however, stood confused.
What assignnt?
Her face was practically plastered with that question.
But she couldn't care less.
__
The trio continued toward the classroom, the morning air was fresh and pleasant.
Nyx tried to fill the space with casual conversation, tossing little jokes toward Alden.
Amyra didn't force anything.
She simply stayed close, answering when spoken to, smiling when appropriate.
Like a steady, calming presence.
No desperation.
No gas.
By the ti they reached the classroom, there were only five minutes left.
The door swung open.
A few heads turned.
Amyra walked in gracefully, her posture perfect without being stiff.
Nyx followed, walking for the first ti instead of directly teleporting to her seat.
Alden pushed his way inside, yawning into his sleeve.
Just then–
He heard a whisper.
"You know, yesterday I saw Princess Amyra, Nyx, and Alden together. I heard Alden is a playboy."
Alden blinked once.
Wait, what now?
As if the dam had truly burst now, the whispers grew louder — faster — more creative.
"Did you hear? They say he's actually a secret prince from a fallen dynasty," one girl said dramatically.
"No, no! I heard he's cursed. Any girl he touches, falls for him," another added, her voice was trembling with half-fear, half-awe.
"I bet he has so kind of forbidden charm magic," soone else muttered darkly. "That's why Princess Amyra and the Ice Queen Nyx are both clinging to him."
"Maybe it's not magic," a guy leaned over, whispering slyly, "Maybe he's just that good. You know... that good."
A silence followed that remark.
Then the class burst into giggles.
"I heard they're forming a three-way engagent," soone said, almost reverently.
"No way. The Vallorian imperial family would never allow that."
"But what if they already approved? What if he's going to marry into the royal bloodline?"
"Maybe he's blackmailing them!"
"Maybe they're fighting over him right now — secretly — behind closed doors."
"And the winner gets to bear his heir."
The rumors were becoming more and more wild by the second.
Just when Alden thought it couldn't get worse, another voice — this ti almost reverent — whispered,
"I heard... he's not even human."
What now?
"Yeah. I heard a rumor that he's the reincarnation of the Mana God's lover."
Another student muttered solemnly, "It explains everything. His looks. His luck. His cursed charm."
Soone else, almost in awe, spoke out, "No wonder the princess and Nyx are after him. It's his destiny."
Another heavy silence.
And then soone, dead serious, said:
"I bet he'll awaken so forbidden power and blow up the academy."
At that point, Alden's soul simply left his body.
FK you all.
Alden cursed in his mind.
Amyra's face was composed through all this gossip, as if she didn't care at all.
But Nyx was different; her face was flushed red.
Even her ears turned beet red.
Alden could even see slight steam rising above her head.
Cute.
Just a single thought ford in his mind.
He quickly shook his head.
Man, now that I think about it, I really do look like a playboy.
First the accident with Nyx.
Then the accidental kiss with Amyra.
And now both of them are seen together with instead of trying to kill .
Fk, am I really becoming a playboy?
Still, Alden's calm face didn't even budge a little from all the gossip.
He stayed composed and walked back to his seat where Aziel was waving at him with a smug smile.
Surprisingly, Cecilia had finally broken off with her group. She was seated just beside Aziel.
She wasn't alone either.
She had brought two guests with her.
Aurelia and Dain.
Aurelia looked too awkward. Her head was down. She didn't even et Alden's or anyone else's eyes.
But the one Alden felt surprised by was Dain. He looked completely different. Sothing about him felt off. The way he carried himself was different.
Alden didn't think much about it and just shook his mind.
"So how's life, huh playboy?~" Aziel muttered with a smirk.
Alden frowned.
But he didn't have any coback.
He himself felt like a playboy now.
Damn it.
He just quickly took a seat on the last bench just behind his usual seat.
His usual bench didn't have any more space. The bench only accommodated four people max.
Amyra and Nyx took their seats beside him.
Aziel turned back towards his direction.
"So playboy, you aren't even responding to your friends now huh?"
Only one response ca to Alden's mind.
FK off.
Thinking such, Alden buried his head in his arms.
He didn't dare lift his face.
He could already feel the blazing stares drilling into his skull.
Not admiration.
Not envy.
A confused, horrified mix of fear and twisted respect. The kind reserved for crazy legends and cursed heroes in bedti horror stories.
anwhile, Amyra simply crossed her legs neatly, smiling faintly, perfectly serene.
Nyx sat stiffly beside him, her eyes locked dead ahead, pretending she didn't hear a single word.
But the slight pink blush on her ears betrayed her.
Alden sighed internally.
First I'm a delinquent seducing royalty.
Now I'm so cursed playboy who's about to marry two won at once and doom the empire.
This day is officially dood.
And class hadn't even started yet.
___
Author's Note.
Hey guys, I know the last few chapters have been a bit too slow-paced.
Tbh, I had exams ongoing, so I couldn't focus much, but now I'm done with them today and can give more ti to the story.
I'll pick up the pace from here. Hope you'll enjoy it!
Thanks for supporting .
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