Crown Prince Ambrose Magnus

Crystal and Marina had finally settled into their respective bedding, exhausted from the day's training. They lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Crystal broke the silence. "Marina," she called softly, "what if the cursed one really comes? I think I will regret not knowing anything about myself and my powers. I already feel so helpless from time to time. It scares me to even think that if the cursed one ever stands in front of me, I will be nothing but a measly creature."

Marina sighed, empathizing with her friend. "Let us hope that the day will never come. It's a false hope indeed, but it's better than anything else."

Crystal sadly chuckled and nodded her head, agreeing with Marina.

"But what if there really is hope? We have never had a faerie come from the Earthly Realm. Maybe you will be able to attain all your powers and bring the cursed one to its end." Crystal laughed out loud at Marina's wild imagination.

"But I'm also a coward," Crystal admitted, her smile fading. "I'm the kind of person who runs away from a fight, who avoids conflict at all costs. I'm afraid that if I were put in a situation where I had to be brave, I would fail miserably." Crystal had suddenly become serious again, and Marina thought she should not have spoken her mind.

…

Crystal woke up late and was almost late for her first class. Marina had tried to wake her up several times, but Crystal had been too groggy to fully register her friend's attempts. It was only when Marina began shaking her vigorously that Crystal finally woke up, bleary-eyed and disoriented.

Even if her life would be at stake, she was not the one to her breakfast. She was running at full speed while munching on her sandwich, her full concentration divided between her food and her speed.

As she turned the corner, she collided with someone, and her sandwich flew out of her hand and into the air. She braced herself for a fall, but instead of hitting the ground, she found herself being caught by a pair of strong arms as she wondered how the ground got so buff.

She opened her eyes and found the person who had caught her was a breathtakingly handsome man with a chiseled chest and broad shoulders. His eyes were a mesmerizing mix of dark orange and deep red hues, and his small quiff hair started as a deep red from the roots but turned dark orange at the tips.

Crystal couldn't help but stare at him, mesmerized by his beauty. However, the frown on his brows quickly brought her back to reality. He looked angry and annoyed, and Crystal knew that she had to stand up immediately or face the consequences.

But just as she was about to get up, her sandwich landed on the guy's face, and she froze. The guy looked even angrier, and Crystal realized that she had just made a huge mistake. She quickly apologized and scrambled to her feet, hoping that he wouldn't do anything drastic as she flung away from him, panicked.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to offend you. I was in a hurry," Crystal said, hoping to diffuse the situation. She didn't want to create any further drama and cause more delay, so she was about to run away when the guy stood up from the ground and grabbed her by her hoodie's hood.

"It doesn't seem like I quite accept your measly apology," he said with a scrunched-up nose and a crude tone that made Crystal want to punch him in the face.

If he weren't so tall and buff, she might have tried to take a swing at him already. She apologized for her mistake and she agreed that it was no proper apology, lacking sincerity but that was no way to treat a girl.

"I agree that my apology may be lacking in sincerity, but you're not exactly doing something praiseworthy yourself," Crystal retorted, not willing to take his bad attitude lying down. She had already had enough of the world messing with her, so dealing with one more jerk wasn't high on her list of priorities.

"You really are something, huh?" the guy sneered, shoving her hood away with disgust. "I should have known better than to dirty my hands with the likes of you," he said, looking at his hand as if it were contaminated. Crystal gritted her teeth, feeling her blood boil with anger.

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I should be the one worrying about my hood getting dirty with your filthy hands. You're such a jerk," she snapped, further aggravating the guy. His face turned red with anger, and Crystal braced herself for the worst.

"You!" he began to raise a warning finger, but before he could say anything else, Aurelius appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his finger, gently pushing it down.

"Your Highness, I suggest you take care of your face before spending any more time in the open like this. People are staring, and you already have a bad reputation," Aurelius calmly advised the guy. The guy shot a sharp glance at Crystal and then walked away, muttering under his breath.

Crystal was surprised to learn that the guy she had just bumped into was actually the crown prince Ambrose Magnus. She couldn't believe that she had just insulted a member of the royal family.

Aurelius looked at her with squinted eyes at her choice of words.

"Crystal, if I am not mistaken, you made a similar comment about myself as well," he said with a playful tone, raising his eyebrows and teasing her. Crystal rolled her eyes at his attempt to joke around.

"Don't put words in my mouth. I only say what I hear from the other students," she said, sulking and crossing her arms. She looked away from Aurelius, trying to hide her embarrassment. However, he found her reaction quite cute and chuckled at her.

"But all jokes aside, he is the crown prince. So, does it mean I am in trouble?" Crystal asked, looking troubled. Aurelius shook his head, but he seemed a bit confused himself.

"His Highness usually does not react to others. Did you say something?" Aurelius asked, trying to understand the situation.

Crystal feigned ignorance, looking away from him, making him chuckle once again. “Fret not, may have a daunting presence, but he actively avoids troublesome situations as much as possible.”

Crystal scoffed at his comment, "Are you calling me trouble?" Aurelius shrugged his shoulders, teasing her again. “Tsk, are you my friend or his?” she mumbled, making him raise his eyebrows in question.

"Do you presently regard me as your friend?" he asked, quite happy at the thought of becoming friends with her. Crystal stared at him, unsure of how to answer.

“Maybe not,” she said as she ran away, remembering she was getting late for her class, which she was now sure would have already started.

As she hurried away, Aurelius watched her go, feeling a bit dejected at her attempt to brush off his question.

However, as he looked down at his feet playing with the mud on the ground, a smile crept up on his face. “I like it-- friends.” His cheeks flushed like a teenager in love.