Crown Prince is The Cursed One

The first-year faerie students stood in a neat line by the tranquil lake that flowed from behind the west garden, where Crystal had met Aurelius.

"Elemental Summon" was a class that none of the faeries were allowed to skip, except for those who had already mastered their specific elemental summon. Even Marina, an ocean faerie, had to attend the class since she didn't have full control over her powers.

Today's class was all about "Water Elemental Summon," led by the formidable Professor Undina Fluctus - a water faerie with striking zenith-blue hair and celestial eyes that contrasted beautifully with her dark blue gown, which concealed her feet and flowed gracefully to the ground. She looked to be in her early thirties, but Crystal realized that she must have been at least a hundred years old to look like a human in their thirties.

Professor Fluctus had the most serious personality of all her professors, even more than Professor Marcus Tetricus, a goblin. Her presence commanded respect, and the usual commotion that the students would cause before a class was noticeably absent.

It was their second time attending this class, and during the first one, Crystal was just standing there like a fool who had no clue what to do since she could not use her magic.

"During today's session, we shall be learning the art of imparting diverse forms to water. To commence, let us first--" Crystal felt goosebumps all over her body as she remembered the little girl from her dream who had created birds from the water. She did not have a good feeling about the class and her unease grew.

As Professor Fluctus explained the whole process of how to form water, she added, "Furthermore, students who were unable to master water control during the previous class are advised to continue practicing the preceding spell."

Crystal sighed, feeling her heart sink once again that she had to stay behind in the class compared to everyone else.

Crystal concentrated hard, muttering the spell 'Aqua Mobilis' under her breath. She willed the water to lift, but nothing happened. Frustration gnawed at her. She couldn't even lift a single drop from the river, let alone control its movement. It felt ridiculous at that stage.

She saw a group of students walking on the opposite side of the river from her. When she saw Aurelius among them, she understood that the second-year students must be having their classes at the same time.

When their eyes met, Crystal waved at him as he smiled in return and did the fae greeting to her. Crystal scolded herself for not being able to get used to the fae greeting. She then imitated Aurelius’s gesture, locking the fingers of both hands and touching her hands to her forehead twice.

As she watched, Crystal noticed Ambrose standing off to the side, looking as out of place as ever. None of the second-year students seemed interested in mingling with him. Even Aurelius was with his own set of friends.

Crystal wondered if it was Ambrose’s extravagant clothing that made him look distinct from others or if he was intentionally distancing himself from others.

Suddenly, Ambrose's eyes locked onto hers, causing her heart to skip a beat. He stared at her, seemingly lost in thought, until he realized he had been caught. Crystal did not know which of her actions would offend the crown prince and cause a rift between them so she could not just look abruptly away from him.

When Ambrose seemed to realize that he was staring at her for too long, he turned his head away and paid attention to his own professor and Crystal took a sigh of relief.

Crystal couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off about Ambrose. He always seemed to be acting strange - one moment angry, another moment embarrassed, and now caught in some kind of trance.

"Do you perhaps share the same opinion?" Crystal heard someone saying. A faerie from her own class who was not standing much far away from her.

"I do agree," another faerie added. "The crown prince is currently the most powerful fire faerie alive. None of the others could stand before him in terms of sheer strength. Furthermore, he has yet to reveal his wings to anyone, adding to the mystery surrounding him." Crystal was still confused as to what they were talking about.

"The issue first arose during his first year, when the crown prince declined to summon his wings and fly during a lesson with Professor Ventus Fortis," the faerie continued.

"Despite the controversy it caused, his status as the crown prince has made it difficult for anyone to sway his decisions or compel him to do something he does not wish to do."

"If the rumors are true and he is indeed the cursed one, then we are all in perilous danger," the faerie stated gravely. "Without the ability to shed light on the truth, we are left vulnerable to whatever fate may befall us."

Crystal was beyond shocked. There were people who thought of Ambrose as such. He might be an eccentric piece who goes around creating a weird atmosphere for her but no matter how she pointed her finger in any direction, she could not really see Ambrose as the cursed one.

She was not paying much attention to the water and her spell as she kept flicking her fingers but her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly her hands moved on their own, creating a massive bubble in water and without much of her control, a big wave emerged after that bubble busted, sending ripples throughout the pond.

First and second-year students gathered around, amazed by the incredible display of power. They had never seen a faerie who was not associated with water make such a powerful move. All eyes were on Crystal as she struggled to maintain control of the wave, which continued to surge and twist in unpredictable directions.

Crystal was barely controlling the wave with her will but because of all the gazes upon her and the shock that still has not settled down, she lost her grip on the wave once again. In an instant, it twisted and turned, hurtling toward Ambrose. The force was too strong, and it sent him flying into the woods without warning.