The sound of letters being ripped to shreds resounded in the locker room. A handsome young man who seems to be twenty years old indifferently threw the shredded pieces to the floor.
His cold demeanor was the complete opposite of the bright Monday morning that had graced Saint Clare Academy. He ignored the dumbfounded faces of the students in the vicinity and headed towards his classroom.
His footsteps echoed in the hallways unchallenged, and unsurpassed. Like a king that demands respect and submission, everyone waited in bated breath as his back disappeared from the hallway.
The moment his silhouette faded from view, the faint murmurings from the other students began.
A pretty girl with blond curls stared at him in a daze. Her eyes had a love-struck look in them and there was a hint of redness on her cheeks.
She stood there with her mouth agape, caught off-guard by the sight that laid before her eyes.
She had seen many handsome men before, but the one that was here in the locker room a few minutes ago was like a prince in the fairy tales she loved to read. He looked so perfect, that for a moment she thought she was dreaming.
She even had the irresistible urge to reach out and touch him to confirm whether he was real, or not. If only he stayed for a minute longer, she might have done that. She felt both relief and regret when her prince charming left the locker room, saving her the trouble of embarrassing herself.
She took a few deep breaths in order to regain her calm. When she turned her head, she saw her best friend standing not far away from her. Her best friend was a year older and had been in the Academy for more than a year.
The pretty girl was a freshman and it had only been a few months since she enrolled in Saint Clare. She approached her best friend hoping that she holds the answers to her questions. She needed to know the name of that person, her heart demanded an answer.
"Good Morning," The pretty girl said.
"Good Morning!" Her best friend replied and gave her a light hug.
The pretty girl returned the hug and asked the question that was on her mind. "Did you see the handsome student that was here a while ago?"
"Hoho, did my little angel finally found someone she likes?"
'Well, he is good-looking,' The pretty girl blushed. "No, I'm just curious that's all."
Her best friend nodded her head in understanding. She heaved a sigh because she saw that the pretty girl's love-struck expression a few minutes ago. She was not the only one. In fact, all the other freshmen who were also in the locker room with them had the same expression.
She cursed the 'prince' inwardly for making the innocent suffer with his mere presence. The senior student wouldn't admit it, but she also had a crush on the prince when she first enrolled in the Academy. Now, her feelings for him was tightly locked in a special place in her heart.
She dragged the pretty girl to the corner of the locker room because she doesn't want others to overhear their conversation. When she found a safe place away from the crowd, she gestured for her to come closer and whispered in her ears.
"It's fine if you're only curious, but if you intend to pursue him then you better nip that fantasy of yours in the bud."
"Why?" The pretty girl asked, her face held a trace of unwillingness in them.
"Didn't you see how he ripped those love letters to shreds just now?"
"I did…"
"That will be the fate of any girl who tries to get close to him." Her best friend said with good intentions. 'I also tried in the past, but it wasn't meant to be.'
The pretty girl frowned at her reply, but she knew that her best friend wouldn't lie to her. She glanced at the shredded letters on the floor. They were in tatters and looked so pitiful. She wondered if her own love letter will suffer the same fate as the others.
'No, I'm not like the others. I'm special!' She hid her growing desire at the back of her head and smiled to her best friend. She decided to accept this explanation for now and get more information about the handsome guy he just saw.
"Very well I will listen to your advice," The pretty girl said and gave her best friend another hug. "But, can you at least tell me his name?"
Her best friend thought that she had finally given up and happily gave the answer she was looking for. "His name is, Ciel Summers, one of the the Four Princes of this Academy."
"One of the Four Princes?"
"Yes. He is the Vampire Prince of Saint Clare."
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Ciel walked towards his classroom in a steady pace. The students made way for him and they stood at the side with different expressions. The ladies looked at him with infatuation while the guys glared at him with jealousy.
His angelic face that seemed to be sculpted by the Gods themselves is simply the bane of women and envy of men.
He was about to open the door to his classroom when he heard loud and cheerful voices coming from inside. It seems that his classmates had enjoyed their weekend and were now full of energy to start their first school day of the week.
Ciel opened the door and headed to his seat. The loud and cheerful voices died down the moment his classmates noticed his presence. He dropped his bag on his desk and looked at his classmates.
He gave them a brief nod and closed his eyes to rest. Some of the ladies in the room gave him a fleeting glance, but no one dared to approach him. They learned from past experiences that Ciel didn't like to socialize with women unless it was necessary.
For them, being in the same class as him were already a blessing from the heavens. There were countless women in the Musical Major Department who would pay anything just to get the opportunity to be in their shoes.
A sudden laugh from the doorway caught their attention.
"Good Morning Everyone!"
A young man with long, black hair, tied in a ponytail cheerfully greeted everyone in the room. There was a light spring in his steps as he walked towards the chair right next to the prince of their class.
"Good Morning Ciel!" The young man dropped his bag on the desk while his hand stretched out and patted Ciel's head affectionately. "It's a beautiful Monday morning Ciel, how come you're not getting along with our classmates?"
Ciel angrily brushed off the hand that was patting his head.
"Keith, don't start with me," Ciel opened his eye in annoyance and glanced at the young man in front of him. If only their two families doesn't have a close relationship with each other, he would had already taught this annoying bastard a lesson or two.
He watched as Keith batted his eyelashes at him as if taunting Ciel to punch his face. Ciel was almost tempted to do so, but he held it back and simply glared at him.
Keith chuckled and returned his gaze. "Ciel, has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?"
Ciel's light blue eyes, that had caused countless ladies to have sleepless nights were now focused on the person in front of him. He exhaled sharply, he had enough. He needed to get away or he might cause trouble. He didn't look back as his feet took him to the door. Keith's poor attempts to call him back were received by deaf ears.
There was only one place in the Academy that was appealing to him right now and it was the Garden of Saint Clare. He headed to the garden in haste. The sooner he got away from that annoying bastard, the better.
The Garden was located at the heart of the Academy and it was hailed as the most beautiful garden in the country. It was over two kilometers long where a variety of trees and flowers bloom year-round. Right now it was void of students because morning classes was about to start.
Ciel loved the Garden of Saint Clare, because it reminded him of his grandparent's estate in the countryside. The subtle floral fragrance in the air and the beautiful scenery was almost the same.
Ciel stood still and breathed in deeply. He allowed the fresh air to calm his senses and wash away the irritation in his mind. When he felt better, he wandered the garden without any destination in mind.
After making a left turn, he saw a young man reading a book on one of the benches. He was wearing a uniform so Ciel immediately knew that he was a student. Ciel was blessed with sharp hearing and good eyesight, so he observed the student from where he stood.
He had short black hair and the glasses he wore made him look like one of those prim and proper students that only knew how to study. The emblem of the dove that was pinned on his uniform signified that he was a scholarship student.
Ciel's lips curved into a smile. He was still annoyed on what happened in the classroom and this scholarship student might help him relieve some of his frustrations.
He approached the student with anticipation while the latter was completely oblivious of the predicament that was about to land on his shoulders.
'Looks are above average, body is fit, and nimble. He's either an athlete or someone who works out regularly.'
He glanced at the book the scholarship student was too engrossed with and he froze when he saw the title.
[The Webnovel Writer's Chatgroup]
A memory from the past suddenly resurfaced and Ciel closed his eyes to embrace the bittersweet memory. It was a time, when the world was still filled with colors, and the warmth of a loving embrace was always within reach.
He opened his eyes and stared at the title of the book one more time. There was shade of sadness in his eyes that only lasted for a moment. Ciel shifted his attention to the owner of the book who made him remember the happiest days of his life.
His impression of the student went up a notch, but the latter was too focused on the book he was reading to pay attention to his surroundings. Ciel decided to take the initiative and start a conversation.
"Good Morning."
His greeting didn't elicit any response from the person in front of him. Instead of getting annoyed a wicked smile appeared on his face.
'Interesting.' Ciel spread his two arms like an eagle about to take flight. 'Let's see how you handle this then.'
He clapped his hands together with all his might, and the sound reverberated in the quiet garden.
The scholarship student jumped to his feet in fright. The sudden movement made him dizzy, and he flopped helplessly onto the ground, dropping the book in his hands.
Ciel chuckled inwardly at the dishevelled appearance of the once prim and proper student. His bad mood began to dissipate and for the first time today, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Good Morning." Ciel said.
"Y-You! You almost gave me a heart-attack!" The scholarship student pointed a shaky finger at him.
Ciel extended his hand to offer his assistance. "Sorry about that. I tried to greet you earlier, but you were too engrossed in the book you were reading."
The scholarship student hesitated for a while, but accepted the hand that was offered to him. He stood up from the ground and dusted himself off.
He stared at Ciel grudgingly. "Do you need me for something?"
"Morning classes are about to start. For a scholarship student in this academy, you know how important it is to be always punctual right?"
"Wh-What?!" The confused student glanced at his watch and confirmed that there were only five minutes left before classes start.
He grabbed his bag from the bench and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something.
"Thank you! I'm sorry, but I have to go now." The scholarship student said with a tinge of anxiousness. "I will return this favor some other time. Goodbye!"
He ran with all his might and Ciel' eyebrows raised in amusement. 'Such an interesting guy.'
Ciel was about to leave as well when he noticed the fallen book on the ground, forgotten by its owner.
He picked it up and casually flipped through the pages. He took out the small bookmark and read the name that was printed on it.
[Lyle Adams, BioMed Major.]
'Studying to be a doctor, you've got guts I'll give you that.'
Ciel closed the book and headed towards the direction of his classroom. The image of the scholarship student was still fresh from his mind and a sinister glint appeared in his eyes.
'Lady Fate, what a fickle lady you are…'