As both Ella and Prince Blaize got closer to the Dining Hall, the Prince suddenly stopped her.
"Excuse me, Ella. But since you know about my feelings for my fiancee, is it possible that you might be able to help me court her further?"
"Huh? Oh, what, of course, Princ- I mean, Blaize. That's not a problem. You can come to me for anything about Merula." Ella assured him.
"Thank you, Ella. It's just that sometimes Merula can be quite...quiet you see. At first, I thought she was afraid of me, but then I realised that was how she must have been raised. The aristocracy is quite strict with their mannerisms, so I hope you might be able to help me find out about Merula's likes and dislikes since you two are close." Prince Blaize's face was visibly concerned but Ella could see his eyes were full of love for her friend.
"Of course! You don't have to say anything further. I gotcha back, Prince."
Ella gave him a wide smile before patting his back hard.
"Yes-ah-thank you." The Prince replied, trying hard to cover his coughs from Ella's hard hits.
"Now since we're basically in-laws, let's hurry to lunch. I'm bloody starving."
-
As the two of them entered the Dining Hall, people immediately started to murmur amongst themselves, some even pointing fingers. Thankfully Ella turned a blind eye, reminding herself these were just kids. Spotting Merula on an empty table, Ella hurried to hug her.
"Merula~ I missed you! And look who I found, your fiancee~?"
"I missed you too, El. Hello, Prince Blaize." At the sight of the Crown Prince, Merula turned into her cold self, but her eyes were nervous.
"May I join you, my fiancee for lunch today?" Blaize asked, giving a warm smile.
Ella nudged Merula as she slowly nodded.
"Thank you."
"Man, I'm starving! I'm gonna grab two plates for lunch." Ella excused herself wanting the couple to enjoy some private time.
Giggling to herself as she observed the couple awkwardly interact, she piled on a mountain of cream pasta.
"You're in a happy mood. What's happened?" A familiar voice asked.
"Oh, hey, Wulff. Nothing much, just watching those two cuties." As she pointed to the awkward couple.
"Ah yes, the popular prince and the cold-hearted beauty. Quite fitting isn't it?"
"Definitely. So what have you been up to?" Ella asked, curious.
[I still haven't figured out Wulff's character. But...I don't think he's the bad guy...].
"I just went to buy some textbooks. There's a lot to cover for Ancient Ruins."
"Oh, fair enough. I went just went to the library and met the Crown Prince." She was surprised he gave an ordinary answer.
[Nah, maybe I'm over-thinking.]
"What did you think of him?"
"Well, he's quite cute." Ella chuckled, only to be met with Wulff's piercing eyes.
"Okay, chill. I don't have a crush on him, okay. He's cute but he's so in love with Merula. They're both adorable for each other."
"Good." Wulff gruffly answered.
"Geez, Wulff, who do you take me for? Anyways, let's join them for lunch."
As the four of them chatted, they grew the attention of other students. Ella found out that the Prince and Wulff knew each other previously, greeting each other with a simple nod as they talked about Academy subjects. Ella was surprised to see that Prince Blaize was also taking Potions and Herbs. It turned out that he was an avid gardener and in the library searching for botany books when they bumped into each other.
The Prince then excused himself, leaving lunch early for 'royal duties' before giving a kiss on Merula's hand, her eyes turning bright red. Shortly after, Wulff left for sword practice.
"And then there we two. Merula, are you doing anything else today?" Ella asked as she sipped on her fruit juice.
"I think I'm going to visit one last Professor."
"Is it important? Because I think it'll be really great if we could grab some things for our dorms and maybe grab our books as well."
"Let's definitely do that! But my Professor...I suppose that can wait."
"Now, you're talking! See, Merula, you can let loose. We're at the Academy now, so let's have fun." As Ella grabbed her hand.
-
Linking arms with Merula, Ella was astounded to see the Academy's 'mini' town square. It was exactly like a large section of the Capitol had been cut out and placed in the school. Every building was intricate, lined with different coloured bricks and quaint signs. There was the usual bookstore and uniform shop but also stores that sold snacks and various knick-knacks.
Popping into a home goods shop, Ella purchases a cute cream tablecloth with lace frillings, while Merula bought some vintage glass cups. They both bought matching cat slippings, Merula in black while Ella was in white. At the stationery store, Ella grabbed some pens and post-it notes as well as some round candles and match sticks. Merula on the other hand spotted some colourful posters of flowers, both for the dorm and her bedroom.
They took a short break, eating some hot pretzel sticks that smelt of warm cinnamon and tasted just as good. After several more purchases, they arrived at the bookshop. To Ella's surprise, the shop was much larger than she expected. With two stories and a large open space, the two girls decided to split up and meet at the end.
"Okay, I need to pick some books for Potions and Cooking..."
As she walked along the aisles of books, she spotted a familiar character.
[Is that...the Prime Minister's son? Cedric? What's he doing here?]. To her stalking dismay, he picked a book and walked off.
"A book on ancient ruins. Well, so much for nothing." Ella sighed.
Grabbing her books and a cute wall calendar, she met up with Merula before they left for the dorms.
-
Unpacking their items, the two girls decorated their dorm. Placing colourful artworks on the wall, lace table cloths and cute cups, the dorm became much cozier. Putting one last finishing touch and lighting a vanilla-scented candle, the two of them laid flat on Ella's bed.
"I'm pooped!" Ella announced, yawning.
"I don't know what that means but me too," Merula replied, sighing.
"Mels, what do you think of your fiancee?" Ella said, turning her head to face her.
"I think he is a kind and thoughtful leader."
Ella rolled her eyes.
"I don't mean like that. I mean to you," pointing at Merula's heart.
"He...he treats me well and he makes me feel warm inside. And he always remembers my birthdays ever since we were little."
"Tell me how you first met," Ella asked.
[Now that I think of it, there's little said about their engagement in the novel].
"Well, we were promised to each other when we were first born, but I didn't meet him until we were both seven years old. It was at his father's 40th birthday party at the royal palace and we were introduced to each other. When I first met him it was like looking at the sun, he just glowed so brightly."
[I feel you girl. that's the male lead aura].
"I was afraid at first, but then he took my hand and we played around the fountain all night long." Merula softly giggled.
"That's fucking cute. Damn, I'm kinda jelly. Then what happened?"
"Well, our parents arranged for us to meet often. Sometimes, we'd play around the palace gardens or he would come to my estate and we would ride the horses."
[Horses?! Damn, I forgot these people are RICH, rich].
"Hmm, after a while our visits became less because we both had to learn our duties and etiquettes but we wrote to each other frequently. I suppose along the way, my feelings grew for him."
"Oh god, I'm gagging but only because this is so cute and I'm hella jealous. But seriously, I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Ella. I think you're one of the only few people that really mean it."
"Well, those other people suck. I'm here for you and that's all that counts. I'm feeling a bit sleepy, so I'm gonna have a nap. Join me?" Ella yawned.
"Okay."
As the two girls slept soundly, unaware of their changing destinies.