The smell of ink and parchment lingered in the air. The quiet chatter of whispering students was noise that faded into the background.
Demian was sitting on a window bench with his legs propped up in an unprincely manner. A stack of books was sitting beside him and one was sitting open on top of his lap, his legs bent at the knees in the small and slightly cramped seat.
He folded his hand across the book and looked out the window. It was finally the weekend and a small respite from the busy first week of classes.
Outside, the sun was shining down on the perfectly manicured lawn. Flowers bloomed within the gardens and birds and squirrels took to the trees. Students were sprawled out on the lawn having picnics or studying underneath the warm but not overbearing sunlight.
Demian was getting ready to return to his book when hair that shimmered like molten gold caught his attention. He looked back out the window and saw the familiar figure of the girl who had run into him on the day of the ceremony.
She was standing beneath one of the larger trees in the courtyard, looking up into its high branches. She had hiked up the sleeves of her uniform and was climbing up the tree before he had even registered what she was doing. She swung a leg up over a branch with difficulty. That was when Demian realized that she had something tied around her shoulders. From this angle, he could see a small brown object in her hand.
After the girl deposited the brown thing into a bird's nest, she jumped down off the tree. There was a brute of a guy with short red hair standing below the tree, waving his finger at her.
Demian narrowed his eyes. The demeanor of the redhead seemed awfully familiar. His eyes lowered onto the scabbard strapped around the redhead's waist. Demian would recognize that scabbard anywhere.
The redhead, who was still waving his finger, if not his whole hand by now, was Laxel Rowenberg. Laxel was Duke Rowenberg's son and Demian's playmate when he was younger.
"Another one!" Demian heard the quiet squeal coming from the aisle behind him.
He laid the book down after marking the page and stood up. His view directly behind him was hindered by the shelves of books, so he walked down the aisle. At the end of it, he peered down the aisle where the voice had come from. Leaning over in a window seat like the one he had been occupying was the familiar back that belonged to Remi Sato.
"What are you doing?" He asked with an amused chuckle. That beta, Demian had learned that his name was Dane, was miraculously nowhere to be seen.
"Watching Ophelia," Remi answered without hesitation. Then his back stilled before straightening out. Remi turned large, surprised-filled eyes onto him. "What are you doing here?" He squeaked in nervous surprise.
"Studying," Demian answered with a smirk, "unlike you."
"I was! Earlier," Remi huffed in defense while still keeping his voice quiet. ". . .Um. . ." He started hesitantly. "Did you happen to see that?"
Demian cocked his head, taking a second to connect the name Ophelia to that blonde girl from earlier. "I did," he nodded.
"Oh," Remi practically deflated.
Demian's smirk widened. "You know, for someone who is into men, you seem to be awfully aware of that Ophelia girl," he teased the beta.
Remi's face took on the expected shade of red that Demian was aiming for. "I'm not into her. Just watching her harem grow," he mumbled quietly.
"Hmm?" He asked in genuine confusion. The girl was likely to be pulled into a harem, not have one of her own.
"Well, she's pretty and all the guys seem to flock to her." It sounded as if Remi was just making excuses for his actions, unless. . .wait. . .he couldn't be?
"Are you jealous?" Demian voiced out his question in surprise. Sure, Remi was a beta which limited his options since he was into men, but Demian could admit that the boy was attractive. Attractive and smart, which, to Demian, was a lethal combination.
"No. . .not yet," his voice grew stronger with conviction, "and hopefully not ever." Remi's eyes flicked towards his.
Demian sucked in a breath with how vividly red they appeared with the light illuminating him from behind. Those stunning eyes had momentarily lost their dazzling shade of pink as a mesmerizing red took their place.
The morning light highlighted Remi's hair and Demian could pick out streaks of gold within its brown depths. His eyes, which usually resembled the sunset on a summer's night, now shone like red jewels framed in large, thick lashes.
"Ah, there you are."
The voice came from behind Demian, startling him. He spun on his heels to find Dane standing behind him, holding a box of pastries.
"Food is not allowed in here, so you'll have to eat them somewhere else," Dane told Remi as he deposited the sweet-smelling box into Remi's lap.
"Thank you," Remi smiled up at Dane.
A weird, stuffy feeling filled Demian's chest, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that smile. This wasn't good.
Demian turned on his heels and returned to his seat. He quickly picked up the books he had been reading and headed toward the front desk to check them out.
He needed as much distance as he could get between him and Remi. He wasn't a complete idiot. He had been on countless dates before the start of school and heard numerous tales of romance from his parents, the knights, and some of the servants. He was attracted to Remi Sato.
And Remi Sato was a beta.
A male beta.
There was no way his parents, the king and queen of Grove Kingdom, would allow their only son, the heir to the kingdom, to have a male beta as a mate. Not to mention Remi's own opinion of him.
Demian didn't lack confidence. He knew he had the standing, power, and looks to get almost anyone he wanted. He just wasn't sure about Dane Willy. That guy was too attentive towards Remi.
Demian released a quiet groan as he made his way back to his room. He needed to think then he needed to distract his thoughts with school work.