I stepped out of the examination hall, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension that had built up during the three-hour test. The exam had been challenging, (more so than I'd expected), but I'd managed to finish with about twenty minutes to spare.
The corridor outside was already filling with students, their voices rising in a cacophony of relief, complaint, and nervous speculation. I moved to the side, away from the main flow of traffic, and that's when I saw her.
Amara Cole stood near one of the tall windows, flanked by her two friends, I think their names were Pearl and Des. Pearl was talking a lot, her hands gesturing wildly, while Des looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. And Amara...
Amara looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.
I felt my feet moving before I'd consciously decided to approach. I wanted to talk to her, to ask how she'd found the exam, to see if maybe... just maybe, she'd give me more than the one-word answers she usually offered.
But I stopped myself halfway there.
What was the point? Every time I tried to talk to her, she shut down, giving me those short, clipped responses that made it clear she wanted the conversation to end as quickly as possible.
"Yes."
"No."
"Fine."
It was like talking to a wall. A very pretty, very frustrating wall.
I leaned against a pillar, watching her from a distance, and my mind drifted back to the first time I'd seen her.
It was during the arrival day, when the carriages had pulled up to the University's main gates. The noble students had arrived in their shiny family carries, expensive things pulled by enchanted horses. I had arrived in the royal carriage, of course, accompanied by Declarn and two other guards who'd tried very hard to be inconspicuous and failed miserably.
And then, there was the commoners' carriage. The vehicle that had deposited twelve students onto the cobblestones.
Eleven of them had looked like they might faint from excitement or terror or both. They had clutched their bags, staring up at the University's towers with expressions of awe, whispering frantically to each other about how they couldn't believe they were actually here.
But then came Amara.
She'd stepped down from the carriage with an expression that could only be described as resigned dread. Like she was walking toward an execution rather than the opportunity of a lifetime. While the others had practically shook with jittery excitement, she'd looked like she wanted to be anywhere else in the world.
It had been... odd. Intriguing.
Most people would kill for a chance to study at the University. But Amara Cole had looked at it like it was a prison sentence.
I had forgotten about her after that, there were so many new students, after all, and I had my own concerns to deal with. But then came the campus tour.
Raina Crest, my maternal cousin and the student president, had been leading a group of first-years through the main courtyard, pointing out various buildings and explaining the University's layout. I had been cutting through on my way to the library, trying to figure out a means to escape the crowd of admirers following me when someone crashed into me.
I helped her pick up her books that fell on the ground and when she'd looked up at me, I braced myself for the usual reaction.
The squealing. The stuttering. The wide-eyed stares and breathless "Your Highness" and the inevitable request for... something. An autograph, a favor, a moment of his time.
But Amara had just stared at me, and muttered "You're... blocking my path."
No recognition. No reaction. Nothing. I saw myself apologizing as I handed her books to her, and all she did was nod and walk away.
I stood there, stunned, watching her rejoin the tour group like nothing had happened.
Later, I caught up with Raina and asked, as casually as I could manage, about the girl who'd bumped into me.
Raina had laughed. "Oh, that's Amara Cole. One of the scholarship students." Then she'd leaned in conspiratorially. "I don't think she knew who you were, Your Highness. She seemed surprised when her friends mentioned you were the Crown Prince."
And that... that had been fascinating.
Because everyone knew who I was. Everyone.
But Amara Cole had looked at me and seen just... a regular guy. Not a title or a crown. Just Malachi.
After that, I started noticing her more. Especially in the dining hall. She was different there. With her two friends, she actually seemed happy. She'd lean over her plate as if it was the most important thing in the world, closing her eyes while she ate; like she was really tasting everything. She tried different foods every time, studying them the way she studied books in the library. And when she'd taste something good, which was always, she'd just smile, a real smile, not fake or anything. It was weird how into food she was, but it was also kind of cool to watch. It was like the only time she actually seemed present, like she was really there instead of just existing. I couldn't really explain why I found it so interesting, but I did.
And during the magical assessment...
My chest tightened at the memory.
I saw her hand after she'd completed her test. She didn't seem to notice the burns, but I had.
I crossed the courtyard before I could think better of it, had taken her hand in mine and channeled my healing magic into it. My heart had been pounding so hard I was hoping she couldn't hear it. And when she'd looked up at me with those wide, startled eyes, I felt something shift inside my chest.
Something warm and terrifying and very new to me.
I was still staring at her, lost in thought, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Your Majesty."
I turned to find Declarn standing behind me, his expression carefully neutral. The older man was technically my guard, but he'd been more of a butler and mentor for most of my life. He had a way of appearing exactly when needed and disappearing just as efficiently.
"Declarn," I said, straightening. "I didn't see you there."
"That was rather the point, Your Majesty." Declarn's eyes flicked briefly toward where Amara stood with her friends, then back to me. "How did your examination go?"
"Fine," I said automatically. Then, because Declarn would see through the lie anyway, I added, "Difficult."
"I see." Declarn gestured toward the corridor. "Shall we return to your quarters? I believe you have a meeting with the Dean in an hour."
I nodded, falling into step beside him. We walked in silence for a moment, navigating through clusters of students who immediately parted to let them pass. Always the same. Always those respectful bows, those whispered "Your Highness" greetings.
"Your Majesty," Declarn said quietly as they turned down a less crowded hallway, "forgive my impertinence, but you've been rather distracted lately. Is everything alright?"
I glance at him, then away. "Just... thinking."
"About anything in particular?"
About a girl who caught my full attention. About how I don't know what to do with these feelings that keep growing stronger every time I see her.
"No," Malachi said. "Nothing in particular."
Declarn made a small sound that might have been agreement or skepticism... with him, it was hard to tell.
We walked the rest of the way to my quarters in silence, but my mind was still back in that corridor, watching Amara try to make herself invisible while her friends chattered around her.
I smiled despite myself.
"Your Majesty?" Declarn asked, noticing. "What's amusing?"
Malachi shook his head. "Nothing. Just... nothing."
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(Malachi POV)