Don't Mind Me, I'm Just A Mystic arts Major-Chapter 46. Beauty

"Zach!!"

Aurora shouted excitedly, making the entire hall fall dead silent. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"I think the princess is calling you." Angie looked back at Zach.

"I doubt it." He stated with a nervous smile.

But his intuition was screaming at him.

He heard footsteps echoing toward him.

How the hell did he get into this mess?

"I’m pretty sure the princess is referring to you." Angie held a finger at Zach.

Aurora placed her palm on Zach’s shoulder, making the crowd gasp.

"How’s life been treating you?"

No response.

"I’m talking to you, you know."

Zach still ignored her.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him, this was the first time he was feeling such an emotion.

Was he shy?

"U-Umm, I’m listening." Zach cleared his throat in a deep voice.

The doors of the academy hall flew open and more students walked in, catching the gazes of the students for a moment.

Zach felt this was his chance to disappear, but at the same time he didn’t want to seem like a wimp.

"Life’s been treating me good." Zach gave a smirky reply.

"I can’t believe this! This no-name knows the third princess before me," one of the male students cried.

"I heard she also participated in the Delta Cataclysm."

"Really, does that mean she’s a chosen?"

"But who’s that guy she’s talking to?"

The crowd erupted with murmurs.

Zach knew his hopes of a peaceful life in the academy had ended.

---

The students all chatted in the hall, Zach sat on his seat as eyes all over the room burrowed into his soul.

Beside him, a silver-haired and scarlet-eyed beauty sat close to him.

A little bit too close, their bodies were touching. Zach was sure the princess was doing this just to spite him.

But he couldn’t get rid of the fact that he could feel his body temperature rising.

Was he asthmatic?

The cleaners finally arrived to lead the group of cadets to their dorm.

"You all will be sleeping in the same room with one person," the maid announced.

"More than 500 of you got in this year, so bear with us as we have no extra rooms."

The group was silent. Slowly, people started to pick their partners.

Zach just stood in the crowd like an idiot, looking around.

"Hey!" A cadet walked up to him.

Zach turned to face him, finally someone who wanted to share a room with him.

"Sorry, but this one is taken."

Something soft pressed against Zach’s arm.

Everyone around looked at Zach again, some girls even giggled in the distance.

’Oh god, can’t I catch a break?’ Zach maintained a stern expression.

"I don’t think that’s appropriate, your highness." Zach spoke.

"We’re well past the formalities, you can just call me Auri."

"I think I’ll stick with Aurora."

"Have you all picked your partners?" the lady asked.

They began sharing keys. The academy had a no-belongings policy, so the only thing they could take with them was the uniform of their various enterprises.

Aurora still held Zach close to her as they both went to take their key.

The maid gave them a strange look, then handed the key to Zach.

Normally, people in this batch had to choose their genders.

"Can you please let go, people are having the wrong idea," Zach whispered.

"Let them..." she smirked.

Zach checked the key’s number, it was room 183. Zach carefully entered the wooden hostel until he reached his door, Aurora following beside him.

Zach looked at the interior.

Everything looked basic: a suspended cabinet, a lamp, and one normal-sized bed in the corner of the room. By the entrance there was another place to shower.

"Aren’t you a princess? You’re supposed to be chilling in a castle or something."

Zach asked, looking back.

Aurora looked around for a bit.

"There’s only one bed?" she asked, confused.

Zach grinned. "What were you expecting? These hostels were designed to accommodate a single person. You would’ve known if you’d listen."

Aurora sighed.

"So you know what this means, right?"

"I ain’t sleeping on the floor, by the way."

"Not that..." she said.

"We’ll have to share the bed." She grinned.

"Oh hell no, sleeping with you is already a challenge on its own, now you’re talking about sharing a bed?" Zach resisted the urge to rage-bait.

Aurora opened the cabinet and took out a pair of towel-fabric pajamas, tossing one of them to Zach.

"What’s this for?" Zach raised the clothing.

"It’s for after you’ve showered," Aurora answered.

The single window bringing the light in quickly dimmed as the sun nestled in the west, casting shadows all over the room.

This room looked like an inn from the medieval period.

Zach sat up on the bed as the shower noise coming from the bathroom clouded his vision.

Zach hadn’t felt this feeling before in his life.

He actually felt ashamed that he kept imagining himself walking into the bathroom despite trying not to.

Zach wiggled his legs anxiously.

Then the water stopped, and Aurora stepped out, fully dressed in the towel pajamas.

Her silver hair, damp and clinging softly to her shoulders, caught the faint glow of the evening light.

The loose towel pajamas gave her a relaxed, almost homely charm, contrasting her usual regal air. Her scarlet eyes shimmered gently, not with authority, but with a calm warmth.

Zach stood up, making sure to avoid eye contact, and stepped into the enclosed shower.

The mechanism on this shower was oddly simple—just a twist and the water came pouring out. Zach didn’t waste too much time, making sure to dry himself in the shower before putting on his grey pajamas.

He got out to see Aurora on the bed waiting for him.

"Come on." She tapped the spot next to her.

Zach pressed his lips, wanting to curse, but just decided not to.

The bed could fit two people, so Zach demarcated the space between him and Aurora with a pillow.

"What are you doing?" Aurora giggled.

"Marking my territory," Zach answered.

The night was filled with awkwardness, Aurora constantly ignored the boundaries, placing different parts into his line.

Zach just tried to sleep, shutting his eyes as tightly as he could.

What was she thinking? Now the entire first years would think he was in a relationship with the princess.

Well, not that that was a bad thing, but this went against the low-profile code Zach so desperately wanted to keep.

All attention was on him and until he graduated he would constantly be the target of Auri’s fanboys.

Zach lay on the bed, his eyes squeezed shut, as if pretending to sleep would erase the reality of the situation.

"You know..." Aurora whispered, her voice carrying a playful lilt.

"You’re the first boy I’ve ever shared a bed with."

Zach groaned. "Congratulations! Now you can put that on your royal résumé."

Aurora giggled, shifting closer. The pillow barricade dipped slightly under her weight.

"Hey! What did I say about the boundary?" Zach muttered, keeping his gaze fixated on the ceiling.

"That it’s imaginary," she replied. "Besides, if I really wanted to, do you think this flimsy pillow would stop me?"

Zach turned his head sharply to glare at her. "Listen, princess—"

"Auri..." she corrected, cutting him off with a smirk.

"Fine, Auri." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever game you’re playing, I’m not interested. I came here to train, study, be the best, and most of all, keep my head down. Not..." He gestured vaguely at the space between them.

"This circus."

Aurora tilted her head, her scarlet eyes gleaming in the dim lamplight.

Silence loomed for a bit, then she spoke.

"Isn’t it boring to live like that? Hiding, pretending you’re just another face in the crowd. I saw you in the Fissure—you weren’t ordinary, Zach."

"I just got lucky," he clarified.

"And besides, you don’t know anything about me."

"Don’t I?" She leaned in, her hair brushed slightly against his arm.

"The way you fought back back then, even when there was no chance against the opponent. That. That is not something a coward would do."

Zach sat up halfway, glaring down at her. "You talk too much for someone who barely even knows me."

"And you hide too much for someone who’s dying to be known," Aurora shot back softly.

Zach rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated.

"Why me?" he spoke softly.

"Out of 500 people here, why’d you choose to stick yourself to me? Don’t give me that crap that it’s because you think I’m special."

Aurora smiled faintly, lying back against the pillow.

"That’s for personal reasons I can’t tell you about yet," she spoke, seemingly in a daze.

"But can you promise me something?"

"Hell no, I don’t even know you."

Aurora chuckled softly.

"That’s right..."

She relaxed on her end, closing her eyes.

Zach just relaxed on the sheets once again, but this time he felt—heavier.

The night passed in silence, as Zach dreaded the next day.