The Crown Meets The Heirs

Chapter 007:First day at school

(Clara’s POV)

Sebastian ended up carrying half my luggage upstairs, which honestly saved me from making three separate trips like a fool. I picked up the room at the far end of the hall, dropped my bags just inside the door, and the second he left, I shut it, locked it, and let my back slide down against the wood until I hit the floor.

I exhaled like I’d been holding my breath since the plane landed.

Honestly? I was a little proud of myself. I hadn’t screamed. Hadn’t run away. Hadn’t done anything except stand there, mortified, in a hallway full of what I could only describe as extremely good-looking chaos, and somehow walk away with my dignity mostly intact. Years of etiquette training had to be good for something.

Well, poor me, I thought, staring up at the ceiling. Any hope I had of a normal school life just flew out the window.

I gave myself a mental pat on the back for surviving day one anyway.

Eventually, I peeled myself off the floor and actually looked around the room. It was gorgeous, all soft neutral tones and a huge window seat that I already plan on having my name written all over it. I spent the next hour unpacking, hanging clothes, arranging my skincare on the vanity, setting my little stack of books on the shelf like I actually lived here now.

By the time I showered and changed into pajamas, I was running on fumes.

My phone rang just as I collapsed onto the bed. Grandma and Grandpa’s faces filled the screen, and something in my chest loosened at the sight of them.

“Clara! You made it safely?” Grandma’s voice was warm, a little too eager.

“I did. The house is huge, Grandma. Almost too huge.”

“Good, good. How was the flight? Not too stressful, I hope?”

“It was fine. I slept through most of it.”

Grandpa leaned into the frame, squinting at me like he was trying to read my face through the screen. “And the environment? Country C isn’t giving you any trouble?”

“No trouble,” I said, keeping my tone light. “Everything’s fine.”

I was lying through my teeth and I knew it. There was no version of “everything’s fine” that included walking in on my new roommates in the middle of something I was still actively trying to forget.

“And the boys?” Grandpa asked, far too casually.

I nearly rolled my eyes clean out of my head. “They’re fine too, Grandpa.”

“Fine how?”

“Fine, as in I’m alive and nothing’s on fire. What more do you want?”

He chuckled, clearly pleased with himself for something I couldn’t name. I decided not to ask.

“Grandpa,” I said instead, changing the subject before he could dig further, “Can I stay somewhere else? Like alone, or in the dorms with the other students?”

His smile vanished instantly. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not? I could manage on my own.”

“You know nothing about this country, Clara. A girl alone in a place like this is a girl in danger, princess or not.” He said it like the conversation was already over. “And the dormitories aren’t fitting for you either. I know you want to keep your identity quiet, and I’m allowing that, but there are limits.”

“But—”

“No buts. Those four boys are good children. I watched them grow up myself. I can vouch for them.”

Oh, Grandpa. If only you knew. I kept my face perfectly neutral while internally composing the eulogy for his judgment. Those aren’t good children. Those are wolves in expensive cologne, and your granddaughter may very well get eaten.

“They’ll take care of you,” he went on, oblivious to the crisis unfolding in my head. “You won’t have to lift a finger. Just let them look after you.”

Grandpa, I regret to inform you that none of them look remotely interested in “looking after” me except maybe Seb. The rest of them look like they’d sooner throw me to actual wolves. I pictured myself weeping dramatically into a handkerchief and almost laughed out loud at my own thoughts.

“Okay, Grandpa,” I said instead, because arguing clearly wasn’t getting me anywhere.

We talked a little longer, mostly Grandma fussing over whether I’d eaten and reminding me to call more often, before I finally said goodnight. It was late, and registration was first thing in the morning.

I set my phone down, stared at the ceiling for a while, thought about absolutely nothing in particular, and eventually let sleep drag me under.

The next morning, I came downstairs already braced for an empty kitchen and a solo trip to school. Instead, all four of them were standing by the door, looking like they’d been waiting.

I stopped on the last step, genuinely thrown. “You’re… waiting for me?”

“Obviously,” Zack said, not bothering to look up from his phone. “Try not to make us late.”

And just like that, my brief flicker of gratitude evaporated. “No one asked you to wait,” I shot back. “I’m perfectly capable of finding my own way to school.”

“Sure you are,” he said flatly, finally glancing at me like I’d said something amusing. “Good luck with that.”

“I mean it. I’d actually prefer going alone.”

“Not happening,” Micheal said, already grabbing his keys off the counter, like the matter was closed before it opened.

Alexander just smiled, the kind of smile that didn’t reach anywhere near his eyes. “Careful, Princess. You’ll hurt Zack’s feelings by acting like you don’t want his company.”

“I don’t have feelings where she’s concerned,” Zack said.

“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered, and his jaw tightened in a way that told me he’d heard every word.

We might have gone another three rounds if Sebastian hadn’t stepped between us, hands raised like he was breaking up an actual fight. “As much as I’d love to watch this turn into a full production,” he said, deadly serious, “I need to be on campus in thirty minutes. So can we save the bloodshed for later?”

Zack and I glared at each other a beat longer before I turned and stalked toward the car without another word.

The ride to campus was silent enough to cut glass. I stared out the window the entire time, arms crossed, doing my best impression of someone who was completely fine.

When we finally pulled up, the campus was still mostly empty, just a scattering of early students crossing the courtyard. I didn’t wait for the car to fully stop before I had my hand on the door.

“I’ll take it from here,” I said, already halfway out. “I can register myself. Thanks for the ride.”

I didn’t give any of them a chance to argue. I shut the door and walked off before my nerve could fail me.

Behind me, I caught the tail end of Sebastian’s voice, something about why I was in such a rush, why I hadn’t waited so they could walk me to the Dean’s office. Zack’s answer came quick and flat.

“Better this way.”

I didn’t look back to see if the others agreed.

Twenty minutes later, I deeply regretted my little display of independence. The campus was enormous, a maze of buildings that all looked identical, and the map on my phone had apparently decided to stop making sense the second I actually needed it. I found myself standing in front of some old, half-abandoned building that clearly hadn’t seen students in years, wondering exactly how I’d gotten there and exactly how long it would take to get anywhere useful.

Maybe waiting for them wouldn’t have killed me, I thought grudgingly, then shoved the thought away just as fast.

I didn’t want to depend on them. Not really. If they were half as popular as I suspected, they probably had fans, and I had no interest in becoming a target for jealous strangers before I’d even picked a major. I wanted something that resembled a normal life, even a small piece of one. And I definitely didn’t want to spend the next four years owing four different men favors I hadn’t asked for.

I still didn’t fully understand how this school worked, or exactly how much weight those four names carried. But something in my gut told me it was more than I’d guessed. Better to keep my distance until I knew for sure.

I was still turning that thought over when something pulled my attention sideways.

Inside the old building, through a gap in the doorway, a cluster of male students stood in a loose circle around someone. A female student, from what I could see.

And the second I looked closer, I knew something was very wrong.