Aciel's entire body ached when he slowly opened his eyes.
His head felt unbearably heavy, and the overpowering scent of antiseptic, soap, and disinfectant lingering inside the infirmary only made his nausea worse.
He groaned softly before forcing himself to sit up despite the pain running through his body.
"Let me help you."
Before he could move further, Xylia quickly rushed to his side and supported him carefully until he was seated properly on the bed.
Aciel instinctively wanted to pull away from her touch.
But he felt too weak.
Too exhausted.
And far too dizzy to argue properly.
"I'm sorry for attacking you earlier," Xylia said softly. "It was the only way I could stop you."
She lowered her eyes briefly.
"You already had a fever, and you kept pushing yourself past your limits. I didn't have a choice."
Aciel remained silent.
She was right.
Even before the fight started, he already knew he was sick. During basketball practice earlier that morning, he could already feel the fever building inside his body.
But because of his pride, he refused to let anyone notice his weakness.
"It's fine," he muttered weakly while struggling to breathe normally. "I'll just go home."
Xylia frowned slightly.
"I think you should rest first," she said carefully. "I'll inform the professors and ask them to contact your parents so someone can pick you up."
Aciel immediately felt his headache worsen after hearing her voice again.
For some reason, her presence was making him even more irritated and restless.
"Will you just shut up?" he suddenly snapped angrily. "I don't want to hear anything from you."
His silver eyes darkened.
"And I don't want you here either. Get out."
Xylia froze in shock.
For a brief second, silence filled the infirmary.
But instead of arguing back, she simply smiled softly.
Without another word, she took his hand gently and placed a glass of water in it before offering him medicine.
"Here," she whispered quietly. "It's paracetamol. It'll help with the fever and the pain."
Then, before Aciel could respond—
she quickly left the infirmary.
Aciel closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead weakly.
His thoughts felt messy and unclear.
The last time he became this sick was years ago when he was still in grade school. He had almost forgotten how terrible fever felt.
"You really should stop yelling at her."
Aciel opened his eyes again after hearing Simon's voice.
Without replying, he silently swallowed the medicine Xylia gave him before drinking the water slowly.
Then he leaned back against the bed and sighed heavily.
"What do you want, Simon?" he muttered tiredly. "I want to rest."
Simon crossed his arms.
"I'm just saying you should at least try being decent to her," he replied. "Even if you don't like Xylia, that doesn't mean you have to treat her like that."
Aciel frowned.
"She didn't even do anything wrong," Simon continued. "And by the way, who do you think treated all your wounds while you were unconscious?"
Aciel instinctively looked down at his hands.
Bandages were carefully wrapped around his swollen knuckles.
Slowly, he touched his forehead and realized the deep cut there had also been treated.
Did she do all this?
For some reason, the thought irritated him even more.
Simon sighed before speaking again.
"I already called Mario. He'll arrive in about an hour to pick you up," he explained. "You should go home and rest."
Then his expression turned serious.
"And tomorrow, the student council will conduct an investigation regarding the fight earlier. So be prepared."
By the time his driver finally arrived, Aciel's fever had lessened slightly.
However, exhaustion still lingered heavily throughout his body, so he decided to skip the remaining classes and return home immediately.
Inside the car, Aciel rested his head against the window and closed his eyes.
But the moment he tried sleeping—
images of Xylia suddenly appeared in his mind.
Her face.
Her voice.
Her emerald-green eyes.
"What the hell…" he muttered under his breath irritably.
"Did you say something, Young Master?" Colt, one of his bodyguards, asked immediately.
Aciel opened his eyes slowly.
"I want you to investigate the Antonov Clan," he ordered coldly. "I want everything about them."
His expression darkened further.
"Especially their daughter."
Colt nodded without hesitation.
He never questioned Aciel's orders.
"Yes, Young Master," he answered respectfully. "I'll have the report ready within two days."
Aciel clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Two days felt too long.
But considering they were dealing with the Antonov Clan—the wealthiest and most influential family in Bloomsdale City—he understood why gathering information would not be easy.
Still, he wanted answers immediately.
Without waiting, Aciel pulled out his phone and searched for Xylia's name online.
As expected, countless articles instantly appeared.
But even he did not expect to find more than ten thousand search results connected to the Antonov heiress.
The first article that caught his attention came from a prestigious magazine company called Pandora.
It included an interview and a press conference video before Xylia's photoshoot for their newest issue.
Curious, Aciel pressed play.
"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet the princess of the Antonov Clan," the interviewer said excitedly. "The rumors are true. You really are incredibly beautiful, Miss Xylia."
On the screen, Xylia smiled politely.
"It's an honor to be chosen as this month's cover girl for Pandora," she answered gracefully. "This is actually my first photoshoot with your company, so I'm quite nervous."
Aciel stared at her intensely throughout the interview.
He carefully observed every movement, every expression, and every word that came out of her mouth.
Then suddenly—
he noticed something.
A slow smirk appeared on his lips.
"You really are a good liar, Princess," he murmured quietly.
After finishing the video, Aciel searched for the photoshoot itself.
The moment he saw the images, however—
his expression instantly darkened.
It was a men's magazine.
And Xylia had posed wearing swimsuits.
He immediately checked the release date.
It was this month's issue.
"Mario," Aciel suddenly called out coldly. "Stop by a magazine store."
The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"You mean Pandora's newest issue?" Colt asked carefully. "The one featuring the Antonov heiress?"
"Yes," Aciel answered simply.
A few minutes later, Mario pulled over near a store while Colt quickly went inside to buy the magazine.
The moment they arrived home, Aciel headed straight toward his bedroom with Pandora in his hands.
Sitting on his bed, he slowly opened the magazine and began reading.
"Xylia Lovelle Antonov, age nineteen," he read quietly. "The eldest child of the Antonov Clan. Her hobbies include reading books and playing the piano."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued.
"Black belt in taekwondo… highest-ranking student in archery…"
Then came the final sentence.
"Although she was born a woman, she proved that she could do everything a man could."
Aciel scoffed softly.
"You really are something else, Xylia," he muttered to himself.
Then he turned the page.
The moment he saw the photos—
his breathing stopped briefly.
His jaw tightened, and his heartbeat suddenly became uneven.
The woman staring back at him from the magazine looked nothing like the obedient student council president he saw every day.
She looked breathtaking.
Confident.
Seductive.
Dangerously beautiful.
And for the first time—
Aciel realized just how attractive Xylia Lovelle Antonov truly was.