The morning sunlight slowly penetrated the ventilation slits of Arvin's custom-built house. The atmosphere inside the first-floor hall, which was initially quiet, slowly became bustling. Dozens of people, ranging from the male students to the board of teachers, had awoken from their deep sleep.
They began making their respective beds and walked toward the bathroom hallway to clean themselves, preparing to continue the long journey to the Victoriaz Kingdom.
However, in another corner of the room, a highly contrasting sight was seen among the Flamort Kingdom delegation. Kylen sat sluggishly with his knees bent and his shoulders slumped. There were quite distinct dark circles under his eyes. The prince looked incredibly weak and devoid of energy because he truly couldn't close his eyes all night.
Damn it! In the end, I stayed awake all night. Kylen cursed inwardly while massaging his throbbing temples.
He lifted his head lazily. From where he sat, his eyes accidentally caught the figure of Arvin, who was standing and adjusting his clothes, getting ready to head to the bathroom. Kylen glared sharply at the blue-haired youth, as if venting his frustration for not being able to sleep.
Arvin, who felt he was being stared at intensely, immediately turned his head toward where the gaze originated.
Realizing their gazes met, Kylen instantly panicked. Spontaneously, he averted his face in another direction with a stiff and awkward movement.
Seeing that strange behavior, Arvin could only furrow his brows. He felt both surprised and confused by the attitude of the prince from the neighboring kingdom.
What's wrong with him? Arvin thought in wonder, still staring at Kylen who had looked away. He was glaring at me so sharply just now. But when I turned my head, he looked away like a frightened person instead. Does he hate me? What did I even do wrong? Is he actually upset because I took all the Grizzly Forest carcasses?
"My Husband, what are you doing over there? Come here quickly, let's bathe together!"
That cheerful shout from Allen successfully broke his train of thought. Arvin sighed softly, not wanting to fuss over the behavior of a prince he had just met. The blue-haired youth immediately stepped over to Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein, then walked together with the four of them toward the bathroom.
In the corner of the room, Kylen turned his head back and stared at Arvin's back as it slowly walked away. He clenched his own hands.
Why am I acting so embarrassingly like this? What is actually happening to me? Kylen thought, confused by his own conflicting feelings.
Trying to brush off his confusion, the prince finally forced himself to stand up from his bed, then walked unsteadily toward the bathroom hallway.
Because of his weak and unfocused body, his steps stumbled slightly.
Thud!
Right as he turned to enter the bathroom hallway door, Kylen bumped quite hard into someone who was standing in the doorway.
"Ouch... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Kylen said reflexively while looking up. However, his words were cut off in his throat.
Kylen's eyes widened broadly upon realizing who he had just bumped into. The blue-haired youth with a flat yet captivating expression, Arvin Vedegra.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
Kylen's heart beat incredibly fast like a war drum as he looked at the handsome face of the youth in front of him from a very close distance. His blood rushed intensely, and his breath seemed to hitch.
"Are you alright?" Arvin asked gently, trying to be polite to him even though he was the one who was bumped into.
Hearing that gentle voice, Kylen actually panicked even more. An overwhelming sense of nervousness took over him to the point that he responded with an explosive emotion instead.
"S-Shut up!" Kylen cut in quickly with a raised tone of voice, his face completely flushed. "Move aside! Don't block my way, I want to go inside!"
Hearing that baseless arrogant shout, the gentle expression on Arvin's face instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by a deadly cold aura.
Without warning, his right hand darted forward and immediately gripped Kylen's neck tightly. The prince's body was lifted into the air until both of his feet were raised and no longer touching the floor.
Arvin stared at the bluish-white-haired youth struggling in his grip with a gaze as sharp as a sword.
"You bumped into me, and now you are the one who dares to yell at me?" Arvin said in annoyance with a heavy and threatening tone of voice. "Do you think just because you are a prince, you can act arrogantly as you please like you are in your own royal palace?"
Seeing their master suddenly lifted and choked, the six Flamort Kingdom guard soldiers who were not far from there were instantly shocked. They hurriedly drew their weapons and ran forward to take action to help the prince.
However, before they could even step more than three meters, Arvin glared sharply at them. Extreme cold suddenly erupted from beneath Arvin's feet and spread at an invisible speed.
Crack!
In the blink of an eye, thick chunks of blue ice were created and immediately froze the bodies of the six soldiers up to their necks. They were trapped in eternal ice statues, unable to move even the tip of a finger.
"Release His Highness from your grip!" the army captain shouted in panic from within his frozen body, not accepting the rough treatment towards the prince.
"Release him, you say?" Arvin repeated coldly. "He bumped into me, and he is also the one acting arrogantly and yelling at me. Who does he think he is here? A god?"
Arvin stared at the six frozen soldiers with an undisguised murderous glint. "If you make noise again, I'll make sure all of you die and become shattered ice by my hands right this instant!"
Feeling the incredibly strong murderous intent from the youth, all the soldiers immediately fell silent. Their faces were deathly pale. They fully realized that right now, the lives of the six of them and the prince were truly hanging by a thread.
The commotion that occurred in front of the bathroom hallway immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the hall. However, knowing how terrifying Arvin was when angry, not a single person dared to step forward to help the prince and his six soldiers.
In the air, Kylen's face had started to turn a bluish-red because his airway was choked and oxygen was depleting.
Realizing that the prince had almost lost his consciousness, Arvin clicked his tongue and released his grip, letting the prince's body drop to the floor.
Kylen coughed violently, scooping up as much air as possible while clutching his aching neck.
Still with a cold stare, Arvin's left hand emitted a white light. He directed the recovery magic to Kylen's neck, healing the reddish bruise he had just made in a matter of seconds.
"Listen to me carefully!" Arvin said, giving his final warning, looking down at Kylen who was still sitting on the floor. "You and your group are free to stay here with us, join us for meals, or joke around with us. But I strongly dislike people who dare to challenge me!"
Hearing that threat, Kylen's response was truly unexpected. The embarrassment, coupled with his pride that had just been trampled in public, made the prince lose his mind.
Instead of feeling scared and apologizing, he looked up and challenged the descendant of the Vedegra family back.
"Shut your mouth!" Kylen shouted with a hoarse voice yet full of defiance. "Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me? A god? Do you think I'm afraid of your ridiculous threat?"