My school days went by as usual but every magic lessons, my classmates take them from Elima--Limare-sensei while I have one-on-one tutorials on how to purify and contain my mana with Maxentius-ouji.

"Try harder!"

"Ah, yes..!" I closed my eyes to feel my elusive mana once more. Beads of sweat ran down my temple and my stomach was empty.

*grumble

My face heated up in embarrassment.

"So you're hungry already? Let's go to the cafeteria?"

"I-I have a bento..!" I blurted out. Actually, I don't have one.

"You're not trying to escape, are you?" I stepped back. "Hmmm???"

"Of course not..!" He smirked and dragged me away. I had a hard time folowing him because he took long strides while I'm stuck with my short legs.

Why are women so disadvantaged compared to men?!

He bought many dishes that I thought he's having a banquet. He just stared at me, implying that I should dig in but because I was ashamed, I was reluctant to.

"Eat."

"... I'm not hungry at all, Maxentius-ouj--"

*ahem

"Makkun."

I was a bit uncomfortable for addressing a prince casually but strangely, I feel a strong sense of familiarity.

"I wanna treat you well so dig in!" He beamed out a smile, obviously a pseudo-smile.

"I'm fine..!"

He's treating me so well because he sees me as a replacement for his first love, the draconic princess.

I just heard my friend Liliana-chan that he was so in love with Seraphine-hime, but an accident happened and killed her. Since then, he became too detached from the world and anytime, he could be planning on covering the world in crimson blood.

I'd shiver at the thought.

"Sese-chan?" With that tone, I must now compromise. I ate a whole bowl of salad and drank a glass of water. "That's it?" He asked in suspicion.

I chose the salad because it's the cheapest in the menu.

"... yes."

"Hello Selestine-san!" Hestia Ceres Mantissa-ojou greeted me from behind. Her harmless smile is the scariest thing about her. "Greetings to you, Kaichou~~"

"He-Hello..!"

"Likewise, Fuku Kaichou."

"Can I sit beside you, ojousan?"

"... yes." Don't ever provoke the daughter of one of the most powerful and influential persons in the world.

She sat down and beamed out a smile, to which I responded by moving a litle farther than her. She pouted and easily closed the distance between us.

"I'm not gonna bite you~~" I glanced at 'Makkun' to mentally ask for help but he just smiled at me. "Please be my friend!!"

"Wha-What..?"

"I wanna be your friend, Selestine-san!!"

"Okay..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Can I call you Sel-chan?!"

"In return, can I call you Tia-chan?" She widened her eyes for a moment but pretended to have made a mistake by putting on a fake smile. "Tia-chan?"

"I just missed my friend..." She sadly uttered.

Well, she was a close friend of the late Seraphine-hime...

'Makkun' suddenly pulled my wrist and placed me on his lap. Some of our female school mates dropped their eating utensils to the floor while the males just stood dumbstruck at the current situation. Tia-chan's shoulders were trembling.

*pffft

"Wha..!!"

"Sese-chan~~" He whispered to my ears that my blood rushed to my face. "My Sese-chan~~"

"Tia-chan, help me!!" I mouthed to my new friend but she just gave me a 'thumbs-up'.

"I cannot let go of old grievances, Sel-chan~~"

"I hate you!!"

I froze on my 'seat' when I felt something digging into my skin. My neck felt moist and at the same time, painful.

"Ma-Makkun..?"

"Shh..." I clamped my mouth shut.

*bathump 4x

My heart seemed to break out of my ribcage for thumping too hard. I felt my face and body heating up due to his weird actions.

*slurp

What did I just hear? Did he lick my neck?! What the heck?!!

"Makkun..." I softly whispered. "Stop..!"

"Wait..." A pair of teeth dug into my skin again but after a while, he wiped off some of his excess saliva with a handkerchief. He removed his necktie and tied it to my red neck. "There!" He smiled in contentment that I had an urge to smack him in the head.

"Wha-What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Did you have to do it in front of so many people?! It was so embarrassing..!"

"I understand..."

"It's good that yo--"

"I'll make sure to do it when we're alone!" I clenched my fist to restrain my fury and slammed my head against the table.

"Wh-Why me?!"

"It's okay Sese-chan, I'll try hold back next time~"

"It doesn't sound reassuring at all..!"

"At least I got to taste you after many years..." He murmured which I didn't hear and Tia-chan nodded.

Traitor!! So much for petty friendship!!

I walked to my dormitory and tried erasing the mark by rubbing a wet towel on it, but it didn't work. I cursed the perverted Crown Prince in my heart as I was cooking my dinner and washing my clothes.

I heard a knock from the door and expecting to be the old lady next door who lived with twenty cats, I opened the door and soon regretted doing so when the guy I just cursed went in swiftly and closed the door.

Water was dripping from his hair and his white polo had its buttons mismatched. A cool yet fresh scent radiated from him and I unconsciously stepped back.

"What are you doing here, Makkun?"

"I'm here to continue what happened earlier..."

I just want to get in a corner and cry buckets. Centifolia-sama, why are you doing this to me?!! I refuse to surrender to his charms!!

He reached out his hands that I ran to the corner.

"Oh come on Sese-chan, we're considered adults already!"

For some reason, it doesn't feel right. Isn't eighteen years the age of an adult?

"I'm still fourteen, and I'm not prey..!"

"Hmmm..."

He walked towards me and removed my hair tie, making my hair drop to my back. He held both of my wrists and pushed me to the wall. He was about to touch my back when another knock resonated inside.

He reached for the doorknob and because of my fear of his future actions, I followed behind him.

"Obasan!!"

"Ah, young love~~ Fufu~" She commented as she looked at us in amusement while holding her black cat with green eyes.

Wait, aren't Makkun and my appearance seem disheveled?! She misunderstood!!

"It's not what you think, obasan!!" I side glanced at him. "Help me explain!!"

"She's right..."

"This grandma understands... mhmm..."

You're just making fun of us!!