Chapter 3

“DID YOU LIKE, SEE HER CARDIGAN?” THERE WAS A TITTER OF laughter from the back of the classroom that Lia fought to ignore.

“OMG, I’m totes dying for her, like, I can’t even look in that direction.”

“Right? I mean who matches yellow with black and burgundy? She looks like a demented bumblebee.”

More laughter from the whispered words that were clearly meant to carry. Lia had dealt with mean girls in school and she was used to being a little bit different than everyone else. It shouldn’t hurt, the words that were being callously tossed her way. It shouldn’t, and yet it did.

Lia had spent the first half of their class time going over rules and expectations. Then she split the students into groups of three or four to practice introductions. It was a get to know you of sorts that after a bit if hindsight proved to be wasted on the fourth-year students.

Obviously, they had spent the previous three years getting to know one another. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Lia chided herself.

This was the first lesson of the day and she had three more to survive before she could hide in her room and pretend that she wasn’t back in the place that had nearly scarred her for life.

Looking down at her yellow cardigan and black tank top she supposed that it was a little bumblebee-ish, but paired with the burgundy pants surely took the edge off. The sad truth was that Lia had never been much for fashion.

Her father had tried to press royal dressers on her, and Lia always felt that they were stifling her creativity. She had no wish to go about in pantsuits and linen frocks. Heaven knew that her time in the navy pleated skirts and white oxford shirts at the Royal Academy had been torture enough.

“I can’t believe that she’s the princess here.”

The tall dark-haired girl was named Simone. Smooth dark skin and high cheekbones, Simone looked like a model and wore her uniform at least two sizes too small. One would think with such a willowy frame it would be near impossible to show off so many curves. She had been the one kind enough to point out Lia’s resemblance to the flying insect.

Standing next to Simone, was Victoria. Long blonde hair and fragile blue eyes one would think she was the perfect princess in need of rescue. Until you get caught in the backlash of her caustic tongue. Victoria’s mouth curved up into a mocking smile when she met Lia’s eyes.

Don’t show fear.

Don’t show fear.

The moment she looked away Lia knew it had been a mistake, there was another titter of laughter. It felt just as terrible now being made fun of as it had back then.

The third in their group was a slender young man with

chiseled features and a haughty gaze. His messy locks and bad boy looks had garnered more than a few stares from some of the other young ladies and several of the young men.

Franklin was the God of Royal Academy and he wore it well. Walking into her class five minutes late he didn’t bother to make an excuse just shrugged into his seat and smirked at his minions.

Lia looked at the clock, it was 9:47 am, she had miles to go before she was finished.

Tossing her shoulders back she addressed the class, “Back to your seats, students we are going to begin another exercise.”

There was a low grumble as the twenty-two, fourth-years ambled back into their ancient desks. The same desk carols that had been there when Lia had been a student.

She cleared her throat, “We are going to now go around the room and each of you will tell us who the person is in front of you and something positive that you have learned about them.”

They started with a small Asian girl named Asha who introduced a chubby young woman with startling black curls named, Hannah. Asha proceeded to tell the class that Hannah enjoyed basketball.

“Fat ass,” it was meant to be some kind of a sneeze, but the words were clear. Lia whipped around to see Simone and Victoria laughing their asses off.

Franklin had a smirk on his face along with a defiant glare.

“Let me make myself clear,” Lia was fuming and doing her best to hold in what she really wanted to say to these spoiled brats. “You are here because my country has been kind enough to extend the invitation to yours. I will not tolerate bullying of any kind.”

Victoria tossed her blonde hair behind her shoulder, “You can’t like, expel any of us.”

She was correct, Lia couldn’t do that of her own accord. However, Lia was a teacher and despite her father’s abhorrence, older brother Benedict simply adored Lia. If push came to shove, he could do something.

“Just so I am understanding correctly, Victoria,” she lifted her chin, surprised that Lia already knew her name. She plowed on, “Are you defying my rules?”

Infractions meant demerits, all of the students were placed in houses and when demerits were given it not only affected the individual, but it went against the house. Simone and Victoria were placed in Diamonds, it seemed that the highest titled and most affluent students were.

There were two houses for the girls, Diamonds and Rubies, and two for the boys, Emeralds, and Sapphires. In her day, when the Royal Academy was all girls, Lia was a Sapphire, hence the navy uniform. Now that the boys had taken up the other two houses they wore the navy and green uniforms.

The ladies were split into white and red pleated skirts. It reminded Lia somewhat of the Scarlet Letter. It was clear that if you were anyone you wore a white skirt. The girls in the red skirts like Asha and Hannah were treated like second-class citizens.

Victoria flashed those blue eyes in fake concern, “No, Princess Lia, I would never dream of breaking a rule.”

Lia fought the urge to roll her eyes knowing that it was the height of unprofessionalism to call your students a bitch.

She looked over at Hannah who had her eyes glued to

her desk, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Remembering too late how awful it was when teachers tried to protect the weaker ones. It always meant more torment in the end behind closed doors.

Sighing, Lia decided to let it go and asked the next student to continue the exercise. Dutifully the students stood and did as they were required. It wasn’t until Franklin that the exercise once again came to a complete halt.

“Yes?” Lia encouraged.

“I have social anxiety and am excused from oral participation.”

There was a wave of laughter as the implications from his statement washed over the room.

Lia gritted her teeth. Coming from someone who honestly suffered from anxiety it infuriated her that he was taking advantage of the system.

“Quiet down! Quiet!” Once they settled, she continued, “How tragic for you Franklin. I’m sorry that you won’t be participating in any oral situations. It can be a confidence booster and quite fulfilling if you have half a mind to try it.”

The words were out of her mouth before she realized how they would be taken. Someone with a deep voice cleared their throat behind her. Lia turned around to see Professor Leham had stepped inside the classroom.

His face was stoic, but those eyes, damn those green eyes that shown with mirth.

“Princess Lia, we are edified to hear your enthusiasm for, what was it? Oral? However, the paging system seems to be on the fritz and it’s time to switch classes.”

The students couldn’t contain themselves. One boy had tears in his eyes he was laughing so hard.

Lia’s eyes narrowed on the man that chose to make fun of her in front of the entire classroom. She marched up to him and jabbed his chest. His rock hard and incredibly fit chest, but that wasn’t the point.

“How dare you?” Lia seethed.

Nick raised a brow, how he managed to look so infuriatingly handsome Lia would never know.

“Did you come in here just to undermine my authority?”

Nick’s eyes narrowed, “I came in here to alert you to the bell system being down. How was I to know you would be extolling the virtues of oral to your class?”

“Not sex you idiot!” her words were spoken between clenched teeth. “Now they are never going to respect me!” Nick scoffed, “I think you are overreacting.” “Do you?” Lia’s eyes blazed.

“Well, I just said as much,” he tipped his head to the side.

Lia tried to ignore the quirk of his lips as he added, “Perhaps, Princess, if you took a less military-like approach the students would be more accepting.”

Lia had never wanted to strangle a person before and yet right before her eyes, she could feel her hands wanting to reach out and grab the man’s neck.

“Stay out of my classroom,” she bit out the words before whirling around to see what someone had drawn on the desk.

It was a poor characterization, but the words written above made everything clear.

Princess Amelia likes cock.