Chapter 1

Winter was finally over and the flowers started to bloom again as a sign that spring was coming. Leath Mayfair didn't like spring as everybody does, she preferred the cold breeze of winter touching her pale skin. Spring was definitely not her season, as it is the start of a new school year, new classmates, and new schoolmates that came from Elite families. But looking at the bright side, she's already nineteen years old, the age when an Elite like her graduates from Alexandrite Academy.  

"Cheer up, Leath! We're bunkmates this year! This is going to be fun!" Leatrice, her younger sister, said in a loud voice. Leatrice is six years younger than her, both have ebony hair but hers was straight while Leatrice's was curly and bouncy. She sometimes thinks that their hair matches their personality. Leatrice is lively and loud, unlike her who's boring and quiet.

"Stop using the term bunkmate, Leatrice. Roommate is the correct term to use for an Elite young lady like you," Leatrice rolled her eyes at her and mimicked what she said.

"Stop acting so dull, Leath. You're so boring," Leatrice crossed her arms and stood at the moment she saw a huge gate with big AA’s carved on it. The pine trees greeted them and luxury cars were everywhere. Leath held her aviators as soon as the sun touched her skin. 

"We're here! We're finally here, Leath!" Leatrice excitedly exclaimed.

"I know. I can see, Leatrice," Their car passed a large fountain and stopped in front of the school's main entrance. The chauffeur opened her door first and she stepped out with grace. She stared at their school's main building. 

"Welcome back to Alexandrite Academy, Lady Leth!" Lord Waldo, the school coordinator and the marquess of Younla, who’s dressed like their manor's majordomo—neat black suit and white gloves—, greeted her. She stopped herself from rolling her eyes and slightly bowed her head to greet him back.

"Thank you, but it's Liyeth, not Leth. How many times are you going to mispronounce my name, Lord Waldo?" she kid. 

"Ah! There are so many students and I can't remember how they are pronounced!” Lord Waldo offered his arm and she took it. 

"Wait, I'll call my sister," She looked back but Lord Waldo gently pulled her arm.

"Don't bother, I saw her get dragged by Lady Catherine Bermont," A golf cart appeared beside Waldo and he let Leath get in safely then drove the golf cart to the dormitories. 

"I got you the room where you want it to be, at the end of the east wing where you can't hear the noises," Leath smiled in amusement.

"You know me so well, Sir Waldo," Waldo laughed.

"I basically raised you. How can I not know you so well?" 

“You forgot the pronunciation of my name.”

“Touché.”

Leath was enrolled at Alexandrite Academy since she was seven years old and Lord Waldo Price was the one looking after her ever since. She became close friends with his children, the famous twins, Avery, who was one of her ladies-in-waiting, and Aric. Alexandrite Academy's students were unamusing to her but the twins were the only ones who could make her smile and laugh.

"Leath!" A girl and boy wearing white trench coats greeted her. They were both tanned and their identical faces were smiling at her from ear to ear.

"Avery, Aric," she called their names. Avery was a small young lady and her head barely reached Leath's shoulder, while Aric was tall and Leath's head could only reach his chest. 

"Thank you for bringing Leath to us, Daddy. We've been trying to reach her this winter vacation. I wanted to go with her but she said that I should study more than cling to her every time," Avery said as she clung to Leath's arm.

"You're welcome, princess. I'll take my leave, Lady Leath," She smiled at Lord Waldo and they watched him drive his golf cart away. Leath turned around to look at their newly renovated dormitory.

It's basically a mansion with 25 rooms at both East and West wings. The East Wing was for girls and the West Wings was for boys. Each room is equipped with the personal likes of every student and is spacious enough to accommodate four persons. 

"Let's go! I'm excited to see the renovated rooms!" Avery pulled Leath inside the dormitory. The sound of excited students was the first thing that they heard. Avery was silently shrieking as she gazes upon the interior of the lobby.

"Splendid! The designers did an outstanding job this school year!" Aric agreed with his twin, Leath just gave a plain look. In her mind, no matter how regal-looking their school is, it's still a school of rich spoiled brats. Calling them Elites are a bit of an exaggeration 

She was about to go to their room but a group of girls giggling caught her attention. They were looking at somewhere and it made them giggle even more. Being curious is not her thing, but she looked in the direction where the girls were looking and saw a boy sleeping on the lobby couch. The male students of Alexandrite Academy are all poised and well-mannered no matter how spoiled they are, but this one doesn't look like a student of Alexandrite Academy. Though he is wearing their uniform and has a huge suitcase beside him, she still doubts that he's a student.

"Is that Hayden?" Aric asked.

"Hayden-who?" Leath and Avery said in unison.

"Hayden Moreau. The Headmaster's other son," Aric left them and went towards the boy he called Hayden. Avery was asking questions while she was looking at the boy.

"Hayden, wake up bro," She heard Aric said. The boy groaned but got up immediately. Leath stopped her jaw from dropping. Hayden Moreau is not a boy, he's a man. A man wearing Alexandrite's silver uniform, the uniform for seniors. 

"I remember him," Avery said, finally ending her unending questions. "Remember Hayden, Leath? We were eight and he was 14, I think? He was our senior, but I hear rumours that he transferred schools even though his father owns the best Elite School in the country," Leath lost her interest the moment Avery told her about that. She thought she has already forgotten but no. Her days as a child were boring and almost blurry to her but she won't forget how she bumped into a guy named Hayden. 

Leath was just a child when her parents enrolled her at Alexandrite but she was already aware that she did not come to school just to have some fun and earn lots of friends, she came because a person of her class needs a proper education from an educated teacher in a prestigious school and also to earn connections. She was not the same person as she is right now. Leath as a child was weak and wanted to be in her parent's arms, not to be sent to a boarding school. When she bumped into a boy named Hayden, she became his bullying target for a year, she can not remember what he looks like but she remembers his name. But she didn't know that the boy bullying her was the Headmaster's son.

"Why are you still here, man? You're wearing our uniform, you're supposed to be a graduate," She took her hand from Avery, avoiding the sinful sight of the man. He's too good-looking to look at.

"Where are you going, Leath?" Avery asked.

"I'm going to check our room upstairs," Leath was about to take the stairs when someone whistled.

"There are lots of golds in this school this year. What's your name, Miss?" She was not assuming that she's not the person that guy was calling that's why she continued to walk until her assistant, Piper approached her and took her handbag.

"A bit of a snob, aren’t we?" Leath ignored him again. When she reached the top of the stairs she took a glance downstairs, only to find out that all of them were looking at her. Her eyes accidentally met with Hayden's bluish eyes, she saw him smirk.

"Welcome to Alexandrite Academy, Miss. I’m Professor Hayden Moreau, what’s your name?" She rolled her eyes at him and continued walking.

"You snobbed the hottest professor in school?!" Was Avery and Leatrice's greeting to her when they entered their room. Leath was standing in front of the air conditioner when they entered. 

"Who's hot?" Leath innocently asked. She spent three hours doing nothing and didn't even attend their orientation, she was not into exchanging grins and flirty words to a professor who dressed like a student while sleeping on their dormitory's couch. Hayden Moreau lacks the poise and manners that every man should possess and she dislikes that part of him. Very much.

"Are you blind? Hayden turned out to be a hot hunk and you just ignored him like he's a normal person?" Avery said in the most dismaying voice she could mutter.

"He may be hot but everybody knows that a teacher-student relationship is forbidden. It’s also unethical. He must stop before his careless flirting tactics tarnish my name so stop it," Leath said with a stern tone. Avery and Leatrice were disappointed but stopped teasing Leath, both of them knew best how Leath values her reputation as a Lady.

It was Leath and the twin's last school year, the graduating year for seniors like them. Unlike their Junior years and the first 2 years of being a senior, their final year was all about practical tasks and out-of-school exams. They will be going to countries with ongoing festivals and traditional occasions. It was the most fun time for most of the graduating senior Elites. 

The classes were filled with introductions about their tasks and what countries they are going to visit. Everyone was ecstatic, but Leath was frowning from the first class and still frowning while waiting for their last Professor for the day.

Leath was staring outside the window when her female classmates started to shriek and giggle. She didn't look at the reason why they were shouting until the Professor started to call names for the attendance.

"This one's interesting. Leath Mayfair," She stood up and a set of bluish eyes met her ash-coloured ones. 

"Here," She said. The blue-eyed professor grinned and sexily chuckled.

"Hello, baby."