Chapter 6 - Let's Be Friends

"A war of brains will be held in the city next month. Top academies will be participating, and the Celestia Academy — the best, of course, shall be proving once more why we are on top even after a century. So, the topic at hand now is who will be our participants,"

The whole room roared in excitement after the professor delivered the news. The tournament between different academies within the vicinity is held every year; It is a week-long event that will be held at the center of the city.

Streets will be decorated, and folks from neighboring areas will come to visit the festival. After all, the academies will be showing different battles, not just of brains, but of swords and muscles.

"Lady Charlene, care to share your thoughts about the trees outside?" 

Charlene looked at the professor with a flushed face. The other students giggle as it is rare to see the woman spacing out in the four corners of the very room. 

Charlene had been staring outside but not at the trees. She was staring at the man who was clashing swords with other Lycans in the field. He looked rather interesting to Charlene, and she did not notice she was staring for too long.

"Pardon? I apologize, Professor Mory," 

The professor shakes his head and continues to discuss the competition.

Diatrus Kembal sneers at Charlene, "Way to miss the chance to represent the academy, Adams," he mocked. Charlene could not care less about the supposed rival.

She could not care less about the competition at all. Charlene had been sleeping less in the past week after her encounter with Weiss. The issue had been keeping her up at night, and the idea of talking her father out of the matter scared her.

"Are you alright?" Charlene looks up at the man who's about to sit in front of her. It had been a long time since anyone tried eating with her.

Charlene either pushes them away, or they cannot simply tolerate her cold personality. It is so unusual that Charlene had to look around to conclude why the Lycan Prince ended to her table.

"There are many available tables, Your Highness,"

"Are you trying to push a royalty away?"

Charlene stares into his eyes. His lashes cast shadow beneath, and his ash-colored eyes looked at her intently.

"I believe there is no status in this academy, Your Highness," Charlene replied. The Lycan Prince sits on the chair across hers and smirks.

"Precisely. That is what I had been trying to tell you, Samarah," 

Charlene furrows her brows. No one calls her by her second name. Even her parents rarely use it to address her. The Lycan Prince is definitely getting stranger to the woman's eyes.

"What? You don't like that name?"

"Why are you doing this, Adhler?" Charlene suddenly asked. The Lycan could not respond quickly. He was caught off guard.

He did not really expect Charlene to call him by his name. Prince Adhler had been teasing the woman nonstop, but now that she was complying with his demand— he was stunned.

The Lycan Prince looks away as he clears his throat. His thoughts tangle, and he does not know what to tell the woman. Why is he doing this? Why has he been bothering her in the past few weeks? Even the Lycan Prince did not know the answer.

Prince Adhler looks at Charlene and then smiles. "Let's be friends,"

***

"Friends? Friends?! Seriously, I don't know what is wrong with that prince!" Charlene frustratingly told her cousin, Louise.

Louise stopped by the Celestia Academy to oversee an issue raised by the academic ambassadors. She thought she might as well look after her little cousin, and Louise was glad she did.

Louise stares at Charlene, who's walking back and forth in the room. Charlene is still ranting to her about the Lycan Prince, which Charlene chose to hide, that had been pestering Charlene in the past week.

"And he even sat with me in the cafeteria last time! You should have seen the eyes of the people around us! Ugh! Just what is wrong with him? We did not even know each other in the past two years that I have been staying here!" Charlene sits on the bed, looking at Louise's crimson eyes.

Louise chuckles, "Seriously? Do you find this situation hilarious, Louise?"

"Oh, no, no. I simply find your reaction cute,"

"Cute? What am I, a kid?"

"Come on, Char! You'd always be cute to us even if you aged a million," Louise pulls her to the bed and pats her head. "Why are you acting like this, Charlene?"

Charlene springs up and furrows her brows at the woman, "Acting like what?" She asked, confused.

Louise stares at her, "Like you care so much? Come on! This is not the first time someone has taken an interest in you. Why are you so invested in this? Would it not pass just like everybody else?"

Charlene suddenly realizes her thoughts. Questions like what Louise asked her waved inside her head. "You're right. I'm sorry," she told Louise, then sat straight up.

"Now, now, why are you suddenly apologizing? What is wrong with you, Charlene?" Louise holds her hand. Charlene stares at it, but she just shakes her head.

She thinks that nothing good will come, even if she makes Louise worry, "I'm fine. Come to think of it, why are you here?"

"Oh, I was just passing by,"

"Too many people are just passing by, huh?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Are you staying until the festival?" Charlene smiles at her. Louise looks away. She cannot turn Charlene down if she looks at her now.

Louise clears her throat, "I am not sure. I'll think about it,"

"Come on! Don't you want to watch me?" Charlene looked at her with eyes so focused that Louise had to give up.

"Fine, fine! I'd adjust my schedule to watch your game of wits whatsoever,"

Charlene jumps to her and hugs her tight. "You think Ashina can come too?" her hug tightened. Though Charlene is celebrating about her being a representative for the academy, she's also worried about her sister after hearing the news of Ashina being unwell.

"Have you heard from home?"

Charlene shakes her head, "Camon sent me a letter about the situation last week, but I haven't heard since then,"

"Why don't you come home then?" Louise strikes Charlene's hair between her fingers. She caresses her cheeks as she wipes the tears falling from Charlene's eyes.

'This is why I am against of you being in this academy. Why are you so stubborn, Char?' Louise wanted to scold her so badly, but she could not forget how eager the woman was when Charlene decided to join the academy.

Louise and Charlene talked more that night. Louise had to leave as early as dawn because of a message from her brother. 

"Hey,"

"Oh, hey," Charlene springs up and walks away. She did not even look back at the man. She's obviously avoiding him now.

"Come on, do you think you can get away from me?" Prince Adhler chuckled at her attempt to run away. "You're my partner—"

"What?" Charlene furrows her brows. She heard that the competition requires to have a senior partner, but she did not want to believe what she was hearing right now. "What did you just say?"

"I like the casualties now,"

"Answer me, Adhler,"

"And the calling me by my first name," he smirks. Charlene rolls her eyes before walking past the prince.

"Now, now, it's not like I decided this, you know? If you have problems with me being your partner, you should raise it with the headmaster. He decides things like this,"

'Though I pulled some strings to ensure I'd be standing beside you on that day,' —is what the prince is thinking, but he knows it would be best not to mention it to the woman if he wants to keep her as a friend.

A friend.

Even Prince Adhler thought that the thing was ridiculous. He could not believe he had nothing to tell Charlene that day and impulsively asked her to be his friend.

Dia, his brother, laughed at him when he mentioned the situation. Even his brother found the situation unbelievably ridiculous. 

"Whatever, Your Highness,"

"Oh, come on, Charlene Samarah Adams," Adhler follows her and takes her heavy books from her arms.

"What are you doing?" Charlene scowled at him and tried to reach for her books, but the prince's build was no joke.

"Trying to keep your arms intact? Why are you carrying such heavy books?" the Prince genuinely asked. He just could not wrap his head around it. Charlene is an obvious genius for the prince to take notice of her wits.

So why is she trying so hard to study more than she should? Why is she trying so hard?

"Are you insulting me?"

"What?" The Lycan Prince raised his brows. "Okay, you're misunderstanding me here—"

"Misunderstanding you? Hah! For goodness' sake, Adhler! Why the hell are you doing this to me? Why are you following me around? Why are you keeping me company? Why do you want to be my friend? Is this about your brother and my cousin, huh? Are you trying to use me or something?" Charlene burst out.

The prince stares at her and hands her the books, "I did not ask to be your friend to use you. I have no intention of doing so. I had even no intention of being your friend whatsoever—"

"Then why—"

"I don't know!" Prince Adhler shouted. He sighs and looks into her eyes, "I don't know, okay? I don't have any idea why I am doing this,"