Re: Who needs a prince when you're a queen?

Chapter Twenty-Three: For survival, a schemer has to make a deal

They say that just by thinking about committing a crime, you have basically already done it halfway. If so, I must be already a fully pledged criminal because oh boy, you will not believe the amount of misconduct I have been thinking for the past couple of months.

And yes. Another time skip.

Aside from the fact that Percival had to stick by close to me for a certain amount of hours every single day, nothing has been particularly eventful. This was the agreement that my brothers and Percival have come to when they realized that currently, there was no remedy for an accidental mark. Until a solution has been found, Percival had to stay close within my vicinity under close watch.

Thus, I am presently under one of these "staying-close-to-Percival" moments. And I am so close to going mad.

"You look even worse than when I saw you yesterday," Percival mocked as he sneaked a peek at me with one eye then decided to close his eyes again after realizing that I was not a subject of interest. He was lying beneath the shade of the trees inside the campus and acting as if he owned the place.

Remember how I said I may become a criminal someday? This is the reason. While I could excuse Cedric's teasing since we grew up together and I had gradually understood how his bratty mind works (sort of), but this wolf boy does not get a pass.

"Why hello there, Percival," I resisted the urge to just give him a good ol' smack because heaven knows I am much better than that. Moreover, Valentin's constant reminder that I had become immature had messed with my mind, so now, I am trying my best to mind the proper decorum.

"I see you did not bring your posse with you today," He commented, ignoring my greeting.

"And I see that you did not bring her with you," I said, referring to the heroine, as I sat plopped down on the grass a few meters away from him. Not too far but not too near either. This was the acceptable distance that the mark needs in order to not get too irritable. I don't know what it is that I am trying to obtain from Percival, by the way. Was it pheromones? His temperature? His voice?

He opened his eyes and slowly sat straight while leaning his back against the base of the tree trunk. "She still has lessons. After all, she's smart unlike you."

Well I am sorry for not being born intelligent. Some people are just born to be average. Give the mobs like me a break. However, rather than venting out my innermost feelings to him, I decided to do the mature thing and just rolled my eyes.

Perhaps irritated by my reaction, he continued to pry at me. "Well I suppose you're the dumbest one in your circle of noble brats. Everyone else is having extra lessons meant for students with exemplary talent and then there's you," he looked me up and down. "If you were not born a noble's daughter, you won't even have anything to your name."

I clenched my fist. What is wrong with this kid? I was the one who got injured. I was the one who may possibly die because of his deeds, but he is the one getting all mad?

He continued. "If you have half a brain as your so-called friends, then at least I'd get someone who would be a good conversationalist-"

You know how conversations get interrupted because something may have interfered with the speaker? Well that interference was me throwing my book at Percival and hitting him square in the face. Was I being immature? Most likely. But did I regret it? Nope.

It took him a few seconds to process what just happened before glaring at me. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

The audacity! I angrily stood up and looked down at him with arms akimbo. "NO, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"