Chapter 104

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Ariel turned back alone. Although she hadn’t thought much of it when she passed by earlier, if Lexius was there, it was a different story.

When she arrived at the central lounge where his portrait was displayed, she could hear the buzz of conversation. The large crowd in the hall made her uneasy. Even so, she pushed her way through the group of students gathered in one spot, knowing that Lexius would be right in the middle of it.

“As expected…”

Ariel murmured to herself.

Sitting on a velvet couch, surrounded by a group of girls squealing with excitement, was Lexius.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing over the crowd gathered around him. With sharp eyes, a chiseled nose, and a piercing gaze, he gave off an intimidating presence like a blade sharpened to perfection. Every feature was perfectly refined, leaving not a single flaw as if there wasn’t a weakness to be found in him.

Sure enough, sitting there with his legs crossed in that arrogant way, he looked every bit as flawless and impressive as people said.

The moment Lexius’s eyes landed on them, the students instinctively froze, holding their breath.

The hero of the South, a name they had only ever heard in rumors. After nearly two years, he was now right in front of them. He was someone who had never even stepped into the teachers’ lounge before, so it was no wonder the students were worked up over his every move.

Every student who happened to meet the gaze of such a rare figure fell silent.

Because of that, the lounge went completely quiet for a moment. Even though he wasn’t doing anything threatening and stayed perfectly composed, there was something about his presence—so intense it didn’t seem human—that seemed to suppress everyone around him.

It was that same commanding presence of someone born to rule, a presence she had experienced many times before.

Just then, Lexius suddenly lifted the corners of his lips and smiled warmly. When Ariel looked around and realized that his gaze was locked on her, she startled slightly.

Her face, half-hidden among the crowd, tensed.

Meanwhile, the girls next to her looked thrilled, practically bouncing in place as if they were honored to be noticed by him. On the other hand, Ariel quietly took a step back, acting as though she hadn’t seen him.

‘I shouldn’t have come.’

Having a conversation with someone who was the center of this much attention was incredibly draining.

If she dealt with Lexius in front of all these watching eyes, it wouldn’t be surprising if reckless rumors started flying. On top of that, the way he greeted her with such a big smile seemed anything but harmless. It was the exact same look he had when he casually challenged someone to a duel in advanced magic warfare class.

Ariel dropped her eyes and quietly blended into the crowd. She figured it was best to slip away unnoticed while she still could.

At that moment, Lexius rose from his seat as if he were about to follow her. His sudden movement caused the crowd to gasp and murmur in surprise. Some were even startled enough to let out small screams.

As she tried to quietly pull away from the noisy crowd, he suddenly caught her arm.

Her thin arm was pulled up without resistance, and his grip was so firm that she had to stand on her toes as he dragged her in front of everyone. All eyes immediately turned to her. The way they looked at her mirrored the same admiration they had when staring at Lexius.

“She’s so beauti—hup!“

One of the male students, who had been openly admiring Ariel’s beauty, quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. Lexius’s icy stare had passed right over him, and the frightened student’s face turned as pale as a sheet.

“Yeah, I know. She’s beautiful.”

Lexius quickly masked his icy gaze and replied in a light, cheerful voice. His words sent a ripple through the hall, and suddenly, the room was buzzing with excitement.

Once everyone realized just how beautiful she was, their stares became shamelessly obvious. Their eyes clung to Ariel’s face, pale as snow and framed by long lashes, as if leaving marks with every glance. The students sneaked curious looks at her, whispering guesses about what kind of relationship she might have with Lexius.

Whispers spread, speculating that she might be his follower, a close friend, or maybe even something more.

Despite the somewhat rude remarks, for some reason, Lexius didn’t say a word to stop them. If anything, he seemed to be letting them talk on purpose. It was almost as if he enjoyed being the center of this swirling chaos of guesses and speculations.

Even the students who had been quietly observing started leaning in, eager to listen to the rumors and add their own wild guesses.

In the midst of this, a few students suddenly recalled that Ariel was a transfer student.

“Wait, isn’t she that transfer student?”

“Isn’t she the one who was sitting next to the prince in the last magic combat class?”

“She was with His Highness the Prince?”

“Does that mean she’s from the royal family?”

“So, she’s just a close friend of the prince?”

“Don’t tell me… a princess candidate?”

As the conversation grew more intense, someone eventually mentioned the title ‘princess candidate.’ As rumors often do, they escalated from vague and uncertain to specific and scandalous. The moment that bold title was thrown out, every rumor about Ariel took off in that direction.

“I heard someone say they saw her sitting with His Highness the Prince in another class too…”

“If they’re sitting that close together in the study room, doesn’t that mean they’re really close?”

“Does that mean the transfer student is a new candidate for the princess?”

“Now that I think about it, she was standing right next to Her Illustrious Highness Lady Chappelle during the entrance ceremony.”

As soon as the conversation reached that point, Lexius’s brows furrowed in irritation. The tolerant attitude that had seemed to indulge their gossip disappeared, leaving his face cold and unreadable. Ariel was equally uneasy about the rumors growing more outrageous by the second. The gossip about her being a princess candidate would spread like wildfire, and if she didn’t stop it now, it would definitely come back to haunt her. So, as the crowd’s whispers turned into firm belief, she finally spoke up.

“His Highness the Prince simply appreciates the loyalty of the Huckley family and is helping me, as their daughter, adjust to life at the academy. Please, I ask that you refrain from excessive speculation.”

Even though she looked fragile with Lexius holding her arm, her voice was steady and unwavering.

But once the rumors gained momentum, they weren’t about to die down so easily. Even with her firm explanation, the crowd continued murmuring among themselves… that was, until someone powerful enough to silence them stepped in.

“She said it’s not true.”

The moment Lexius’s sharp voice rang out, all the loud chatter instantly died down.