Page 7 of Royal Academy

CHAPTER 4

The amusement Nick had felt upon entering that damned woman’s classroom had been replaced with sheer irritation. How dare she accuse him of undermining her? The whole reason he was in this bloody castle was because of her.

Never in his life had Nick met someone so prickly before. The woman should come with a damn warning label! Do not approach, hazardous to your happiness!

He stalked back to his room and over to his desk. The students were milling about and had a few moments before he would have to begin his lesson. His father would be in hysterics to see Nick teaching Royal Affairs.

It was his least favorite subject and one that the King of Moren often insisted upon drilling into his head. Nick had never been one that enjoyed ribbon cuttings and pointless speeches given to the aristocracy. In truth, many royals had little control over the actual running of their countries. It was more about parliament, shoving the crown into a figurative type role.

This was half the problem with royalty in the modern age, according to Nick. If they had more responsibility and less money they would be more inclined to give a flying rat’s ass about their people. Being a member of the royal family used to mean something, now it seemed that they were glorified figureheads.

Nick blew out a breath, glancing at his watch he realized that it was time to begin. He had the fourth-years, the class that had just come from Lia’s room.

He stood, “I don’t want any bullshit about non-existent disabilities. I have documentation for the students that fall into these categories.”

They looked up at Nick in surprise and he winced remembering too late that cursing wasn’t allowed. Not willing to back down Nick continued.

“Stand up, state your name, title, and reason for being here.”

The students began to do as instructed, there were Dukes, Countesses, Princesses, a Viscount or two, and a myriad of other titles scattered about the room. As each student stood Nick took in their tone of voice, posture, and reason for attending the Royal Academy.

For many, their answer was because my parents are making me. He couldn’t blame them, it would be similar to something he might have said himself.

There were others that seemed to try brown nose it and make themselves sound important.

But all in all, Nick wasn’t overly impressed with any of them. The only one that caught his eye was a little girl named Asha. She had shiny dark hair and a soft voice, but her answer rang out clearly just the same.

I wish to help those that don’t have a voice.

It was powerful. Nick had no idea who the girl was or what principality she came from. But her elegance and poise were spot-on. He knew that it wasn’t always the biggest and strongest that made the most difference in life.

Nick had a gut feeling that little Asha would move mountains one day. He continued with his class only stopping once when some of the students got unruly. He quickly split up the trio of Victoria, Franklin, and Simone. It was obvious that they were used to ruling things and Nick wasn’t about to have a child dictating his class.

One lesson seemed to blend into another until at long last he was finished with his first day. With a breath of relief, he grabbed something from the main hall for dinner not opting to sit with the staff. The last thing Nick wanted to do was to be inside a moment longer.

Changing into a pair of gym shorts and athletic shirt he laced his running shoes and slipped out the side castle doors.

The weather in Hazenbak had turned colder. Nick considered going back in for a hoodie but then decided against it figuring that once he got going he would be plenty warm enough. He started out at a jog until he began to feel that burst of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

As the endorphins kicked in Nick began to lengthen his stride, coming into his normal rhythm. Not being as familiar with the area, Nick was careful to watch where he was going on the paths. The last thing he needed was to get lost in the woods.

Running was freeing and for the first time that day Nick felt at ease with himself. Mile after mile, his feet pounded the earth. He couldn’t help that his mind kept reverting back to that little fiery fairy that seemed hellbent on hating him.

There was something about Princess Lia, he couldn’t put his finger on. It wasn’t the ridiculous clothes, although clearly, she needed help in that department. And it wasn’t her sparkling personality—obviously. But there was something almost vulnerable, perhaps it was in her eyes or the way her hands seemed to fidget.

Nick shook his head, he must be crazy. There was nothing soft or vulnerable about that harpy.

Rounding the bend he wasn’t looking ahead and ran smack dab into another runner on the path. He reached out to grab the person before they fell but it was a lost cause.

They both smacked the hard ground, him sadly, on the bottom.

Gobs of dark red curls covered his face as he tried to replace the air that had been knocked out of him. Closing his eyes again he wondered if someone was out to get him.

His attacker moaned and it was definitely not one of pleasure. He could hardly countenance the feeling of firm breasts pressing into his chest and the rapid breathing against his neck.

“Are you alright?” the voice squeaked and immediately Nick knew who was sprawled across him. To make matters worse, his cock was beginning to take notice of the female who had sat up to straddle him. Her hands cupped his cheeks as she leaned down to…

“What are you doing?” he expostulated as his eyes snapped open.

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