Page 30 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
“Breaking some rules will get you expelled, while breaking others will earn you a bad-ass reputation. It’s not my job to help you distinguish between the two, so tread carefully. Knowing which rules to break and when and where to do so is an art. Unless you can back up your bouts of rebellion with some serious wits and power, I don’t recommend walking down this path,” Devi muses.
“Bullshit!” Iris grumbles.
“Little Flower, how many women have been graduate students in the last decade?”
Iris crosses her arms over her chest. “I don’t remember.”
“You’re the only one,” Willow says under her breath.
“Good girl. Now, why is that?” Devi asks sharply.
Fire burns within Willow’s gaze. “Because equality between men and women is a myth. We judge the mortals for imprisoning their women in hideous corsets. We think ourselves superior because they prevent females from voting and building their own wealth, but deep down, we’re not much better. Marriage and motherhood is still thrust upon us at an earlier age, and females are ten times more likely to be challenged and kept off their rightful thrones than men when they are marked by the gods to rule.”
Devi arches a brow, clearly impressed. “Exactly. Why do you think they made me Keeper of this dorm when I’m the most famous rule breaker this school has ever allowed to graduate? Doesn’t make much sense, does it?” She smacks her lips together, giving us a moment to chew on the question. “Because I’m the only woman who made it into a graduate program, that’s why. Until you turn eighteen, your parents basically own you. They can legally beat you or marry you off to someone you hate. So, no drinking until you’re of age, as mentioned. No cheating on examinations, no traveling through the sceawere unless your itinerary is sanctioned by a faculty member. You are to exert discretion about what you’ll learn here. Enchantments, spells, other court’s traditions or private affairs, and so on. So don’t think of dazzling your cousins over break with juicy, sordid details.”
Devi pauses, watching us closely. “Curfew is at ten, and I expect everyone in their beds by midnight. A few special celebrations are exceptions to that, like the admission trials yesterday, and it’ll be made clear that curfew will not be enforced on those nights. If I come here in the middle of the night and find you gone, I will rat you out faster than you can invoke the name of my grandsire.
“No act of violence will be tolerated. You can’t enchant your enemies for fun or use your magic against them unless it’s in self-defense. We’re not here to shred each other to pieces.” Her fist curls over the edge of the counter, and a tense breath rushes past her clenched teeth. “And I warn you against spreading your legs for anything with a hot mouth and perfect abs. Times have changed, but not enough for us females to assume our indiscretions are viewed in the same light as men’s. They can afford to plow their way to the Eternal Chalice, whereas we have to exercise restraint. If you sample every royal cock there is, it’ll quickly become a very…incestuous situation.” She bites her bottom lip, balancing herself from her heels to her toes. An odd tension lingers in the air as she holds my gaze. “And if you’re same-sex oriented, you’re in luck, because no one cares. Just don’t go screaming from the rooftops that you’re shagging your roommates, and you’ll be fine.”
A fierce blush creeps on my cheeks at the reminder of how I ogled her earlier.
“Keep your secrets close and your sins closer. Gold and jewels have no value here, but secrets do… A badly kept secret could keep you—or your competitor—from becoming queen. Gossiping away your ammunition is insipid, so don’t.” Devi’s eyes dart to Iris, and I might be reading too much into it, but something in her gaze suggests an admonishment, as Iris’s teeth grind in a very unladylike fashion in response.
“What did I forget? Oh, yes. You’ve already met your villains. It’s customary for the fourth years to initiate the rookies. They’ll give you ridiculous, dangerous, or downright mental challenges to plot and execute in the next few months and tally your points to pit you against one another. Don’t accidentally kill yourself for glory, alright? And whatever you do, never give away your true name.”
“But I heard you smashed the initiation record,” Iris says, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well, yes. I’m Devi Eros.” Devi flips the twisted locks of her flaming red ponytail behind her head with a cheeky smile, as if her name explains it all.
Given the admiration written in Willow’s wide, adoring gaze and the flush on her cheeks, it probably does.
“Now, the bibliotheca and dining hall are in the main building, on the second and third floors. Classrooms are on the floors above. I trust you know how to count, so I won’t be showing you around. Don’t give me a reason to remember your name, and you’ll graduate.” She narrows her eyes at each of us in turn. “But if you truly want to become queen, in your own right, and not only through marriage, make sure no one around these parts ever forgets it.”
A Faeling flies in from the window, his magic allowing him to pass through the solid glass. “Mistress. You’re late for… you know.”
The little creature flutters around for a moment, dressed in old-fashioned purple clothes. The outfit is tailored to fit his tiny frame, complete with a crisp collar and a waistcoat. His delicate wings shimmer as he hovers just above my eye level, creating a gentle hum in the air. The old Winter King has a Faeling. I was unlucky enough to be in his way one day and received a chiding I’ll never forget.
But this one isn’t irate at all and throws us a timid wave. “Hello.”
They say Faelings are born to serve. They die if their master dies, and they wither when kept apart for too long. Their personalities develop to account for the flaws in their master’s character, so they can counterbalance it. The fact that he seems to be a nervous ball of anxiety and a sweetheart should serve as a warning that Devi is neither of those things.
“Thanks, Percy.”
Devi strolls out without further instructions or a word of goodbye, and the door closes behind her without a sound.
“She’s…intense,” Willow breathes, clutching her necklace.
“She’s right. It’s not called the Royal Academy for nothing. Everyone here wants to rule, and those who don’t end up with a crown will always wonder what could have been,” Iris says before walking back into the room she shares with Willow and slamming the door shut.
“Oh my Eros! Did you see her?” Willow braces herself on the small kitchen island, as if she can barely keep herself upright.
“I know. She thought I was into her because I stared so much. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Everyone does it. My brother once said that meeting Devi for the first time was like being kicked in the groin while a nymph goes down on you. He was right. I still have goosebumps. Look.”
“He said that, eh?”
The soft glow that had been hovering inside my ribcage vanishes as Devi’s magic stops affecting me. The departure of that strange, lusty thrall leaves me cold, disoriented, and annoyed. That last bit of information stings in particular. I don’t want any more reasons to think about Aidan’s cock, especially not in relation to Devi—or nymphs sucking him off. So much for me being the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
