KEDAR NATH PANWAR II, the prince of Garhwal, is the half-British, half-Indian prodigal son and the constant head ache of the royal family, who is unexpectedly exiled to the Aldridge-Heaton residencial school in Dalhousie by the king.
HIMANI ARORA i...
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It was not freezing cold that day in Dalhousie, as it was the month of August, when summer slowly retreats and nature thrives with the monsoon showers. The surroundings of the Aldridge-Heaton Academy were greener than usual during monsoons. Located at the foothills of the Himalayas, Aldridge-Heaton is a beauty, built by Sir James Aldridge-Heaton during the colonial era to escape the summer heat. After the end of British rule, it was made into a private school for the elites to send their intelligent kids. Most of the students were the offspring of diplomats, ambassadors, businesspeople, military and government officials, sports stars, and top-tier actors. But each year, Aldridge-Heaton accepted students through a scholarship test. One of those students was Himani Arora, the girl who once used to live a normal life in Dharamshala before she got accepted into Aldridge-Heaton. Four years ago, her life was all about studying hard to get into a good college, attending her dance class, watching cricket matches in Dharamshala, and spending all her monthly allowance in bookstores until her parents got divorced and her mother left her with her father. It was her father who suggested giving the scholarship exam a shot, which was, in turn, difficult. But she got in, which wasn't surprising for her father. He strongly believed that she would get in. It was after getting into Aldridge-Heaton that she picked up her Oxford dream, so she could make her father even more proud. She has been working hard ever since to make the dream a reality. She scored almost full marks in every exam, turned in assignments before the deadlines, joined debate clubs and quiz clubs, and, of course, continued practicing kathak, which was her only relief from her stressful academic life. Even though she excelled in academics, it didn't contribute to her happiness since she has been often labelled as "cold and unpleasant" by her own classmates. It was true to some extent; she, like her name implies, was cold. Her heart started freezing once her mom left her; slowly, it froze entirely after she set foot in Aldridge-Heaton, where she was considered an outsider by her classmates. She knew the names they called her behind her back: Charity Case, Dweeb. Some cruel ones would shout it out loud when she walked down the hallway. She talks back at them and pretends not to care, but all the name calling has affected her in a bad way.
'Mani, my bache.' Lily Sangtam emerged from a group of high schoolers crowding the hallway with the prettiest smile plastered on her face. 'Have you prepared your speech?' She asked, to which Himani nodded and fished out a piece of paper from her locker, tucked under a stack of books. Lily Sangtam was the daughter of David Sangtam, who was also the dean of the physics department. The girl with curtain bangs and peach-coloured lips was perhaps the only person Himani could call a "best friend".
'Prepared two days ago.' Himani waved the paper proudly. 'But...' She trailed off.
'What?' Lily asked.
'Do you still want me to do this?'
'Of course, stupid. She smacked Himani's head. 'You are one of the best students here, worthy of becoming the school leader.' Lily said. If it weren't for Lily's constant pleading, Himani wouldn't have stood for the school elections.
'You think I'm gonna win? That, these people are going to vote for me?'
'But what if?' Lily shrugged her shoulders.
Himani said something, but it was drowned out by the gasps and combined whispers of the students in the hallway running to the window.
'What is it that makes these people go feral?' Himani said, looking at the girls, giggling by the window, looking down.
'Oh, it might be the prince.' Lily responded, grabbing her hand.
'He's coming today?'
'Yes, but let's see.' Lily said as she pulled Himani into the crowd.
'I thought it was just a rumour.'
'Its not. And, have you seen him? He's a snack.' Lily said it with a smirk.
'Lily...' Himani groaned at her friend's remark.
'Chal hat.' (Hey, move.) Lily said to a girl who was blocking her way.
'I know one of these bitches is going to bag him.' Lily whispered, so only Himani could hear.
'That doesn't bother us.' Himani responded while Lily peered through the window.
'See, see, he's much better in person than in photos.' Lily exclaimed.
Himani stood on her toes, behind Lily, to catch a glimpse of what Lily had said. It was raining, just like every other day in August. There, on the lawn, he stood wearing the school uniform. The principal and a few teachers stood opposite him, holding a bouquet of roses. Someone was holding an umbrella over him that was blocking his face, and only his uniform, a white shirt with a black neck tie, and over it, a grey sweater vest to protect him from cold, over it a black checkered jacket with the school emblem, was visible to the students looking at him through the window.
'Come on, Lily.' Himani grabbed Lily away from the window. 'It's such a waste of time. I bet he's just like everyone else here.'
'He's a prince, so he might be well mannered.'
'Uh, screw the prince. Look at prince Andrew. You think he's well mannered because he's a prince?'
'You are right.' Lily said to herself after the wake-up call. 'Screw the prince.' Lily said as Himani took her to the classroom.
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