The Good Crown

Chapter 35

Elara, Leo, Thomas and I walked together in silence, the evening breeze cool against our faces as the lanterns lining the street flickered to life. The soft glow made the path back to our dorms feel somewhat comforting, but my mind was far from settled. Elara was talking about something one of our instructors had mentioned during lessons, but I only half-listened, nodding where it seemed appropriate.

Though our friendship had grown since we arrived here, I still kept a distance. Elara and Leo, adapted quickly to the strange customs and strange people we were surrounded by, while I still felt like an outsider. I was focused on the mission—on why we were really here. Everything else felt like a distraction, even as I found myself becoming attached to them.

"You were kind of quiet today," Thomas said, breaking my thoughts. He had that look of concern, one I noticed when he caught me zoning out during discussions.

I shrugged, offering a small smile. "Just thinking about everything we have to do."

Elara nodded, as if she understood. "Yeah, it's a lot. But we'll get there," she said, her voice always carrying that optimistic tone that I sometimes envied.

I nodded in agreement, but my mind drifted elsewhere—back to lunch, back to Noah.

I had said too much, been too harsh about his program, questioning his motives in front of everyone. He didn't deserve that.

"Are you coming up?" Elara asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I paused, glancing up at the door to our dorm and then down the street, where Noah's dorm was. My stomach churned at the thought of facing him.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," I said, giving them both a reassuring smile.

Elara raised an eyebrow but didn't push. "Alright. Don't be too late."

Leo waved as they headed inside, and I took a deep breath, turning down the street. My feet felt heavy as I made my way toward Noah's dorm, rehearsing what I might say to him. I had to make it right—apologize for what I said.

I reached the entrance to the building, staring up at it for a moment. The doors loomed in front of me, and I hesitated, my feet rooted to the ground. Why am I doing this? It's not like I owe him anything.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Noah wasn't my friend. He was a prince, someone I barely knew a few weeks ago. So why was I suddenly feeling this pressure to make things right with him? He wasn't someone I really cared about... was he?

I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. "He's not even my friend. Just some prince who happens to run a program I criticized to his face." My voice sounded weak, even to my own ears.

Then why am I here? My mind raced, trying to justify it. Maybe it was just guilt. I didn't want to be seen as the girl who hated everything royal or noble. Or maybe I was just trying to keep up appearances so I could stay under the radar. The more I thought about it, the more I questioned myself. Why was I here, really?

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Daniella?" a familiar voice asked, startling me.

I spun around, my heart jumping into my throat. Noah stood there, his brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

I blinked, caught off guard. My rehearsed speech flew right out of my head. "I, uh... I was just—" I stammered, feeling my face grow hot. Great. Perfect timing.

Noah's expression softened a bit, and he crossed his arms, leaning slightly against the doorframe. "Is something wrong? You look... lost."

I hesitated, biting my lip. Should I tell him the truth? Or brush it off like I was just passing by?

"I... I wanted to apologize," I finally said, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "For earlier. What I said about your program—it wasn't fair, and I shouldn't have said it like that."

Noah's eyebrows rose, and I could see the surprise on his face, but he didn't speak right away. Instead, he studied me for a moment, as if trying to figure out why I was standing in front of his dorm, apologizing.

"Well," he said after a pause, "I wasn't expecting that."

I shifted awkwardly on my feet, glancing down at the cobblestone street beneath us. "Yeah, well... neither was I."

Noah chuckled softly, the sound catching me off guard. He shook his head, still smiling as he stepped past me and walked toward the door, his hand brushing against mine briefly as he pulled it open.

"Come on," he said over his shoulder, amusement still lingering in his voice. "It's cold out here."

I stood there, frozen, wondering if that was it. Was he upset? His laugh had been so casual, but what if he was just trying to brush me off? I stared after him, biting the inside of my cheek as my mind started to spiral again. Maybe he was annoyed but didn't want to show it. Maybe this whole apology was pointless, and I was just making things awkward.

Noah must have noticed I wasn't following because he turned back around at the entrance, his hand still holding the door open. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked at me, his eyes narrowing in that curious way he always did when he was trying to figure something out.

"Daniella, are you coming or not?" he asked, his voice softer this time, the teasing gone. "It's cold. Hurry up."

I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. Right. I quickly closed the distance between us, stepping through the door as he let it swing shut behind me. The warmth of the building was a relief, though the quiet tension between us lingered as we walked down the hallway toward his dorm.

The space was quieter than I expected, and the sound of our footsteps echoed in the hallway. My heart was still racing, but Noah seemed relaxed, his hands casually slipping into his pockets as he led the way. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, unsure of what to say next.

Was it just me, or did he seem completely unfazed by the whole thing? He hadn't said anything about my apology yet, and now I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

When we reached his door, Noah unlocked it with ease and pushed it open, stepping aside to let me in first. I hesitated again for a split second, but then I walked inside, feeling the warmth of his room immediately wrap around me. It was comfortable, with shelves lined with books and maps, the same ones I'd seen him studying before. There was a faint scent of parchment and ink, mixed with something earthy—like cedarwood.

Noah closed the door behind us, and I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, my arms crossed over my chest as I tried to think of something else to say. He leaned against the desk, watching me with an unreadable expression.

"So..." he started, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to explain why you've been beating yourself up, or is this one of those apologies where you hope I forget it happened?"

He was teasing me, but there was an underlying sincerity in his tone, like he genuinely wanted to know why I'd been so hung up on it. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the strange knot in my chest.