CROWNS ACADEMY || A Royalty's Academia Book Series #1

෴VOLUME [37]෴

Rai's POV 

After Kyle's birthday we went back to school to get ready for exam week which was right before Valentine's week.

"Where is this stuff even gonna help me, I'm a princess for crying out loud! Lex complained in frustration as we were in our abode studying. Her frustration was totally understandable since we had been studying all morning.

"Jeez, I've never seen you this frustrated, it'll all pass and then it'll be your birthday." I said, handing her a bowl of her favorite flavor of ice cream.

"Oh yeah, at least you'll get to steal my baby brother to Thailand then I'll finally have a birthday for myself." She added jokingly, a small smile plastered on her face.

Later, Lex, Tinku, Silantoi and I went for our Valentine's ball gowns fitting which was so fun after all the intense studying. The stories of the festivities at Kyle's birthday still lingered among us. The rest of the week went by and it was finally Valentine's week.

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The ballroom still smelled faintly of roses and champagne. The chandeliers above us sparkled like constellations, casting golden light over scattered petals and forgotten masks. Music had faded into memory, and yet, my heart still thrummed to the rhythm of the last dance I had had with Liam.

Valentine’s ball night had been everything — too much and not enough, all at once. 

Our friends gathered near the marble steps at the grand entrance, reluctant to let the night, and us, slip away so soon. 

Or at least they tried to.

I tightened my grip on the folds of my gown — crimson silk, embroidered with glimmering threads that caught the light like fire. Liam stood just beside me, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back, a silent promise of comfort. 

“You’re really leaving tonight?” Sasha's voice wavered between disbelief and sadness. Her eyes, usually bright and mischievous, now shimmered with unshed tears. She was always the life of every room, but now, the air between us felt heavy. 

"Guys are you serious, we're only going for two days." I said amidst a chuckle of disbelief.

"Oh don't destroy this, we are trying to act as though this was a play and we're saying goodbye because you're going forever." Tinku said, instantly assuaging my confusion.

Oh well.

I nodded, pretending to swallow a lump in my throat. “We have to.” 

Kyle, ever the steady one, tried for a playful smirk. “Going to miss us already, Your Highnesses?” His words teased, but his gaze betrayed him — soft, a little broken at the edges. 

How are they all such good actors.

Liam chuckled under his breath, but it was a bittersweet sound. “More than you know.” 

There was a beat of silence, the kind that wraps itself around you like a silk scarf — warm, but almost suffocating. 

Csan broke it first, stepping forward with his usual charm dimmed just enough to show his sincerity. “Promise you’ll send postcards. And come back with stories. The kind we’ll need an entire summer night to hear.” 

“Stories?” I echoed, trying to keep my voice from cracking. I smiled through the ache in my chest. “You’ll be tired of us and our stories before we even finish the first chapter.” 

“Never,” Silantoi said, reaching for my hands. She squeezed them tight, her rings cool against my skin. “I want to know everything. The sunsets. The cities. What the ocean smells like. What freedom feels like.” Her eyes glistened. “Tell me you’ll live every moment for us too.”