Secret in the Heart ||Descendants|| (♡Ben)

3

Ben led the group towards the school, starting the tour with Audrey walking closely by his side. Mal walked ahead, followed by Evie, Jay, Kara, and finally, Carlos, who lagged behind slightly. As they approached a statue, Ben paused and turned to face the group. "Auradon Prep was originally built over 300 years ago," he explained, "and was converted into a high school by my father when he became king."

The statue before them appeared to be made of gold, though not the shiny kind—more like a rusty, weathered gold. It depicted a man wearing a crown, presumably King Beast, Ben's father. Ben stepped to the right of the statue and clapped his hands twice. Suddenly, the statue began to morph, changing from the image of a man into that of a beast.

To Kara's left, Carlos let out a scream and instinctively jumped into her arms. The sudden weight caught her off guard, and she stumbled backward, crashing to the ground with Carlos on top of her. She groaned as she hit the floor, trying to catch her breath while Carlos scrambled to apologize.

Laughter erupted from Jay, who found the entire situation hilarious. Kara rolled her eyes, while Mal and Evie exchanged amused smiles. Audrey, however, raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, while Ben looked concerned.

"I'm sorry," Carlos mumbled.

"It's okay, but could you get off me now?" Kara replied, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Carlos nodded sheepishly and stood up, offering Kara a hand, but she waved it off and lay there for a moment, staring up at the sky.

Jay leaned over her, his head blocking her view. "Are you going to get up and walk by yourself, or should I carry you?" he teased with a smirk.

"Ugh, you ruined the view," Kara said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"You sure about that? Because you're looking at the most beautiful face this world has ever known," Jay shot back, his cocky grin widening.

"Hmm, and here I thought the prettiest face in the world was mine," Kara quipped, shaking her head with a laugh.

Jay chuckled and extended his hand to help her up. Once she was on her feet, Kara dusted off her clothes and looked over at Ben.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked, his concern still evident.

"I'm fine," Kara assured him.

"Good. Let's move on then," Ben said, gesturing to the statue. "My father wanted this statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible."

Kara studied the statue with a thoughtful expression. "Does he shed much?" she asked, turning to Ben with a smirk.

"Yeah, Mom won't let him on the couch," Ben replied with a straight face, catching Kara off guard. She frowned, trying to discern whether he was joking or serious, until he finally broke into a smile and turned to lead the group further into the school. Mal shot Kara a wide-eyed look, but Kara just shrugged, still unsure what to make of Ben's humor.

As they walked through the grand entrance, Kara couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer size and elegance of Auradon Prep. The ornate halls, lined with gleaming marble and intricate tapestries, were a far cry from the dilapidated streets of the Isle.

"So, you guys have a lot of magic here at Auradon? Like wands and things like that?" Mal asked as they stopped in front of a massive fireplace.

"Yeah, it exists, but it's mostly retired. Most of us here are just ordinary mortals," Ben explained.

"Who happen to be kings and queens," Kara added, earning smiles from both Audrey and Ben.

Audrey laughed lightly and said, "That's true. Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years," as she linked her arm with Ben's.