How long can someone hold a grudge? If you ask me, I would say that I could never let go of a grudge but I could forget it and treat it as if it didn't exist in the first place. Or maybe, I could forgive someone with a mere payment of two glazed donuts. That's it. I'm simple.
But apparently, not Cedric. The royal brat has been acting really distant from me for the past year.
And yes, PAST YEAR as in more than 12 months have already passed since we had that argument about the heroine and Percival. If that isn't petty, I don't know what is.
I mean, for someone who easily let it pass every time I pulled his hair or kicked his shins or even when I threw a shoe at him when we were young, you would expect that he'd just forget about the whole point of the argument the next day. However, he didn't. Not the next day, nor the day after that nor the weeks and months that followed.
So here I am now in my second year at the academy, unbothered by Cedric for another day.
So this must be what serenity felt like.
"Hey."
Someone spoke from behind me as I was enjoying my peaceful time right under the tree in the campus grounds. Without even checking who it was, I already knew that it was Percival.
"Hey," I responded and scooted over to let him sit beside me.
"Everyone else is still in class?" He asked and lay down on the field.
"It's been a year since we have this routine, surely you already know the answer to that question," I answered and turned to look at him while raising a brow.
He grinned and his sharp canine fangs showed. "I know. Just trying to start a conversation since you seemed so lonely."
"Thanks for the concern, but you don't really have to force yourself."
"Come on. As you've said, we've already been in this same spot at the same time for a year already, surely we could have something to talk about."
"Or maybe because of that that we have already run out of things to talk about."
He chortled. "Ah, fair point."
"Although," I mused. "I am curious. How's it going with her?"
He pursed his lips for a moment before answering. "Nothing much. But . . ."
My ears pricked at the prospect of picking up juicy new details about Percival's lovelife. In a world where modern technology is nonexistent, you've gotta make do with what you have to enjoy yourself. Don't judge me.
"But what?"
"She seemed somewhat jittery around me these days."
"Jittery?"
"You know, nervous, frazzled, jumpy-"
"I know what jittery means!" I groaned. "But why do you think she's acting like that?"
Percival sat up straight and faced me. "Hm, I don't know. You don't suppose-"
"Suppose that she may have already realized what she actually feels for you? Oh my goodness! I think you should ask her to this year's Spring Soiree! I am sure she'd love to accept your invitation!" I exclaimed and couldn't hide my excitement.
"You think so?" Percival's eyes glimmered. My excitement must have rubbed off on him because he looked really happy and his tail was wagging with enthusiasm.
"Ah finally! Our hard work for the past year is not put to waste!" I held his hands and delightedly cried out.
As we were basked in merriment at the thought of Percival's love affairs finally sorted out (well, almost), I suddenly shuddered as I felt a chill behind me.
I turned around to look at what the sudden animosity I felt was and lo and behold, it was Cedric who was accompanied by the usual gang of Jamie, Viveca and Matthias. As for the abrupt near to negative zero temperature that I felt a while ago, I could sense that most of it was coming from Cedric, whose green eyes spelled out hostility.
"So much for making up," he muttered and crossed his arms.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Hey there, oh royal highness. What brings your presence in front of this humble subject?"
"See this? She should be the one apologizing to me!" Cedric complained.
I almost had my jaw drop in disbelief. "Me? Apologize? And for what?" I hurriedly stood up in annoyance and pointed a finger at him. "I'm not the one who gave someone the cold shoulder for a whole year because their petty arse can't handle that their friends can make other friends too!"
"Um, Marcella," Jamie meekly said. "It's not about making friends."
"Shush, Jamie!" I angrily glared at the innocent boy who looked so pitiful with his purple eyes as he instantly pursed his lips to shut up. But, I am sick of having to play by Cedric's whims so I was not in the mood to be swayed by empathy. "You don't get to speak for this royal jerk because you have been enabling him all along!"
Viveca gasped and held me back. "Calm down, Marcella. Jamie's not the one at fault here."
Dang it. Now I may have hurt someone's feelings because of Cedric's pettiness. "Was I too harsh?" I whispered to Viveca.
"I mean," Viveca made a pondering face and nodded as affirmation. "You were kind of out of lane."
I sighed and looked at Jamie while patting his head. "I'm sorry, Jamie. It's not your fault."
Jamie calmly smiled at me as his way of telling me that he understood. I could have had a moment of relief then if only some royal brat was not being so much of a spoiled kid in a tantrum.
"Of course it's no one else's fault because it has always been mine!" Cedric growled and in a fit of fury, he pushed me away from his best friend, causing me to fall down. As much as I would like to say that someone caught me, no one did. Because apparently, side characters don't get the princess catch treatment.
It was Percival who first offered his hand to me. "Sheesh, I do not get how the minds of nobilities work but if this is how you interact on a daily basis, then I sure am glad I was not born one."
"You sure dodged a bullet there," I muttered under my breath.
Percival inched his face closer, his face inquisitive. "Bullet? What's a bullet?"
Drats! Guns did not exist in this world. Curse this mind that cannot forget its past life.
"Nothing," I answered and accepted his hand.
"Great! Not an ounce of shame for such shameful conduct," Cedric commented. His judging gaze was fixated on me and Percival as if he had just witnessed the raunchiest scandal in history. Please, this game was almost R18 before the devs decided to not do that because the original voice actress for the female lead lost her voice due to a case of flu and they cannot find someone else to replace her because apparently she had a very specific voice for "those scenes".
Anyway, rather than letting go of Percival's hand, I held it even tighter. "Ooh, forgive me your highness, is this too scandalous for your liking?"
Cedric's fury reached to even greater heights, seeing how his brows were knitted so close to each other that they almost seemed like a unibrow. "You dare provoke a future king!"
"Aww, it's cute that you already labeled yourself as that and yet I don't even see a crown on your head." I cooed.
Percival whispered beside me. "What is happening?"
Viveca also whispered. "I do not know what is happening, but this is getting interesting."
"Okay, this is enough," I stepped forward and stared at Cedric right in his eyes. "One year, Cedric! Not a hi nor hello in these 12 months and now you have the gall to get mad at me out of the blue for no good reason. Seriously, what is actually wrong with you?"
No, but seriously. What is up with this kid? I have probably spent the last couple of chapters arguing with him and who knows what the next chapters will be if he keeps this childish act of his. What? More arguments? Enough was enough.
"You could have greeted first," he softly said in a grumbling tone.
"What now?"
"I said, why should I be the one to greet you first! Y-you could do it too! Why should I be the one doing the first greeting?" Cedric loudly complained.
The audacity of this child. "Probably because you were the one who started this stupid argument in the first place!"
"I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did t- Ugh!" I covered my face in frustration. "Okay, you know what. If you did not even come here to apologize in the first place, what are you even doing here?"
Cedric griped. "I just wanted to . . ."
"What?" I asked.
Cedric took one look at me and sneaked a peek at Percival, then cleared his throat. "It's not even my idea in the first place! Jamie told me to do this." He then held Jamie by his shoulders and placed the unsuspecting tangerine in front of me.
"Wait, did I-"
Cedric covered Jamie's mouth with his hands. "Yes, you did."
"So does that mean you really had no plans to apologize in the first place?" I lashed out.
"N-no . . ." Cedric couldn't even look me in the eye.
"Fine. I'm out of here. I could sure use another year of not interacting with a petty brat who is also an unapologetic liar." I started walking away before looking at Cedric again. "Hm, thinking about it, maybe I could even get used to this in my whole lifetime. Ta~"
And just like that, I strutted myself out of there like the unbothered girl that I am. I badly need an aspirin.
"You will regret this!" Cedric yelled after me.
I mockingly laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Sure I will."
As a matter of fact, I did regret it.
Because a month later, the heroine accepted someone's invitation to the Academy's Annual Spring Soiree. And no, it was not Percival's.
It was Cedric.
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A/N: Hey everyone! I am finally free from examinations. For now. Anyway, as celebration, here's a new chapter and I hope you guys enjoy this one. Val's still missing and even I am wondering where he could be. I also could not find him. If you see a Silver haired lad with ruby red eyes, a mischievous smile and a foxy countenance, please report him to the lost and found section. I need his presence so bad LMAO
Anyway, this is it for this week's chapter. If you enjoyed it, give me a like and let me know your thoughts in the comments. Give me a follow too if you want to be informed of my very erratic schedule. Welp, that's it and I hope to see you all in the next one.
Stay safe and stay hydrated!
Lovelots!