by Nora Cobb
“I’ve heard that the seniors go skinny dipping in that lake before they graduate,” Johanna stated as we walked along the edge.
“How do you know so much about this place?” I asked, kicking at the pebbles in my path, trying not to think of any of the kings naked in the water before us.
“My brothers graduated from here, both of them.” She explained. “They warned me about all the bad things and about the kings from their days here.”
“Well at least you don’t have to worry about being used,” I muttered, feeling the despair curl in my belly.
“You know nothing, Anna.” She looked away before turning her gaze back to me. “Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I’m off-limits. Nobles are cruel by nature, Anna, and the worst cruelty is reserved for each other. Don’t let the sanitized version you’ve read in your history books make you think otherwise. Kings and queens have been murdering each other for centuries. I hope you realize that.”
“I know,” I said, stopping. “But I would have preferred not to be their first victim.” I already wasn’t trusted, but now it was going to be doubly hard for me to get my reputation back.
“You were easy pickings,” Johanna said, pulling me close. “They wanted to make a statement about having an American in the midst and, no offense, one that clearly doesn’t belong.”
I sighed. “None taken.” I didn’t belong here and had no idea why I was here really, but someone, someone very rich, wanted me here.
To suffer, apparently.
Johanna pulled me around to face her, tucking my hair behind my ears. Suddenly my only friend looked older and wiser beyond her years, as if she had lived a thousand lifetimes instead of just one.
“Listen,” she started. “It will blow over, I promise you. The kings will get bored and move on as well as the rest of the academy. Just be patient, Anna. This is not the end of the world.”
Her words stuck with me for the next two days, where I kept my head up and ignored the endless chatter around me. I wanted them to see that I hadn’t been damaged, that I hadn’t been torn to bits by the senior kings.
Thankfully, I hadn’t run into any of them, however. I didn’t know what I would say if I saw Arthur or the other two, including the silent Max. They had made their impression on me and I would have a far thicker wall up the next time I saw them, that was for sure.
So, I spent my last two days of freedom exploring the academy, studying the artifacts that were dotted around the rooms, and spending time at the lake, bringing my sketchbook to capture the landscape of the mountains and the waters. Despite the angst I had experienced here, the scenery was like something out of a picture book and I could scarcely believe that I was in the Swiss Alps, halfway around the world from where I had grown up. What was a girl like me doing here? No one would believe me if I told them about this school, or that I wore a literal princess’s designer clothing.
Sighing, I hugged my knees to my chest and stared out over the water. Tomorrow I would start classes, set my mind to work on making something out of this opportunity. That was going to be the one thing that I and these rich noble children could be on the same level for. When I applied myself, I could be at the top of my class and after everything that had happened, I could show them that I was smarter than them.
I just had to make my own name and not be tagged to this orgy claim that was floating around. As if I would ever want to do something like that. I hadn’t ever allowed a guy to get that close to me, much less three of them!
Snorting, I stood, brushing off my jeans and gathering my supplies. I had to remind myself that I had overcome so much more than just a silly rumor and that this wasn’t going to break me.
I was stronger than that.
But as I entered my dorm room, my bravado died when I saw an older woman standing near my bed. Her tall, thin frame was draped in a wrap dress, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Johanna was nowhere to be found.
“Miss Komita.” The woman stated, her lips pulled down in a disapproving frown.
I dropped my bag on my desk. “Yes.”
She gestured toward the chair next to the desk. “Sit.”
I did as she asked, watching as she took Johanna’s chair and pulled it to the end of her bed before seating herself. “I’m Headmistress Katarina Isauros. I apologize for not meeting you sooner, but I have been away from the academy for the past few days.”
“It’s nice to meet you, headmistress” I said politely, on edge that the headmistress would show up personally in my room. I doubted it was because she had yet to meet me.
The woman didn’t smile; if nothing else, her expression grew harder. “I’ve heard some distressing rumors about you, Miss Komita, things that do not uphold our standards here are Weissmore Academy.”
As I suspected. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant introduction. “They are false rumors, headmistress. I didn’t do what they said.”
“Don’t lie to me.” Her frown grew. “I have very reliable sources, Miss Komita. I know about what life is like in colleges in your country, but things are different here at Weissmore. We do not allow our students do whatever they feel like at this academy—least of all the things that you have already done.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” I protested, a sinking feeling in my gut. She looked like she could care less what I had to say. “I promise you. I would never do anything like that.”
“That remains to be seen,” the woman continued, tapping her nails against her arm. “You don’t belong here, Miss Komita, which I believe you have already realized. This academy houses some of the most important and influential families in the world. We have future kings, queens, and even pretenders to the imperial Russian throne on our campus. Any word leaks that an American is attempting to destroy the reputation we have set forth here, and our academy will crumble. Do you understand what your actions could do?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, wanting to shout at her the truth. She wasn’t even giving me a chance to defend myself, but blaming me for the potential crumbling of the academy? On a rumor?
Did she not know about the party I attended that night, or all the other things that had gone on? I was sure that she knew all about that and had chosen to single me out instead.
“I promise you, headmistress,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “I know I might not belong here by birth, but I am here and fully intend on taking advantage of the prestigious academic opportunities that I will receive.”
Headmistress Isauros pursed her lips. “I want to remind you, Miss Komita, that you have nothing but an uphill battle here. You cannot possibly find any commonality amongst our other students. I give you a month before you beg me to send you home.”
I wanted to ask her what I had ever done to her other than being American but figured there was no need. It was clear to me that the one person that was supposed to be fair and impartial in fact hated my guts. “I suppose will have to prove you wrong then, headmistress.”
Her lips curled as she stood and carefully replaced Johanna’s chair. “Miss Komita, you are treading on very dangerous ground. You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of.”
“Are you my enemy, headmistress? Or just another person I have to prove wrong,” I said boldly, not even caring any longer. The entire school was against me already and I hadn’t gone to my first class.
Her eyes flared for a moment, but she just nodded. “I see that we are in agreement at least. I will be watching you, Miss Komita. One misstep and I will make an example out of you. This silly rumor will pale in comparison to what I can do.”
So, she did know the truth. I kept my mouth shut as she walked out of the room, waiting until the door was slammed shut before I put my head in my hands, taking slow breaths. My entire body was shaking from the encounter, not believing that I had just made an enemy out of the headmistress.
Leaning back in the chair, I blinked back the tears that threatened to crowd my vision. No more tears.
I was done with tears, done with feeling like the puppy that kept getting kicked.
Someone had put me here for a reason. That was what I needed to keep telling myself: that everything I was enduring was going to make me stronger.
I pushed out of the chair, my jaw set. I was glad the headmistress didn’t like me. I was glad the entire school hated my guts.
It gave me a chance to prove them all wrong about me.
Chapter 6
I walked into my first class the next morning, my head held high. Nearly immediately the snickering started but I ignored it, finding one of the seats near the back of the classroom so that I wouldn’t have to feel their stares at the back of my head. Johanna had tried to give me a pep talk before I arrived, even bringing my favorite type of coffee as a parting gift.
That and she had dressed me to the nines in some of her clothes. Today I was wearing a fitted top with see-through sleeves and a pair of black slacks that hugged my curves and cost more than a small car. I had opted for comfortable flats instead of the spiked boots she wanted me to wear and my hair was down around my shoulders, slightly curling at the ends.
I felt powerful, even if I was quaking on the inside.
The professor showed up and I was surprised when she shot me a glare over all the rest of the students, making me shrink further into my body. Great, just great. Not only was the headmistress on the warpath, but I was going to have to fight the professors as well.
Fine, bring it on. I was about to blow their minds and make them think that they had underestimated me.
My first few classes flew by, each with their own angry professor and stare, letting me know that they weren’t going to give me any special treatment.
Same with my fellow freshmen. Most ignored me, which was fine, but some of the guys gave me leering glances, as if they were trying to figure out how I had roped all the kings in with my body, and whether they’d get their turn. I fought the urge to show them the finger or do something else to shock them, instead focusing on the classwork and enormous amount of homework that I would be up half the night attempting to accomplish.
By lunch, I was mentally worn out. I moved through the lunch line, grabbing a light lunch before finding Johanna seated at a table near the back. “How are you holding up?” she asked immediately as I slid in in front of her.
“I’m fine,” I said with false cheer in my voice. “No big deal.”
Johanna laughed. “I know you’re lying, Anna. I can see the strain in your eyes. It’s been horrible, hasn’t it?”
My shoulders slumped. “Yeah, pretty much. The professors hate me, and I feel like everyone is shooting daggers at me the moment I walk through the door. This isn’t going to turn out well, Johanna, no matter how strong I try to be.”
She reached over and touched my hand, a look of concern on her face. “Do you know why I have decided not to side with them?”
I shook my head. “Why?”
“Because,” Johanna stated, reaching for her fork. “You are the only real person here. The rest have their heads shoved so far up their asses that they’re looking out of their own throats. I am so tired of this fakeness, Anna. Do you know that I will be dealing with this shit the rest of my life?”
“Well I am glad that I can entertain you,” I muttered, picking at my salad.
“Oh, you do more than that,” Johanna stated. “I promise you this. You can be my royal advisor after we graduate. I will pay you more money than you can ever imagine, all for the privilege of telling me that I’m not fat in my dresses.”
I laughed abruptly, my heart warming to the fact that Johanna was trying to cheer me up. She really did care. “Thanks. I might need the job, especially if they block me from graduating. If I last that long.”
“They won’t do such a thing,” Johanna replied, stabbing at her fruit bowl. “It will ruin their perfect pass rate.”
Some of the tension eased from my shoulders and I allowed myself to enjoy my lunch, pushing the rest of the mess I was dealing with aside. The rest of the day was much like the first part, but I didn’t let any of the stares or the professor’s cutting remarks bother me.
After my last class, I stepped outside for some fresh air, taking the trail that led past the playing fields for the polo team. The multiple barns were full of horses, likely top breeds given the occupants of the academy. I smiled as I pictured the horses flown in on their own private jets because their owners wanted their own breeds here.
I bet it had happened.
The wind ruffled my hair as I walked past them, heading toward the dock that I had found in my exploration of the grounds. It would be a perfect place to do some homework and be left alone for a few hours.
A rider approached me on the trail, and I stepped aside to allow them to pass, my heart freezing in my throat when I realized that Arthur was the rider on top of a massive black beast. No, no. I wasn’t ready to see him yet!
“Anna Komita!”
Too late. Quickly I turned back in the direction I came from, walking as fast as I could. The horse’s hooves picked up behind me and before I knew it, Arthur was in front of me, patting his horse’s neck.
“I’m starting to think that you are hiding from me, Anna.”
I glared up at him, the sun casting a perfect halo around his head. “What gave you that idea, asshole?”
He smirked, his polo stick resting on the saddle. He was the epitome of old money today, with tight pants that clung to his muscular thighs and the shirt molding to his chest, wet with sweat.
On top of that horse, he looked invincible.
“Come now, Anna,” he said as the horse danced in position. “It was just us having a bit of fun. Now everyone knows who you are.”
“For all the wrong reasons,” I shot back, not believing that he didn’t see the damage he had done with the ‘fun’ that he had.
His grin faded and his eyes grew serious. “You’ve handled it just like I thought you would. A lesser person would have broken under the pressure, but not you. You have persisted.”
I arched a brow. “This was a test of my strength? Are you kidding me?”
He shook his head. “I knew you would have a tough time here the moment I met you, Anna. You are an American with no financial, political, or royal ties. The sheer mountain you have to climb is taller than these very peaks that you’ve found yourself in.”
“I don’t believe you,” I started. “You did it to take advantage of me and I will never forgive you for it.”
“You wound me,” Arthur said dramatically, pressing a hand to his heart. “I had your best intentions in mind, Anna. Everything I said to you was the truth.”
“Even how you wanted to share me amongst your friends?”
His eyes grew dark. “That might have been the plan then, but not now. I’ve no desire to share you with anyone. I want to have you all to myself.”
Despite the hate I had for him at the moment, my stomach quivered at the thought of his hands on me, kissing me. “You aren’t going to have me at all,” I fired back, though my voice wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked for it to come across.
Arthur leaned down, a sparkle in his gaze. “We will see about that, Anna. I can teach you everything you need to know to survive in this place. Me and only me. Do you understand?”
I wanted to slap his face and walk off, but my feet were rooted in place, my breath coming in short gasps. I didn’t understand what was going on, but the heat in his gaze told me all I needed to know.
Arthur wanted me.
“Tonight,” he continued, straightening on the horse. “You and I will go out on a date, just the two of us. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Well, I’m telling you no right now!” I shouted as he started down the path back toward the fields, the dust from the horse’s hooves causing me to shield my eyes. I didn’t want to have anything to do with him or the other kings, no matter how handsome and natural he looked on that horse.
Like a real knight.
Disgusted with myself, I turned back to the castle, not caring to go to the docks any longer.
The problem with knights was that the stories were all lies. Songs and poems made them sound like heroes, but in reality, they were thugs who took whatever they wanted from people that dared not raise their hands in resistance, from the women they raped to the villagers they butchered. My entire senior year history research paper had been on the Knights of the Round Table and the horrific true stories behind their glowing reputation.
Now, I was surrounded by knights who lived up to every single bit of the dirty truth about them.
My jaw set, I walked back to the safety of my dorm, clutching my books against my chest. Well, Arthur could come to get me tonight and he would find me an unwilling partner. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him. I had dealt with guys like him before: jocks who found it easy to prey on the lesser people, the vulnerable ones.