Chapter 82: A Serious Lunatic

What the fuck is going on here? Kage thought. If the complex is empty, then why are the lights on?

He was still trying to make sense of it when he heard a soft bubbling sound coming from the pool. He turned sharply and started walking slowly toward the water, his curiosity growing with every step. When he reached the edge, he narrowed his eyes as he stared through the crystal-clear surface. The first thing he noticed was a long mass of bright red hair spread out beneath the water, drifting gently with the movement of the pool. Someone was beneath the surface. A girl with red hair.

Isn’t that Starlight Dawson?

There was no one else in the academy with that particular shade of red hair. He had seen her before, of course, but he had never expected to find her here, especially this early in the morning.

She was floating underwater with an almost unnatural stillness, her long red hair drifting around her head like a veil. The rest of her body was deeper down, appearing slightly blurred and distorted by the ripples, which made the floating red strands the most distinct and visible thing from above. She looked completely at peace.

For several seconds, Kage simply stood there and watched her. She wasn’t even struggling for air, if anything she looked almost like she belonged there, like some kind of mermaid.

Kage glanced at the time. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. His amusement slowly disappeared as it approached twenty minutes, replaced by sheer disbelief.

"Is she even human?" he muttered. How could someone hold their breath for this long?

He had been swimming for most of his life. He trained regularly, competed regularly, and had pushed his body far beyond what most ordinary swimmers could manage. Yet even Kage could barely hold his breath for a few minutes before his lungs began screaming at him to surface. Holding your breath underwater for twenty minutes wasn’t something a person simply did because they were good at swimming. That required serious training, exceptional lung capacity, or something that Kage wasn’t even sure he wanted to consider.

He crouched slightly at the edge of the pool, keeping his eyes fixed on her. "What the hell?"

Why isn’t she surfacing? She doesn’t look dead either. Kage’s gaze sharpened. Could she be trying to kill herself? But she should at least be struggling for air. He looked around the pool before returning his attention to the girl beneath the water. She would eventually have to surface. It wasn’t as if she could endure it forever. But if she was trying to kill herself or something, he would just jump in and save her, becoming her knight in shining armor. And who knew? Maybe she would fall madly in love with him afterward.

He had spent almost the entire day yesterday thinking about how to approach Starlight Dawson after his father’s order. He kept wondering how he would approach the girl. Who could have known she would be right here waiting for him? The goddess must be favoring me. Kage almost smiled at the thought.

"Thanks, M.G.," he murmured to himself. "Let’s just wait for our prize to surface."

So he waited. Eventually, after what felt like an absurd amount of time, the girl finally began moving toward the surface.

Kage straightened and watched as she emerged from the pool, looking dazzling, like a queen of the coast rising from the sea. He had expected to see her exhausted and desperate for air after staying underwater for so long. Instead, the red-haired girl emerged with startling calm.

She pushed through the surface, threw her wet hair back, and drew in a deep breath as though she had merely taken a short swim. Water streamed down her face and shoulders, and she wiped it away before opening her eyes.

Then she saw him. Kage watched as the relaxed expression on her face disappeared almost instantly, replaced by a frown.

"This is an academy facility. Unless you bought the entire complex, anyone can swim here."

Starlight’s voice cut through the air, breaking whatever smug thought Kage had been entertaining.

One of Kage’s eyebrows twitched upward. A quiet smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Fair point," he said lightly. "I mean, I didn’t know I’d find such a beauty as you here. If I had known you enjoyed early-morning swims as much as I do, I would’ve invited you to join me. It would’ve saved me the trouble of hunting you down later, but I’m happy all the same that you chose to reveal yourself to me this morning."

Starlight tilted her head slightly and treaded water in silence, keeping a safe distance from the edge where he stood. Every instinct told her not to get any closer to this strange werewolf. And what the fuck did he mean by hunting her down later?

"And who the hell are you to invite me swimming?" she asked flatly.

"My bad, my bad," Kage said, raising both hands in mock surrender. "I believe introductions are in order, my Red Star Queen."

He placed a hand against his chest and flashed her a grin. "Kage Everhart, prince of the Apogee Clan. And I already know who you are, my future beloved. Starlight Dawson, the Red Queen of Asterion Academy..." His grin widened.

"And my future queen."

The fuck?

Starlight’s frown deepened. What was wrong with this guy? Were all the sub-royals insane? And why did it seem like they kept gravitating toward her and making themselves her problem??

Did she have some kind of sub-royal magnet attached to her without her knowledge?

First it was that frog from Perigee, then the petty Bambi from Umbra, and now this completely unhinged lunatic from Apogee. That was without even counting the crown twins, who had been the source of almost all her problems since arriving at this academy.

Seriously, what was wrong with these people?

Kage sighed dramatically. "You must be beyond speechless right now," he said. "And honestly, I understand. My introduction tends to have that effect on people. Combined with these devastatingly good looks, most are lucky if they remember their own names afterward."

Yeah, he’s definitely a lunatic. A very serious one at that. Starlight reached her conclusion immediately. "If you’re done making a fool of yourself, will you get out of my sight? I want to swim in peace."

Kage let out a sharp, genuine laugh that echoed off the high ceilings of the aquatic center. He took two steps closer to the edge, looking down at her, his eyes practically dancing with amusement.

"Ow, that really hurt my feelings, coming from my future queen," Kage said, placing a hand over his chest as though she had genuinely wounded him. "But I understand. You’re playing hard to get, aren’t you?" His grin widened, his amusement only growing. "I have to admit, though, it’s adorable."

Starlight’s eye twitched. Playing hard to get?

Was this idiot actually serious?

At this point, she wasn’t even sure whether he was joking anymore. The man had known her for less than ten minutes and had already called her his future beloved, his future queen, and now apparently believed she was playing some elaborate romantic game with him. The more he spoke, the more convinced she became that somebody had dropped him on his head as a child. Possibly several times. Maybe it wasn’t just a sub-royal thing, it must be a werewolf thing.

Why were these idiots always so damn confident, acting as though everyone around them wanted their attention simply because they happened to be werewolves? Kage, completely oblivious to the irritation on her face, flashed her another brilliant smile. "I think it’s best if we start getting to know each other and building our bond," he said confidently. "After all, every great relationship has to start somewhere."

Starlight stared at him, her expression flat as she fought the growing urge to tell him exactly where he could shove his ridiculous assumptions.

Was this man incapable of understanding that she had no intention of wasting her time entertaining a ridiculous fool, or did he simply choose to ignore anything that didn’t fit whatever delusion he had created in his head?

"And what better way to begin than with a nice swim together?" he continued, spreading his arms as though presenting her with the opportunity of a lifetime. "What do you think, my beautiful, gorgeous Red Queen?"

Starlight wanted to tell him exactly what she thought of his ridiculous proposal, but she changed her mind. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to teach him a lesson. "Sure, why not? I’d love to swim with you, Prince Kage."

Kage’s eyebrows shot up, and a flash of genuine surprise crossed his face before an almost triumphant grin took over. He had only thrown out the invitation to keep her talking and hadn’t expected her to accept it, especially after she had just told him to fuck off. Literally.