By the time lunch ended, the rumors had already spread across the entire school.
Amara could feel it the moment she stepped into the hallway.
Students whispered as she walked past.
Some stared openly.
Others laughed quietly.
"That's her."
"The scholarship girl the prince sat with."
"Do you think they're dating?"
Amara sighed and kept walking.
It's only the first day, she thought tiredly.
How did my life become this dramatic already?
When she entered the classroom, the whispers followed her.
She quickly sat at her desk and opened her notebook, hoping to avoid attention.
A few minutes later, Adrian walked in with his friends.
Just like earlier, the room grew quiet.
He took his usual seat behind Amara.
She tried to ignore the curious looks from the other students.
The teacher soon arrived and began the lesson.
For a while, everything seemed normal.
Until something suddenly hit Amara's desk.
Tap.
She looked down.
A small crumpled piece of paper had landed next to her notebook.
Confused, she slowly opened it.
Her eyes widened.
"Go back to where you came from."
Amara's stomach tightened.
Before she could react, another small paper ball landed on her desk.
This one said:
"Gold digger."
Her fingers tightened around the paper.
Around the classroom, a few students snickered quietly.
Amara kept her head down.
Ignore it, she told herself.
Just ignore it.
But then someone whispered loudly from the back.
"Maybe she thinks the prince will make her rich."
More laughter followed.
Amara felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Behind her, Adrian had been silent the entire time.
Until now.
The next paper ball flew toward Amara's desk.
But before it could land—
A hand caught it midair.
The classroom went silent.
Adrian slowly unfolded the paper and read it.
His expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes turned cold.
He stood up.
The simple movement made the entire room freeze.
Adrian turned slightly, his gaze scanning the classroom.
"Who threw this?"
No one answered.
The silence became heavy.
Then a boy near the back laughed nervously.
"It was just a joke."
Adrian looked directly at him.
"A joke?"
The boy's smile slowly disappeared.
Adrian placed the crumpled paper on the desk.
"If you want to throw things," he said calmly, "throw them at me instead."
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The message was clear.
Amara stared at him in shock.
He had just defended her.
In front of everyone.
The boy who had spoken earlier quickly looked down at his desk.
"Sorry," he muttered.
Adrian sat back down as if nothing had happened.
The teacher cleared his throat awkwardly and continued the lesson.
But the atmosphere in the room had completely changed.
Amara slowly turned around in her seat.
"Why did you do that?" she whispered.
Adrian met her gaze calmly.
"Do what?"
"Defend me."
Adrian shrugged slightly.
"You're sitting in front of me."
Amara blinked.
"That's your reason?"
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
"For now."
Amara stared at him, unsure if she should be grateful… or worried.
Because one thing was certain now.
The crown prince had made it clear to the entire class.
Amara Daniels was under his protection.
And that was going to make her life at this school much more complicated.