1.5 – Ice Prince – Crimson Academy

After a few days, a group of four was on their way to the tennis court, and as fate didn't want it, they met Xavier at the reception. He should have appeared a day later, but something caused him to make a change in his schedule. He got an urgent message from his parents. This Bacchus family...they held to this engagement like a lion to his food...What happened?

Under the flickering light, his silver hair and brows were as handsome as a painting but they were tightly knitted. He had a pair of beautiful gray-colored eyes; if he tried to smile just a little bit, he could surely cause a fall of a city with his face alone, but instead, a dangerous cold light exuded from them.

The coldness climbed up Bing Shi's cheeks and the frosty wind of his aura blew onto her face, making her mind freeze for a second. Was she really dealing with fifteen years old brats? She stood in front of her sister, and automatically, Mark and Victor stepped before her. When the youths finally registered what was going on, she nudged her sister out, "Let's go."

Looking at the leaving group with an expressionless face, Xavier passed by the staff that bowed to him with respect and fascination. While calling his butler, his gaze halted on Olivia's back, "Tell my parents I agree to end the engagement, under a condition. I get to choose my own partner."

"Y-es, young master!" answered the person on the other side of a line. This young master was a genius prodigy. He passed all tests with flying colors, knew how to play many musical instruments, and even improved his father's company at such a young age! He didn't need a woman's backing to establish his already strong position.

❰Side mission success: Break the engagement between Grace Bacchus and Xavier Dalton.+1000p❱

· · ─── · ⊱❈⊰· ─── · ·

"Don't you think Xavier is a bit too much of himself lately?" Bing Shi asked Mark, picking up her tennis racket, "He treated us as if we were thin air. I really want to see him get a taste of his own medicine. Don't you too?"

"Hm? Ah, y-yeah," Mark answered in a daze, Olivia blatantly showed him more attention than she should, which gave out a very odd impression.

Bing Shi wanted to team up with her sister or Mark, but Grace quickly grabbed Mark's arm and dragged him to the right side of the tennis court, leaving her with Victor again.

"Stop looking at him, or any other man. You should only stare at your fiance, me," said Victor as a dangerously beautiful smile carved on his face, "I'm not the type of man who is interested in used goods. Your smile and your body, are mine only. Understand?"

░Too late. I'm already in the category of used goods. My mind and body already belong to someone else.░

░But I can't destroy Olivia's future by stating that truth.░

Getting in her position, Bing Shi gave Victor a sugary smile before throwing the ball into the air and hitting it with her racket. When the ball hit the web in the middle, she sighed in disappointment, "I'm such a tennis clutz."

"Why don't you let me teach you a few good moves," Victor walked behind her to show her how to play tennis in an attempt to become more intimate with his fiance.

"No, you can't simply teach a tennis clutz how to play tennis. Many tried, so give up," Before he could touch her, Bing Shi hurriedly turned around, her racket hit his shoulders, very, very hard, so hard that it made him groan out loudly, notifying everyone around.

Grace and Mark were the first to appear, "What happened?!"

Bing Shi stood rooted in the place, her voice and hands shaking. She had to learn how to strike a chicken sooner than she expected, "We should call an ambulance, I think I broke his bone."

"I'm alright," holding his arm, Victor only requested Olivia to accompany him to the infirmary. Through the way, she was either too shaken to apologize, or she didn't want to apologize at all, "I'm fine with playing the mouse and cat chase. The more you play hard to get, the more I'll enjoy the sweet win."

Bing Shi didn't like this guy who continuously schemed for them to be alone, "Wasn't my message clear? Your actions creep me out, your words make me want to gouge out my ears, and you wonder why I give Mark so much attention? You should ask him for some tips on how to act like a proper man, and maybe I'll apologize for hitting you with my racket."

"..." Victor was utterly speechless as she hit his ego with a huge hammer continuously.

She took a deep breath, "Uff, that felt nice," and continued to accompany him to the infirmary, "Being alone with you feels like I would get murdered the next moment. Very unsafe. Could you keep a two-meter distance please?"

"..." Victor stepped to the side to create a 2m distance from her. Did she just feel his killing intent? That's not possible, he went an extra step to hide it deeper after their meeting in the private jet. He really wanted to snap her neck in half when she hit him with that racket.

· · ─── · ⊱❈⊰· ─── · ·

The whole resort already knew about the broken engagement between Grace and Xavier. Because there was this wet chicken always annoying Grace, she didn't have time to show off her innocent self, thus Xavier losing his interest in her.

The days continued as always, until that thing happened, right before the end of the summer break.

❰Hidden quest success +1000p: Make Grace kiss someone besides Xavier.❱

░Wait...What?!? How?░

"I don't like him anymore! So stop pestering me!" Grace yelled out.

"Then why did you tell those girls, who were interested in him not to go near him!?" Mark yelled back, cornering Grace in the corner of the building.

"How do you know? Were you stalking me?" Grace glared at him. She just wanted to help those girls to avoid the death flag. Because whoever went near that ice cube except for the heroine, would surely die a painful death like her! Xavier belonged to Alisa Charles!

"I was just on my way to meet Oli-!"

Suddenly, Grace tugged his hand down. With her other free hand, she grabbed his neck and pushed his face to hers, she pushed her lips to his, with force, even she, didn't know she had.

Mark wanted to push her away, but to no avail, the more he tried to push her away, the more she pushed her lips to his. Groaning in pain, in his peripheral vision, he saw him.

Xavier was looking at them.

Then, he noticed her silent sob, tears were trickling down her face. Mark looked back at Xavier, while they were looking at each other, his lips were still on hers. He turned back to Grace. He put his hand on the back of her head and pushed her closer to him. He shut his eyes tightly... and kissed her harder.

When Mark gazed back at that place, there was no Xavier to see.

❰I don't think so. They hate each other.❱

❝No, I could clearly see how Mark kissed her back at the end, hmpf! It's the beginning of a love-hate relationship! At least she broke her engagement before doing the deed.❞

Bing Shi chatted with her system as she went out for a walk with Victor.

Victor had to say. This girl was the most boring female he'd ever met. To bluff the public they would sometimes show up together, and there was nothing to talk about. She'd stare at her phone, the menu, her glass water — anything but him. And when she finally did speak, she kind of said nothing at all. She didn't hate him, she didn't like him, she felt an absolute nothing towards him, "Are you a lesbian?" he finally asked.

Continuing to look at the vast greenery inside the park resort, Bing Shi shrugged her shoulders, in a no/yes manner, or more like 'don't look at me, mind your business, and stop talking to me' kind of manner.

The only time Victor would get a reaction from her was whenever Xavier appeared. She would tilt her head up and give him the sweetest smile, just like now. He could always differentiate a fake smile from a genuine one. Hers felt very genuine, but it didn't match her cold attitude towards him. It wasn't actually cold, he would describe it as distant... very distant. And the more time they spent together, the more distant she would become.

Bing Shi took a sour candy out of her pocket, tilted her head to look up at him, "Do you want some candies?" Seeing his interested nod, she unwrapped the candy, getting on her tiptoes, she pressed the candy against his lips, "Here, I bought a kiwi flavor."

Sucking on the sour and sweet taste, Victor licked the corner of his mouth in wonder. Was he just treated like a dog? What owner would abandon a dog? From that day onwards, she stopped bothering to even go on a public date with him.

· · ─── · ⊱❈⊰· ─── · ·

The summer holidays went by fast. The students were preparing themselves for their debuts as High School freshmen.