Chapter Forty-Two: Clingy

Helix. His name was Helix, it was a name given to him by his deceased mother, the former queen.

It was a name that is rarely, if not never, used. As the crown prince, he held so many titles. The First Prince, His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince, the Moon of Rukadius, the Genius of the Century… With all these names, his own real name has rarely been uttered by anyone else.

Helix was indeed renowned, not only within the borders of the kingdom but even beyond that. At a young age, his name spread throughout the entire continent like wildfire due to his capabilities not only as an academic genius but also as a mage. But in the end, in front of him, only his little siblings called him by that name occasionally. 

But now…

"Hey, hey, Helix. You like magic-related books, right?"

"Oh, do you go to the cafeteria during lunch? Their butterscotch pudding was so delicious… Have you tried it yet, Helix?"

"Right, Helix, we had homework from the Magic Theory class, have you done it already?"

This young man… Has he never heard of respect, formalities, and hierarchy? The moment Helix told him his name, he never stopped saying it, as if the name 'Helix' was more of a verb, adjective, or every other common word there is.

With a frown on his face, Helix closed his book and glanced at the young man beside him. "... Will you please, stop?" he whispered, his voice was firm, sounding a bit annoyed but still calm. He's had enough. His name, being used so freely felt too… strange, and he cannot find himself getting used to it anytime soon. 

The other boy, moving his gaze from his book, turned to look at Helix before tilting his head with a curious smile on his lips. "Stop? Stop what?" His eyes, were bright and clear as usual, with a hint of childlike mischievousness. But he has pretty much been well-behaved, with only the name-calling Helix's problem with him. "Using my name. You… Know who I am right?" Helix murmured quietly. Bringing up his title, his position was something he didn't really enjoy nor was used to, since it was usually the others who brought it up first when talking to him, or about him.

Hearing his words, the young man gently placed the closed book down on the table and propped up his chin with his palm, a small, a bit amused smile playing on his lips as he replied sincerely, without an ounce of hesitation, "A pretty senior."

"..."

"Kidding," he laughed softly, amused at the funny reaction the older student had on his face. He paused for a moment, his expression softening slightly as he glanced at the book in front of him, his other hand placed on top of the cover while his fingers traced over the bumps the thick hardcover had. "Your Royal Highness, the crown prince… Of course, I know. But, in the end, your name is still Helix, so why do I have to call you by other names?" He looked at Helix again. "Does it bother you, perhaps?" He softly murmured.

Meeting his gaze, Helix couldn't help but sigh quietly. "... Yes."

"Then, should I stop?"

Helix looked away, opening his book again as he muttered, "Do what you want."

The young man chuckled and grinned. "Then, Helix… why don't you start using my name too? You haven't used it at all. You know, just to make it fair." He scooted closer to Helix, their shoulders almost touching but he made sure not to make any contact with the other, only making his presence known more. From this angle, he could see the pale skin of the young prince's neck, the singular mole under his left eye and his hair tucked neatly behind his ear. The young man smiled slightly, and was about to say more when Helix spoke,

"... I really can't understand you, Kai Zein."

The young man laughed softly, "You don't have to try hard to understand me. Just ask, and I'll explain myself to you."

 That young man, Kai Zein was as such. Playful, but he knew his limits. Mischievous, but considerate. The most promising first year student, both mysterious and powerful as the young duke of the mysterious duchy of Zein, which was located at the most dangerous land of Rukadius, there in the northwest. Ever since he shocked the academy with his overwhelming scores during the aptitude test, there has been a lot of people eyeing his every movement.

While he does seem and act like a normal teenage boy, save for his intelligence, he has done the strangest thing none has ever done before.

Successfully befriending the cold and detached crown prince.

Trying to gain the prince's attention is one thing, but actually successfully doing it is another. How did he even do it? Except during the classes the two didn't share, they were practically always together. Walking down the hallway, heading to their usual place, which is the library, eating lunch wherever they could, they were almost inseparable. Though, in their eyes, it seemed like this peculiar first year student was the one doing all the talking, not minding the others' silent treatment and indifferent gaze.

But in actuality, what seemed to be the silent treatment and indifferent gaze was just Helix finding it hard to respond to the other's bright and enthusiastic words. Of course, Kai was aware of it, not minding it anyway.

However, to others, they couldn't help but find it unfortunate. This promising young man, he's bound to mess up one day and have to face the prince's wrath if he keeps 'annoying' him. So, whenever some brave students find Kai without Helix nearby, they would secretly tell him,

"Your Grace, the crown prince is a very scary person…! Perhaps, it's best if you distance yourself from him…"

"We're just worried, all those that annoyed or bothered him… all had an unpleasant and unfortunate experience!"

All to which the other would just brush off, saying; "I would never bother His Highness, like those people."

He's definitely a strange kid. He's approachable and friendly towards his peers and seniors, accepting all sorts of advice and words from others with a smile. But when it comes to the crown prince, he remains firm, shrugging off their words of caution with no regard. So, the other students were very much curious. What exactly is the reason why this strange kid clings to the notorious crown prince so firmly?

Without any answers to this question, weeks soon turned into months, a whole two months. It was around this time as well, that the midterms came.