Chapter Five: A Rising Star

Chapter Five: A Rising Star

The music classroom at Sakura Academy was spacious and bright, with the floor covered in small, square tiles. Sunlight streamed through the large dome windows, creating an illusion of stepping into a grand French cathedral. Lydia Moore, who had marveled at the opulence of the classroom for a while, finally accepted its lavishness. She carefully took out her brown violin from its case and began tuning the strings.

Behind her, a group of girls from her class huddled together, discussing something with tones of dissatisfaction and envy. Lydia glanced toward the corner of the front row, where Elena Rivers was drawing her bow lightly across the strings, producing a delicate melody. It was the "Habanera" from *Carmen* by Bizet.

Lydia placed the violin on her left shoulder, drew the bow across the strings, and started playing "La Campanella" by Paganini, a piece she particularly enjoyed.

White clouds drifted across the sky between the buildings of the teaching block.

Occasionally, some of the girls in the group turned their heads towards Lydia's music, but they quickly returned to their conversation about "National Golden Prince" Aaron King.

"Last night, Aaron King kissed Nina Wells in public at the Fireworks Plaza," one girl's voice was filled with both anger and envy.

"Really?" Another girl exclaimed. "He and Judy just broke up less than a week ago."

"Isn't that normal?" Ava Blue, with her doll-like face and thick black hair, chimed in with a hint of schadenfreude. Sitting comfortably while filing her painted nails, she smirked, "Aaron King is never short of eager admirers." Although she had been dumped by Aaron King just three months ago, she acknowledged that any girl chosen by him was considered a beauty. In Sakura Academy, being noticed by Aaron King, even if it ended with a painful breakup, was still a source of pride for many girls.

Countless girls tried to win Aaron King's affection, but most ended up with a breakup sooner or later. Thus, the one-month relationship rule with Aaron King had become almost a norm at Sakura, like an unspoken school rule. The breakup was inevitable; it was just a matter of how long the relationship would last.

"It's such a shame he didn't agree to transfer to our Arts and Communications College. Otherwise, there might have been a chance to be in the same class as him," said another girl, her tone filled with regret. This remark resonated with the others, and the atmosphere grew somewhat subdued.

Despite her best efforts to focus on her violin, Lydia Moore found her thoughts disrupted by their conversation and had to stop playing.

Aaron King again! He was the most mentioned name since she arrived at the school three days ago. She had heard he was the highest-ranking "Platinum Prince" at the International Finance Academy. Rumor had it that he was a sought-after amateur model, with companies worldwide eager to sign him. He was also known for his lavish lifestyle, with a string of high-profile relationships with stunning beauties, and was a genius basketball player, often described as the perfect blend of Hanamichi Sakuragi and Rukawa Kaede.

However, not every girl was lost in the fantasy of fairy tales or prince charming romances, and Lydia Moore was one of them. To her, the most enchanting fairy tales were mere dreamlike bubbles—beautiful yet untouchable. In reality, the chance of a prince choosing Cinderella over a princess was almost nonexistent. After all, princes and princesses were naturally the perfect match. If Cinderella wasn't already as beautiful and noble as a princess, would the prince ever notice her? Realizing she had been overthinking, Lydia shook her head and smiled. She placed the violin back on her shoulder, ready to start a new piece.

But just as she was contemplating whether to play Beethoven's "Romance" or Weber's "Epos and Polonaise," a loud and high-pitched scream from the group of girls once again interrupted her thoughts. The name on their lips was still Aaron King. Lydia turned to see what had captured their attention.

Outside the window, a tall phoenix tree was covered in dense green leaves, motionless under the blazing sun. Beneath the tree stood a strikingly handsome young man, his left ear adorned with a sparkling blue earring. His high, straight nose and slightly curved lips were both alluring and charming. Next to him was a girl in a light blue puff skirt, tall and slender. Her youthful, shy expression made her appear shorter than her actual height of 170 cm, evoking a desire to hold and cherish her. She furrowed her brow, seemingly complaining to the tall and handsome Aaron King, but soon burst into laughter at something he said, gently tapping his arm. The couple looked like an inseparable pair, drawing envious glances from everyone around.

Yet Lydia was certain that the jealousy among the girls glued to the glass window far outweighed their admiration. Otherwise, their fingers wouldn't be pressing so tightly against the glass.

"Aaron King is here to shoot a commercial for the new Lev chocolate," Ava Blue said, her excitement tempered by irritation as she watched him chatting animatedly with the girl beside him. She had been thrilled to see Aaron King during class hours but was infuriated by the sight of him enjoying himself with someone else.