The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 34

I gape a little as we walk down the long, dark tunnel towards…

I mean, I don’t even know what we’re walking towards.

“Where are we going?” I ask Rafe, a little breathless with intrigue and excitement.

“Into the Academy,” he hisses back, like it’s a secret, but I know he’s kidding even before I glare up at him.

“Uniforms,” Jesse says smoothly, running a hand through his hair like he’s very suave. “We’ve got to get fitted, because Academy cadets always look good.”

“What?” I say, a little confused. “Honestly, that can’t be first –”

“His dad,” Rafe says, “the vainest man in the world –”

“Um, justifiably,” Jesse counters, grinning.

“Yeah, whatever,” Rafe says, grinning, “anyway, Uncle Roger really did decide that all of the cadets enrolled here need to look their best at all times. So, yeah,” he shrugs, “first thing is fittings for uniforms.”

“Whoa,” I say, and my awe is not simply for Uncle Roger’s semi–predictable flare for looking good, but also for the cavernous room we walk into next. Because, I mean, the tunnel was literally just that a tunnel, with rough walls and low lighting.

But this?

“Damn,” Luca says, a smirk on his face as he comes up next to Jesse. “Looks like this city boy has finally made it, haven’t I?‘

I nod as I stare around the room, with its three–story arching stone ceilings and polished floors. And I mean, this is the bottom of the castle, where I assumed the dungeons were. If this is here, what the hell is upstairs?

“This way,” Rafe says, tugging me along towards a line of professors waiting at a set of tables ahead of us, a set of boxes in front of them.

“Ah, Cadet Sinclair,” one of the professors says, smiling at Rafe as he steps forward. “Naturally we thought you’d be one of the first to appear, but now I see that you

Chapter 34

little at Ben and 1, clearly having no idea

putting on his best Prince and Heir persona. “Is there something

your candidate apparel. Also within the box is your dorm information and key, the Cadet Handbook, and a map of the parts of the

interestedly, and I jump a little when

name.

eagerly towards him, seeing he has what I assume is my box in his hands. “Congratulations, Cadet.” he says, his voice dry and amused in a way that makes me look up into his eyes as I take the box from

I hesitate because…I mean, he’s just staring at me

softly. “I’ll look forward to seeing much, much

look forward to seeing me again, but my reaction just makes his own smile

ground here, and under a great deal more scrutiny, as a cadet

don’t know, masculine. “Thank you, sir,” I

clearly pleased and

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scowl, turning away as Luca, Ben, and Jesse accept their own boxes, my mind racing as I follow Rafe to the next

look around passively, my mind still reeling from my interaction to the professor, who was the second person to tell me today that they’re going to see more of

this brown–haired professor teach? They’re so different – I can’t imagine, at all, that they’d

and I go very still in shock before I suddenly burst

coming

as I turn a little, observing my plain face with no makeup, my hair tucked expertly up below my

across the room like I’m doing, his face bursting into a grin as he sees my reflection there too. He laughs. “Yup!

wonder no one takes me seriously,” I murmur. Because honestly, I do look like a boy, but I’m sure that I’m the smallest, wimpiest, most pink–cheeked little guy that’s ever walked through these doors.

recognize the voice or anything – it’s just….a girl. “A lot of guys have that reaction when they see themselves for the first time in candidate grey after

a little ottoman. “Come forward,” she says. “I’ll take your measurements, and we’ll have you looking dashing

hesitate, realizing suddenly that

wants to touch my

out the precise dimensions of my form. And while my baggy candidate uniform conceals everything about my

SUN, LU Mar

Chapter 21

some details

girl shrugs. “No worries, if you’re shy, I can take someone else