Chapter 8: We Meet Again

On the other side, Celia Greaves and Zinnia Wimple headed to the storage room to pick up their books after lunch. There were a lot of senior-year materials. Between the textbooks, the thick workbooks, and things like their campus cards, everything piled into two towering stacks. Zinnia Wimple volunteered to help carry them, but Celia Greaves simply hooked one stack in each hand and lifted them with ease. Her face did not show the slightest strain. Zinnia Wimple's eyes went wide, her mouth falling slightly open in pure shock. Celia Greaves cleared her throat. "They're not heavy." Staring at the thick stacks, Zinnia Wimple forced herself to believe her. Between going there and coming back, the entire lunch break disappeared. Class time crept up fast, so Zinnia Wimple led Celia Greaves down a narrow shortcut she had stumbled upon by accident. Two people approached from the opposite direction, and they met head-on with the pair. Celia Greaves kept her gaze forward, but the man coming toward them stopped right in front of her with a smile. His low voice carried a teasing lilt. "Little one, we meet again." At the sound, Celia Greaves lifted her head without thinking. Sure enough, it was the man from the mountain, the one who had camped out at her place and refused to leave. Zinnia Wimple also noticed him. He was absurdly handsome, almost too perfect to be real. Her eyes darted between Celia Greaves and the man. Whatever story her brain stitched together, her face flushed bright red. She snatched both stacks of books from Celia Greaves' hands and bolted. The moment she picked them up, Zinnia Wimple realized just how brutally heavy they were. She held her breath, hugged the books tight against her chest, and ran as she called back, "Celia Greaves, you two take your time! I'll head back to the classroom first!" "So your name is Celia Greaves." Ray Reves chuckled, the sound vibrating from deep in his chest. It was more than enough to show how pleased the prince was. He had stayed at her place before and still had not been told her name. And he had learned it from someone else's mouth. None of that stopped the prince from being in a great mood. "Twice in one week," he said lightly. "Doesn't that mean we're fated?" Celia Greaves stood around five-seven, not much shorter than most boys, but the man in front of her still had a full head on her. She had to tilt her chin up to meet his eyes. To be honest, she hated having to look up at anyone. Her sharp brows drew together, and her voice turned cool. "Or maybe it's cow dung, sheep dung, dog dung, wolf dung." Ray Reves' mouth twitched, and his smile nearly cracked. Evan Quinny, standing beside him, could not hold it in. "Pfft." He found this girl way too entertaining. In all his life, it was the first time he had seen anything like a "getting shut down" expression on this prince's face. Ray Reves flicked him a chilly look. Evan Quinny immediately covered his mouth and forced his features into something respectable. "Ahem. Ray, I'll head over first. You two… talk." Celia Greaves glanced at the man blocking her path and turned her head aside. "I'm about to be late for class. Move." Ray Reves narrowed his eyes slightly. He paused before answering, "Fine." As he spoke, he lifted a long-fingered hand toward her head. Celia Greaves instinctively tried to dodge, but he said, "Don't move." She hesitated for a beat. That was all it took. Ray Reves plucked a dry leaf from her hair. After that, he stepped aside and said with perfect courtesy, "See you tonight, little one." Celia Greaves thought the way he said it sounded strange, but she did not dwell on it. After school, she understood exactly what he meant. She split up with Zinnia Wimple outside the gates and then stood near the entrance for half an hour. She tugged at the corner of her mouth. A flash of mockery crossed her eyes, and once she pieced it together, she let out a careless little laugh. As she walked, she sensed a car trailing her. Without giving anything away, she glanced over and saw the rear window lowered. The man's face appeared, beautiful in a way that bordered on unreal. Ray Reves had never planned to hide from her. When he caught her looking, he gave her a lazy smile. Celia Greaves kept her expression flat. "What do you want?" Ray Reves tipped his delicate chin. "Get in." Evan Quinny leaned out from the driver's seat too. "Yeah, Celia Greaves. We saw you standing there forever. Waiting for someone? They probably aren't coming." Ray Reves added, "We're going that way anyway. Might as well give you a ride." Evan Quinny almost choked on his own spit. This guy really was something. He did not even know where the girl was going, yet "going that way" came out of his mouth like it was the most natural thing in the world. Celia Greaves' lips twitched. She understood "going that way" was just an excuse. In truth, he wanted to repay her for saving him as soon as possible, so he would not owe her a favor later. After a moment's thought, she said, "Star City." Ray Reves smiled. "What a coincidence. My place is on that road too." He got out and, like a perfect gentleman, opened the door for her. Evan Quinny looked like he had seen a ghost. Star City was a massive shopping center in the south-side commercial district. It was the complete opposite direction from Crown Garden up north. Yet this man could say they were on the same road without even blinking. And the prince, who usually could not be bothered with anything in the world, was getting out of the car to open a door for someone? Evan Quinny could not help sneaking a few more looks at Celia Greaves. She seemed like an ordinary girl. Other than her face, he could not figure out what about her could possibly catch this man's interest. Before he could stare any longer, Ray Reves' chilly gaze drifted over. Evan Quinny's neck went cold. He sat up straight at once and focused on driving. Ray Reves slowly withdrew his eyes. When he looked at Celia Greaves again, his tone was gentle to the point of disarming. "You just got to Pine City? Settling in okay?" Evan Quinny nearly blacked out from the blatant difference in treatment. "No. I've been here before." Celia Greaves kept it short. She pulled a small bottle from her pocket, tipped out a pill, and ate it. Ray Reves glanced at the black little pellets inside and raised a brow. "That is…?" Celia Greaves offered politely, "Energy pill. Want one?" Evan Quinny's "Ray doesn't like that stuff" had not even made it out of his throat when the notoriously picky prince accepted one without hesitation and tossed it into his mouth. The tiny energy pill melted the instant it hit his tongue, carrying a faint sweetness. With just that one, it felt as if the fatigue in his body had been rinsed away, leaving him light and clear. Celia Greaves looked at Evan Quinny and tipped her gaze, a silent question. Evan Quinny shook his head so hard it was almost comical. "No, thanks." He was not a kid. He did not eat candy. Especially not this kind of pitch-black, ugly-looking "candy." Celia Greaves took one look at his exhausted face and the dark circles that still had not faded, and she did not press him. The car stopped at Star City. Celia Greaves waved goodbye and stepped out, only to realize the man had gotten out too. Catching the question in her eyes, Ray Reves slid one hand into his pocket and strolled to her side on those long legs. "I remembered I need to buy something as well." Celia Greaves let him. After "talking" with her biological parents, she had no intention of continuing to live with the Greaves family. She had come to Star City to buy daily necessities and clothes for the life she planned to live from here on out. Star City was an all-in-one mall with everything under one roof, and the brands that could afford to set up shop here had solid quality to match. Shopping was convenient, too. If a customer liked something, the sales associate marked it in the system. After checkout, the purchases were delivered directly to the address you provided. Celia Greaves basically pointed at whatever she wanted and had the associate log it. She did not even bother trying on clothes. Item after item, she picked with ruthless efficiency. From big things like quilts and mattresses to small things like toothbrushes and mugs, her thoughts stayed crisp and orderly, never once pausing. It felt less like shopping and more like a sweep. Just then, the square device in Celia Greaves' hand vibrated faintly.