Lux, following behind, saw him stretch out on the bench and couldn't help crouching lightly in front of it.
Her bright, pretty eyes rested on Luke's face.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, scattering across his handsome features and making him look even calmer—almost peaceful.
His smooth, fair face had sharp definition. His brows were sword-straight, yet somehow gave a gentle impression. And the corner of his mouth, slightly lifted even in sleep… carried the faintest hint of trouble.
"He's such an awful guy… and yet he's this good-looking."
Lux muttered to herself.
A soft breeze swept through, and the leaves rustled—shaa-shaa, shaa-shaa.
For people who liked that sound, it wasn't noise at all. It was soothing.
A few leaves drifted down, and one of them floated perfectly—landing right on Luke's nose.
Lux stared at it for two seconds, then her eyes gleamed with fresh interest.
Carefully, she reached out and poked the leaf.
Luke didn't react.
So Lux got bolder. She pinched the stem and started messing with him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Half-asleep, Luke felt an itch on his nose. He didn't even need to think hard to know who was causing it.
He rolled over and mumbled, "Stop. And watch the time."
Lux finally stopped.
But when Luke turned over, Miss Crownguard waited a moment… then pouted in immediate dissatisfaction.
"My turn, my turn. You've been lying there for ages."
She reached out and pushed him twice, trying to claim the "prime spot."
Luke turned back, opened his eyes with a deadpan look, and said, "There are so many benches. You really have to fight me for this one?"
"Hmph. I just think this one feels nicer to lie on."
Lux lifted her chin, openly bratty.
"Fine, fine. You take this one."
Luke sat up helplessly and gave her the spot. He walked a few steps left and lay down on another bench.
If he weren't so sleepy and drained right now, he would've absolutely argued with her properly.
The moment Luke moved away, Lux immediately copied the way he'd been lying there—hands behind her head, eyes closed, completely satisfied. The bench was hard, but it still felt far more comfortable than the classroom.
Unhappy with her posture, Lux rolled over. In a hazy sort of way, she could still smell Luke's scent lingering there.
A faint fragrance—clean and pleasant.
It was almost like it had a hypnotic effect. Without realizing it, Lux felt sleepiness wash over her.
The open field by the school grounds was deserted.
A breeze came and went, again and again—shaa-shaa, shaa-shaa.
A young boy and a young girl, stealing a rare moment of quiet.
Ding-ling-ling~!!
No one knew how much time passed before the sharp, urgent end-of-class bell startled them awake.
Luke opened his eyes irritably, still full of that post-sleep temper. He was just about to scold Yurna for being an unprofessional maid—then remembered, a moment too late, that he wasn't at home.
He sat up, yawned, and looked around.
At the same time, Miss Crownguard rose from the bench beside him, bleary-eyed, her expression dazed and blank.
"Class is over?"
The moment her confused words fell—
Both of their sleepiness vanished by half. They turned to look at each other at the same time and immediately realized how serious this was.
"Crap!"
Luke felt the danger instantly. Without hesitation, he bolted, feet moving like he'd caught the wind—shooting forward in a burst.
Lux also felt the danger and sped up at the same time, almost sprinting.
"Didn't I tell you to watch the time?!"
"I fell asleep by accident! What was I supposed to do?! Hey—slow down!"
Lux saw Luke pulling farther and farther ahead and shouted anxiously, afraid of getting left behind.
Luke ended up having to stop halfway just to wait for her.
They finally made it back to the classroom. But when Lux cautiously poked her head inside, Mors was already gone.
"Teacher… looks like she already left."
Lux turned back and said it.
Hearing that, Luke finally relaxed and walked in.
Quite a few students noticed the two of them re-entering. They looked at them the way you'd look at warriors—nothing but admiration, nothing but respect.
"Someone tell me… what was Mors's reaction just now?"
Luke stepped inside, caught those looks, and couldn't help asking.
One student answered, "After class, Teacher Mors stepped out, realized you and Miss Crownguard weren't there, and she blew up on the spot. She said if you hate attending her class that much, then you'd better make sure she doesn't see you again in the future."
Everyone present was filled with awe for the two of them.
They were insanely brave.
Sent out to stand as punishment… and they still dared to wander off and relax somewhere else.
Even with Luke being the prince and Lux being House Crownguard's precious jewel, pulling something like this in the Royal Academy was practically unheard of.
The Royal Academy was founded by the crown, and its teachers held real authority.
Even in a school full of noble children, almost nobody dared to be that reckless—
And yet, they had no idea that an even bolder thought was about to form in Luke's mind.
Luke and Lux sat in their chairs, both wearing thoughtful expressions, trying to figure out what to do next.
After a while, Luke spoke.
"Miss Crownguard."
"Hm?" Lux looked up.
Luke asked, "How much chance do you think we have of fixing this?"
Lux thought about it. Then, picturing Mors's face, she shrank her neck slightly.
"I think the chance is zero. Teacher Mors… really seemed angry today."
Luke asked again, "So no matter what we do, we can't avoid getting punished, right?"
Lux thought again, then nodded. "Yeah."
So, an audacious idea surfaced in Luke's mind. He said with complete seriousness:
"If that's the case… why don't we skip the rest of the morning classes too? We're getting punished either way."
Lux froze. For her, this was an entirely new way of thinking.
Right—if they couldn't escape punishment anyway, why not skip the other classes as well and make the limited time they had as enjoyable as possible?
"That's a very bold idea."
Lux's face was solemn as she said it—then her lips curved.
"But I like it."
They exchanged a look, and in that instant, they were in perfect agreement.
Who cares about class?
They'd already made Mors furious. So why not fully let go and enjoy themselves?
So when the bell for the second period rang, the students discovered that the two people in the back row…
Were simply gone.
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