CHAPTER 38: PRINCESS LIARA

Andria’s POV

She looked up, eyes wide. "You haven’t heard? There’s a new student starting today. Just transferred in, out of nowhere. They’re saying she’s not ordinary, but that’s what they always say with every new student, including you," Becca whispered into my ears.

"Hmm, but exams are fast approaching, how would she keep up?"

"Well, I don’t, she must have been told, but she chose to come anyway." She said with a shrug, her tone laced with nonchalance. "Besides, we don’t know who she is; she might know how to pull a few strings, or maybe she’s brilliant."

Just then, she walked in with an aura around her like she was above us all. She walked with grace and slight arrogance.

She was escorted by two men who carried her backpacks to her seat. "How wonderful that she had to be in this class and not the other one," Becca murmured beside me.

"Well, you have to keep your jealous tone down", I replied, arching a brow in amusement.

"Not that I’m jealous, I’m just irritated by her snobbish, standoffish energy radiating off her and ..." Becca chirped on, rolling her eyes while mimicking the new student as if she weren’t in the same class.

"Well, Becca, I’m not ready to get into a fight with a new student because of you, so I suggest you stop with your wild and exaggerated gestures."

"Not like she would know she is the pigeon I’m mimicking," Becca whispered to me, and I burst out laughing.

"Hello Aria, hi Becca," Arlo greeted in his usual high-pitched, exaggerated mimicry of a feminine voice, flinging his hands in a fan-girlish way.

"He is so weirdly lovable," I murmured, and Becca heard me, because she chuckled.

"Of course, he is one of the rarest genuine souls; you would grow to love him even more," she added.

Arlo walked side to side until he got to our table, flung his backpack carelessly on the table and slumped on his seat.

"If I had any other options, I could have skipped classes," Arlo muttered, dragging his feet like the floor had personally offended him.

"Exams are fast approaching, and I’m a gamma who wants to become at least a Beta." he shrugged his shoulders, opened his backpack and started unpacking the Items needed for today’s class.

The classroom door slid open, and a slender woman with grace stepped in, with that polished composure of someone who knew exactly how much authority she carried. Her eyes scanned the room briefly before she spoke.

"Good morning, class. I am Lunar Caroline, and I will be teaching you mathematics this term," she announced. Then she smiled slightly, though her eyes still held a specific authority.

"We also have a new student joining us today," she continued. "Please welcome Princess Liara, the only daughter of the Alpha King," she announced like she was announcing a contestant for a beauty contest.

For a split second, the room went silent as if everyone was processing the weight of that name. Then whispers. Gasps. The kind of low, charged murmuring that spreads like wildfire. Heads leaned toward each other; people exchanged wide-eyed looks.

Lunar Caroline was visibly irritated with the noise, but she didn’t flinch. "Quiet," she said sharply, and the noise died instantly.

Princess Liara stepped forward. She wasn’t dressed any differently from the rest of us, same academy uniform, but somehow, she made it look slightly different with a unique style that announced that she was royalty.

Her posture was straight, chin lifted, eyes sweeping over the room as if cataloguing each one of us.

"I am Princess Liara, as the teacher has rightly introduced. I’ve been home-schooled since I was little, until I decided I wanted to come out of home..." she introduced herself, sparing us no detail of her lush, extravagant royal life.

And when she was done, she walked back to her seat and sat down without glancing at anyone else, crossing her legs in one smooth motion.

The lesson began, Ms. Harrington moving seamlessly between algebraic expressions and probability. Her gestures and her style of teaching were rather too stiff and professional, matching her outward appearance.

She taught and then turned towards the class, as if she had just noticed that everyone was getting bored with her teaching. "Now," she said, her face lifted with grand mannerism, "who can tell me the value of x if 3x – 7 = 11?"

My hand went up before I even thought about it. "Yes, Aria?" she gestured, raising her hands slightly, signaling me to get up.

I stood, looked over the class before answering her. "x equals six, ma’am."

"Correct," she said with a nod and a smile that exposed the upper part of her teeth. They were perfectly lined, matching her beautiful, model-like face.

I sat back down, but I could already feel eyes on me, particularly hers. Princess Liara. She leaned back slightly, her lips curling into the faintest smirk before she raised her hand.

"That’s not the only possible answer," she said smoothly, drawing every gaze to her.

Lunar Caroline tilted her head. "Go on." Letting her take the grand floor.

Liara began explaining, though I quickly realized she was overcomplicating the problem with an unnecessary method that didn’t even apply here. By the time she finished, a few students were nodding as if they understood, but I couldn’t let it slide.

"With respect, Princess," I said, meeting her eyes, "that works for certain quadratic equations, but this is a simple linear one. There’s only one correct value for x here, and it’s six."

A subtle tension gripped the room. The air felt thicker, as though everyone was holding their breath. Liara’s gaze locked on mine, sharp but intrigued.

"Interesting," she said, her tone almost mocking. "So you’re confident you’re right?" she twitched her lips in a half-grazed smile.

"I don’t answer unless I’m sure," I replied, my voice steady and firm

Before she could fire back, Lunar Caroline raised a hand, ordering us to be quiet. "Aria is correct. In this case, there is only one valid solution, so I suggest you look at the equation properly next time before staging an argument."

The corners of my lips twitched upward, not a full smile, but enough to feel satisfying. Liara smirked, but it wasn’t a defeat, more like admiration. Her eyes were lit up with an excited glint.

Becca, seated beside me, tapped my arm under the table, grinning widely. On my other side, Arlo leaned in and whispered, "That’s my girl," before holding out his palm for a high-five. I returned it without hesitation, a small laugh escaping me.

The rest of the class went by smoothly, though I could still feel Liara’s eyes on me every now and then.

When the bell finally rang, I gathered my books and stood, ready to leave. But Liara was already making her way towards where I stood with Becca and Arlo.

"Aria," she said, her voice smooth and controlled. I paused, watching her extend a perfectly manicured hand. "You’re impressive. Most people wouldn’t correct me, especially in front of a class."

I raised an eyebrow. "You did try to correct me first, so why wouldn’t I, and how would you know that since you have been home-schooled all your life?"

"Well, I know, because I have never been opposed before, and I’m not talking about school."

Becca rolled her eyes in disbelief, and I let out a slight chuckle. Well, that explains why she is so full of herself.