I snorted before shaking my head. She’d made an art form of insulting me with a tone of voice that was as sweet as pie.
Talented bitch.
Knowing it wasn’t smart to insult a powerful heir, I chose to remain silent and hope they all just thought I was mysterious. Mattie didn’t have the same qualms, flipping Claudette off while shooting her a toothy smile. “You’re not welcome here if you talk to my friend like that again,” she said, sounding as super sweet as Claudette had before. That tone must be a royal thing.
The absolute astonishment on bitchy’s face was comical. I don’t think she’d thought, for even a second, that anyone would choose me over her. “You have to be kidding me.”
“We’re not,” Nolan cut in. “So either shut up or fuck off.”
Someone had been looking out for me when they’d sent the twins my way.Thank you, guardian angel.
Claudette turned pleading eyes on Rafe, imploring him to interject in her defense, but he was busy on his palm reader, not even glancing her way. With a huff, she got to her feet, and after one more dramatic pause, flounced off to join another table.
Alex’s table.
I waited for Rafe to lose his shit, because the second I went near the Australasian heir, he seemed to turn his ire in my direction, but he never even spared Claudette a look.
“They’re betrothed,” Mattie said, noticing my confusion. “But it’s not Rafe’s choice.”
The knowledge of that sent some tendrils of unease through my chest. No idea why, because those two were equally unpleasant and their match was probably a well-suited one, but … I didn’t like it. No one should be forced to marry.
“Is that common among the royals?” I asked, gathering as much information as I could. Despite everyone’s insistence that I stay ignorant, I had a feeling that in this school, knowledge was the only thing that was going to save me.
Mattie nodded. “Yep. Marrying for anything other than breeding and political alliance is a rarity. All the glitz and glamor hides a bunch of fucked-up, archaic traditions.”
“Mattie,” Nolan said, warning in his tone.
She rolled her eyes but quickly changed the topic.
“How did you find your first few classes?” she asked, just as the waiters brought out wine for everyone, goblets of water, and the first course of the meal. It was some kind of salad, but there were small white balls and a pink fleshy meat mixed in, neither of which I could identify, so I would be giving that a miss.
“They were very full-on, considering it’s only the first day,” I admitted, moving the salad around so it wasn’t apparent that I wasn’t eating. “I didn’t expect all the subjects to jump in so fast.”
Mattie nodded. “Yeah, the royals get some exemptions, but for everyone else here, it’s the sort of academic schedule that can destroy you if you let it. Don’t fall behind. That’s the most important advice I can give you.”
Great, so much for my free time. I’d be in the library until midnight every night at this rate. I already had at least a few hours of homework, and it was only lunchtime.
Some of the tension that had been around faded as everyone else at the table ate their food and engaged in conversation. Rafe, who I was pretty sure hadn’t even noticed Claudette’s absence yet, remained on his palm reader. His brow was furrowed, and I wondered what was bothering him.
I mean, not that I cared, but there was definitely something upsetting the heir.
For a second, his eyes lifted to meet mine, and something pulsed in the air between us.
For once, he didn’t look like he wanted to murder me in my sleep. I mean, he didn’t look friendly either, but whatever was holding his attention in that palm reader had dulled some of his asshole tendencies toward me.
The waiter distracted me when he took away my untouched salad, replacing it with the chicken and salad I’d ordered for lunch. Throat dry, I grabbed my glass and took a large swallow of water, only to realize it was a crisp dry wine.
Jesus, the last thing I needed was more alcohol, especially when I was going to have to pay attention in class like never before if I didn’t want to fall behind. On the other hand, one glass might make this lunch more manageable.
Another sip, and I turned to the food. I was relieved to see that everything on my plate was recognizable, and it looked delicious. Nolan finished off what I couldn’t, my stomach still tender, and I laughed at his enthusiasm.
“You weren’t kidding about loving lunch,” I said, more chuckles escaping.
He arched a red brow at me with mock indignation. “New girl, you don’t get a chiseled physique like this by picking at salads. Besides, I was in a hurry this morning and missed breakfast.”
“Oh yeah,” Harriet, the mousey brunette beside Mattie commented, “I saw you coming out of Nurse Reller’s clinic before literature this morning.” It was a statement, but the question was implied.
Nolan’s easy smile slipped, and he dabbed at his mouth with a heavily starched, linen napkin. “Yes, nothing serious. Just needed a sports injury checked out.”
