"IF I don't do this now, I might regret it later. Please Chelsie?" Jeno begs, his eyes filled with sincerity, which Chelsie falls for in that moment.

She nods. "Alright, Your Highness. But only for a minute."

"5 minutes," Jeno tries to bargain.

"3 minutes," she answers firmly.

Jeno nods. "Alright. Thank you."

"What is it, Your Highness?" Chelsie initiates the conversation, trying to keep her composure.

"Chelsie, I just want to apologize for what you saw on the news before. I know it's degrading and believe me, I don't want to hurt you like that. But I'll take responsibility and... I hope you will forgive me," Jeno says, closing his eyes and bowing down.

"1 minute 10 seconds," Chelsie answers, looking at her watch. "Anything else, Your Highness?"

Jeno lifts his head up, his eyes focused on hers. "Chelsie, please don't do this. I really want to know you more so please..."

"55 seconds," Chelsie continues to count.

"Are you really gonna avoid me while you're here in Eton?" Jeno asks this time.

Chelsie nods. "If that's the only way for me to stay here."

"You can't avoid me forever, Chelsie," Jeno says matter-of-factly. "I reckon... I might just die out of insanity if you do that."

Chelsie gulps down. His words are suddenly overwhelming her that she wants to give in. "20... s-seconds..." her voice trembles as she speaks. "Are we done... Y-Your Highness?"

Jeno suddenly grabs her hand, startling her. "I fancy you, Chelsie. I really do."

CHELSIE slaps her arm over and over, still thinking about that last conversation she had with the youngest prince. Was that even real? Never in her life did she expect that a royalty will say that to her. No, maybe he's just playing around. Or maybe he just said that so that I won't get mad at him anymore after humiliating me. She tries to convince herself that it was just a dream. But everytime she feels the pain in her arms after slapping, she realizes it was all real.

"Sweetie, why are you hurting yourself?" Mrs. Collins appears from the kitchen, taking a seat on the couch in their lounge next to her daughter.

"I'm not, mum. I'm just... trying to wake myself up," Chelsie says.

"Your sister is still sick. Will you be alright going to school alone?" Mrs. Collins asks, stroking her hair.

Chelsie nods. "Yes mum. I'll be fine."

"Alright then. Come eat breakfast before you go." Mrs. Collins kisses her cheek and proceeds back to the kitchen.

When Chelsie finally arrives in the university, she enters inside their room quietly. She feels relieved that Jeno still isn't around because she just doesn't know what to do once she faces him. After settling on her seat, someone pokes her back, startling her. "Are you hiding from someone?"

Chelsie turns to her back and sees Elexa standing behind her with a smile on her face. "Uh... hi Elexa!" she greets her awkwardly.

Elexa takes the seat next to her and turns to her again. "You didn't answer my question."

Chelsie looks away, shaking her head. "No, I'm not," she says.

"Good morning, Chels!" A familiar voice greets her from behind again, and she's right, when she sees Mark walking past her.

"Good morning, Mark!" Chelsie replies back, smiling at him. Just as soon as she does, Jeno appears from the door with Jaemin beside him. She doesn't fail to notice his gaze, as he takes the seat infront of her. She immediately looks down and patiently waits until their first professor enters the room.

Chelsie tries to focus in class, but she just can't seem to do so, seeing Jeno's back. All she can hear inside her head are his words from their conversation yesterday. It doesn't seem real to her at all. Her thoughts drift away the whole time. During lunch break, she tags along with Elexa and Renjun. Fortunately, Mark comes along with them so she somehow feels at ease.

"Chels, are you alright?" Mark asks, when he notices her silence. "You've been staring in space since first period."

"How did you know?" Chelsie asks.

Mark squints. "Oh... I just... glanced at you earlier."

"I reckon it's gonna rain today," Renjun butts in, looking at the cloudy sky.

"It always rains here anyway. Nothing new with that," Elexa adds, munching on her croissant.

"Excuse me, I'll just go to the restroom," Chelsie says, standing up.

"Do you know where it is?" Mark asks. "I can come with you. Not... all the way through inside, of course." He finishes awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Chelsie nods, smiling. "Thank you, Mark. But I know where it is now."

"Alright then," Mark finally says.

As she makes her way to the rest room, someone stops her by the arm, catching her off guard. When she spins on her heel, she sees Jeno with a frustrated look on his face. "Chelsie, are you avoiding me?" he asks.

Chelsie can't speak. She is definitely avoiding him, but she doesn't want to tell it to him. "N-No, Your Highness."

"Then why do I feel like you are?" Jeno questions again.

"I'm... s-sorry, Your Highness. But I really need to go... to the restroom now," Chelsie says, excusing herself and hastily proceeding inside.

Chelsie doesn't plan on going out of the restroom until their last period ends. She doesn't plan on entering inside their room ever again. She just embarrassed herself even more. She doesn't know how to confront him. If it's real, she should be happy. Every girl dreams of having a Prince like him. But she's unsure of her own feelings.

"Chelsie! Are you in there?" Elexa's voice echoes inside the restroom. "Are you still here?"

Chelsie stands up and pushes the door out, revealing herself. "Sorry. I just... had a stomach ache."

"Oh, that's unfortunate. Do you want to go to the infirmary?" Elexa offers.

Infirmary? That isn't a bad idea. "Can I stay there until the last period?"

Elexa nods. "I think so, yes. Is it that bad?"

Chelsie has no choice so she just nods. They proceed to the infirmary after that. She dozes off right after the physician gave her the medicine, which she doesn't really need. But for now, this is what I need.

♚♚♚

CHELSIE doesn't know how long her nap was at the infirmary. All she knows is that she gets awakened by a light shaking of her shoulders. When she opens her eyes, she sees the first person she wants to see. "Mark?" She slowly rises up in bed, so Mark assists her.

"Are you alright now? You should've told me earlier that you're feeling unwell," Mark says in a worried tone.

Chelsie smiles. "I'm fine now, Mark."

Mark nods, sighing. "It's pouring hard outside. Will your sister pick you up?"

Chelsie shakes her head. "Traze is still sick. I'll just ride a cab."

"I'll take you home. I mean... to your home," Mark corrects himself.

"I can manage, Mark," she says firmly.

"Let me walk you out of the uni, at least," Mark insists, so she finally lets him.

Chelsie allows him to assist her all the way out of the building. She can hear the heavy downpour of rain from the rooftop. She didn't bring an umbrella, but Mark has one, fortunately, so they both walk side by side under the umbrella.

When they reach near the gate, a limousine suddenly stops beside them. The window rolls down and Jeno peeks out from inside, looking at them. "Let me take you home, Chelsie," the Prince offers.

Chelsie pauses, then glances at Mark beside her. He just stays still, looking back at her. "Thank you, Your Highness. But... Mark will take me home."

Jeno nods with a frustrated look on his face. "Alright then. Be safe on your way home."

The limousine drives away after that, leaving Chelsie in an awkward state with Mark. She turns to him slowly. "I'm sorry I used you to-" she gets cut off when Mark speaks.

"Don't worry. I'm more than glad to accompany you home. But if I do, will you tell me the rest of the story?" Mark answers with a condition.

Chelsie gulps down. She's hesitant to tell it to anyone, but she figures Mark is the perfect person to confide to so she just agrees. "Alright, I trust you enough, Mark."

Mark flashes her a smile. "Shall we go, then?"

When they finally see a cab from afar, they immediately wave their hands for it to stop. Mark ushers Chelsie inside and takes a seat next to her at the back. The rain finally stops at that moment. Then, Chelsie starts to tell him about what happened at the Workshop yesterday. "Prince Jeno told me that..."

Mark turns to her, anticipating. "That?"

Chelsie looks down, sighing. "That he fancies me."

Mark falls silent for a moment, before he finally answers back. "And what did you say?"

Shaking her head, Chelsie rests her head on the seat. "I didn't answer back. I don't know what to say, Mark. I don't even know if he's telling the truth."

Mark nods. "I understand, Chels. But I've known Jeno for a long time and he'd never lie about something like that. He's always been true to his words, even if the King, his own father disagrees to it."

"What should I do then?"

"Do you..." Mark pauses, staring at her. "...like him back?"

"I..." Chelsie closes her eyes, trying to think about the few encounters she had with the youngest prince. She won't deny the fact that she's attracted to him physically, but she's still unsure if she really likes him. "I'm not sure."

"I reckon it's best if you tell him that. I'm sure he'll patiently wait for your answer," Mark suggests.

Chelsie nods, smiling. "Thank you, Mark. I don't know what to do without you," she finishes, leaning closer and wrapping her arms around him.

A/N: First of all, I'm truly sorry for not updating for so long. I've been busy reviewing for a big exam that will make or break my future so I'm investing a lot of time in my review. I hope you understand. It'll be hard for me to update unlike before until the exam is done so please bear with me. If you decide to discontinue reading this, I'd understand. And if you will still wait for my updates, I'd highly appreciate that.

Btw, I just heard that NCT is having a comeback on June. I've seen their airport pics recently and they have changed their hair colors again so CB is real! >_<

Thank you once again if you're reading this update. Hope you liked it! <3

~neoluv #NCTcomebacksoon #JenSie or #MarChel