TRAZE freezes on her spot for a few seconds, before finally coming back to her senses. She didn't really expect the Prince to appear just like that. She isn't ready to face him yet. She doesn't know why, but she feels anxious whenever the Prince is around, even though that isn't the first time she's talking to him.

"Patricia?" Jaehyun asks again, catching back her attention.

"Ehm... I..." Traze tries to formulate a sentence, but she just can't.

"I was talking to her," Taeyong answers firmly, shooting the Prince a glare.

Jaehyun nods, but he doesn't let go of her hand, and neither does Taeyong. "I'm glad you're here, Patricia. There's something I need to discuss with you."

"O-Oh... a-alright, Your Highness," Traze answers, turning to Taeyong and motioning him to let go of her arm.

Taeyong looks at her, hesitating to let go, since he has something to ask her as well. But he gives in and finally releases his grip onto her. He shakes his head in defeat, sighing and walking away.

Traze feels bad, but she just can't say no to the Prince either. She reckons Taeyong will understand since somehow she already knows that he isn't that bad of a lad after all.

"Patricia, are you alright?" Jaehyun asks, when he notices that she's still quiet. Traze just nods. She doesn't know what else to say. "Did you come here to see your sister for her first day?" he asks again, smiling.

"Y-Ye... I just dropped her off. Ehm... you know she's here?" Traze asks back in confusion.

"Oh... yes. I heard about it from the admissions office," Jaehyun answers, touching his right ear anxiously.

When they reach a park, Jaehyun motions her to sit on the vacant bench so she does. Traze feels relieved that no one else is there or else she'll get unwanted stares again. "S-So... what are you gonna discuss with me, Your Highness?"

"It's about your mother. I want her to go back and work at the Palace," Jaehyun says, straightforwardly. "I know she's sick. I heard about it. But I already talk to the Head of the Housekeeping and told them not to give heavy workload to Mrs. Collins. Would that be alright with you?"

Traze wants to retort, but Jaehyun already gave every answer to her questions in her mind. "Your Highness... I'm grateful that you want my mum back, but she's getting old and I don't want her to exhaust herself again."

"Alright. I have another proposal to you then." Jaehyun smiles with his dimple showing. This makes Traze's heart race, so she takes a deep breath, hoping it'll slow down again. "You'll be the one to work at the Palace in place of your mum and you'll get to study here in Eton, just like your sister."

3... 2... 1... Few seconds pass until Traze finally lets his words sink in her mind. She is lost for words. It's like the best thing anyone has offered to her. But on the other hand, she's scared that this might come with a consequence.

"Patricia, is it a yes?" Jaehyun asks, catching back her attention.

"Y-Your Highness... I... don't know what to say. It's just... is there a catch to this?"

Jaehyun pauses, then stifles a soft laugh. "Catch? I don't reckon I understand what you mean by that."

Traze sighs. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I just... don't want anyone to think that I'm using my connection with you just to-"

Jaehyun stops her, holding her hand. "Patricia, it's not like that. I'm doing this to help you... as a friend," Jaehyun ends, looking at her intently.

Traze swallows hard, avoiding his gaze. Friend. Right. "I'll... think about it, Your Highness."

Right after hearing that, Jaehyun notices blood slowly dripping from Traze's nose. "Patricia, are you alright?" he asks, bringing out a handkerchief and wiping her nose.

Traze doesn't speak because she suddenly feels dizzy and her vision becomes blurry. She involuntarily holds onto the Prince's arm, who is fortunately just right beside her.

"I'll take you to the infirmary," Jaehyun says, preparing to carry her.

"No... please. I'm alright... I just..." Traze tries to stop him, but her body can't take it any longer, until she blacks out.

♚♚♚

JAEHYUN watches the still unconscious girl lying on the infirmary bed. As soon as he saw the blood dripping from her nose earlier, he immediately got worried. He doesn't know why, but he has this feeling of wanting to look out for her the moment he saw her at the charity event. Maybe because she sees him as an ordinary person, and not as a Prince.

The physician arrives few minutes later, interrupting his thoughts. "Your Highness, I advise the patient to undergo a thorough medical check-up at the hospital. Her blood count is lower than normal. I want to know if this is just because of a recent bleeding or if it's been happening even before."

Jaehyun nods. "Alright. Thank you. I'll make sure to accompany her to the hospital."

When the physician leaves, Jaehyun notices that Traze is already awake on her bed. "Your Highness..." she speaks, trying to sit straight up so the Prince rushes towards her to assist her.

"Patricia, how are you feeling?" he asks.

"Can I go back home now? I don't want mum to be worried. I told her I'll be back in an hour," she explains.

"The physician advised that you need to have a check-up at a hospital to make sure that you'll be alright. I will accompany you, Patricia," the Prince insists.

"Your Highness, thank you... but I'm really fine now. I just got soaked by the rain last night. I'm sure I'll be better by tomorrow." Traze forces herself to stand up from her bed, but she's still dizzy so she loses her balance again. Luckily, Jaehyun catches her immediately by the arm.

"Let me drive you home then," he says.

"But Your Highness..." she protests, but the Prince smiles at her.

"Patricia, please," the Prince insists, keeping the smile on his face. How can she say no to that?

♚♚♚

AS soon as Chelsie steps inside their room, she's surprised that the class is quiet. She expects them to throw her glares, but it seems like they don't even notice her entering inside. Some are busy reading books, while some are listening to music. It's nothing like in her old school where classes are usually noisy. Everyone inside the room look elegant and sophisticated. They're indeed Elites and Royals.

"You can sit next to me, Chelsie," Mark offers, pointing at the vacant chair on the corner.

She doesn't want to reject him so she just nods. But then, suddenly, someone raises a hand up, catching both their attention. "Sit here." The brunette girl who spoke looks younger than Chelsie. And even if it's the first time she's seeing her, she feels comfortable just by looking at her. She doesn't seem intimidating, unlike the other students inside.

Chelsie turns to Mark. "I'll... take that seat." The lad nods in return, going back to his chair. She makes her way towards the vacant chair next to the brunette, who's already offering her hand.

"Hi, I'm Elexa. It's nice to have you here," the girl introduces herself.

"I'm Chelsie," she answers, taking her seat.

Elexa stares at her for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "Wait... aren't you a part of that band from the bash?"

Chelsie nods timidly. "I am."

"I knew I've seen you before. You were so cool back then," Elexa praises.

"Thank you."

"Hey El, have you seen my notebook?" Someone suddenly appears infront of them, interrupting their conversation.

Elexa rolls her eyes at the lad who just appeared. "Do I look like a lost and found counter to you?"

The lad shrugs his shoulders. "Well, I just reckoned you might have seen it."

"No Ren. I haven't seen it. Now go back to your seat." Elexa shoves him away, but the lad remains on his post.

"Have we met before?" he asks Chelsie, startling her.

"Ehm..." Chelsie pauses, shaking her head.

"No you haven't, Mr. Congeniality. She's a new student," Elexa says matter-of-factly.

"Oh forgive me. My bad. I'm Renjun, Elexa's other half," he says, smiling, his snuggle tooth showing infront.

Chelsie glances at Elexa, who looks flustered all of a sudden. "Your... boyfriend?"

Renjun waves his hand playfully, returning to his seat. Meanwhile, Elexa turns to Chelsie again. "Don't believe that creature. He's just messing around. I'm really sorry about that. He's my annoying bestfriend."

Chelsie nods, smiling. "It's alright."

Just then, the door swings open, revealing two young men in fancy suits. Chelsie immediately recognizes one of them. Prince Jeno. If she isn't mad at him, she probably already fell for his stunning face. No one can deny that fact. Even just wearing a simple uniform, one can tell that he's a Prince.

His eye-smile greets everyone, as the youngest Prince Jeno walks infront of the room. He taps Mark's back and gives a high-five at Renjun. When he catches Chelsie's gaze, his smile suddenly fades. He does a slight nod and takes the seat just infront of her.

And suddenly, Chelsie realizes it'll be a tad difficult to stay at Eton.

A/N: Before you hate on me for updating only now again, here's Jeno Lee to brighten up your day! haha :D

Hope you like Jae and Traze's interaction here (esp. for JaZe shippers) even though it isn't in the most romantic way. Will we be seeing Traze at Eton as well in the future? Hmm....

Anyways, thank you so much for waiting again for this update! :*

~neoluv