All Chapters of Royal Rivalry : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Rowan’s POVAfter the last bell rang, I packed my books slowly, hoping the classroom would empty before I had to step into the hallway. Leonie slid her chair back at the same time I did.“Finally,” she sighed dramatically. “If I had to sit through one more minute of that lecture, I would have passed out.”I didn’t respond, hoping she would understand. But with Leonie, silence was a language she refused to understand.We walked side by side out of the classroom. Leonie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned closer to me.“Do you ever get bored here?” she asked.“All the time,” I replied.“But you never act like it.”“I don’t have to act like anything.”She gave me a sideways look. “That’s the problem. You’re too calm and it's suspicious.”I almost smiled at her remark. Nobody wants to know the reason behind the silence. They just assume and believe their assumptions. “Are you having dinner with the others tonight?” Leonie asked.“No.”“Why not?”“I prefer to be in my room.”

Rowan’s POVLast night was worse than a nightmare. I couldn't sleep at all. I don't know what's more surprising between Theo punching me and the fact that he and Leonie are related.After thinking so much about it, it started to make sense. The colour of their eyes, their accent and style was similar. And the way they were involved in each other's business, I should have suspected. If last night was a nightmare, this morning was hell. As I walked through the hallway, it was as if a model was passing. All eyes were on me but this was not the regular staring I usually get. Then I overheard them talking about the punch. “Wow,” I sighed. The news traveled faster than I thought. But that was not an issue. I was used to being judged and misunderstood. I don't care if Hillsborough is just another place to be judged. I didn't care about the rumours until principal Whitcombe invited me to her office. I didn't care until I met Leonie and Theo in her office. I sat in the chair on the far le

Theo’s POVThe library smelled like forgotten papers. Twelve tall shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, packed with books no one had touched in years. If someone had told me that I would spend my evenings dusting ancient books like a punished junior, I would have laughed in their face.Yet here I was, holding a faded yellow cloth. The cloth in my hands, an evidence of the inevitable punishment.Leonie tied her hair into a loose bun and surveyed the room dramatically. I don't remember making her a supervisor over us. But here she was, assigning duties to me.“Well,” she sighed, clapping her hands once, “let’s make this fun.”“There’s nothing fun about this,” I muttered.Rowan, of course, said nothing. He had already picked up a stack of books from a trolley and started dusting them with a calm focus. To be honest, I hated how calm and unaffected he looked.Leonie grabbed a feather duster and marched toward one of the taller shelves. “Rowan,” she called lightly, “help me with this

Theo’s POVOne thought kept ringing in my ear; was I overreacting? Did I overreact? As we walked back to the hostel, I kept blaming myself for the awkwardness among us. But what else could I do? I can't just stand by and watch Leonie do what she wasn't supposed to do. And Rowan, I don't know if he was playing a game with us or not. I have to put my sister on the safe side and that's far away from Rowan Ashbourne. By the time I pushed open the door to my room, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I just wanted to get changed and some rest if I could. But my plan failed because my friends were already in my room, waiting to bombard me with questions. Julian was the first to notice me. “Look who survived manual labor,” he announced dramatically from where he sat on my bed. Manual labour indeed. Noah turned towards me. “How’s a laborer's life?”Louis closed the book he was reading and gave me a measured look. “What exactly happened?”“We’re cleaning the library.”“For how long?”

Rowan’s POVWhen Theo asked me what I thought about Leonie the first time, I didn’t think much of it. The second time, I noticed the edge in his voice. The third time, I realized this wasn’t about his sister at all.“She’s just a friend,” I had said again,my voice steady and filled with honesty.And then, he leaned forward and kissed me.For a fleeting second, my brain refused to process it.Theo? Kissing me? Not pushing me, punching me, or arguing.Kissing? Like his lips were on mine. My body went still, like it didn’t know which reaction to choose. Actually, shock flooded first, then confusion. Because why would he kiss me after asking about his sister. Was he trying to pass a message? As I thought about that, something hot began to brew from within me. It was dangerously hot and I loved it.He pulled back slightly, just enough for me to see the uncertainty flash across his face. That was new because Theo was never uncertain.His lips parted like he was about to say something, bu