Chapter 2

"Hello, baby,"

The whole class was restraining their giggles as they turned their heads from their blue-eyed professor to Leath, but the twins did not. They were the only ones laughing as Leath tried to stop herself from attacking her History Professor. She gave their professor a cold glare before sitting down and stared beyond the window. She has to compose herself before she does something irrational.

"That's enough entertainment for you, young men and young ladies. I am Hayden Moreau, your History Professor until Summer break," The girls groaned.

"Why only until Summer break, Sir Moreau? We want you here permanently!" The girl beside Leath said. She wanted to tear her ears off when she heard the sexiest chuckle she ever heard.

"Even if I'm here permanently, you guys will graduate this school year. But don't worry, you'll be with me on the chilliest and coldest trip before the summer break. It's the Senior's trip where you guys aren't graded," The girls started to cheer again.

"What country are we going for your subject, Sir Moreau?" 

"I haven't been there but I know it's very cold. They spend six months in winter, two in summer, spring, and autumn. It's a cold country but I saw pictures, it looks so magnificent in white," Leath turned her gaze on their professor as he described the country that they are going to visit. Could it be that country?

"Wait, isn't Silvenia the country with the longest winters?" The boy in front said. The twins looked at Leath who turned her gaze away as soon as she heard the name of the country. 

"Where will we stay there, Sir? Do they even have a hotel with heaters?" A group of boys laughed at what Diane Atkins said. Diane Atkins is famous throughout the academy not just because her family owns a huge winery but because of her oozing sex appeal and confidence, that's why most boys gather around her and Daine always loved the attention she gets.

"Despite being small, Silvenia is a rich country. They have heaters even at their slums, though I doubt they even have slums. Most of your seniors will be accommodated by the most luxurious hotel and some students handpicked by the queen herself will be accommodated at the castle," Most of the class cheered as if all of them will be staying at the castle.

"The Silvenian Queen is generous to let us stay at the castle," said Diane, while pointing to her self-appointed "subjects".

"Sorry to disappoint, Miss Atkins, but people are already chosen and sadly, you're not one. Anyway, we still have a long time for that." Leath blew out a breath and continued to watch a flock of birds flying. She heard some people laugh at Diane but she had her mind somewhere else.

"Home sweet home," she muttered.

"How did they pick Silvenia this year? I thought King Primo doesn't participate in these kinds of activities," Avery asked as they spent their leisure time at the school pool area. Leath was still wearing her school uniform but Avery confidently flaunted her curves, only wearing a red two-piece. Aric excused himself ten minutes ago when someone called him, leaving her and Avery with a few seniors. 

"A change of heart? You know our King always wants to do the unexpected," Leath answered before she laid on one of the hammocks. 

Leath, Leatrice, and the twins' families are Silvenian citizens. They belong to the few citizens that the King of Silvenia approved to go outside the country.  A Silvenian-born does not simply leave his country, a law that has been signed since the Medieval ages. Only Adults with stable jobs can leave the country, but they were a special case, she was a special case. Their King, Primo Breevort XXXI, is a famous leader because of his personality as cold as their country. He doesn't have any royal advisers, he only depends on his mind and his mind alone. He may be hard to read and doesn't face his subjects well, but he did make their country better.

"But how about you, Leath? Aren't you—" Leath cut Avery.

"I won't go to the trip unless they tell me to, that's always been the rule," Leath immediately dismissed the topic. Piper, also one of her ladies-in-waiting looked at Avery and she understood what it meant. 

"As you wish," Avery lowly bowed her head and silently put on her sunscreen.

"I have a plus one," Aric came back with a playful voice. He removed his robe and flaunted his body like his twin. He's wearing swimming shorts and his chiselled body made the girls not far from them giggled. 

"Who is it?" Avery asked. Leath didn't care who the person with Aric is, she swung her hammock slowly, feeling the cool breeze.

"It's Hayden," The sexy chuckle confirmed it. Leath pretended that she didn't hear it, she still couldn't forget how that blue-eyed professor called her 'baby' in front of the whole class. It's still a surprise to her that the whole school didn't know about it, she was really considering dropping her History subject because of that.

"Where's Lady Mayfair, Aric? I thought she's always with the two of you," Leath pretended to be asleep when she heard him say her name. What does he want from her? Why is he looking for her?

"Somewhere, though I don't advise you to flirt with her every time, man. You are not her type. Besides, aren't you our professor now?" she grinned at Aric's answer. Her childhood friend knew her too well.

"I'm just teasing her. Father said that she's too collected and too well-poised, I just want to piss her off and see how her rich face looks like when she's angry. Will she be cute or what?" Leath went silent—though she already is— after Hayden's confession. Why does he want to see her angry? What would he gain from making her angry? Well, it's clear to Leath now that Hayden Moreau has not changed, he still wants to make fun of her.

"You chose the wrong girl, Hayden. Leath is not the kind of girl who gets angry easily," She heard Avery said and then it was followed by a splash and a few strokes, indicating that she already went to the pool.

"That makes her more interesting," They all became silent after that. Leath chose to take a peek at them but to her surprise, Hayden Moreau was already in front of her.

"My baby is ten times more interesting than most of the girls I've ever met. What kind of person pretends to be asleep when the hottest guy in the room walks in?" She saw him smirking. She gave him the same kind of smirk then she followed it with a sweet smile.

"The kind who thinks that the guy is not hot enough," She went down from the hammock and looked at the man's shirtless body. He looked like he was a sculpture of Michelangelo himself. That perfect chiselled nose, the square jaw, the eight-pack abs, and the round triceps and biceps made her want to take back what she said, but when she saw Hayden's face redden, she felt the urge to tease him again. 

"Go back to the gym or do another set of push-ups, Sir Moreau. You look so skinny," She went towards Aric who was giving attention to his phone. 

"Lady Leath, it's almost time for your appointment," Piper reminded Leath. Leath smiled sweetly at Hayden and fixed her uniform.

"I guess your fun ends here, Professor Moreau. Please don't approach me unless it's about the school, be mindful of how you act as a professional. Do it while I'm asking nicely," She dropped her smile and turned her back from her professor.

Leath Mayfair is one hell of a woman. Hayden watched her walk with grace and other students also watched her with admiration. There were a few females in the pool area but his attention was focused on Leath who was gradually disappearing from his line of sight. 

"Hayden, you good?" Aric stopped him from thinking deeper about Leath Mayfair.

"Y-Yeah. I'm just going to get something from my flat," He silently cursed when he turned his back away from Aric. 

Hayden hurriedly put on his clothes and went in the direction where Leath and her assistant took. As he looked for them he realized which path he was going—it was the path to the headmaster's office, his father.

"Her appointment was with my father?" Hayden asked himself. He didn't want to go further but he heard Leath's voice that caught his attention.

"I will not participate in the trip to Silvenia, Sir Moreau," she said. 

The Silvenian trip will be a compulsory trip for seniors and Hayden thought that everyone would like a trip to another country without them worrying about the important landmarks or history of it like most of their trips, why wouldn't Leath Mayfair want to come? Isn't she Silvenian?

"It's not because of me, right?" He nervously asked himself. Hayden knew he went too far with his teasing but he didn't know that she'll report it right away to his father. 

"Also, I'm here to report Professor Hayden Moreau. I know he's your son, but you're being too soft on him. I don't want some weird rumour about me being involved with a teacher I barely even know. Please handle this," Hayden stopped eavesdropping and just decided to go back to the teacher's villa inside the school premises.

His plan was to approach Leath Mayfair in a way that she wouldn't ignore him, then he will start his real purpose why he begged his father to be a substitute teacher even he hasn't been teaching the past two years.

When he entered his room, Hayden took out his phone and typed a message to an unsaved number.

"You still got my back whatever kind of method I use on Leath Mayfair, right?" He sent it before deleting it. Not long after, the same unsaved number replied.

"Only if you bring her back."