Chapter 49: The New Student
The next morning arrived much earlier than Mia would have liked.
After returning home from the villa the previous night, she had spent almost an hour replaying the events of the past few days in her head. Becoming the princess of Genovia had already been overwhelming enough, but now she also had reporters following her everywhere and an entire school full of students staring at her like she was some kind of celebrity.
The only thing that made the situation easier was knowing that Anshul would be there.
When the black limousine stopped outside the school gate, Mia immediately noticed the crowd waiting outside.
Several reporters were already standing near the sidewalk with cameras in hand. A few curious students had also gathered nearby, whispering excitedly while waiting for the princess to arrive.
Joseph stepped out first.
"Miss Thermopolis," he said calmly, opening the door.
Mia sighed quietly.
"Here we go again."
She stepped out of the car.
The cameras immediately turned toward her.
"Princess Mia!"
"Over here!"
"Can you tell us about Genovia?"
Mia froze for half a second before remembering her grandmother's instructions.
Keep walking.
Stay calm.
Don't answer questions outside official events.
Just as she started moving toward the school gate, someone stepped forward beside her.
Anshul.
"Morning," he said casually.
Mia looked relieved the moment she saw him.
"You're here."
"Of course."
Together they walked past the reporters and entered the school grounds.
The moment they stepped inside, the whispering began again.
Students looked up from their conversations as Mia passed by.
"Princess Mia…"
"That's her."
"Who's the guy with her?"
Inside the hallway, the attention became even more obvious. A few students tried to approach Mia, but the constant crowd made it difficult for her to move normally through the school.
By the time they finally reached a quieter part of the building, Mia leaned against the locker beside her classroom.
"This is exhausting," she muttered.
"It will calm down eventually," Anshul replied.
"I hope so."
She looked at him carefully.
"So… how long are you planning to hang around here?"
"Long enough to make things easier."
Mia raised an eyebrow.
"What does that mean?"
Instead of answering directly, Anshul pulled a folded document from his bag and handed it to her.
Mia unfolded it and stared at the paper.
Then her eyes widened.
"Wait…"
She looked up at him in disbelief.
"You enrolled here?"
"Starting today."
Mia blinked twice.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"But… why?"
Anshul leaned casually against the locker.
"Because it's easier to deal with reporters and curious students if the princess isn't walking around alone."
Mia stared at the paper again before slowly smiling.
"So my boyfriend just became my classmate."
"Something like that."
She laughed quietly.
"You're crazy."
"Maybe."
But Mia didn't look unhappy about it.
In fact, the moment the bell rang and students started moving toward their classrooms, she felt far less nervous than she had the day before.
Because this time—
She wasn't facing the chaos alone.