Chapter 50: A Different Routine
Anshul's first official day as a student at Mia's school quickly became one of the most talked-about topics on campus.
By the time the morning classes began, nearly everyone already knew that the mysterious boy who had been walking beside Princess Mia for the past few days had officially enrolled in the school.
Whispers followed him through the hallway.
"Isn't that the guy who's dating her?"
"I heard he just transferred."
"He doesn't look like a normal student."
Some students stared openly while others pretended not to notice.
Anshul ignored most of it.
He had already expected this reaction.
Meanwhile, Mia was still trying to adjust to her new reality.
During lunch, she dropped her tray onto the cafeteria table and sighed dramatically.
"I miss the days when nobody cared about me."
"You said that yesterday too," Anshul replied calmly.
"Because it's still true."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Do you know how many people asked me questions today?"
"How many?"
"Seven reporters outside the gate, three teachers asking about Genovia, and five students asking if they can visit the palace someday."
"That's not surprising."
"It's exhausting."
Anshul watched her quietly for a moment before speaking.
"You'll adapt."
Mia looked skeptical.
"You say that about everything."
"And I'm usually right."
She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.
"Confidence is not the same as being right."
Before Anshul could respond, someone approached their table.
It was Lilly.
Mia's best friend dropped her backpack onto the chair and stared at Anshul for a moment.
"So this is the famous boyfriend."
Mia immediately turned red.
"Lilly!"
"What?" Lilly said. "Everyone already knows."
She looked back at Anshul again.
"You transferred here just to follow the princess around?"
"Something like that," he replied calmly.
Lilly raised an eyebrow.
"That's either extremely romantic… or extremely suspicious."
"Probably both," Mia muttered.
Lilly shrugged and sat down.
"Well, as long as Mia doesn't completely lose her mind from all this attention, I'm fine with it."
After lunch, classes continued normally—at least as normal as things could be with a princess attending school.
Anshul didn't participate much.
He attended the classes quietly, listening when necessary but spending most of the time observing.
His main focus remained elsewhere.
Later that afternoon, after the final bell rang, Mia met him near the school gate.
Joseph was already waiting beside the limousine.
"Ready to escape?" Mia asked.
"Always."
They walked toward the car together while several reporters tried asking questions from behind the fence.
Joseph calmly opened the door.
Once they were inside, Mia leaned back in the seat.
"That was another exhausting day."
"You survived."
"That's the only victory I need right now."
She looked toward him curiously.
"So what are you doing tonight?"
"Work."
"Business work?"
"Yes."
She nodded slowly.
"You're balancing a lot of things."
"That's normal."
"Well," Mia said with a small smile, "just don't forget that your girlfriend still expects occasional attention."
"I'll remember."
The limousine began moving through the city streets toward Mia's house.
Meanwhile, somewhere across San Francisco, the quiet coastal villa waited.
And inside that villa, plans were slowly forming—plans that would eventually grow far beyond the city, far beyond Genovia, and far beyond a single world.