EPISODE 3

The punishment was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Even by Astra Academy standards.

"Since you failed to clean the Royal Stables properly, you will mop the academy floors." The discipline teacher, Ms. Lilith smiled, all sweetly and brightly.

Shaun blinked. "The floors?"

"Yes." She nods.

"You meant the entire floor?" Shaun asked again, to make sure his ears doesn't hear it wrong.

Is this woman fucking serious? Are you kidding me?!

"Yes." She nods again.

"..."

Shaun took a deep breath. This is completely child maltreatment! Child labor! So unfair!

"This academy has one hundred floors!" Shaun pointed out towards the building.

"Correct." She really gives Shaun the 'that's definitely not my problem' look.

To whoever reading this,

I, Lee Shaun kindly respect all woman out there, except her! I can't tolerate with her nonsense anymore!

A vein immediately appeared on Shaun's forehead. "And you told me that I can't use magic at all?!"

"Correct."

"Ma'am--" Shaun try to argue but he got cut off.

"If you hate it that much, I can contact the Imperial Hunter Corps. They would be really grateful to have a new visitor there. Don't worry, food and drink are all provided even the toilet. It's free." The teacher already took her phone, ready to dial some numbers.

Shaun stared at her.

The teacher only smiled.

Then, Shaun smiled back.

Not because he was happy. But because prison would be a very real possibility if he spoke honestly.

_____________________________________

Three hours later, Shaun was still mopping. Floor after floor. Hallway after hallway.

His shoulders hurt.

His hands hurt

His back hurt.

His soul hurt!

"I'm literally twenty-eight years old." He muttered.

"I had employees."

He mop aggressively.

"I paid taxes."

Mop.

"I owned a car."

Mop.

"I have a hamster and tortoise to feed at home."

Mop.

"Now I'm cleaning floors like Cinderella!"

Mop!

"This is character assassination." Shaun let out a scoffs.

Students passed him.

Some whispered.

Some laughed.

Some pointed towards him like he's possessed by demon.

Shaun ignored all of them. He had achieved enlightenment. The kind of enlightenment that came from being too exhausted to care anymore.

His earphones played music. His only source of emotional stability. Then, he spotted them.

The protagonist and her collection of attractive disasters.

Walking together. Laughing. Talking. Looking like the cover of a romance novel.

What's her name again? Shaun didn't give a fuck anymore!

He didn't give a fuck about those bastards!

Shaun immediately looked away. Suddenly, he feels nauseous.

"Ugh."

It's not the time for Shaun to seeing all these lovey-dovey scenes.

The protagonist, 'Miss Heroin'(cause Shaun forget her name) noticed him. She's looking at Shaun's direction.

Shaun pretended not to exist and continue doing his cleaning duty.

"The fuck she looking at? Stop looking at me, woman! Your possessive harem gonna hunt me to death!", Shaun muttered.

Because of that 'a girl everyone love', the male leads also noticed him.

Shaun pretended even harder. Ignoring all those death glares had been thrown towards him.

"Teenager nowadays", Shaun grunts.

Then, someone stepped forward and blocking Shaun's way.

Sol Isrith.

Crown Prince of the Aeternum Seraphiel, one of the Ancient Holy Bloodlines. One of the Sanguis Sanctum's Royal Family.

Future King.

Powerful mage.

Professional headache. Professional being a jerk.

One of the princes in the “male lead roster” of this ridiculous novel.

And one of Shaun's least favorite people.

The prince grinned. It's never a good sign for Shaun.

"Cleaning duty again, Azriel?" The prince casually asks.

"No, I'm fishing hamster here. Don't you have eyes? Use your fucking eyes, Mr Prince." Shaun rolls his eyes.

The prince only let out an amused chuckle.

Shaun continued mopping. "Can you leave? I'm busy."

"No." Sol said.

"Please leave." Shaun try again, silently pleading the prince to go fucking away and let him do his job in peace.

"No." Sol's grins become wider.

"Kindly."

"No."

"Respectfully."

"No."

Shaun hold back his anger, not wanting to leash out cursing on a certain annoying prince.

Sol looked delighted. That made everything worse. Then—

The prince suddenly reached forward and pulled one earbud out. Shaun's earbud.

Silence.

The music stopped.

Shaun froze. Very slowly. He turned.

"Give it back."

"Nope :p", Sol sticks out his tongue.

Shaun inhaled deeply, he suddenly remembered his therapist. His real therapist.

Back home in Korea.

The poor man who had spent years teaching him emotional regulation.

"Count to ten, Shaun."

"Breathe."

"Think before reacting."

"Violence is not the answer."

"Violence is not the answer." Shaun inhaled. Silently counting.

One.

Two.

Three.

Sol casually twirled the earbud.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Something catch Sol's interest as the prince looked down, looking directly at the cleaning bucket. And he decided to kick it.

Hard.

Water splashed everywhere.

Across the floor.

Across Shaun's shoes.

Across the area he had spent nearly an hour cleaning.

The bucket rolled away. The dirty water spread across the hallway.

The Prince doing it on purpose.

Students dramatically gasped like an extra background sound.

Sol simply smiled.

"Oops😬."

Shaun stood perfectly still, too still. Dangerously still.

The students nearby immediately began backing away on instinct. Pure survival instinct.

One.

Two.

Three.

SNAP.

The mop hit Prince Sol directly in the face.

"PUTANGINA MO!"

The entire hallway froze.

Sol stumbled backward. "What—"

Shaun beat him up with the mop.

WHACK.

The wet mop struck him again.

"ANAK NG—"

WHACK.

"YOU KICK MY BUCKET?" Shaun yells.

WHACK.

"YOU TAKE MY EARPHONES?"

WHACK.

"I SPENT THREE HOURS CLEANING!"

WHACK.

Students screamed.

Teachers screamed.

The protagonist stared.

The other male leads also stared.

No one bother to stop them. Deep down, they're enjoying watching this exclusive limited school drama.

The dirty wet mop continued delivering justice.

"DISRESPECTFUL BRAT! LEARN TO RESPECT YOUR ELDERS, YOU FOOL!" Shaun shoved the mop into Sol's face.

Sol finally reacted. Magic exploded outward and a crimson barrier appeared.

"THE F*CK ARE YOU SAYING? WE'RE BOTH 17!"

The mop shattered against it.

Shaun immediately threw the broken handle.

The prince dodged. Barely.

But, his royal dignity did not survive.

"ARE YOU INSANE, MAN!? THAT'S ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!", Sol yells as he grab Shaun's shirt before he punched Shaun on the face.

Shaun return it back with a kick on Sol's shin.

"I WAS PEACEFUL!", Shaun yells back, more louder.

"YOU ATTACKED ME WITH DIRTY MOP!"

"YOU ATTACKED MY SANITY FIRST!"

Magic erupted.

Crimson flames burst around Sol. Powerful.

Royal and terrifying.

The hallway trembled. Students fled, running for their lives as they didn't want to die so soon.

Windows cracked like the building was facing an earthquake.

Shaun looked at the incoming flames before he grinned.

Not a sane grin. But, a dangerous grin. The kind of grin people made before making terrible decisions.

"Oh, we're fighting fighting." Shaun rolls up his sleeves. He even taking out his flip flop, ready to throw it at the prince's face. He's going to beat his ass like an Asian's parents would do to their misbehaving child.

Blue magic erupted around Shaun. Wind exploded outward.

The floor cracked beneath his feet as his uniform whipped violently.

The nearby students screamed louder.

Sol charged.

Shaun charged.

Their fists collided.

BOOM!

The impact shook the hallway, making it exploded. The walls also trembled.

Several teachers immediately started running toward the scene.

But they're too late.

The fight had already begun.

And judging by the murderous look on Shaun's face, Sol Isrith had just discovered a very important lesson.

Never. Ever. Touch a tired man's music.

And absolutely never kick over his freshly cleaned bucket.

_______________________________________

The disciplinary office smelled like old books, ink, and disappointment. Mostly disappointment.

Shaun sat in front of the disciplinary committee with a completely blank expression. Across from him sat three professors. Two department heads. One vice principal.

And somehow, only him. Like always.

There's no Sol.

There's no a certain Crown Prince to be seen inside that room.

Just him.

Shaun slowly raised his hand. "Excuse me, sir. May I ask you something?"

One professor sighed. "Yes, Azriel?"

"Where's the other participant?" Shaun asked even though he knew what those adults were gonna say to him.

The room become mute for a while. Everyone suddenly became very interested in their paperwork.

Shaun immediately understood.

"Ah, I see."

Another silence.

"Royal privilege." Shaun nods his head.

More silence.

"Got it." Shaun nods again.

One professor cleared his throat. "Prince Sol was injured."

Shaun looked genuinely offended.

"HE WAS INJURED?"

No one utter a words.

"I GOT HIT TOO!" Shaun pointed at his bruised face and bleeding lips.

Shaun roll up his sleeves, revealing all the cuts on his arms.

"I HAVE BRUISES!"

He then showed them his cracked phone.

"MY PHONE DIED!"

"MY EARPHONES WERE MARTYRED!"

The vice principal rubbed his temples.

"Azriel."

"No, explain." Shaun shook his head.

"Azriel."

"Explain the logic." Shaun said as he wanted an explanation. A logical explanation, not nonsense!

"Azriel."

"I got punished for defending my bucket." Shaun pointed at himself.

The department head looked tired.

"It wasn't self-defense."

"It absolutely was!" Shaun slammed his hand on the table.

"You assaulted the Crown Prince and caused property damages." The vive principal sighs.

"He assaulted my cleaning progress!" Shaun swore he almost threw a chair towards these stupid adults.

"...", The professors had no counterargument.

Unfortunately for Shaun, that didn't stop the punishment.

Two hours later. He got detention again.

Additional cleaning duty again.

No magic again.

Shaun stared into the distance. His soul briefly left his body. Then returned back because even death didn't want this responsibility.

Meanwhile, inside the Royal Infirmary—

Sol sat comfortably on a treatment bed as Royal Healers surrounding him.

Expensive medicine.

Luxury treatment.

Magical healing spells.

One healer finished mending a bruise.

"Your Highness should avoid unnecessary conflict."

Sol looked away. Because technically, the healer wasn't wrong.

"Blame Azriel and his mop. It's their fault." Sol said, feeling annoyed.

Back at the academy, Shaun was cleaning again. Because apparently suffering was his destiny.

The hallway was mostly empty now.

The sun had already begun setting. The academy felt quieter and lonelier.

Shaun leaned against the wall, with his phone(Azriel's phone actually) in hand. His screen was cracked. A large crack stretched across the corner.

His beloved phone. His connection to home.

To music.

To memories.

To a life that no longer existed.

Slowly, he sighed. A tired sigh. The kind that came from deep inside someone's chest.

"Miss my old phone."

Another sigh.

"Miss my old life too."

He looked down. His knuckles were bruised.

Skin were torn. A few cuts remained despite basic healing. The fight had hurt, more than he wanted to admit.

Not physically but emotionally. Because no matter how much he tried, this world kept reminding him...

That he didn't belong here.

So Shaun slid down the wall. Sat on the floor. Crossed his legs. Closed his eyes.

Meditation.

His therapist's advice. Back home.

"Breathe in."

"Breathe out."

"Focus on the present."

"Let the anger pass."

Shaun inhaled. Exhaled.

Again.

Again.

And again.

Peace.

He needed peace. Desperately.

Then footsteps approached.

"...Fuck."

The universe hated him too much.

Shaun already knew. So, he slowly opening one eye and he saw Sol Isrith.

Standing nearby. Still wearing his academy uniform. Still annoyingly handsome. Still annoyingly royal.

Still annoyingly existing!

Shaun immediately closed his eye again. Maybe if he ignored him, the prince would disappear. Unfortunately, Sol did not disappear. Instead, the prince awkwardly stood there for several seconds.

Which was unusual.

Because Sol was rarely awkward. Then—

"...I came to help." Sol muttered quietly.

Shaun opened both eyes. Immediately suspicious.

"What."

"What did you say?"

Sol crossed his arms, looking uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.The words clearly hurt him.

"You're still cleaning?" Sol stared at the bucket and the mop.

Shaun let out a scoff.

"Yeah, no shit."

The prince looked away. He quietly spoke later.

"I shouldn't have kicked the bucket."

Shaun froze.

Because that sounded suspiciously like an apology.

A terrible one.

But still.

An apology.

Unfortunately for him, Shaun was still angry. Very, very angry. Weeks of accumulated frustration angry. So he looked at Sol. He smiled, giving the kind of smile that terrified people.

"Oh?"

Sol immediately regretted everything.

"OH?" Shaun stood up.

"OH?"

His voice rose.

"OHHHH?"

The prince immediately took a step back as he sensed danger. An extreme danger.

What the prince didn't expect was Tagalog. Pure Tagalog.

Fast, aggressive and relentless. Like a machine gun.

Shaun's last thread of patience finally snapped.

"PUTANGINA MO!" Shaun shouted as he pointed angrily at Sol.

The entire hallway went silent.

"Putangina mo talaga, Sol!"

(Goddamn you, Sol!)

"Huh?" Sol blinked, dumbfounded and confused.

Shaun pointed at the bucket. The one that Sol kicked earlier.

"Sinipa mo 'yung timba ko! TIMBA KO!"

(You kicked my bucket! MY BUCKET!)

"Napakagaling mo talaga! Palakpakan ba kita? Gusto mo medalya?!"

(You're really amazing! Should I applaud you? Do you want a medal?!)

"W--what? What are you saying?" Sol blinked again.

Shaun showed his empty earphone case.

"You take my earphones!"

"Ano ba problema mo sa buhay?! Kulang ka ba sa pansin?!"

(What is your problem?! Do you lack attention?!)

The nearby students slowly backed away cause they felt the danger level rising.

Now Shaun shove his broken phone near toward the prince's face. "You crack my phone!"

"Alam mo ba kung gaano kamahal 'to?! Hindi ka ba naturuang gumalang sa gamit ng iba?!"

(Do you know how expensive this is?! Were you never taught to respect other people's belongings?!)

Sol opened his mouth to say something just to defend himself.

Wrong move. Very wrong move.

Shaun immediately pointed at the prince.

"HUWAG KA MAGSALITA!"

(DON'T TALK!)

Sol quickly closed his mouth.

"I get detention!" Shaun pointed at himself.

"Ikaw nanggulo, ako naparusahan! Anong klaseng hustisya 'yan?!"

(You caused the trouble, I got punished! What kind of justice is that?!)

His Tagalog became much faster than before.

Dangerously faster.

"Alam mo ba ilang oras akong naglinis?! Tatlong oras! Tatlong oras, pare!"

(Do you know how many hours I spent cleaning?! Three hours! Three hours!)

Students were now openly watching. Some were recording.

One teacher immediately turned around and left. Not getting involved with this drama again.

Shaun continued.

"Kung ayaw mong maging hari balang araw, sabihin mo na ngayon para may ibang pumalit!"

(If you don't want to become king someday, say it now so someone else can replace you!)

"Hey, that's rude! Take it back!", Even Sol looked offended, despite not understanding a single word.

Shaun scoffs.

"At bakit ka laging nasa paligid ko?! Wala ka bang hobbies?!"

(And why are you always around me?! Don't you have hobbies?!)

Sol immediately answered.

"I do."

"HINDI AKO NAGTATANONG!"

(I WASN'T ASKING!)

By now Shaun was pacing. Waving his arms. Pointing dramatically.

Like a politician campaigning against Sol specifically.

"May mga kaibigan ka! May kaharian ka! May trabaho ka bilang prinsipe!"

(You have friends! You have a kingdom! You have duties as a prince!)

Shaun pointed at himself.

"Ako?!"

(Me?!)

Then he pointed at the mop.

"MAY MOP AKO!"

(I HAVE A MOP!)

The students lost it. Several immediately started laughing even though they knew absolutely nothing what Shaun was talking about.

Shaun wasn't finished, not even close.

"Ilang beses na kita pinatawad!"

(How many times have I forgiven you already?!)

"Marami." Sol answered.

"HUWAG KANG SUMAGOT!"

(DON'T ANSWER!)

At this point, Shaun had entirely forgotten he was angry about the bucket. Now he was complaining about everything.

The academy.

The teachers.

The male leads.

The novel.

The author.

His bad luck.

The weather.

The economy.

Including the fact that he missed fried chicken and ramen from home.

Everything.

Eventually...After nearly ten minutes, Shaun finally ran out of breath. Heavy breathing cause he's tired and needs some air.

The hallway waited.

Then Sol quietly asked. "...Are you done?"

Shaun pointed at Sol immediately.

"No! Not emotionally!"

And the rant resumed.

Sol understood absolutely nothing. But somehow he felt insulted. Very insulted.

Students passing nearby immediately changed direction because of survival instinct.

Shaun pointed dramatically towards Sol.

"Hari ka ba? Prinsipe ka ba? Edi wow!"

(Are you a king? A prince? Wow, good for you!)

"Hindi ibig sabihin no'n pwede mong gawin lahat ng gusto mo!"

(That doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!)

"Parang wala kang trabaho sa buhay kundi manggulo!"

(It's like you have nothing better to do in life except cause trouble!)

Shaun grabs the nearest mop and throws it out towards the prince. Sol dodged it, perfectly this time.

"Sa laki ng academy na 'to, ako pa talaga hinanap mo!"

(Out of this entire academy, you specifically came looking for me!)

"May sakit ka ba?!"

(Is something wrong with you?!)

"Obsessed ka ba?!"

(Are you obsessed?!)

"Bored ka ba sa buhay mo?!"

(Are you that bored with your life?!)

Sol deadpans. "I only understood exactly three words."

"Ano kasunod?! Pati kaluluwa ko kukunin mo?!"

(What's next?! Are you gonna take my soul too?!)

Somehow, Sol stood there quietly even though he getting verbally assaulted in a language he couldn't understand. For another five whole minutes.

Sol just stood there and listening to everything Azriel's rant.

The prince sighed. "Yeah, okay my bad. I deserve this."

To Shaun's surprise, Sol did something unexpected. He set down a small paper bag beside Shaun.

"I have no idea what you're saying."

Sol paused.

"But I know that you're still angry at me."

Another pause.

"...So I'll leave."

Then he left just like that.

Shaun blinked, nonstop.

Looked at the paper bag.

Looked at Sol's retreating figure.

Looked back at the bag again.

Suspicious. Very suspicious.

He opened it carefully. Inside, it was a new pair of earphones and...a new phone.

Better than his old ones. Looking very expensive.

There's also a small note. The handwriting was messy though.

|| For the bucket (⁠☞⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠☞🪣||

Shaun stared at the note.

"...Stupid prince." His voice came out much quieter than before.

Shaun carefully folded the note and slipped it into his pocket before immediately looking around.

Because if anyone found out he kept it, Shaun would deny everything.

TBC...

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