Chapter 270

Two to three months had swiftly passed since I first stepped foot into the palace for my training sessions.

The routine had become almost second nature to me now, each day blending seamlessly into the next as I honed my skills under Prince Alexander's watchful eye.

Training had been going well.

Despite occasional appearances by Dr. Mills, his presence no longer filled me with the same unease it once did. Lucas and I had grown accustomed to his sporadic attendance, even if it left us puzzled at times

Professor Black was never able to find much more information on him... which made me feel nervous at first, but once I saw that Dr. Mills wasn't a threat, I began to ignore his existence.

I truly believed he was just there to make sure nothing went amiss. He was a doctor after all.

"Isn't it strange?" I mused to Lucas one day as we exited the training grounds together. "Dr. Mills seems to come and go as he pleases. One day he's there, and the next he's nowhere to be found."

Lucas shrugged, his expression mirroring my confusion. "It's like he has other obligations or something. But who knows? Maybe it's for the best. Less time dealing with him means more time you get to focus on your training."

He had a point. With graduation looming on the horizon, every moment spent perfecting our skills was invaluable.

And despite my initial reservations about the palace and its mysterious inhabitants, I had to admit that I was making significant progress.

However, there was one aspect of our training that remained constant—the playful banter between Prince Alexander and Lucas.

"You know, Lucas," Prince Alexander would often tease, his smirk evident. "One day, Shana here will surpass you in strength. It's only a matter of time."

Lucas would roll his eyes in response. "You know she'll eventually be stronger than you too, right?"

Prince Alexander chuckled, his regal demeanor momentarily slipping as he leaned in closer to Lucas. "You do realize, Lucas, if Shana becomes stronger than you, she might start giving you orders. Imagine being bossed around by your own girlfriend."

"I already boss him around," I clarified, crossing my arms over my chest. They were talking about me as if I wasn't even there.

Lucas shot me a playful glare, feigning offense. "Hey now, let's not give her any more ideas, Prince."

Prince Alexander grinned mischievously. "But it's true, isn't it, Shana? You're the one wearing the pants in this relationship."

I rolled my eyes, unable to suppress a smile. "We both know who wears the pants, Prince."

"Yeah, you." Alex started laughing at the frown on Lucas's face. "I could never picture Lucas ordering you around. He's fully whipped... hence the nickname, Lover Boy."

Lucas shot Prince Alexander a mock glare, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I am not whipped."

"Sure, sure," Alex teased, waving a dismissive hand. "Whatever you say, Lover Boy."

"Will you ever stop calling me that?" Lucas's voice was filled with aggravation.

"Hmm, let me think about it." Alex pretended to think for a second. "Nope."

"If you don't stop, I'll start calling you a name. And I don't think you'll like it very much."

"Ohhh a nickname?" Alex put a smile on his face. "Are we on that level of our friendship now? Come on, tell me what it is!"

Lucas smirked, relishing the opportunity to playfully tease Prince Alexander. "Alright, if you insist. How about... Princess Drama?"

Prince Alexander's grin faltered for a moment before he recovered, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Princess Drama? Oh, that's rich coming from you, Lover Boy!"

"Princess Drama has a nice ring to it," I added, trying to hide my own smile.

Prince Alexander chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, alright, you win this round. But mark my words, Lucas, one day I'll come up with a nickname for you that's ten times worse than 'Lover Boy'."

Lucas shrugged, his grin widening. "Bring it on, Princess Drama. I can handle whatever you throw at me."

"Are the two of you quite finished flirting now?" I questioned, wanting us to get back to our training.

Lucas and Alex both turned to me with shocked expressions on their faces.

Lucas recovered first, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "We weren't flirting!"

Prince Alexander burst into laughter, clapping Lucas on the back. "Come on, Lucas, don't deny it. You were sooo flirting with me."

"Don't touch me." Lucas brushed Alex off him, creating as much distance between the two of them as he could.

Alex feigned a hurt expression, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "Ouch, Lover Boy, that hurts! I thought we were bonding."

Lucas rolled his eyes, clearly unamused by Prince Alexander's antics. "We're not bonding, and we're definitely not flirting. Let's just focus on our training."

Prince Alexander merely chuckled in response, enjoying getting a rise out of Lucas.

Despite the teasing, I knew that both Lucas and I were equals in our training. We pushed each other to be better, each session fueling our determination to succeed.

I couldn't help but laugh at their banter, enjoying the playful dynamic between the two of them.

"Alright, alright, enough teasing," I interjected, trying to stifle my laughter. "We have more important matters to discuss."

Prince Alexander raised an eyebrow, a grin still playing on his lips. "And what would those be, Shana? Planning world domination with your sidekick here?"

Lucas rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I'm not her sidekick."

"Are you sure about that?" Alex teased with a lazy grin.

"Do you ever shut your humor off?" Lucas questioned, tilting his head in consideration. "Do you have an off switch?"

Prince Alexander's grin widened mischievously. "Why would I ever want to shut off something as magnificent as my sense of humor? It's one of my best qualities."

"Debatable," Lucas muttered under his breath, earning a playful punch on the arm from Prince Alexander.

"Ow!" Lucas feigned injury, rubbing his arm dramatically.

"Oh my God, you guys are like little kids," I said in between laughs. "It's a miracle we even get any sort of training done."

"Speaking of training," Lucas said. "We have something we need to bring up, Alex."

"What is it?" Alex asked, flicking a stray lock of hair out of his eyesight.

"We need to start preparing for graduation," I clarified. "It's coming up soon, and training is talking up a lot of our time. We may need to stop training as much... just for a few days or weeks."

"Ah, yes, graduation. The almost beginning of adulthood," Alex remarked dramatically, earning a playful swat from me. "Very well, I suppose we can take some time off from training so the two of you can get your bearings today. But once graduation is over, training is back on."

"Exactly," I concurred, feeling a sense of determination wash over me. "We'll make the most of this time and come back even stronger."

"Sounds like a plan," Alex said, flashing us both a reassuring smile. "But I have a serious question..."

"Knowing you, I doubt it's serious," Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Prince Alexander shot Lucas a playful glare before turning back to me. "I promise, this one is serious."

"Alright, shoot," I said, crossing my arms expectantly.

"Do you think I could pull off a tiara?" Prince Alexander asked with a completely straight face.

Lucas burst out laughing, unable to contain himself. "You? A tiara? Absolutely not."

Alex put a hand over his heart dramatically. "Ouch, that hurts, Lucas. I thought you'd be supportive of my fashion choices."

"I support a lot of things, Alex, but that's where I draw the line." Lucas was still chuckling.

I decided to give in to Alex's joke. "I think you'd look fabulous in a tiara, Alex. Maybe we can get you one as a graduation gift."

His green eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? You'd do that for me, Shana?"

"Sure, why not?" I replied with a shrug. "Anything to make you feel like the princess you truly are."