Chapter 17

When I opened the door to my dorm room and saw the state it was in, I couldn’t help but frown. I’d like to think there was a mistake—I didn’t deserve to be staying in such a place, but the pink luggage at the foot of the bed and the key in my palm told a different story.

It was the first day of classes. It was also the first time I went to my assigned room and I was in for a shock.

I was already obstructing traffic in the hallway, so I entered her room and regarded it with contempt. There was nothing in the room other than the bed in the corner, the large closet next to it, and the plain wooden desk near the window. The ceiling was a typical cream color. The walls were painted gray, and the floor was simply polished red cement. This room had nothing special to offer. It was dull and cramped. It was downright depressing.

I took a picture of the room and sent it to Henry with a sad face. He replied with a picture of himself standing in the middle of a tiny room not that different to the one I was in.

I was homeschooled all my life. I didn’t know how classrooms and dormitories worked. If Henry was fine with it, I had no right to complain. I sat on the bed and tried not to panic. I calmed myself by mentally noting the advantages of having such a room. I touched the mattress and noticed that it was still wrapped in clear plastic, indicating that it was new. The furniture, while clearly ancient—no, antique, I convinced myself—appeared to be sturdy. The closet was large enough to hold my clothes, at least that’s what I hoped. The dorm mother had previously told me I could do whatever I wanted in the room as long as I didn’t blow it up. Suddenly, the prospect of tweaking the room piqued my interest. I still see it as an insult to my stature, but I could pretend I could see it as a blank canvas waiting for me to create art on.

I made a list of the things I’d need in the room, such as a dresser with a mirror, a mini fridge for my skin care, a bookcase, and bed linens. I was looking at the walls, deciding what kind of wallpaper would look best and how many rolls I would need, when I noticed a door near the closet. It was the same gray color as the walls, so I didn’t notice it right away.

It leads to a small toilet and bath. Inside, I found another door. I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open to discover it led to a room that looked exactly like mine. Only the interior was more furnished, with items strewn about as if the occupant was just settling in. I have a roommate. And our rooms were only separated and linked by the bathroom. What a nightmare.

Just then, the door to the second room opened, and my eyes widened in surprise as I saw who had entered.

“… Of course, I can do it,” Jet was saying to the person behind her cheekily. “But I said to myself, ‘You have a big brother, so why stress yourself when he can do it for you?’”

“I’m pretty sure this is against some dorm rules—” Jasper replied, pausing when he noticed me standing by the bathroom door, staring at them in disbelief. “Greetings... Your Royal Highness.”

“What exactly are you doing in my room?” Jet charged towards me, but Jasper grabbed her by the neck before she could do anything else. “You can’t just walk in here like you own the place! Hey!”

I made a 180-degree turn. I ran through the bathroom and my room, out the door, as if I were being chased by demon bats. I stormed into the dorm mother’s office, fuming in anger.

“I don’t see what the problem is, Miss Rozenberg.” The older woman looked at me with a bored expression on her face after I explained what had happened.

“You don’t see—” Understandably, I did not take it well. “You assigned me an occult as a roommate!”

“Yes, you told me. I heard you the first fifty times.”

“Why aren’t you taking this seriously?” I shrieked. “That monster can have access to my room and kill me anytime—”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” the dorm mother said dismissively. “There have been no Occult attacks in the last ten years. But I can see why there would be a first this year.”

“How. Dare. You.” I could not believe a commoner would speak to me in that manner. “You’re going to pay for this. How dare you!”

“Of course. But just so you know, you’re not the first highbrow to threaten me or my job, and I’ve been in here for years.” The dorm mother pressed a button on her table, causing a loud buzzer to sound, and the office door opened by itself. “You won’t be the last. Now, get out.”

I got up from my seat, biting my lower lip and clenching my fists. If we were in Rozenberg, no one could ever talk to me that way.

“It’s your fault, really.” The dorm mother turned her focus on the computer in front of her and typed on her keyboard. “When that friend of yours did not come to claim the room, somebody else did. That’s just how things work out here.”

“How is that my fault?”

“People said you made her go back home.”

Becca? Becca was supposed to be my roommate?

I stormed out of the office, so furious that I didn’t care if a large number of students heard and saw me in such an unflattering light.

I decided to take my complaint to the university’s highest official, second only to the king… the executive administrator. Unfortunately, all it did was stress and exhaust me for nothing. Again.

“I apologize, but I can’t do anything about that,” President Loughty said. “If the dorm mother—”

“You’re this school’s president, aren’t you?” I sharply shot back. “How can a dorm monitor have any more say in this than you do?”

The man looked as if I slapped him across the face. “These rooming assignments were done in random, Miss Roze—”

“Princess. Her Royal Highness Princess Selina of Rozenberg.”

“Princess,” acknowledged the president. “Princess Selina, the king specifically told us not to segregate students based on race, and to make an effort to foster harmony and camaraderie—”

“I couldn’t care less what the king said. I’d like to have another room. I don’t want to share a room. I’m a princess; I’m your future queen; I deserve better!” I crossed my arms over my stomach and tilted my chin. “And I know you’re lying.”

“I’m not—”

“I know that Becca was supposed to be my roommate, so it wasn’t as random as you claim.”

“I…” the president took a calming breath. “All right. I’ll see what I can do, Your Royal Highness.”

“Good!” I smiled, pleased by the development. I rose and smoothed my dress. “For the time being, I’ll be staying in a hotel. Please contact me if you’ve done something about these ‘rooming assignments.’ Good day!”

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