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Aciel's body ached all over. His head felt so heavy when he slowly opened his eyes. The overpowering scent of antiseptic, soaps and deodorizers lingered in the infirmary. He forced himself to stand up even though he was not feeling well.

"Let me help."

Xylia rushed to his side and helped him sit on the bed. He wanted to avoid her hands, but he felt so weak and nauseous.

"I'm sorry for attacking you. It was the only way I knew to stop you. You're already burning up and pushed your body to the limits. I had no choice." Xylia explained.

Aciel didn't answer. She was right. During basketball practice, he already knew he had a fever. But because of his pride, he didn't want anyone to notice that he was sick.

"It's fine. I'll just go home today." He whispered while having ragged breathing.

"I think you should rest for now. I'll tell the teachers and let them call your parents so they can pick you up."

Aciel felt like her headache worsened listening to Xylia. Her presence was making him dizzier.

"Will you shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you, nor do I want you in here! Get out!" He yelled.

Xylia was shocked by his behavior. She didn't say a word and just smiled at Aciel. She took his hand and handed him a glass of water.

"Here. Drink this. It's paracetamol. It will help with the pain and your fever." She murmured while giving him a tablet before running out of the infirmary.

Aciel couldn't think clearly. The last time he had a fever was in grade school, so he forgot what it feels like to be sick.

"You should stop yelling at her, Aciel." It was Simon.

He drank the medicine and the glass of water Xylia gave and took a deep breath.

"What do you want, Simon? I want to rest." He said, not feeling any guilt about the way he treated Xylia.

"I'm just saying to at least be nice to her. Even if you don't like her, at least don't yell at her. She didn't do anything wrong. Who do you think took care of your wounds when you were unconscious?" Simon asked.

Aciel frowned, looking at his hands. They had been treated and had bandages around. He slowly touched his forehead and felt the bandage as well. Did she do it? He thought inwardly.

Simon sighed. "I called Mario to pick you up. They'll be here in an hour. You should go home and rest. Tomorrow, the student council will conduct a meeting with you regarding what happened, so be prepared."

When his driver arrived, he felt a little better since his fever had subsided. Due to exhaustion, he still decided to go home and didn't wait for the class to finish.

He rested his head inside the car and tried to sleep, but flashing images of Xylia suddenly appeared when he closed his eyes.

"What the hell?" He whispered with gritted teeth.

"Yes, young master? Do you need anything?" Colt, one of his bodyguards, asked.

"I need you to check on the Antonov Clan. I want to know everything about them, including their daughter," He ordered.

Colt didn't ask the reason. He had no right to question or deny his master's order.

"Yes, young master. I'll send it in two days." Colt answered.

Two days was too long for Aciel, but since he was asking about the Antonov Clan, the most influential and the wealthiest family in Bloomsdale City, he understood that the job wasn't that easy. He would just wait for Colt's report after two days, but he wanted to have some information beforehand.

He took out his phone and typed the last name of Xylia. He knew there would be a lot of news and articles about her family, but he didn't expect to see more than ten thousand of it.

He chose to read the article about Xylia first. It was an interview from a prestigious magazine company, Pandora. There was also a video of her press conference before her photo shoot with them. He got curious and started to play the video to watch it.

"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet the princess of the Antonov Clan. The rumors are true. You are indeed a very beautiful woman, Miss Xylia." The interviewer said with excitement.

"It was a pleasure to be chosen for this month's cover girl by your company. This is my first time doing a photoshoot with you, so I am quite nervous." Xylia answered.

Aciel focused on Xylia's facial expression and her actions. She wanted to know if the words that came out of her mouth were true. He frowned when he suddenly noticed something in her.

He smirked. "You are a good liar, princess."

After the video, he searched for that photo shoot on the internet. His eyes suddenly changed from amusement to anger. He didn't expect that it was a men's magazine and she posed for them wearing swimsuits. He looked at the date and found out it was just this month's issue.

"Mario, can you stop by the magazine store and buy Pandora's magazine this month?"

"You mean the one with the Antonov princess?" Colt asked not to question him but to be clear.

"Yes." He simply answered.

Mario pulled over, then Colt ran towards the store and brought one magazine as Aciel instructed. When they arrived home, Aciel went to his bedroom to read Pandora.

"Xylia Lovelle Antonov, age seventeen. The eldest child of the Antonov Clan. Hobbies are reading and playing the piano. A black belter in taekwondo, and she got the highest ranking in archery. Although she was born a girl, she showed everyone that she could do everything a man could." Aciel sneered.

"You really are something, Xylia." He said to himself.

He then turned the pages to see the photos of her. His jaw dropped, and his heart suddenly pounded. He never expected that the girl he was looking at was the heiress of the Antonov Clan.