The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 34
I gape a little as we walk down the long, dark tunnel towards...
I mean, I don’t even know what we're walking towards.
“Where are we going?” I ask Rafe, a little breathless with intrigue and excitement.
“Into the Academy,” he hisses back, like it's a secret, but I know he’s kidding even
before I glare up at him.
“Uniforms,” Jesse says smoothly, running a hand through his hair like he's very
suave. “We've got to get fitted, because Academy cadets always look good.”
“What?” I say, a little confused. “Honestly, that can't be first —"
“His dad,” Rafe says, “the vainest man in the world —"
“Um, justifiably,” Jesse counters, grinning.
“Yeah, whatever,” Rafe says, grinning, “anyway, Uncle Roger really did decide
that all of the cadets enrolled here need to look their best at all times. So, yeah,”
he shrugs, “first thing is fittings for uniforms.”
“Whoa,” I say, and my awe is not simply for Uncle Roger's semi—predictable flare
for looking good, but also for the cavernous room we walk into next. Because, I
mean, the tunnel was literally just that a tunnel, with rough walls and low lighting.
But this?
“Damn,” Luca says, a smirk on his face as he comes up next to Jesse. “Looks
like this city boy has finally made it, haven't I?*
I nod as I stare around the room, with its three-story arching stone ceilings and
polished floors. And I mean, this is the bottom of the castle, where I assumed the
dungeons were. If this is here, what the hell is upstairs?
“This way,” Rafe says, tugging me along towards a line of professors waiting at a
set of tables ahead of us, a set of boxes in front of them.
“Ah, Cadet Sinclair,” one of the professors says, smiling at Rafe as he steps
forward. “Naturally we thought you'd be one of the first to appear, but now I see
that you
Chapter 34
were waiting for...” he peers beyond Rafe and blinks a little at Ben and 1, clearly
having no idea who we are.
“Some friends.” Rafe says blandly, smiling at the professor and putting on his
best Prince and Heir persona. “Is there something here we need to collect?”
“Your temporary uniform,” the professor says, smiling and lifting a box into Rafe’s
arms, “sized according to your candidate apparel. Also within the box is your
dorm information and key, the Cadet Handbook, and a map of the parts of the
castle which you'll need to find your classes. Class information will be along this
evening shortly after your meal.”
I peer around Rafe, listening interestedly, and I jump a little when I hear my own
name.
“Cadet Clark,” the professor repeats, and as I turn I realize with surprise that it's
the dark-haired professor again — the one who made us hold that strange orb
this afternoon. I move eagerly towards him, seeing he has what I assume is my
box in his hands. “Congratulations, Cadet.” he says, his voice dry and amused in
a way that makes me look up into his eyes as I take the box from his hands.
“Thank you,” I say, and then I hesitate because...I mean, he’s just staring at me
in this knowing way.
“You're welcome,” he says softly. “I'll look forward to seeing much, much more of
you, Cadet...Clark.”
My lips twist up into a practiced smile, a knee—jerk reaction after years of
Princess training that taught me to be sweet to anyone who says they look
forward to seeing me again, but my reaction just makes his own smile deepen.
And suddenly, as he holds my gaze, I get the sneaking suspicion that he
knows....absolutely everything about me.
As I back away from him I realize that I am on much shakier ground here, and
under a great deal more scrutiny, as a cadet in the Academy than as a candidate
in the barracks.
I clear my throat, straightening my shoulders, doing my best to be, I don’t know,
masculine. “Thank you, sir,” I say seriously. “I'll look forward to you seeing you,
100."
But he just chuckles a little, clearly pleased and entertained, and nods to me.
Chapter 34
And I scowl, turning away as Luca, Ben, and Jesse accept their own boxes, my
mind racing as I follow Rafe to the next step in our process.
Rafe’s already rifling through his box as we step into the next room, which is
smaller and has walls covered in mirrors. I look around passively, my mind still
reeling from my interaction to the professor, who was the second person to tell
me today that they're going to see more of me...
What the hell do the Captain and this brown-haired professor teach? They're so
different — I can't imagine, at all, that they'd teach something together. So.....
But suddenly my eyes lock on a figure across the room and I go very still in
shock before I suddenly burst out laughing, realizing that I'm looking at myself in
the mirror on the far wall.
“What?” Jesse asks, coming to my side.
“Seriously?” I say, grinning at myself as I turn a little, observing my plain face with
no makeup, my hair tucked expertly up below my cap, my baggy fatigues. “That's
what I look like?”
Jesse frowns at me for a second and then looks across the room like I'm doing,
his face bursting into a grin as he sees my reflection there too. He laughs. “Yup!
You look good, Shrimpy!”
“No wonder no one takes me seriously,” I murmur. Because honestly, I do look
like a boy, but I'm sure that I'm the smallest, wimpiest, most pink—cheeked little
guy that's ever walked through these doors.
“Don't worry,” a girl's voice says, and I go still when I hear it, turning towards it in
shock as she laughs a little too and waves me forward. I mean, it's not like I
recognize the voice or anything — it's just....a girl. “Alot of guys have that
reaction when they see themselves for the first time in candidate grey after two
weeks,” she says, smiling at me.
She nods to the round platform in front of which she kneels on a little ottoman.
“Come forward,” she says. “I'll take your measurements, and we'll have you
looking dashing in a custom uniform before you know it.”
I hesitate, realizing suddenly that this young woman
she wants to touch my
body, to figure out the precise dimensions of my form. And while my baggy
candidate uniform conceals everything about my slight figure...
SUN, LU Mar
Chapter 21
She is going to have access to some details I don’t want anyone to have.
The girl shrugs. “No worries, if you're shy, I can take someone else first
I glance quickly where Rafe and Jesse are already standing on platforms, but
when I see that their tailors are older men...
“Til go,” Luca says, starting to.walk past me and flashing his charming smile at
the girl tailor, who is probably just about my age. “Hi, my name is Luca, it's lovely
to meet you —"
“Hey, no cutting.” Ben says as I squeak a little, realizing I'm losing my chance to
be measured by the only girl here. Luca falls back a step as Ben grabs him by
the sleeve. “Let Ari go first, cheater.”
“I was called before Ari,” Luca protests, but I scurry forward and Luca just laughs,
letting me.
Almost shaking with anxiety, because this could go very wrong, I step onto the
platform.
“Congratulations,” the girl says, smiling up at me. “Can you tell me your name for
the list?
I do so, and she makes a note on the pad next to her before reaching for her
measuring tape.
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“ ” . .
Um,” I say, looking anxiously at my
brother and cousin for help, but
, -
they're talking to each other and have
apparently forgotten all about me.
us )
Listen, you don't really have to take
measurements for me, you can
just..give me a uniform the same
; . ) .
size as this one that I'm laughing.
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Unfortunately, the girl just laughs as
she reaches forward, starting to
measure the length of my leg from
: “
my hip to the floor. “Cadet Clark, you
: : . v * ,
are swimming in this uniform. Don't
, <
worry — we'll get you suited up very
. : ”
nicely — sharp and trim!” The content
is on popsnovel.com! Read the latest
chapter there!
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« » .
No, really,” I protest, taking a step
forward as she stands and moves
behind me, tugging the pack from my
back even as I try to cling to it.
« - ”
Honestly, I prefer to be...unfitted...
She scolds me good naturedly for
being so shy before measuring the
width of my shoulders and then the
length from the name of my neck to
my lower back. The content is on
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chapter there!
I jump a little as her hand grazes the top of my butt, but she just laughs at me
12:45 Sun, 10 MT
Chapter 34
again, going on with her work, and suddenly her hands appear in front of me as
she passes the tape from one hand to the other, starting to loop it around my
chest.
“No, please.” I whisper, begging and doing my best to spin around.
But the girl, she just keeps going. “What, are you ticklish?" she laughs, her
words. kind and teasing as her hands move lightning-fast in a practiced manner,
tightening the tape first around my chest, and then my waist, and then my hips.
I hold my breath as her hands go still and she raises her head, her eyes slowly
meeting mine as she considers the particular ratio of my dimensions.