When Aiden pinned me in front of the vanity mirror, my lipstick was only half-applied.
The mirror reflected his loosened tie, his knuckles white with tension—and my own lashes, trembling ever so slightly.
“Don’t move.” His voice was low, rough as sandpaper scraping against bone. “You’re crooked.”
I stared at my own flushed earlobes in the glass—then froze as a sharp, startled inhale cut through the silence behind me.
My best friend, Lena, stood frozen in the doorway, phone raised, screen still glowing.
Three seconds of absolute silence.
Her hand jerked. The phone hit the floor with a sickening crack—the screen spiderwebbed instantly.
Aiden didn’t even glance up. With his thumb, he wiped away a smudge of crimson from the corner of my mouth, slow and deliberate.
“Done filming?” he asked. Then paused—before his fingers suddenly tightened under my chin, turning my face toward Lena. “Or would you like to remind her—*personally*—what Rule One of the School Code says? *‘No intimate contact with non-students on campus.’*”
Lena went deathly pale.
I smiled.
And yanked off my regulation necktie with one sharp tug—flinging it straight at his chest.
“Your Highness the Mad King,” I whispered, rising onto my toes to brush my lips beside his ear, voice barely audible, “was that your heartbeat just now… 0.3 seconds faster?”
His pupils contracted—sharp, sudden, electric.
Then I turned, pushed open the dressing-room door, and strode out—heels striking the marble floor: *click, click, click*—all the way to the ancient ginkgo tree at the school gates.
He caught up, gripping my wrist.
I tilted my head back, meeting his searing gaze—and rose onto my toes again, kissing him first.
Students erupted—screaming, gasping, phones flashing.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. One hand locked firmly at the nape of my neck—but the other? It slid from my wrist, softening, folding gently into mine—fingers lacing tight.
Wind lifted the untied hem of my uniform skirt.
Against my lips, he laughed—low, hoarse, unguarded:
“So tell me—*who’s acting now?*”
—The live chat exploded:
【HOLY SHIT SHE ACTUALLY BIT HIS LOWER LIP!!】
【This isn’t just a uniform fantasy—it’s a *sovereignty declaration*.】
【Wait… when she tore off that tie—did you see the burn scar peeking from her sleeve? That’s from *last year’s fire*, isn’t it? The one where she ran *into* the blaze to grab the fire axe *he* dropped…?】
In the class-divided St. Hiller Academy, heir Aiden Cole reigns as the "mad king" due to his bipolar disorder, ruling the school with a red card called the "White Pawn." Riley Hayes, daughter of a janitor, is forced to enroll after her father's mysterious death. On her first day, she crosses paths with Aiden, igniting his desire for conquest. Aiden keeps Riley close, attempting to break her spirit through humiliation, but he finds himself increasingly dependent on her. Meanwhile, Aiden's brother Lucian manipulates the situation, creating misunderstandings that lead to a rift between the brothers. Ultimately, in a life-and-death gamble, Riley bravely steps up to save Aiden, resolving their misunderstandings. After enduring numerous trials, Aiden vows to no longer be a ruler but to become Riley's knight, welcoming a new future together.
