Annabell snapped back to reality as the teacher reprimanded her for not paying attention in class. She quickly refocused her attention on the lesson, realizing that in the Academy, she was just a student like everyone else.

The Academy wasn't the fairy tale that everyone thought it was. Most people only realized that once they arrived there. Throughout the Underland, the idea was maintained that the Academy upheld peace and that one day there would be no more threats of war between the Kingdom of Hearts and the White Kingdom. For the people inside the Academy, it was a dream come true. But before entering, Annabell already felt that it was one of those disturbing dreams, and now she was starting to think it was a true nightmare.

Annabell recalled when her brothers returned from the Academy. They were completely excited and recounted their experiences. Before listening to them, Annabell thought the Academy was a peaceful place. But after hearing them, her reaction was this:

"Locking people who have just turned 18 in a school for THREE years, promoting 'healthy' rivalry without clear rules or limits. Are you sure this is for the good of Wonderland and not a survival test? And let's not even get started on the fact that you fight among yourselves within your own dormitory. Oh, right, I forgot it's for the good of the dormitory. None of this makes sense!"

Annabell spent hours talking to her brothers, and the more they spoke, the less sense it made, and it made even less sense that they agreed with it. Mark even claimed it was the best way to prevent a war. Annabell wondered if it was the best way to prevent or provoke a war. Johnny said she would understand once she was at the Academy.

"Princess Annabell, pay attention in class." the teacher called her out, bringing her back to the present. "In the White Kingdom, you may be one of the most important people, but here, you're just a student."

Some students laughed at the teacher's speech, and those students received dirty looks from people in the Lotus dormitory.

Annabell found the subject of the class boring and unnecessary. Everyone in Wonderland knew that you shouldn't trust or approach an unfamiliar animal, and if you had to do so, it should be done with caution. Besides, Annabell had a slight advantage when it came to animals.

The princess's expression was one of complete boredom; it didn't make sense for her to be in that class.

"Teacher, what criteria are used to create our class schedules?" Annabell spoke, causing the teacher to pause the explanation.

"The Academy knows what you will need in the future. Your siblings had classes related to leadership, combat techniques, war strategies. Your siblings said that the routine was similar to that of the castle, even the classes were similar." the teacher forced a smile and stared at Annabell. "Now, pay attention to the class."

Annabell was about to ask more questions when the teacher directed an irritated look at her. The princess shrugged and crossed her arms; there was nothing wrong with her questions. The teacher was not pleased with Annabell's reaction and approached the princess.

"You can ask the principal after class." Annabell furrowed her brow, not understanding the reason for the teacher's irritation. "As you're asking questions about subjects that are not part of the class, you must have understood the material well."

"The part where you talked about not approaching unfamiliar animals unnecessarily, or about how to approach them if necessary?" Annabell smiled at the teacher. "I don't think I have any doubts about those subjects." The princess's voice was gentle and devoid of any hint of arrogance.

"If you understand it so well, then you should have no problem approaching the Tinagla. Don't forget to follow the recommendations given in class." the teacher pointed to the animal walking in the courtyard.

"I don't think it will be possible to do things the way you want." she spoke slowly, judging by the teacher's expression, she wasn't interested in hearing Annabell's explanations.

Annabell bit her lower lip and widened her eyes; she was out of options.

The Tinagla was a wild animal and could be quite aggressive when it felt threatened. The animal was almost the size of Annabell, with a pointed nose, enormous paws, and a body covered in fur.

Annabell decided not to argue with the teacher. If she wasn't willing to listen, it wasn't her fault. The princess sat on the ground, looked at the animal, and smiled. Annabell didn't speak; she simply stared at the animal. She knew she was doing the complete opposite of what the teacher asked, and following her recommendations would be a waste of time.

The animal looked at Annabell with curiosity but didn't move. The princess lowered her head and placed both hands on the ground, lowering her torso. When she stood up, she reached out her hand.

Tinagla started walking towards the princess. When it got close enough, it put its head in Annabell's hand. Annabell began stroking the soft fur; the animal showed no hostility or any signs of aggression. Dealing with animals in that state was easy for the princess.

"The instructions regarding the first contact were clear: do not approach and show that you don't intend to harm the animal." the teacher's voice was irritated. She tried to approach the princess, but Tinagla growled at the woman. "If he had attacked the princess, what would we tell her siblings?" The teacher stepped back and smoothed her dress.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"If he had intended to attack me, I wouldn't have approached, and I would have waited for an ideal moment to get closer." the animal lay down in the princess's lap. "Everyone in the White Kingdom knows that I have a knack for dealing with animals. So, well... I won't follow your instructions." the animal was completely relaxed in Annabell's lap.

"Since the princess is so talented, how about we move up your test?" Teacher Li seemed to get excited, and she smiled broadly.

"Do people's smiles here have to be so frightening?"

"Today is the hunting class. You can imagine that animals get very scared and skittish during these moments. Today, Professor Bonk will train the students with small targets, specifically rabbits. They are fast and can hide well in the woods." the princess couldn't understand what the teacher meant by that explanation. "Since you have a great affinity with animals, it won't be difficult for you to calm a rabbit down and make it survive today's hunting class." Annabell blinked a few times, staring at the teacher, hoping she would say it was just a joke.

"The tests are held every three months, so having a test now isn't advisable." Annabell tried to remain calm.

The teacher ignored the princess and continued speaking:

"There are five white rabbits in the forest, and you need to calm down at least one of them! Of course, don't let the rabbit be killed or get hurt in the process." the teacher pointed towards the forest. "If you manage to do that, the White Lotus Dormitory will gain 600 points. Professor Bonk's students are already entering the forest, so I recommend you go quickly."

Annabell hoped for any sign that it was just a joke, but judging by the teacher's expression, it was a serious matter. The princess looked at the forest and saw a group of students entering, all of them seemed to be carrying bows and arrows. Annabell grumbled at the possibility of being accidentally hit.

The students from the princess's class looked at her with anticipation. If she went and succeeded, she would be the first to earn a large number of points for her dormitory. If she failed, Annabell didn't even want to imagine the hell that her next few days would be. She had to admit that she was the only one to blame for being in that situation, along with the insane teacher.

Annabell stood up and ran towards the forest. Now she was certain that she was in some kind of survival test or something similar.

She knew that asking the hunting class students to let her catch the rabbit was not a viable option. Maybe she would encounter Dominick, but that would hinder her main objective. Annabell shook her head and looked at the forest.

"Why am I here? I could have just said no and be done with it!" the princess slapped her own face and cursed herself for her stupidity. "Now I have to prevent a rabbit from being killed and try not to get hit by an arrow. What a wonderful day!"

Annabell heard a faint sound coming from her right side. It seemed like something was cutting through the air. She turned her face to try to identify the source of the noise, feeling the wind brushing against her face and something cold on her cheek. Seconds later, the princess began to feel a slight stinging sensation in the area. Annabell frowned and touched her cheek with her hand.

"The princess shouldn't invade other people's classes." Annabell felt unhappy upon hearing the voice of a certain red-haired man. "A rabbit passed behind you, my apologies. Classroom activities, it wasn't my intention to hit you." Ezariel's voice lacked sincerity. "Be careful not to get marked." he said, pointing to his own face.

Just by looking at Ezariel, Annabell knew he was enjoying the situation. She glared at him with anger and then looked at the tips of her fingers. There was a small amount of blood on them.

Annabell looked at Ezariel irritably, knowing that arguing with the redhead would be pointless. In the end, she would only get more frustrated, and Ezariel seemed to relish in the princess's anger. Annabell remembered how Ezariel had acted on the first day; he seemed to care about all this dormitory, points, and classroom business happening within the Academy.

"I'll consider it... a trade! I'll keep the rabbit, so I can ignore this incident!" Annabell wiped her fingers on her white dress. "I hope you're not upset! It's just Academy matters, you should understand!"

Annabell turned around and ran to catch the rabbit. It didn't take a genius to figure out that everything they did in the Academy earned points for their respective dormitories. Catching the rabbit would give points to Annabell, while killing the rabbit would give points to Ezariel. It might be a trivial reason, but now she felt motivated to catch that rabbit. She didn't care about the points or the teacher's test, but the cut on her face and Ezariel enjoying himself at her expense, that did matter.

Annabell walked through the forest until she heard something rustling in a bush. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a small ball of white fur. The princess smiled and crouched down; the rabbit seemed to sense something approaching and turned to see what it was. Annabell reached out her hand towards it. Most of the time, her voice helped calm the animals in the castle; perhaps it would help now.

"Hey, bunny, stop running. I'm getting tired. I'll give you lots of food if you come to me." the princess spoke softly.

"Do you think he'll understand what you're saying and come to you?" Ezariel laughed at the end of his sentence.

This time, Annabell was paying attention to the sounds around her. She could hear the sounds of dry leaves being torn, probably by someone running. She wasn't startled by Ezariel's voice, nor was she shaken by his comment.

"With rabbits, it might not work, but with tapirs, it seems to!"

Behind Annabell, Ezariel drew his bow, and an arrow flew towards the rabbit. At the same moment, the princess snapped her fingers. The movement of the arrow stopped; it remained suspended in the air, surrounded by strands of white energy.

The rabbit was completely unaware of the arrow that almost pierced it. It started hopping towards Annabell. She turned with the rabbit in her arms, snapped her fingers again, and the arrow fell to the ground.

The two stared at each other in silence. Annabell didn't know what Ezariel was feeling at that moment; it was like trying to guess the feelings of a stone. The princess was only certain that he was not the least bit happy.

"White Lotus Dormitory, 600 points earned in the activity, Rabbit Protection. Congratulations, Princess Annabell, on the points earned." the announcement echoed throughout the castle.

Annabell petted the rabbit and began thanking it for making her day happier. She just wanted to leave the forest and return to her activities for the day.

"Second activity with the rabbit: Evade the rabbit. It overslept and is now irritated. Those who are not caught before the cannons sound will earn 800 points." another announcement was made. The rabbit in Annabell's hands jumped to the ground and started running into the forest. "Don't forget that the first activity still counts."