Chapter 1 - nICE Prince

Footsteps clicked against the rough pavement leading to the medical faculty's grand entrance, steady, rhythmic, and commanding. Julian Alistair Blackwood walked with the effortless grace of a man who owned the very ground beneath his expensive shoes. He wore the standard university uniform, yet on his tall, athletic frame, the crisp white long-sleeve shirt and perfectly ironed trousers looked like a runway masterpiece. His distinct elegance overflowed, turning an ordinary outfit into a statement of undeniable superiority.

Every eye in the sprawling courtyard locked onto his figure. Conversations died mid-sentence. Students froze in their tracks, their textbooks suddenly feeling heavy in their arms. It was a daily ritual on campus, this collective holding of breath as the heir to the Blackwood business empire made his morning arrival. They tracked his every movement as if he were a world-famous superstar, fervently waiting to see what he would do next.

The bright morning sun caught the sharp, aristocratic angles of his face, highlighting his pale, flawless skin. When a gentle breeze swept across the open grounds, it ruffled his neatly styled raven hair. He blinked, his prominent, thick lashes casting faint shadows on his cheeks. A collective, silent sigh rippled through the gathered crowd.

He kept his hands casually tucked inside his pockets, striding under the glaring light of day. His silver watch slipped out from the edge of his pocket every so often, sparkling like a rare gem against his wrist. His handsome face was devoid of expression. It remained unreadable, chillingly calm, and detached. He walked like he owned the world, unconcerned by the hundreds of curious and admiring glances burning into his back.

The harsh glare of the sun hit his eyes. Julian paused, squinting slightly against the brightness. With smooth deliberation, he pulled a pair of designer sunglasses from his pocket and slid them onto his face.

A muted wave of swooning shrieks echoed among the onlookers. Some students gripped their friends' arms, their knees going weak at the simple, effortless gesture.

Julian was the undisputed 'ice prince' of the university. Everyone knew his name. Everyone knew his family's insane wealth stretched far beyond the borders of the country, controlling a global empire. He possessed a terrifying kind of perfection that made people want to draw close, yet an invisible, freezing aura kept them permanently at bay. Every girl and even the boys harbored a secret desire to confess their admiration, hoping to earn a simple greeting or a sliver of friendship.

But crossing that distance was impossible. He had an amicable facade, and everyone could see the charming potential beneath his flawless exterior. However, his unspoken boundaries and freezing gaze could make anyone forget their intentions the second he looked at them.

He lived contentedly in a world built for one, with just enough room for his relentless medical studies, his family, and his two best friends.

From the fringes of the walkway, hushed whispers broke out as he passed by.

"I would give my whole life just to have a single meal with him." A girl clutched her thick binder to her chest, her eyes wide with undisguised adoration.

Another student muttered, shaking his head in sheer frustration. "How could a human being be that perfect?"

"I could worship the ground that he steps on. Look at his skin. It is so clear and white, like a flawless pearl."

"He is beyond perfect. He is too precious. No one in this place deserves him."

A girl near the fountain spoke matter-of-factly. "He is a modern-day prince. He won't ever glance at any of us. We are just commoners."

The final comment drew a heavy, collective sigh from the group. They accepted their bleak reality. Every day, they waited by the school grounds, watching from the moment he parked his luxury car until he disappeared into the medical building, feeding their unreachable daydreams of the university's prince charming.

Julian pushed through the heavy glass doors of the medical building, oblivious to the broken hearts trailing in his wake. He did not care about the social hierarchy or the idolization. His mind was already calculating the required reading for his morning classes, dissecting complex hospital case studies. His schedule was rigid: dormitory to university, books to hospital, a tight circle of friends, and occasional dinners with his parents.

He stepped into the lecture hall. The low hum of pre-class chatter vanished instantly. The room turned eerily quiet. Classmates stiffened in their seats, casting cautious, fleeting glances in his direction as they scrambled to look busy.

Reid looked up from his desk, flashing a relaxed smile. "Good morning, Julian."

"Good morning, Reid." Julian offered a calculated, polite smile in return, the expression practiced and flawless.

He did not spare a single glance for the rest of his classmates. Cassian strolled through the door a few seconds later, tossing his bag onto the desk right next to Reid.

"Good morning, Julian."

"Good morning, Cassian." Julian gave the exact same measured smile before taking his designated seat.

He reached into his expensive leather bag and pulled out a massive, intimidating medical textbook, along with his pristine notebook. He set them on his desk with a heavy thud, opened the book to a heavily annotated page, and immediately began to read. The rest of the class hurriedly followed suit, pretending to bury their faces in their own notes.

A fresh wave of silent guilt washed over the classroom. Here was the heir to a global empire, a man whose financial status was secured for the next ten generations, studying with a ferocious diligence that put them all to shame. While the rest of the students dreaded the sight of thick medical texts and complained about their complicated cases, Julian devoured the knowledge. There was never a second where he was not reading. He had already finished the reading material for the entire term. He was the ultimate handsome bookworm, an apex predator of academia.

His insatiable hunger for learning terrified everyone. That fear extended straight up to the faculty. Teaching Julian's class was a daunting challenge. No professor dared to stand at the podium unprepared. They either read several chapters ahead of the syllabus and mastered the material, or they simply did not show up. Julian had a habit of pointing out intricate details and inconsistencies during lectures. He always did it nicely, but his standard of 'nice' was a razor-sharp blade that terrified the educators.

The professor entered the room, looking visibly tense. For the next two hours, the lecture progressed in a state of high anxiety. The professor sweated through the complex anatomy material, carefully choosing his words to meet Julian's observant standards. Julian simply sat there, taking notes with sharp precision.

When the class finally concluded, a palpable wave of relief swept through the room. Shoulders dropped. Tense jaws unclenched. The professor subtly heaved a sigh of relief and began organizing his messy stack of papers.

Julian closed his notebook and looked up, his voice clear and casual in the quiet room. "Our discussion today was very interesting, professor. It would be best if we have an evaluation at the next meeting. Perhaps an oral examination or a written one."

The professor froze. His jaw dropped slightly.

Behind Julian, the entire class turned into a portrait of silent horror. Eyes widened. Mouths gaped in sheer disbelief. Exams were the bane of their existence, a source of constant stress, and Julian was casually asking for one like he was requesting a glass of water.

The professor recovered his composure, clearing his throat loudly. "That is a great suggestion, Mr. Blackwood. Let's see about that next meeting. Class, study the whole chapters we discussed today, as I might give an examination next time."

A collective, strangled groan echoed in the throats of the terrified students. They bit their lips to keep the sound from escaping, terrified that Julian might hear their profound frustration.

Julian smiled, a genuine look of glad contentment washing over his flawless features. "Thank you, professor. I am looking forward to it."

He placed his heavy textbook back into his bag, snapping the clasps shut. The professor practically fled the room, but not a single student in the class moved an inch. They were paralyzed in their seats.

Julian slung his bag over his shoulder, not bothering to look back at his frozen classmates. "Let's have lunch."

Reid sighed softly, accustomed to the routine. "Yes. Let's go."

Julian, Reid, and Cassian walked out of the classroom, their footsteps fading down the hallway.

The moment they were out of earshot, the lecture hall erupted into sheer despair.

A guy in the back row slammed his head onto his desk, his voice cracking with agony. "An oral or written examination next week!"

Another classmate pointed out, her voice trembling with rising panic. "We already have a written examination right before this subject! Julian asked for that one yesterday! We have two exams on the same day, the very next meeting!"

A girl in the middle row buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she fought back tears. "This will be a suicide. Two major subjects in one day, composed of three to four heavy chapters each!"

Panic thickened the air. Desperation drove them to the edge of madness. They were drowning in medical texts, and Julian had just handed them an anchor.

Someone muttered darkly, the realization hitting the room like a physical blow. "We still have another subject this afternoon. Who is going to stop Julian from asking for a third examination? We will all be dead if another exam gets added to this day."

The students stared at each other in mounting horror. The threat was real. Julian's bottomless appetite for knowledge had infected their lives, and none of them possessed his genius to survive it.

A desperate girl spun around to face the boy sitting near the window. "Could you stop him later, Mr. Class President? Please do something!"

The Class President stared at her. He looked around the room, taking in the terrified, pleading faces of his peers. He adjusted his glasses, his expression serious, calm, and utterly deadpan. "I would rather step down from my position."

The blunt refusal snuffed out the last flicker of hope in the room. They were doomed. The afternoon class was a futile battleground, and there was no one brave enough to stand in Julian's way.

A tall student near the door let out a heavy, frustrated sigh and hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder. "Well, let's all eat our lunch so we can start studying for the three subjects. We do not have that much time to cover all the chapters."

The bleak reality settled over them. Spurred by sheer survival instinct, the students scrambled out of their chairs, rushing toward the door in a frantic stampede. They had to hit the books immediately to face the impossible workload Julian had so happily bestowed upon them.