The big day is finally here…!
On the morning of the tests, Brigitte rose an hour earlier than usual, completed her routine, and left the house. The carriage ride was too rocky for her to study…but as she gazed out the window, she was mentally reviewing the subjects she was weakest in.
The written tests were scheduled to take the whole day. The subjects were human sciences, history, fundamentals of magic, applied magic, spiritology, and medicinal herbology. During midterms, these exams were followed by practical tests the next day, but this time, she thankfully didn’t need to worry about that.
When she arrived in her classroom, she sat down, took out her notebook, and started reviewing for the last time.
Magic is easy because most of it has to do with spirits. And medicinal plants aren’t bad, either, because most of them are the favorite of some spirit.
She was very good at history, too, as spirits were integral to the kingdom’s story. Her main interest made studying the subject quite easy.
But this time, she was up against Yuri Aurealis, the supposed genius. If she intended to emerge victorious, she couldn’t make a single mistake.
…But I’m going to win! I’m going to win and make him pay!
Fiercely determined, she flipped through her notes on human studies, the first subject on the test.
By midday, the first three exams were over. Feeling good about her performance, Brigitte ate lunch in the cafeteria and then returned to the classroom.
Before Joseph had broken off their engagement, she used to eat with him in one of the five semiprivate cafeteria booths. Enclosed by elegant wine-red curtains, the spacious booths were a favorite of the students with the highest status and for that reason were nicknamed the “salons.” Using them was a way of showing off their family standing and power.
They were a special place for Brigitte—but not for Joseph, apparently. These days, she could hear him laughing and talking with Lisa in there.
…Right. Next up, applied magic.
She exhaled softly to push away the thoughts of Joseph.
The applied magic and spiritology tests went well. During the break after spiritology, she walked to the restroom near her class. The only test left was medicinal herbology, but since it was one of her strong subjects, she felt confident. When she got back to the classroom, she dug through her bag to find what she needed for the test…and discovered something.
Puzzled, she looked through her bag again. But it wasn’t there.
…I can’t believe this.
She was stunned.
My pen case is gone.
She had carefully put her pen case away after the last test, but it was gone without a trace. She checked around her desk and near the window just to be sure, but it wasn’t there, either.
Someone must have stolen it.
Frowning, she bit her lip. She didn’t know who’d done it, but the theft itself seemed certain. After all, even the extra pens she’d brought were gone.
She’d never before been the victim of such crude harassment. She knew there were plenty of rumors circulating about her. But she had been the prince’s fiancée, so no one had dared make such an overt move against her before. Maybe she’d benefited from Joseph’s presence more than she realized—although she was hardly in a mood to feel grateful for it.
…I suppose I can buy one…
There was a little shop next to the cafeteria, although she’d never bought anything there. But it took only a few seconds for her to realize that it was closed today for the tests. Everything was against her. And it was a rule that on test days, students had to bring everything they needed themselves. Asking a teacher would result in an automatic score of zero.
“What do I do…?” she couldn’t help muttering as her panic ballooned. She wasn’t close enough with any of her classmates to ask to borrow a pen. No wind spirit was going to float one over to her, and no earth spirit was going to find one for her dropped in a gutter.
For a brief second, she thought of her adopted brother, a class below her—or more accurately, she thought of his hazy back. But she quickly shook her head, banishing those fantasies.
If my father heard about that, he’d be furious…
She didn’t put it past him to spy on her at school to make sure she didn’t talk to her brother. If she did, their father might punish both of them, too. Dragging him into this was the last thing she wanted to do. And even if she did ask him, she was doubtful an adopted brother she’d hardly even met would lend her a pen.
Let’s see, who else…? I can’t think of anyone.
She was at her wits’ end. She knew it was her fault. She knew the reason she didn’t have any friends was her own arrogant, unpleasant attitude. But just for today, she had wanted to focus entirely on the test.
This was supposed to be about my competition with Yuri…
She thought of his dispassionate eyes. To make matters worse, he was a genius. If she got a zero in one subject, everything was over. That was how smart he was, and that was why she wanted so badly to beat him. She imagined having to admit she’d stupidly lost her pens after boasting with such confidence before.
She could just see him muttering, That so? as his beautiful eyes turned dull. He would lose interest when he learned she had nothing better to offer and that all she could do was make a stupid excuse for losing. Then he’d forget all about the silly redhead.
No matter what, I want to beat him!
She had an idea. This was no time to split hairs over the means to her end. Her mind was made up: Even if she fought dirty, she had to fight.
“Please take your seats. The next test will now begin.”
The medicinal herbology teacher walked into the classroom.
“…”
Brigitte gulped and grasped the object she needed between her pointer finger and thumb.
Three days had passed since the tests.
That was exhausting…
Finally released from her scolding, Brigitte walked out of the teachers’ office. Stretching her tense muscles, she stopped by the bulletin board on the first floor. She’d seen the test results at lunch, but she wanted to check one more time.
Suddenly, she felt someone watching her and turned around. Several students quickly averted their eyes.
It feels like people are staring more than usual today…
But she didn’t have time to think past that. She was already late for her meeting with Yuri. Worried that he might have left, she ran down the stone path. To her relief, she saw his distinctive blue-black hair in the distance. A thick applied magic textbook was lying on the table. He must have been reviewing the test while he waited for her.
“I’m sorry to make you wait,” she said, catching her breath.
“I wasn’t waiting,” he answered, sprawled arrogantly in his chair.
Is he incapable of letting a single sentence go by without commentary? Will he not be able to sleep otherwise?
Realizing the same could be said of her, she sat down across from the blank-faced Yuri. There was something she had to say.
“Congratulations on taking first place, Yuri Aurealis.”
“…Yeah,” he said flatly, dipping his head slightly.
In the year and two months since he started at the academy, he had gotten close to a perfect score on every test. Each of the six subjects was worth one hundred points, and this time he had achieved an illustrious 598.
“And you?”
“…”
“What was your score?”
“…”
She turned away. He looked at her suspiciously. Her impulse was to say nothing, but this was a historic battle. Silence would not do.
“…four hundred and ninety-eight,” she muttered. She’d double-checked.
“Huh. Exactly one hundred less than me.”
Ouch!