The Sareid Estate.

12th of Priverra.

A week had passed since the chaos of the entrance exam, and in that short time, the white snow had begun to thaw. The pure sheets of snow that had blanketed the roads and trees of the capital were disappearing little by little. 

The air was still cold, mind you. The people outside still travelled wearing heavy clothes or inside warm carriages, but the early signs of an upcoming spring was beginning to rear its head back in.

Inside, however, my world was cold with anticipation.

The exam results would be given at this day. It was the only information everyone was given before the entrance exam announced its closure. They seemed to close things up in such a hurry as well. We weren’t even given any information on how we would be informed of the results. All I knew was the “when.”

But whatever the methods they use, one thing was still clear. I was anxious as hell. I paced around my two bedrooms, walking in circles with a hand on my chin. I would occasionally take a peek at the outside window, in case a messenger, a knight, or even a carrier pigeon had come. Each glance was quicker and more frequent than the last, as if looking more intensely would summon them from thin air.

Now, why the worry, you might ask?

Feyt already had twenty points, right? Shouldn’t that be enough?

Well, what if I did poorly in the written exam? A part of me doubted that I did, considering I used Carine’s well of knowledge to breeze through, but a larger part of me scolded the other that such confidence was a trap.

As for Carine, in the end, Eveline and the others had gathered forty-six points for me. For a group effort, it was a moderate amount, especially considering the pace Attila’s group had in the eastern forest. But individually? It should be more than enough for Honors, yes?

Wrong.

That thought is exactly the kind of arrogance I wanted to avoid.

Anything could happen in an exam like this. A lucky examinee who found a stash of yellow flags… Maybe there’s one who bated time until the last second to ambush and steal flags from others…

The possibilities for someone to do better than me were endless.

I continued to pace around my room, breathing heavily all the while. Before long, it became a bit too dizzying. I had to break the cycle.

With a frustrated sigh, I let Feyt’s body fall back onto the soft mattress, staring at the ceiling, and hearing the chirping of birds outside. At the same moment, I steered my other self outside my room. Perhaps fresh air could calm me down.

When I stepped out onto the hall, a figure who had just passed by caught my attention.

“Ah, Father.”

—

The Sareid Estate — The Duke’s Office.

I sat in a comfortable leather chair facing Father’s large darkwood desk, the scent of books and tea evident even in this chill air. Leila had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, placing a warm cup of tea before me before retreating to standing by the wall.

I took a slow, deliberate sip of the tea. It was aromatic and calming as always. 

She really can’t miss.

Father was on the other side, meticulously arranging several volumes on his shelf before selecting a few and moving to his seat. He settled with a heavy, familiar grunt. 

Then, he showed a warm smile.

“Are you still nervous about the results?”

“Yes…” I reluctantly nodded.

He laughed heartily. “I guess you can be nervous from time to time, huh?”

What’s that supposed to mean? I thought to myself, silently glaring at him from the rim of my teacup. I’m not that aloof.

“The results are already decided; worrying won’t change anything,” he said, slowly shifting away from his laugh. “But I can assure you that you did exceptionally well, Carine. Perhaps even more than I ever did back when I had my exam.” His face shifted, showing a small, wry smirk. “Have I mentioned how the spectacle you and Feyt put on left everyone absolutely speechless?” he chuckled.

Yes, you have… countless times.

Yeah, I didn’t expect there was actually an artifact that could stream a live feed of the forest. But, I suppose there wouldn’t be a spectator’s booth without anything to spectate.

“There weren’t many examinees who managed to complete an instructor’s challenge, and yet there were you two, outright throwing one of them into a ditch. It’s safe to assume, the two of you have made quite the impression.”

I nearly choked on the tea from hearing Father’s words.

He wasn’t exactly wrong, but he could’ve worded it a little differently. He made it sound like I was the one looking for trouble.

I cleared my throat, setting the teacup silently. “Regarding that… Father, have you met with Instructor Cornellia?”

He leaned back slightly, the laughter dying down as he took a sip of his own tea. “Yes, I have.” He nodded shortly after, his tone more calm and composed.

I let out a cold sigh, tinged with worry. “So… is she…?” I asked, my words trailing off at the end.

He sat still for a moment, closing his eyes. Then, his gaze turned narrow. “I doubt she was being controlled,” he said finally, sounding convinced.

Father had told me of the possibility of that bastard Sebastian’s return, linking it directly to Instructor Cornellia’s sudden aggression towards me. There was a chance she was targetting me while under the influence of his words.

But, I had my own skepticism with that theory, mainly sourced from one thing.

Her eyes were clear.

It didn’t hold any sense of blankness in her eyes that Raymond, Yeremiah, and Mother had when he was manipulating them. Instead, her eyes painted her anger, frustration, and annoyance as clear as the sky that day.

Father’s confirmation merely cemented that theory of mine. However, one thing remained unclear.

“Then… what was her reasoning?” I asked, leaning forward slightly. “Why target me so specifically?”

“Right… haha…” Father let out another short laugh, an awkward one this time. “That is… rather complicated.” He waved his hand as if dismissing it. “But it’s not something for you to lose sleep over. You have the exam results to worry about, remember?”

Didn’t you just said I shouldn’t worry about that?

Father, however, wasn’t done. He leaned forward, clasping his hands, and focused his eyes on me.

“Now, I have something I’ve been meaning to ask,” he began. “These last few weeks I barely had the time, but now that you’re here, I must ask… That fighting style you displayed with Feyt… can you tell me more about it?”

This time, I really choked on my tea.

Leila came over silently, offering a napkin without a word, which I took to quietly dab my lips.

“Our fighting style, you ask?” I parroted, gathering composure. “It’s something I had… improvised… yes. I’ve fought with Feyt together on two occasions already. We have… picked up on each other’s habits from then.”

“Improvised?” he repeated, his voice skeptical as he showed an amused smile. “Listen, Carine… No one, not even me and your mother, could achieve that level of synergy in the middle of combat. And two occasions are scarcely enough to learn someone’s every combat instinct.”

He leaned forward even more, his eyes almost predatory. “So, tell me…” he began, before going into a rapid succession of questions. “How long have you two been training in secret? Where do you conduct such training? How did the two of you train such moves? How did you communicate during battle? With signals? Audible cues? Perhaps even—”

The questions were endless and came at a neck-breaking pace. I instinctively leaned as far back as I could in my chair. I couldn’t even reach for my tea anymore…

Just as I opened my mouth to offer some pathetic excuse, the door to the office was knocked firmly, shutting Father’s voice down. The door opened, revealing one of our own knights, holding a single piece of paper.

“Your Grace! A messenger from the academy has just arrived with a letter!”

Immediately, the room’s tension shifted its focus. 

FInally! Literally anything else!

“Ah, it’s here,” Father said, still leaning forward. He sat back down, greeting the knight with a warm smile as if nothing had happened just moments ago. “So, what does it say? Can you read it out? Carine has been dying to hear it.”

“Well, actually, Your Grace…” the knight continued with a rather hesitant tone. He stepped forward and presented the formal letter, its academy seal stark against the parchment.

“The messenger was explicit that this does not contain the results. Instead, it was an announcement.” The knight cleared his throat, adjusting himself. Then, with a deep, tonal voice, he began.

“By direct order of the Third Prince, all examination results will be posted publicly on the boards in the Grand Square.“

The room fell so silent, even Carine’s ears could finally hear the birds chirping outside.

“…Publically?”

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