HTNSA 53

Chapter 53

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Freya decided not to obsess over the results. Even if she came in second, that was still a respectable outcome.

Such a result wouldn’t bring her shame even if she entered the royal court later.

As she tried to comfort herself with that thought, Kadin suddenly approached and spoke with a hint of mockery.

“Freya, looks like you’re not taking the top spot this time.”

He had come to check the results early in the morning, reluctantly pushed by Freya’s nagging. Besides, his family elders had been pressuring him to get close to Rosia.

Even so, he wasn’t pleased to be here. The idea that Eila might witness this bothered him.

Freya glared at him in annoyance.

“And you’re about to lose the top spot to that commoner. Not exactly the time to be worrying about me.”

Her tone was sharp.

Kadin frowned but couldn’t refute her.

She was right—he was at serious risk of being overtaken by Felix.

Twisting his lips, he replied, “At least I’ll still make second place. You, on the other hand, might not even manage that.”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

Freya narrowed her eyes.

Kadin shrugged nonchalantly.

“You’ve heard it too. That Eila overcame her mana insensitivity.”

Freya scoffed immediately, while Rosia’s brow slightly furrowed.

Both of them had heard the rumors about Eila’s recovery.

Freya had chalked it up to Eila having absurdly good luck.

“Right. If she can sense mana now, I guess she didn’t fail.”

Kadin added dryly, “They say she didn’t just pass—she did quite well.”

Freya sighed in exasperation. “Do you really think she did better than me?”

Of course not. Kadin only brought it up to provoke her.

Just then—

“The professor’s here!”

Professor Arina approached with a rolled-up scroll in hand.

All eyes turned to the white scroll he carried.

Then, in full view of the crowd, he posted the exam results.

In that instant, silence blanketed the crowd.

Time itself seemed to stop. No one dared to speak.

“…What…?”

Freya eventually broke the silence, stunned.

“Isn’t there a mistake?”

“What do you mean, Freya?”

“There must be an error in the top rank.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

Had Rosia or Freya taken the top spot, it wouldn’t have been surprising.

But the name listed as top of the magic department was someone no one had expected.

Freya stared at the board, disbelief etched on her face.

“Eila’s name can’t be there. This must be a mistake.”

Professor Arina frowned.

He didn’t appreciate her questioning the results carefully reviewed over days by the faculty.

But this was a reality the entire academy had to accept.

He responded calmly, “Eila earned that top spot fair and square.”

“Still, how could she go from nothing straight to first…”

Freya muttered in disbelief.

Had Eila still been considered part of House Blanche, people might’ve cried foul and claimed the results were rigged.

But she was a commoner now. She had no power to manipulate anything.

Arina sighed and asked firmly, “Freya, did you see her practical exam performance yourself?”

“No, but…”

“If you had, you wouldn’t say that. Ask any student who was in her group. Her magic was…”

He trailed off.

His expression became one of genuine admiration.

“To have such ability just after gaining mana… I wonder how powerful she’ll become with training.”

He suddenly realized how quiet the crowd had become again.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he tried to regain composure.

He had clearly lavished too much praise on one student in public.

But he couldn’t help it—he was proud.

All the professors had unanimously awarded Eila perfect scores.

They recognized the value of her effort and skill.

As Arina smiled contentedly, Rosia trembled with the realization that her worst fear had come true.

But no matter how hard she stared at the board, the name wouldn’t change.

The crowd broke into loud chatter.

“What? Rosia was supposed to take first, wasn’t she?”

“Has a Blanche daughter ever not taken first before?”

“Oh, so she’s second. Is that even possible?”

The same suspicion that once haunted Eila now turned on Rosia.

She wavered.

When she lost balance and leaned toward Kadin, he reflexively caught her—then promptly pushed her away.

Her shoulders trembled.

A clear sign of rejection.

After finals, the students were given a weeklong break.

For Rosia, that was a relief.

Ever since Eila claimed first place, rumors had spread through the academy.

The most infuriating one to Rosia was the whisper that perhaps the paternity test had been wrong.

The accusation stung precisely because it was true.

“To cure her mana insensitivity and then take first—could Eila be the real Blanche daughter?”

“But they used a magic artifact for the paternity test, didn’t they? Can it really be wrong? Still, it’s strange.”

Thinking of the students whispering about her made her want to lock herself in her room forever.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

The maid greeted her, but Rosia ignored her and went straight to her room.

She had no desire to greet her family. She was seething with anger and despair.

Even if she wasn’t the best in the Tower, Rosia was still a capable mage.

That she had lost to Eila in a school exam was unacceptable.

Especially since Eila had just awakened to mana.

“The world is so unfair.”

Eila was born lucky—a noble with talent.

Rosia had to claw her way up through sheer effort.

The difference gnawed at her.

Now more than ever, she wanted to drag Eila down.

What scared Rosia most was the future.

If Eila had achieved this much so soon after recovery, she would only grow more powerful.

And Rosia would continue to lose.

People would start to question—

“Is Rosia really a daughter of House Blanche?”