Inside the grade director’s office, Sophia pushed up her glasses with her index finger and glanced at the two who had just walked in.

Seeing the pair—both so attractive—her irritation about working overtime on a Sunday faded a little.

And by the looks of it, Miss Viloti was in quite the good mood.

Surely they hadn’t just come from doing something shady in the school’s back grove, had they?

Her eyes landed on the cat in Viloti’s arms.

“Miss Viloti, you know pets aren’t allowed on school grounds.”

“We found it here on campus,” Viloti explained calmly. “We’ll take it away afterward.”

“Oh? You’re planning to raise a cat now?”

“I asked Felyn to take care of it for me.”

As she pulled a file from the cabinet, Sophia couldn’t help shaking her head.

So that was the plan—give Miss Viloti an excuse to visit Felyn’s house.

Well, she’d been there once. She understood how it worked.

Back in my day…

Felyn could tell from the faraway look in Sophia’s eyes that she was recalling some tragic romantic past.

He exchanged a glance with Viloti, then stepped in quickly to interrupt her train of thought.

“Teacher Sophia, I came as soon as I saw the message.”

Smacking her lips, Sophia returned to the present.

“Take a look at this form. If everything looks good, sign at the bottom.”

Felyn accepted the document and read through it carefully.

It explained the reason for his qualification—though vaguely, it only said: [Significant Contribution].

He signed his name at the bottom, confirming his agreement to take part in the Royal Capital’s Early Admission Exam, then handed it back.

“Oh, and you’ll need to get a stamp from the student council office. Ask Linda to help you with that. Some required procedures still need to be done.”

She handed him another sheet—an evaluation form with a few character-based assessments requiring the student council’s stamp.

“Linda’s here on a Sunday too?”

“Mhm. Looks like she’s working overtime as well. I saw her when I passed by the council office earlier.”

Sophia rubbed her eyes and suddenly remembered—she’d also caught a glimpse of Miss Adeline inside.

The student council president, Adeline, was in there too.

“Viloti, why don’t you wait here in my office? If you walk around with that cat, I won’t say anything, but if the headmaster sees you, it might not end well.”

“But I…”

Viloti looked up at Felyn for his opinion. When he nodded, she finally took a seat with the kitten still in her arms.

Watching this exchange, Sophia had only one question on her mind:

When are you two finally going to get together?

Since it was the weekend, there weren’t many people around. With Felyn off to find Linda, the office was left with just Sophia, Viloti… and a cat.

“Viloti, things are really looking up now. Felyn’s chances of getting into the Capital just got way better.”

Sophia had always believed that the biggest obstacle between them was social status.

If Felyn could pass this test, go to the Capital to study Divine Arts, and eventually join the Church, then the two of them could really make it.

“I’m looking forward to drinking at your wedding banquet, you know.”

“Teacher Sophia…”

Viloti fidgeted shyly, rubbing her earlobe. Her black leather shoes tapped softly in the air.

“Felyn and I… we’re not in that kind of relationship.”

“Oh? You’re not yet, you mean?”

“We’re just normal friends.”

“Friends? Who’d believe that? Do friends act like this?”

“Why not take the initiative? Try confessing. I bet he’d agree on the spot.”

“No.”

Viloti tightened her arms around Hermi and instantly shut down the idea.

“That’s the one thing… I absolutely can’t do…”

That night—Adeline’s confession—was something every young lady close to Felyn had witnessed.

No one had heard what they said, but judging by Adeline’s reaction, everyone had guessed what had happened.

Adeline had confessed to Felyn.

And Felyn had rejected her.

Several noble girls who’d been harboring secret feelings for him instantly hesitated. Seeing Adeline so heartbroken, they couldn’t help but imagine what they would look like if they got rejected the same way.

Especially Viloti.

The fear of ending up like Adeline still lingered.

What if she confessed to Felyn and was crushed just like that?

She didn’t know the answer.

No one did.

But that scene had seared itself into every noble girl’s mind:

Don’t confess to Felyn unless you’re truly ready.

…

Felyn supposed he should be happy.

The image of him signing that paper still lingered in his mind. If he could pass the exam, maybe he could finally leave behind this strange life.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I checked in on Olivia…

He’d try to find time to visit her in the next few days.

Knock knock.

Felyn knocked on the student council office door.

“Come in.”

Linda was dressed in her Saint Andros Academy uniform and looked rather busy in the center of the room.

“Linda, I’m here to get a stamp.”

The moment she saw Felyn, Linda’s gaze visibly slowed, her hands pausing mid-motion. She instinctively looked toward the couch at the side of the room.

There sat Adeline—reacting just the same.

Her hair was tied back neatly, and she wore the blue-and-white uniform of Lanchester Academy with a red ribbon at the collar. Her legs were crossed, encased in black stockings, adding an elegant allure.

The Lanchester Academy delegation had left the Capital early that morning, while Felyn and the others had departed around noon.

Adeline had arrived at school well before Felyn. After finishing her unpacking, she’d intended to take a walk and clear her head, Before she knew it, her feet had brought her to Felyn’s school.

She hadn’t expected him to be here too.

“…Something wrong?”

Felyn raised an eyebrow as he noticed Linda staring at him in surprise.

“No, nothing at all.”

Linda took the document from him and started rummaging through her drawer for the stamp.

She quickly filled out evaluations for the other sections of the form, then stamped it.

Except—when it came to the section labeled [Social Relationships], Linda was completely stumped.

Felyn’s people skills were... complicated. Strictly speaking, he got along great—especially with these two ladies.

Just last night, she had seen Adeline utterly devastated over him.

And she was well aware of the rumors between Viloti and Felyn. But since they weren’t officially together, Adeline still had a chance. So Linda hadn’t tried to talk her out of it.

In the end, she wrote:

[Excellent social skills. Well-liked by peers.]

“Hang on, I need to use a different stamp here.”

“This is the last step.” Linda found an excuse to buy a little more time.

She glanced over at Adeline, who was now sitting rigidly with her legs pressed tightly together, nervously twirling her hair, her eyes a little dazed.

Linda couldn’t tell what she was thinking anymore.

Should I try to create a chance for them to talk?

But a confession yesterday… and now meeting again today…

Just thinking about it felt painfully awkward.

(End of Chapter)