No matter how much he want to take into account the fact that there could be something like luck at play, it didn’t work out anything. Marian notices the way Andrew was staring at the top of the list and glanced at it, seeing both his name and insignia. Without a doubt, this result belongs to Andrew who was standing by her side and no other person. The looks which she levels in his direction were nothing short of puzzlement. He had behaved formerly like someone who performed poorly in the examination, only for her to find out that he scored a hundred percent and became the highest in the exam. Such a result can’t be explained unless one was totally intelligent.
Andrew finally notices her gaze and it got him feeling awkward about everything. No matter what kind of explanation he looks to come up with at this moment, he was sure no one would believe him. The results were out for everyone to see after all and the school has been known for its prestige, so there could be absolutely nothing like bribery that would lead to falsification of results. “Marian, I can explain”, Andrew says like a husband who was caught cheating by his wife. Marian doesn’t reply to him, she takes it like Andrew was filled with lies and has lied to her the second time within a week. She felt hurt at this moment, hence she walks away towards their carriage. Eve tries to stop her in order to get to know what’s wrong but she didn’t even pay any bit of attention to her and continues her walk.
On entering the carriage, the coachman drives away without waiting for Andrew. Andrew smiles wryly on seeing her leaving the compound, he was sure she had left already and doesn’t take it to heart. After all, this situation was hard to explain, no matter the angle it was taken from. All he could do was scream inwardly that he has been framed and he didn’t know who had done it.
Eve draws nearer to Andrew before she asks, “What happened between the both of you? Why did she have to hurry off in that manner?”. Andrew just points at the result in reply, precisely his name at the top of the list. On seeing this, Eve was shocked also, even if Andrew had passed, she had expected him to be the least people in the least, but he was the top examinee.
She didn’t know how she felt right now, she had tried three times before she could barely make the mark to enter this school but the duo made it in on their first try, Marian’s position was higher than hers and Andrew was at the top. She felt happy and sad at the same. She also felt angry at Andrew having made that face in order to deceive them. Even when they had been talking, he still had that face of someone who wouldn’t have made it. He was purposely acting in order to gain their sympathy and shock them also. It seemed childish to her and she gave him almost the same look that Marian gave him.
Andrew smiles wryly and this time does not try to explain the situation and decides that he would let things be. He walks towards the entrance of the school and although Eve was a bit angry, she tags along. The boy who had initially spoken those words to Alex was the third on the list and he seemed shocked that he was not the second. The name Andrew wasn’t all that familiar to him after all. But he doesn’t dwell on it much and just leaves the place stealthily, without dragging any attention to himself.
Andrew and Eve walk down the road, unfortunately, Eve’s brother only possesses a single carriage and he was the one who dropped her off before going off for his business for the day. As such, they had to do a little exercise. The mood between them was a bit awkward at first until Andrew brought up a random topic in order to at least create a conversation. Although still feeling somehow, she indulges in the conversation and soon, they were able to find a carriage which they rented out for transportation. The little quiet time they had was magical to Eve, she asks about the result though and Andrew just says he didn’t know what had happened and that he didn’t write well in the exams. Surprisingly, after a bit more talk in that direction, Eve believes him. She no longer doubts him and just bases everything on luck. But Andrew understood perfectly that such luck doesn’t exist, even if counting together all the luck he had missed out on in his previous life, he should have at least failed one or two.
Eve first drops off at home and Andrew drops off later and got the rental fee paid. He takes a deep breath before entering the mansion, he heads directly to Marian’s room. He had wanted to have a little bit of conversation with her but she didn’t even allow him to say a word before she chased him out of the room. It wasn’t fun being lied to twice a day, at least that’s what she thought.
Andrew doesn’t push it much and went to his room. At dinner time, he thought he would see her but she had her food sent to her room. He sighs in defeat, never did he think that Marian would be this angry at him. He just intends to let things slide, at least if she got used to not talking to him, then he could leave without anything holding him back. He slept off with that mindset and a resplendent smile blossomed on his face as if he was having a perfect dream.
The next day came forward and he was all smiles as he woke up, he stood at the window receiving the morning breeze with his hands raised in the air. He did not train as he usually did every morning, he just freshened up before a maid came to alert him that breakfast was ready. He went to the dining hall, he found Marian already seated. He drew his chair backwards, then sat and this time unlike before, he didn’t even try communicating with Marian.
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Marian has been prepared to brush him aside, but seeing that he didn’t even bother to talk to her got her more furious. The old madam notices this but chooses not to intervene. When they were about to be through with the meal, the old madam’s voice sounds out at this moment, “Someone from your batch was found dead yesterday”.
Apart from being shocked that the old madam broke the rule she placed down and was so adamant about enforcing, Andrew didn’t feel anything else. “Huh? Batch?”, it was Andrew who asks. “Yes. One of the people who took the entrance exams with you. He happens to be in the third position and also the precious son of one of the dukes. No leads were found about who the killer could be, but the capital is in chaos due to the power of the duke. Although he cannot overstep his boundaries, he still has some great amount of influence”, she replies.
“Ohh, too bad for him then”, Andrew replies. He didn’t care if everybody in the capital was to die at the next moment as long as no harm comes close to his family. He wasn’t some self-righteous or hypocritical person, as long as a thing would get him to his goal, he won’t think twice about doing it, so he won’t go about judging others for their deeds. Marian expects this answer from Andrew and was actually of the same mindset as Andrew. Who knew if Andrew’s thinking has started affecting her?
After the meal, Andrew strolled around the compound, just relaxing, he didn’t even check up on Marian all through. The day was supposed to pass through in that manner, and Andrew was feeling great, little by little, his responsibilities are being reduced. But after dinner, when he was in his room washing down the eaten meal with some wine while reminiscing about the times he spent on earth before coming here, he heard a knock on his door.
“Huh”, he didn’t expect anybody to be knocking at the door at this moment. The knock sounds out again but this time around, a voice went along with it, “Andy, I know you are inside”. Andrew smiles wryly at this moment, he immediately opens up the door for Marian to come in.
His room was dark without any lights of any sort, but luckily for Marian, she carried a lantern along with her which brightens up the room. She just walks in, drops the lantern then turns to face Andrew. Andrew avoids her gaze while scratching his head, he didn’t expect such a scenario to happen in the least.
“You are pushing me away right?”, Marian starts up the conversation. “Huh?”, the light in Andrew’s eyes dims. He didn’t expect this question one bit and was caught off guard. “I know you are so no need to act that way. I have thought hard about everything and your actions just depict that. Your two recent actions and even your not talking to me anymore after those events. It couldn’t be clearer”, she continues.
Andrew right now didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. She was getting everything wrong, he didn’t expect what he saw in the results table and the act of pretending to be sick was a way to not go and check his results to prevent being embarrassed. He didn’t expect it all to lead in this direction, and although the results of everything and her reaction did motivate him to push her away, it wasn’t his initial intention. He would never perform such a thing intentionally.
“I do understand why you would want to do that”, Marian says, then pauses as tears start falling out of her eyes, “But please, don’t try to push me away. I won’t ever be able to take you leaving me”, she completes her statement.
Seeing her tears causes Andrew’s heart to ache, he moves unconsciously to hug her tightly. “I am sorry”, he says. He didn’t try to explain but instead apologizes. “I am sorry for all the pains I have put you through in these past days. Hope you can forgive me?”, he says. These words made Marian cry harder while hitting Andrew on his chest. “Why? Why would you try to push me away?”, she asks amidst her tears. Then she hugs Andrew harder and more tightly as if fearing that he could escape her embrace if it was too soft. “Don’t do that to me again”, she says after some moment in his embrace.
He just smiles and says, “I won’t”. She hugs him closer once again, after which they released each other and then talked about random stuff. She slept once again in his room, Andrew just smiles while watching her sleep cutely.
At this same moment in the capital, somebody could be seen at the school, his face not visible though, but his voice sounds out at this moment, “That kid needs some shackle. And you seem to be the best bet”. There was a paper in his hands and the name on the paper happens to be Andrew and his score written on the paper was a meagre thirteen percent. Not even enough to make the cut-off mark. Who was so powerful enough that they would be able to change the results of the score? The next moment though, the person vanished without any trace.
