“It isn’t Marcus, is it?” A smooth, cheerful voice cut through the air as a girl approached the group with an easy smile. Seraphina Victoria, elegant as ever, offered Marcus a bright, congratulatory look before her eyes shifted to Arnos, her smile taking on a more pointed edge. “I watched your test from afar, Marcus,” she said with a tone of genuine admiration. “I was thoroughly impressed. I came to congratulate you.”

Marcus chuckled, scratching the back of his head in mild embarrassment. “Thank you, Seraphina. I didn’t expect it to turn out quite like that.”

Arnos observed her carefully and quickly recognized her from earlier. She had been the same girl mocking him in the crowd with Emily. Her attention turned to him, and she continued to speak with a warm smile that seemed a touch too rehearsed.

“And you’re Arnos, aren’t you?” she asked, her tone as friendly as it was condescending. “The commoner boy who shocked everyone.”

“Yes… that’s me,” Arnos said, averting his gaze. The way her eyes bore into him made him uncomfortable.

“Oh, aren’t you just remarkable?” she chuckled lightly, then added, “You’d make a perfect servant.”

Here we go, Arnos thought, bracing himself with a silent sigh. He forced a polite smile. “Thank you, Miss Seraphina, but I’d rather pursue my own path,” he said, keeping his tone steady. “I’d like to be a real mage—or better yet, an adventurer.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief, her eyebrows shooting up as she looked him over with concern, as though he’d just said something absurd. “An adventurer? Oh, but that would be wasting such wonderful talent, Arnos. You’d make an excellent butler with that charming face of yours—nothing too rough or rugged.”

Marcus, sensing the tension, jumped in with a casual, slightly teasing tone. “I disagree. I think it’d be a shame to waste an A-ranker’s talent on something like that. It would be tragic to see him serving an incompetent master, wouldn’t it?”

His words, though casual, seemed directed right at Seraphina, who turned a glare on him, her anger barely hidden behind her composed expression. “And exactly who are you implying would be an incompetent master, Marcus?”

Marcus smiled, unperturbed. “I didn’t imply anything specific, Seraphina. I’m just saying that the adventurer’s path might suit Arnos better.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Seraphina was about to retort when a new voice rang out.

“There you are! Do you know how hard it was to find you?” Mabel huffed, breathing heavily as she caught up. “Why would you guys come all the way out here? I can’t run that long!” She took a moment to catch her breath, then glanced over at Arnos with a grin. “B rank! Not bad, huh?” She beamed. “So what’s yours?”

Arnos gave her a playful, smug smile. “I’m actually a little ahead of you.”

Mabel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, don’t tell me… did you get an A rank?”

Arnos nodded, grinning. “I did. You can ask Marcus for confirmation if you need it.”

Marcus nodded as well, grinning. “Yep, he got an A rank. So did I, actually. But B rank is still impressive, Mabel.”

Mabel smiled back at them, clearly proud of her friends’ achievements. “I’m really happy for you both. Oh,” she added, noticing Seraphina for the first time. “I don’t believe we’ve met. And you are?”

Seraphina’s smile returned, though her eyes remained sharp. “I’m Seraphina Victoria, from the Victoria household. A pleasure to meet you both,” she said, her tone sweet but laced with an unreadable edge.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Seraphina,” Mabel replied politely, bowing slightly. But inwardly, she was sizing up the noble. *So she’s from one of the big families,* Mabel thought. *And she’s hiding something.*

Seraphina nodded. “Well, I should be going now. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your little gathering for too long.” She glanced at Arnos one last time, her eyes lingering. “Arnos, I do hope we’ll cross paths again soon.”

Arnos gave her a polite nod, his smile carefully controlled. “Yes… hopefully.”

Once Seraphina had left the seating area, Mabel moved closer to Arnos and Marcus, watching her retreating figure. She turned back to Arnos with a curious expression. “Wasn’t she one of the girls from this morning?” Mabel asked right away.

Arnos nodded, his face clouding. “Yeah, that’s her. She was one of the people mocking me. Said something about making me her servant if I’d grovel for it.” He sighed. “Honestly, there are a lot of people here I don’t care to get along with.”

Marcus, looking intrigued, glanced between Mabel and Arnos. “So, what exactly happened this morning?” he asked, leaning forward. “I wasn’t around the main hall then, so I missed all of it.”

Arnos sighed, pausing to collect his thoughts. “Alright, I’ll explain.”

Marcus nodded, listening intently.

“Basically,” Arnos began, “I was taking in the Academy’s architecture when I first arrived. It’s… well, it’s impressive. I didn’t realize I was standing a bit in the way, though, and suddenly, Princess Emily was there, asking me to move aside. I did, but she addressed me as if I was some pest. And when her escort showed up, she didn’t hold back. She said I didn’t deserve to be here, called me all kinds of things.” Arnos shook his head, the memory still fresh and unpleasant. “Seraphina was in the crowd, adding her own snide comments.”

Marcus looked taken aback, his expression darkening. “Emily… did all that?” he asked in disbelief.

Arnos nodded. “She’s the one who started it all.”

A sudden resolve came over Marcus, and to Arnos’s surprise, he stood up and bowed deeply. “I apologize for my cousin’s behavior. That’s… really out of line, and I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Arnos quickly stood, waving his hands dismissively. “Hey, don’t bow like that, Marcus. It’s really not your fault.”

Marcus straightened, sighing. “Still, she’s my cousin, and I feel responsible. I know she’s changed a lot recently. She used to be different—more open-minded about commoners and magic. I don’t know what happened, but please, Arnos, try not to hate her too much for this.”

Mabel gave a soft smile, looking between Marcus and Arnos. *Marcus really is a good person,* she thought. *He’s even sticking up for his cousin.*