Mabel bowed politely. “The pleasure is mine, Miss Seraphina.” However, her mind was busy noting details. A noble? She seems to be hiding something.

Seraphina gave them a parting smile. “I think it’s time for me to take my leave. I wouldn’t want to intrude any longer. Arnos, I hope we meet again soon.”

Arnos gave a forced smile and nodded. “Yes, I hope so too.” He mentally noted that she was just as intimidating as Emily.

Seraphina walked away from the seating area, her expression blank and neutral as she made her way toward the main building.

A cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts. A slim-built female student with black hair that fell just below her neck and black eyes, radiating a comforting demeanor, approached her with a warm and polite smile.

“Ah, Miss Seraphina, it’s such a pleasure to see you,” the girl said warmly.

Seraphina turned her head toward the speaker, her gaze assessing the young woman. She seemed familiar, though Seraphina couldn’t recall her name immediately.

The girl noticed Seraphina’s hesitation and quickly added, “Ah, I’m Noelle. Don’t you remember? We met at the last royal banquet hosted by His Majesty, King Alexander Levile.”

Recognition flickered in Seraphina’s eyes. Ah, that’s right. She’s the daughter of that royal knight, the one who slayed the Red Dragon. The memory brought a flicker of irritation. Father made me sit with her back then for the sake of appearances. Surely she doesn’t think we’re friends now.

Masking her thoughts with a polite smile, Seraphina replied, “Oh, of course! I didn’t forget you, Noelle. I’m just terrible with names, my apologies.”

Noelle’s smile widened as she clasped Seraphina’s hands in her own. “Oh, no need to apologize, Miss Seraphina. It’s an honor just to see you again. By the way, congratulations on achieving a B-rank mana level. That’s an incredible accomplishment!”

Seraphina maintained her polite demeanor. “Thank you, Noelle. That’s very kind of you to say.” She gently withdrew her hands from Noelle’s grasp. “I’d love to chat more, but I have some urgent matters to attend to.”

Noelle nodded gracefully, her smile unwavering. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you. I hope we meet again soon. Goodbye, Miss Seraphina.” With that, Noelle turned and walked away, leaving Seraphina to continue her path.

As Seraphina entered an empty classroom, her carefully maintained smile dissolved into a scowl. She clenched her fists tightly, brimming with frustration.

How dare that nobody reject my proposal as if it were nothing? she fumed silently. It was practically the best thing that could happen in their insignificant little life.

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Her thoughts drifted to a conversation from earlier. Marcus dared to call me an incompetent master, didn’t he? Her hands tightened further. If only he weren’t the son of a duke, I’d show him what incompetence really means.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Seraphina pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and began wiping her hands, as if cleansing herself of the encounter with Noelle.

Meanwhile, Mabel took a seat beside Arnos and Marcus in the seating area. She turned to Arnos with a curious expression.

“Wasn’t that one of the girl from morning?” she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Arnos nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, she was. This morning, she said something ridiculous about making me her servant if I ‘ groveled nicely’ in front of her.”

He let out a tired sigh. “Honestly, I’m not a fan of most people here.”

Marcus, seated on the other side, looked intrigued. “What happened this morning?” he asked. “I wasn’t in the main hall at that time, so I probably missed it.”

Arnos sighed again before responding. “It wasn’t a big deal, really, but I’ll give you the gist of it.”

Marcus leaned in attentively.

“Well,” Arnos began, “I’d just arrived at the school and was admiring the architecture. It’s all so new to me, you know? Anyway, I was standing near the doorway not blocking it entirely, but probably in the way a bit. Princess Emily came by and asked me to move, which I did. But then, she decided to call me an ‘insect.’ I tried to move away to avoid more attention, but Emily stopped me. She said I didn’t belong here and went on about how I wasn’t worthy. Seraphina was part of the crowd that joined in, badmouthing me. Well that was it.”

As Arnos finished recounting the day's events, he let out a weary sigh, finding the mere act of remembering them exhausting.

Marcus’s expression darkened. “Emily said all that?” he asked, his voice louder than usual.

Arnos nodded. “She was the instigator, and the worst one out of everyone for sure.”

Without hesitation, Marcus stood up and gave a small bow toward Arnos. “I sincerely apologize for my cousin’s behavior,” he said earnestly.

Startled, Arnos quickly stood as well. “Hey, Marcus, cut it out,” he said, waving his hands. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault, and I don’t want you to feel responsible.”

Reluctantly, Marcus straightened up and returned to his seat. “She’s my cousin, though,” he said. “It must’ve been tough for you to deal with her.”

Arnos gave a small, humorless laugh. “It must be tough for you, having her as a relative.”

Marcus shook his head. “Not really. She wasn’t always like this. She used to be kind to everyone, even commoners. She’s changed a lot recently. I hope you won’t hold her words against her forever.”

Mabel, who had been listening quietly, smiled slightly. Marcus really is a good brother, she thought.

She glanced at Arnos, expecting him to say he’d forgive Emily. Instead, he crossed his arms and said firmly, “Oh, I don’t like her at all. I’m not going to let her off the hook that easily. She was incredibly rude, and I can’t just forget about it.”

Before he could continue, Mabel gave him a playful knock on the head. “Don’t you think you should at least say you forgive her, you dummy?” she scolds him.

Arnos sighed and softened his tone. “Fine. I don’t plan to do anything to her, and I’m not going to try to get back at her. But I still don’t want anything to do with her.”

Mabel shook her head with a small sigh and stood up. “Anyway, let’s drop the subject. It looks like everyone’s heading out now. Maybe some announcement will start soon.” She gestured toward the crowd moving toward the exit of the arena.

Arnos and Marcus exchanged glances before following her into the flow of students. The three of them walked together, their conversation shifting to lighter topics as they headed toward the building.