The first magic genius Cassandra could think of was Caleb. He wasn’t the one they were looking for, but he might have some kind of hint on where to find him. Caleb was continuing to live up to his own nickname in the library. The table in front of him had a stack of large volumes covering all of the subjects mentioned in the written exams. He must have missed some questions, but Cassandra found it hard to imagine he might have failed.

He looked up on their approach and heaved an annoyed sigh. “Miss Cookie,” he greeted, “Even if we traveled together, I won’t help you and your new friend study.”

It seemed Caleb was dealing with his own unique problems. However, she wasn’t going to leave just because of that.

“I’m not here about studying,” Cassandra corrected, “I am looking for someone and I was hoping you might know who he is. Have you met anyone named Keane?”

“Why are you looking for Keane?” Caleb asked with suspicion. He definitely knew him, then.

I heard he was looking for a pair,” Autumn interjected.

Caleb was still apprehensive. “That’s odd, considering he just went to turn in his pair application.”

“He’s at administration!” Autumn exclaimed with a bright smile, “Let’s hurry!”

Before Cassandra had a chance to respond, Autumn had bolted off in the direction of administration. She gave Caleb a quick apology and swiftly followed the catkin, making sure to walk with long strides rather than run. The administration office was right at the entrance of the Scholar Wing, and there was a young man with dark brown hair standing right outside it. Judging by Autumn’s relieved expression, this was who they were looking for.

“Are you looking for a pair?” Autumn asked immediately, without even attempting some kind of small talk.

Cassandra hadn’t known him long, but she could already tell that Autumn had no filter. “Caleb told us you were submitting your application,” she added for context. They had known about it before Caleb said anything but it was technically true.

The young man who was likely Keane looked between the two of them with a frown. “Do either of you know what it means to be a pair? It isn’t some temporary volunteer work, if that is what you are after.”

Cassandra looked to Autumn. It was not her question to answer since she never had any intention of being a pair. Autumn was a bit taken aback by the question as if it had never occurred to him.

“There are people who think being a pair is something light and temporary?” he asked, “I need a pair because I need help with controlling my magic power.”

“So you know about the magic contract,” Keane acknowledged, looking Autumn up and down, “Does a little boy like you really have that much magic?”

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Perhaps Keane had intended that to be an insult, but Autumn was immediately touched by his words. Or rather, one word. “You know I am a boy?” he asked.

“Of course I did,” Keane answered, suddenly flustered by Autumn’s emotional reaction, “I would never even consider pairing with a girl. That can lead to awkward relationships.”

Cassandra could immediately see where he was coming from. That kind of partnership built on mutual reliance could easily lead to misunderstanding both from themselves and from the public eye. However, Keane might still have to deal with misunderstandings from the public eye if he paired with Autumn.

“So that’s why it was always so hard,” Autumn muttered, before snapping back to reality, “Are you willing to test the magic compatibility?”

“Yes, let’s test that,” Keane agreed, “There is no point in pairing if I can’t use your magic.”

“Good luck,” Cassandra told Autumn. It seemed like things were going well for him now.

“Thanks!” Autumn called back with an overly broad wave, “I’ll let you know how it goes!”

That had certainly been an interesting interaction, and it left Cassandra with a lot to think about as she headed back to the garden. She had now met the reincarnated heroine of what sounded suspiciously like an otome game where she was a rival or villainess. At least she didn’t have to worry about being pushed into the classic bullying scenes since Autumn hadn’t mentioned any. It seemed that this heroine had more bad endings than she did.

Autumn pairing with Keane was certainly a start to ensure his safety, but Cassandra couldn’t be satisfied with just that. She needed to know how and why Autumn was being targeted to be a magic weapon for Gaia in the first place. If they just needed powerful mages, there were plenty of other options. She would have to ask Autumn about it later.

“Cassandra!” a voice called out to her as she passed under an arch of roses. Oh no. That voice sounded just like-

She turned just as Maximus grabbed her hand and placed a carefully dethorned rose on her palm. He hadn’t just carelessly plucked this from the castle garden, had he? Where was that giant friend of his to reign him in?

“Maximus, you can’t just pluck roses from a royal garden,” she scolded, since there was no one else around to do so. She tried to hand the rose back, but he forced her fingers closed around the stem.

“It’s alright,” he told her. How was it alright? “Since you seem uncomfortable with words, I have decided to confess my love for you in other ways.”

Love? What love? They had just met. “My answer remains the same as it did before,” she told him and shook his hands off her own before placing the rose in the hand of a cupid decorating a birdbath, “You should take more time to consider the position of those around you.”

“You wish to become queen, and I wish to become king,” Maximus told her. For a moment, Cassandra thought she had finally convinced him, but then he continued to say something positively ridiculous. “Wouldn’t it be romantic to be the first king and queen of Tethia to wed?”

He was a hopeless case. “Find some other potential queen to pester,” she told him, “Besides, I am sure you already know that princes have married princesses before and that disqualified them from succession.”

Princes were the direct subordinates and heirs of the king, and princesses were the same for the queen. They had ten each, and all were of equal standing. Most of the time, the king or queen’s apprentice was chosen rather than one of the prince or princesses so it was more like a royal supporting role. Cassandra was confident that even if she failed to become queen she could surely become a princess.

“That is because they let their love get in the way of their work and partnership,” Maximus said, “I am sure both of us know better than that.”

That was possibly the first solid point he had made this whole time, but Cassandra still saw no reason why she should purposely go down such a difficult path. “My answer remains the same,” she pressed, and brushed past him, moving away from the rose garden as quickly as she could. She might have to avoid roses for the time being.

Cassandra took a page from Caleb’s book and decided to spend the rest of her day relaxing in the library. Mr. Book himself was still there, but she took care to choose herself a table far from his to not disturb him. He didn’t hate her anymore, but he didn’t like her either. She found herself some of her favorite legends of queens, magic, and Tethia’s founding, and indulged in her fantasies of the future.

Once she headed back to her room for the night, Cassandra saw a letter from Autumn had been slid under her door. The palace servants had likely delivered it for him. Hopefully the letter held good news.

“It worked! Thanks so much for helping! Keane is a bit scary but he is actually a really nice guy. Let’s meet up after the test is over. You aren’t heading home before the first semester starts, are you?”

The letter was written with just as much chaos as Autumn spoke, but Cassandra couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to have someone so confident she would pass the last test, even if that confidence did come from a game.