The night was silent; only the footsteps of the professors patrolling could be heard.

Callista looked down from her window, assessing the situation from upstairs. "Woah, they really tightened the school up..." Wendy fluttered its wings behind her.

She closed the window to keep the cold evening breeze from getting inside as she wrapped herself tightly in a shawl.

Conduct and Ethics: A Guide to Discipline had been demanding her attention from her desk, its pages open with papers scattered all over the table—evidence of her activity all day. Callista felt the familiar sting in her hand again when she caught sight of the book.

She sighed helplessly, glancing out the window to observe the stars. "It's almost midnight..." she muttered to herself as she reached for the copied pages of the book Margaret had given her.

The hallways were dim and quiet when Callista opened the door. Some students were already asleep, while others kept to themselves in their rooms.

The sound of her slippers resonated through the narrow halls as she held onto the papers tightly, walking downstairs toward Margaret's office by the lounge.

Callista stopped in front of the door, clearing her throat before knocking. "Madam Margaret?" she softly called out. "It's me, Callista," she said.

"Come in," came Margaret's response from the other side of the door.

Callista slowly opened the door and was immediately greeted by the sight of a study. A wooden desk stood in the middle of the room, with Margaret seated behind it. She was flipping through papers and scribbling something on a separate sheet, maintaining her usual poised and proper demeanor.

Margaret didn't look up as she continued flipping through the papers. "Have you finished the task I've given you?" she asked, her voice stern.

Callista pursed her lips and approached the desk, placing the papers down. "Of course, Madam. Here it is," she said with a small smile.

Margaret immediately set aside her work to examine the papers. Callista waited as she studied them, her eyes wandering around the room filled with bookshelves and antique vases.

Her gaze landed on a small teddy bear beside a picture frame on the desk. It was an odd thing to see, considering Margaret didn’t seem like the type to keep something so sentimental in her personal space.

There wasn’t even a single flower in the room—just paintings.

Callista was pulled back to reality when Margaret suddenly closed the book. "Excellent," she said, setting the papers aside.

"Thank you, Madam," Callista replied with a smile.

Margaret resumed her work, making Callista hesitate as she hadn’t been dismissed yet. The silence grew awkward. "I'm aware this is late, but I offer you my condolences."

Callista's eyes widened slightly, her lips parting. "Pardon?"

Margaret remained focused on her papers. "You knew my grandmother?" Callista asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"An acquaintance," Margaret clarified. "I was here when the Grandwitch first began teaching at the Academy."

Finally, Margaret put her pen down. "It’s only been a few weeks, so I didn't think it appropriate to bring it up before. Her death is being kept hidden by the Headmaster—only those closely acquainted with her know."

Callista pressed her lips together, her fingers fiddling with the fabric of her nightgown. "Did..." she started, hesitating. "Did she tell you anything?"

Margaret met her gaze before looking down. "Unfortunately, no. I hadn't seen her in over ten years until the day of her death."

"I see..." Callista’s voice was weak and breathy. Margaret studied her carefully. "You're dismissed. You need to be up early tomorrow."

Callista’s clenched hands finally relaxed. "Yes, thank you for your time, Madam," she said, offering a small smile before quietly leaving the office.

The dormitory was silent when she returned to her room, the soft click of the door confirming it was securely shut. She leaned against it, staring at the floor in deep thought.

Her room was dim, the only light coming from the faint glow filtering through the curtains.

Callista's eyes wandered toward the calendar pinned to her wall. Words were scribbled across various dates—reminders, tasks to remember—but one day before the weekend had been specifically circled.

She exhaled. "I shouldn't keep thinking about it..." she muttered to herself.

Straightening her back, she took a deep breath and walked toward her desk. Sitting down, she pulled out her studying materials. She reached for a book from the shelf, flipped it open, and began writing.

****

It was a busy morning at Lumin Academy. At this time of year, students flocked to the libraries more frequently than in previous days.

Callista was no different, buried in books and papers, intently reading the text. Ivan caught sight of her and gasped.

"Woah, what's all this?" he laughed.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Callista looked up and glared at him. "Fuck off, Ivan."

Ivan simply rolled his eyes. "Is this for the test? I know normal people usually study like this during exam period, but I didn't think you were the same," he chuckled, pulling out a chair across from her.

Normal people?

She raised a brow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Ivan shrugged, a smirk on his face.

Callista rolled her eyes. "I'm studying. At least one of us is taking it seriously. All I've heard about you lately is that you've been pulling pranks."

Ivan's face lit up. "Yeah, it was fun!"

Callista shook her head. "How mature." She turned back to her book, flipping the page.

Only the sound of pages turning filled the secluded corner of the library, nestled between bookshelves and near the windows. Ivan didn’t disturb her any further, but he found it hard to sit still.

He glanced around the library as if it were his first time there, then began rocking his chair back and forth. Callista’s eyebrow twitched, but she wisely chose to ignore him.

Ivan continued minding his own business—rocking his chair—until Callista shot him a threatening look. He quickly stopped, rolling his eyes before setting his attention on the books scattered across the table.

He flipped through the open pages absentmindedly, playing with a pen, tapping it against the wood to make a disturbing noise without actually saying anything.

Callista finally had enough. She glared at him. "Will you stop it!? If you're going to distract me, then get out!" she whisper-shouted.

Ivan blinked in surprise before furrowing his brows. "And why should I?" He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You don't own the library," he added.

Callista could feel the veins in her head pulsing from his attitude. "Are you fucking with me right now, Ivan?" she scowled.

Ivan gasped, feigning offense. "I'm absolutely hurt! How could you say that when I'm perfectly minding my own business?"

She shot him a murderous look. "You son of a—"

Before she could finish, Denovan appeared, catching sight of them. "It's surprising to see you two together..." he remarked, raising a brow.

Callista huffed and looked away in irritation while Ivan sighed dramatically.

Denovan studied them in confusion. "Are you two fighting again?"

"It's her fault!" Ivan immediately tattled, pointing at Callista.

"Me!? You started it!" she snapped, ready to pounce.

Denovan let out a helpless sigh. "You shouldn't fight in the library. It's improper to be seen acting so unruly in public. You should watch your actions."

Both of them looked away after getting scolded.

"You're not with Ana?" Ivan asked curiously.

Denovan shook his head. "Lady Ana and the Young Duke are both busy in the Student Council Office. They had a meeting with the faculty earlier..."

Ivan groaned, leaning back in his chair with a yawn. "I can't wait for the exams to be over already. I need that post-exam break..."

Denovan chuckled. "That’s all you ever look forward to, Ivan."

The post-exam break was the Academy’s way of letting students rest for a week after exams. At that time of year, the campus grounds emptied as students returned home.

Callista rolled her eyes. "By the way, Denovan, aren't you a fourth-year this year?"

Denovan nodded as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Yeah, since I'm a year ahead of everyone."

"What happens when you graduate? You're Ana's guard, aren't you?" she asked.

Ivan looked at him curiously.

"I'm planning to stay until Lady Ana graduates. It’s also what my family wants, so it’s fine. I've already been training with the other noble bodyguards during school days," Denovan explained.

"The only outsiders allowed to enter and leave the Academy freely are the students' guards, as identified by noble families," Ivan added.

"I'm surprised you're even here. You're usually at Aspire Tower at this time," Denovan remarked.

Ivan pouted. "They prohibited students from going in so we could focus on studying for exams." He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Denovan chuckled. "Must be hard for you, considering you never study."

Callista looked at Ivan in disbelief. "So you came here to bother me?! I don’t care if you fail, just don’t drag me into it!" She pointed her pen at him threateningly.

Ivan scoffed. "Oh, please. You’ll see—when the exam results come out, I’ll be the one watching you crumble!" He laughed, standing up dramatically.

Callista’s eye twitched. Denovan’s eyes flicked to her hand—her grip on the pen was so tight that she snapped it in half.

"Stop that, Ivan…" Denovan said warily.

But Ivan just smirked, turning away with exaggerated confidence. "Just you wait! You will bow before me, Callista Alberts!"

With that, he strode out of the library, his laughter echoing behind him.

Callista stared at his retreating figure, seething. "That son of a—!"

She immediately dove back into her books, flipping through pages with newfound determination.

Denovan chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he opened his own book.

"A little motivation never hurts."

---

The hallways were eerily quiet. Students had their heads down, focused on answering their test papers. The sound of the ticking clock was deafening, enveloping the campus in an almost ghost-town atmosphere.

The silence lasted until the bell rang. The students calmly passed their papers forward to the professor.

The class advisers counted the papers before straightening them. "You're dismissed."

Students stood up and quietly left their classrooms, but the moment they stepped into the hallways, lively chatter erupted.

"Hey, did you get the answer right?"

"Oh, I think I flopped the exam this time!"

Callista, however, was confident in her results. She was more than capable of perfecting the exam—and she would rather die than fail a subject.

"How did it go?" she asked Anastasia, who smiled.

"Perfect."

Callista smirked.

"Good. Let's head to Elysium Hall. I can't find Ignis or Ivan, and nothing’s better than food after an exam," Anastasia sighed. "Thinking so much gave me a headache."

Callista chuckles.

Anastasia exclaimed. "I heard they're serving fruit tarts today!"

Callista grimaced. "Isn't that too sweet? The last time I had one, my tonsils ached."

"Really?" Anastasia asked in surprise.

She found it odd. Callista never showed signs of disliking sweets, especially when Ignis was around—she ate anything put in front of her. But Anastasia had once discovered by accident that Callista preferred salty foods.

How was she even able to do that?

As they sat at a vacant table, Callista spoke. "The school’s been stricter lately..."

"Yeah," Anastasia sighed. "After the incident with the Count, even the professors have been patrolling at night."

"Sir Gareth has been handling the investigation personally since the Academy’s security keeps getting breached," she added.

She was referring to the High Magus of Defense, Gareth Storme. He was in charge of the Knights Committee and oversaw the Academy’s security.

Callista laughed. "The faculty must be in chaos right now."

Anastasia sighed. "It’s not a laughing matter, you know?"

As they ate, the hall suddenly erupted into chaos.

"What’s going on?" Callista asked.

Anastasia’s eyes widened in realization. "Oh! The school rankings must be up!"

"So soon?"

"Of course! Let’s check!"

As they pushed through the crowd toward the bulletin board, Callista’s eyes scanned for her name—until she froze.

"RANK 2!?"

She gawked at the bold, cursive letters above hers:

1st: Ivan Haven

That fucking idiot ranked first? How!?

The other students were so startled by her sudden outburst that they instinctively backed away. Even Anastasia was taken aback.

"Callista?" she called hesitantly, noticing how her friend gritted her teeth.

Callista's gaze was locked onto the ranking board, specifically at the name that occupied the first place in bold, elegant cursive letters: Ivan Haven.

That jerk was ranked first? How?

He hadn't even touched a book in the past few days! He was constantly being kicked out of Aspire Tower!

And yet he had ranked first?

The fucking idiot managed to beat her despite all of that? No way. She refused to accept it. Not in this lifetime.

"Callista?" Anastasia called again, her voice laced with concern.

Callista wanted to scream, to demand an explanation, to vent her frustration right here in the main hall. But instead, she swallowed the growing rage, clenched her fists, and bit back the overwhelming urge to cry out.

This wasn't fair!

****

Third-Year Rankings:

1. Ivan Haven

2. Callista Alberts

3. Jackson Melbourne

4. Anastasia Ashia

5. Ignis Hawksley

From a distance, Ignis Hawksley observed the ranking board, keeping himself away from the swarm of students crowding around it.

He could clearly see Callista fuming, her entire posture radiating barely contained fury, while Anastasia hovered nearby, attempting to calm her down.

"So, she finally found out?"

Ignis turned to see Denovan approaching, a textbook in hand. He had likely just left an exam, given the way he was flipping absentmindedly through the pages.

"Yeah. She's not happy," Ignis replied, exhaling.

Denovan chuckled. "No one told her? I thought it was obvious. Ivan wasn't called a prodigy for nothing."

Ignis sighed. "Even if that guy doesn't study, we all know he'll still get the highest scores."

Despite his playful and seemingly careless nature, Ivan was undeniably the smartest among them. The Academy had even offered him a chance to skip grades and graduate early-but he turned it down, choosing to stay because of Anastasia and Ignis.

"I didn't expect Callista to be so grade-conscious," Denovan mused. "She was studying non-stop a week before the exams."

Ignis smirked. "She keeps up the act for the other students. Of course, she'd put in the effort to maintain it."

Denovan let out another chuckle. "Ivan should be celebrating right now. Where is he?"

Ignis thought for a moment before shrugging. "Somewhere."

Meanwhile, Callista had finally pulled herself together— only for her frustration to morph into something else entirely.

That son of a bitch.

Her mind made a quick, irrefutable decision: This was Ivan's fault.

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered darkly before striding away from the bulletin board.

Anastasia's eyes widened. "What? Wait—Callista!" she called, immediately rushing after her.

Poor Ivan had no idea what was coming for him. This day would mark one of the most memorable moments of his life.