(Part 3)

This was the most frightened some people have ever been.

Vivian Moore survived the unfair treatment and got the judges of the music performance to her side with her awesome solo, granting her that much grades. While 0.6 is a measly number, it means that every judge awarded Vivian with 0.2 points, which is the highest one is allowed to give.

And now she is not only the top student, she is in a draw with the Crown Prince himself.

"A tie situation is not a precedent in the academy." The Provost tried to contain the situation as fast as he could, "Usually, two students would… engage in a debate… or a quiz… to solve this draw and…"

What a situation!

A showdown between the Prince and his ex-fiancée.

But after all that happened, was this fair?

The Prince, with all his princely prowess, only had 5 subjects in his finals, while Vivian had 11 of them.

To get her initial score, Vivian had to have done so well in most of the exams, her grades must have reached 100 on some of them, which is a miracle all by itself.

In the grading system, a very tiny amount of grades is always reserved for all students unless they provide a creative answer, so creative in fact, they may actually contribute to the advancement of the field of science they were tested in.

So is it fair to make the two compete on something that would have been given to her if her effort was treated fairly?

But then, Vivian Moore seemed to be raising her hand, requesting to speak.

"Young Lady Vivian, I am afraid there is nothing you can do no matter how you complain." Provost Albert Morgan spoke, trying to shut Vivian up before she voiced her opinion.

"Nothing of the sort, the Right Honorable, Count Morgan. Rather, if you may allow me, my Lord, I can solve this dilemma for you logically and gracefully." Vivian spoke eloquently and bowed respectfully.

"Go ahead then, young lady." Provost Albert looked at Vivian dismissively but in his heart, there was a strange feeling he shouldn't shake off.

"The first place should undoubtedly be for His Highness since his overall grades are the highest. I only got to rank up that high thanks to my performance." Vivian said.

The Provost was actually impressed that such a solution was presented by Vivian herself. He would do it if he could but then he'd face the protests of House Moore all year long.

"This sounds splendid." The Provost said and was about to order the ranking to be finalized but another raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Lord Albert Morgan." The Prince himself was the one speaking this time.

"Your Highness?" The Provost started to feel distressed as he foresaw what the Prince may have seen from his expressions.

"I think going against the traditional means to simply pursue the easy way out of a problem may raise unforeseeable issues in the future. I have nothing against having a quiz or a debate against Lady Vivian." The Prince said.

"How can I do that, your Highness? With your excellent grades, it will be pointless to compare the knowledge we have." Vivian immediately replied to the Prince without going through the Provost.

None could tell but the situation wasn't just about the two being stubborn. From the sidelines, Edmond Black was watching this conversation with a concerned face.

"I only think it is unwise to abandon the traditional procedure. I thought you understood that, my Lady." The Prince said.

"If something is pointless or no longer of use, it is only natural to discard it." She replied and then had a sly smile, "I thought you understood that, your Highness." She retorted.

"Shit!" Edmond shut his eyes as he was the only one understanding what was happening.

Everyone in the Hall thought the Prince and Vivian were having one of their usual public quarrels from the time they were betrothed. The two always found something to argue over and that seemed to be the case right now.

But this wasn't the usual thing they would argue about in Edmond's eyes. Vivian has never dared to use this kind of argument against the Prince and this time, she was using a dirty underhanded move that would only work on the Prince.

"Your Excellency, I suggest we continue with a quiz rather than this pointless argument. It is pointless to hear Lady Vivian keep saying the same thing over and over." The Prince ignored Vivian's provocation and went to the Provost directly.

Seeing how stubborn the Prince has become, Vivian couldn't hide her intent anymore.

"In that case, I guess I can give up a portion of my grade. According to the rules, the loser in a quiz or a debate must voluntarily submit a chosen number of points when a debate is lost. This means that giving up on some grades is allowed and so I give up on a 0.01 grade and His Highness can take this victory home."

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"This is not possible!" The Prince said.

"I'm afraid, your Highness, young Lady Vivian has the right to do so. This concludes this year's ranking ceremony." Provost Albert Morgan spoke up and quickly wrapped up the whole thing.

Even if he were to go against the Prince's preferences, the Provost preferred to finish Vivian's way, unaware of the consequences of his actions.

While it seemed like Prince Liam had maintained his composure, Edmond was already wracking his head to solve this messy situation.

Vivian managed to do what upsets Prince Liam the most. She has played with his ego and messed with his pride. While the Prince may seem like the most sociable butterfly in the garden, there's an ugly facade that even Vivian, who poked the hornet's nest, knows nothing about. But she knew damn well how big his ego can be and where to kick it where it hurts.

As for the Provost, he was already happy to get this over with.

"With that, the first position in this year's finals goes to His Highness Liam Alexander Edward Harland III, Duke of Gleamshire and Crown Prince of Great Elgard."

The whole crowd applauded the Prince for 5 seconds according to etiquette and the Provost continued.

"The second place goes for Lady Vivian Keone Moore, the third for Octavius Morgan, the fourth…"

The Provost listed the top four ranks, which were altered greatly thanks to the results added by the performances. After he was done, he happily announced.

"Today marks an important milestone for all of you, as you, the 18-year-old lords and ladies, transition from youth to full-fledged members of our prestigious society. This spring festival serves as your official debut, symbolizing your coming-of-age. From this moment forward, you are no longer mere youngsters but esteemed members of our ranks. Traditionally, His Majesty King August III would address you on this occasion. However, due to unforeseen international circumstances, the honor falls upon me, your senior, to extend a warm welcome on behalf of His Majesty. As you embark on this new chapter, loyalty, honor, and unwavering service to the crown are paramount. Uphold the legacy of your families and your ancestors. Reverence the Holy Seven, remain steadfast in your allegiance to Great Elgard, and above all, dedicate yourselves to serving the interests of the crown to the utmost of your abilities.

With that said, everyone can now retreat to the outer garden. I believe that we missed the sunset but the celebration is yet to begin. Have fun until midnight."

The graduation ceremony was over, all the guests stood up and the gates were opened.

Reginald approached Vivian once again and greeted her.

"Congratulations on the Second rank, Lady Moore." He said and bowed slightly holding Vivian's hand, who didn't mind letting him part her with a kiss.

"Congratulations on the Seventh rank, Lord Ashcroft." Vivian accepted his courtesy.

"Senior. Congratulations." Edith also joined the two of them right away.

"Thank you, I hope you do well by next year, Edith." Vivian replied.

Following Vivian was Richard Marshall, who kept staring at Vivian blankly.

"Senior Reginald, I wanted to ask you about something." Richard said.

"Sure thing." Reginald listened to Richard immediately and turned to Vivian, "Will see you later in the garden?"

"I will be waiting, my Lord," Vivian replied.

As Richard and Reginald left, Edith immediately noticed someone coming from behind Vivian and respectfully bowed.

"Vivian." Count Julian spoke.

"Father." Vivian turned and looked at her father with a proud smile.

"You have done well. I am proud of you." Count Julian said.

"Thank you, Father." Vivian smiled but the moment she saw the faces behind her father, her smile gradually and uncomfortably disappeared.

It was, of course, Saskia and Robert. As per his usual attitude, Robert hated Vivian's guts and couldn't even congratulate her. As for Saskia…

"Vivian, dear, the performance was… amazing. I can't wait to show you off at the Novarkian Ambassador's birthday next week. And the Gala after in at the River Palace, you must be there!" Saskia said with an excited attitude.

"I am afraid I wasn't invited and I have no plans to attend a party next week." Vivian rejected Saskia respectfully.

"Pardon? H-How about the week after it? There's a party at the Chemin D'Or wine company. I can introduce you to…"

"That would be impossible. I already made plans for the entire next month."

"How sad! Fine, next month there is a party your Father is hosting at the mansion." Saskia seemed disappointed but her brain filled with nothing party schedules soon found one Vivian couldn't miss.

"Right! I managed to invite the one and only Morris Van Brosa to our mansion." Count Julian's eyes brightened up right away at the mention of that party.

"If it is for the sake of our house, I'll attend a hundred parties, Father." Vivian said.

"Splendid!" More than anyone, Saskia was the one excited.

"Edith and I will join the party outside if you excuse us, Father." Vivian said.

"It's alright. You can go." Count Julian let his daughter retreat with Edith to the outside.

The atmosphere inside the ceremonial hall was already sleep-inducing since it was all etiquette and pleasantries, unlike the outside where the air doesn't smell like old wood and leather hoarded from all the colonies across the world. Vivian was pleased to see that many people were willing to approach her while praising her incredible effort in the exams and the performance as well as showing courtesy and giving up on the first rank for the Prince.

While it seemed that most of these people were two-faced and only fixed their attitude with her after she got her reputation improved, Vivian was in desperate need of connections and acquaintances for the rest of her plans afterward and those people may serve a purpose one day.

While it all seemed like going well and fine, Vivian noticed that neither the Heroine nor any of the seven capture targets were present in the garden celebration, which seemed oddly weird as this was the game's outro.

For her to interrupt their happy ending scenario this badly and hijack the good things that come out of it, kind of made her worried. Then, her worries were made a reality in front of her eyes.

« You have completed the quest "Karma Thief". »

« You have been awarded "Karma Sensor". »

« You will be notified of any Karma fluctuation in close vicinity from you that may affect your Karma in the future. »

That quest!

Vivian totally forgot about it and it made her mind freeze. Just now, a very terrible feeling began to crawl under her skin.

« You sense Bad Karma fluctuation nearby! 151 meters! »

« You sense Bad Karma fluctuation nearby! 1232 meters! »

There was no need for a message to appear. Vivian feels as if she has grown a sixth sense of her own and now can feel something ominous from the main building of the Ceremonial Hall.

"Shit! I can't get any rest, can I?"