THE VAST greenery of the surrounding field of the academy astonished Tori as they stopped at the entrance of the school. Every nook and cranny of the architecture of Trifecta Academy screamed Renaissance style in front of them. The old-looking palace preserved history and sophistication the more anyone stared at it.

Prince Lauren went out of the carriage first and strode inside the academy like Tori and Prince Corean were not his companion.

Jerk

Prince Corean offered him his hand, which Tori took since all the royal knights were looking at them as they went out of the carriage.

"Thank you, your highness."

Prince Corean just smiled gently, but his calculating eyes told her otherwise. Tori just walked behind Prince Corean since they were only going to one place.

The royal family is a bunch of psychos.

A middle-aged man welcomed the princes and Tori. His stature screamed wisdom and power. His beard was well-trimmed and his eyes were both friendly and knowing.

"I welcome you on behalf of the faculty. Please proceed to the exam room Prince Corean and Lady Victoria. Prince Lauren, you can now proceed to your dorm room."

"I entrust my sibling and Lady Victoria Rozenreff to you, headmaster. Ruwyn, let's go." The first prince took his aide with him as they strode towards the left side of the academy where the dorms for the nobles were located.

Tori forgot about the dorms, but she would think about it later after she passed the exam. Prince Corean walked ahead of her as she followed them together with Rowan.

"Are you alright, Lady Tori?" Rowan asked her when he was walking beside her. He was looking straight ahead, but his words were full of concern. His concern was rooted in the fact that his lady was left alone inside a carriage full of men.

Rowan disliked how the first prince stared at Lady Tori and how he casually touched her as if he owned her. Rowan was restraining and was using his control just not to commit treason.

Tori gratefully smiled at Rowan. "Yes, thank you. I was just exhausted by sitting idly inside an enclosed space, but thank you kind sir for the concern." Tori tried to lighten up his mood of Rowan as he was visibly frowning.

Be loyal to me, Rowan. Protect me from scum like Lauren. Make sure to know whom you'll point your blades at in the future and never forget who helped you.

I own you, Rowan.

They stopped when they were greeted by huge wooden doors that would be the entrance to the exam hall. Tori smiled at Rowan and walked behind Prince Corean as those with invitations only could come inside.

As Tori stepped inside the exam hall. A wide room with chandeliers hanging above the room, wide windows on the wall, dozens of desks for the examinees, and a single table for the proctor welcomed Tori. Though the proctor was still not present, there were a lot of students, both nobles and commoners inside the exam hall.

Whispers erupted inside the exam hall as the people recognized the second prince. Noble girls wagged their tails as they offered an empty seat beside them while the common folks were just watching and not even daring to offer their seats.

"Prince Corean decided to take the exam!"

"I thought he announced last month that he won't?"

"The queen may persuade him."

Tori didn't care that Corean was the center of attention. She elegantly walked towards a certain noble with red hair and emerald eyes. There's only one noble family who had that feature, the House of Larat.

House Larat was Lady M's household, which means the boy in front of Tori was the younger brother of Lady and the other second male lead of the Thorny Crown Series, Zeno McMillian Larat.

"Greetings to House Larat, can I sit here?" Tori asked the sleepy young man after doing the courtesy.

Tori couldn't help but be cold to the boy in front of her. This boy, in the original plot, was the one who fought for the original Victoria's execution. He fought tooth and nail just to get the ending that he thought Victoria deserved.

So we meet, huh, Zeno?

The sleepiness from his eyes vanished as he recognized the red eyes of the young lady in front of him. Tori knew Zeno recognized her as she recognized him.

"You can have the seat, no one occupies it."

Just for the show, Tori smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you, Lord Larat."

Tori wanted to laugh as she witnessed that the proud Zeno McMillian Larat in the future was just a shy boy in front of her.

Oh, you don't know what I have in store for you, Zeno dear.

Tori elegantly took a seat, and she never dared to look back at him even if he was blatantly staring at her.

Zeno McMillian Larat, in the original plot, betrayed the aristocratic faction because of his love for Crown Princess Sabina. He pushed the execution of the noble lady, Victoria Rozenreff. For a while, Sabina made use of him until she disposed of him under the pretext of sending him as the House Larat Representative to place under conflict. He allegedly fell in love with Sabina, a year from now, when the female lead finally entered Trifecta Academy. He loved how Sabina worked hard to get good grades.

In short, you are the future traitor of the aristocratic faction who will annihilate them. I can't have you running freely, can I?

THE PROCTOR arrived at exactly 3 PM. She was an old lady with a strict-looking pair of eyeglasses just above her pert nose. Her strides were fast and determined as she was holding the test papers for them.

"There are two quills at every table. Set aside your belongings. No cheating, if caught, you will give up any chance to attend Trifecta Academy. We do not tolerate those unethical behaviors on school premises. These rules are to be applied to all the takes whether you're a noble, an aristocrat, or common folk."

Everyone was just listening to the proctor. When no one talked or asked any questions, she proceeded. "My name is Professor Charlotte Vida of House Vida. Now, let's begin."

Professor Vida's aides handed the test papers out. Tori accepted her test paper with mixed anxiety and eagerness. When she flipped her test paper to answer, what she saw astonished her to no end.

The test was situational and if not there were algebraic expressions and physics theories!

Tori didn't know if she should feel relieved that these items were just a piece of cake for her or if she would feel annoyed that her week-long preparation for this exam was all in naught.

Find the value of x if the problem is 6x - 2 = 3x

It was like I am back as a first-year high school, geez.

Either way, it was a pleasant situation for Tori. With all the confidence in the world, Tori used the quill and started answering.

She knew she would ace the problems with algebraic expressions and physics theorems, she just hoped that the essays for the situational questions would also do the charm.

Glancing at the clock in front of the room, Tori sighed as she was about to review her test papers for the nth time already. Everyone around her was busily answering saved for her who was becoming sleepy as the ticking of the clock continued. She finished the exam half an hour later after the test paper was given to her But they were given two hours for this exam, which gave her a considerable amount of time to review and review and review.

But even reviewing bored Tori, she looked around her again and there were almost no changes. Everyone was still writing or reading their test papers.

"Lady Victoria Rozenreff? You are quite busy observing your surrounding? Did you forget that we're in the middle of the exam?"

Tori's cheeks heated with embarrassment when Professor Vida announced her name, which made everyone turn to her. Everyone meant even Prince Corean and her seatmate, Lord Larat.

"I finished the exam already, Professor."

"Then review, Lady Rozenreff. Trifecta Academy won't give second chances should you fail." Her words meant that she was undeserving to get here in the first place.

Tori's brows twitched with the hidden insult, but she refused to take the obvious bait. Instead, she stood with her test paper. Elegantly walking under the speculative eyes of everyone, chin up and breast out, Tori placed her test paper on the table in front of Professor Vida with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"I reviewed it already, Professor Vida. So many times that I memorized the questions already," Tori arrogantly left the shocked professor in the exam hall.

She knew everyone was looking at every step that she took, but she stopped caring when all the questions of the test exam exploded like molten lava in her mind. She just wanted to take a nap anywhere. After all, she had one hell of a week.