"I agree. I'm also thankful you see me worthy enough to relay your concerns."
"Well...you may be my mother-in-law one day, right?"
Her childlike smile flooded her expression as she clapped her hands. "YES! That would be so delightful. Then Emmanuel can't stop me from spoiling you with clothes!"
"With clothes?" I questioned and saw that mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I went on a little shopping spree when you stayed with us over the summer, but Emmanuel's being a dick and won't let me give them to you until I know for sure you and Rainer are marrying. SO stupid! How am I supposed to know when Rainer’s going to get the balls to propose to you? Ugh!"
I blushed while my lips curled in a wide smile.
"Guess he's taking precautions." I giggled.
"He just needs to rub his ass on a tree and let me have my fun. So mean. It's not every day that one gets an amazing daughter-in-law. Rainer gets so serious at times, like his father, so it's good he has someone like you to balance him out. Ah! I better go visit Rainer and make his evening a living hell."
She clapped her hands like she was about to do an evil deed of torture, which left me feeling sorry for poor Rainer and hoping he was asleep.
She rose up and looked at me. "Let's see how the next three months go. After the new year, we can collaborate and determine what steps to take to find this culprit. For now, focus on your recovery and learning the spells written in the books and notes given to you. You'll need it for the exam."
"Okay," I agreed and smiled in relief. "Thank you, Seraphine, for listening to me."
"No. Thank you, Rosadette. Your fresh insight has helped us see a different perspective we were clearly overlooking. Your mother was a good problem solver. We should start bringing you into our meetings to figure problems out." She winked and headed to the door. "Get some rest. The next three months are going to be a rollercoaster."
"Yes, Seraphine," I replied and watched her leave. Once the doors closed, I sighed and looked to the ceiling.
This year isn't going as planned, but maybe we'll find the culprit who deserves purgatory.
Forgive But Not Forget And Last Time?
"Why, why, WHY!" I heaved while running for dear life with the golden rose brooch in my grasp. "See, Rosadette? Why do you have to be an overachiever?! You could have easily pretended like you weren't recovered and miss the midterm exam like a good girl, but no! You wanted to prove to everyone that you're alive and kicking. Stupid!"
I skidded as I turned to my left, attempting to find where the golden checkpoint would be within the halls of the rather empty school. The only students here were the ones taking part in the midterm exam and any lingering students from Shadow Rose Academy who needed to pick up the results of their exams that happened yesterday.
I could have avoided all of this. Seraphine and Alicia asked me three times whether I'd be up for the midterms. If I passed, it would make the final exam easier, and in case Rainer hadn't recovered by then, I'd be granted the chance to take the exam solo due to my participation in the midterms.
It seemed like the most logical thing, and I expected we'd do something simple like one-on-one combat or some silly trial that involved us surviving some sort of environmental crisis.
Instead, one student was chosen to carry the golden item and would have to survive being chased by the rest of the students. Those students would have to either disable one another or go all out and try to steal the golden item from the chosen individual before they found the checkpoint.
The ranking would be based on how many disabling points a student acquired, and whoever managed to reach the checkpoint with the golden item was an automatic perfect score.
Who wouldn't want a perfect score?
It didn't seem hard at all, and I didn't mind the short distance adventure since my plan was to disable a whole bunch of students and call it a day, but silly me.
I just had to be the one chosen to carry the golden item.
Now with the clock ticking, I had to find the checkpoint before I ran out of time or I'd lose with no disabling points to my name.
Then if Rainer is unable to do the exam, we're both screwed.
I knew how lenient Seraphine and Alicia were being, but ever since my talk with Sera and our speculation regarding King Rose, he'd been acting rather erratic. He wasn't pleased that Alicia was willing to "assist" him with the school workload, and that she wanted more romantic time at home.
It also seemed that Vixen had suggested Xavier stay in the guest bedroom in their kingdom since she didn't recommend him being alone with his parents and most of the guards attending to their protective duties.
Xavier only agreed because it made sense with the increase of guards needed for his parents, Emmanuel, and Seraphine since the incident, but little did he or even Vixen know they were aiding our plan to stress the fuck out of this hidden manipulator.
Whether it was working or not was difficult to determine, but we'd continue to play the waiting game until then. I couldn't wait till this was all over. To have a school year that seemed relatively normal, which I wasn't sure was possible within the realms of the fae.
Turning another corner, I felt the tug of magic coming from an approaching room.
Maybe that's where the checkpoint is!
Skidding to a stop, I pushed off the doors wide open and froze as the sound of the room hit me like whiplash. The entire room was filled with fighting students - all of whom stopped and looked in my direction.
Their gazes went from my eyes to the golden trinket in my left hand and back up to my eyes once more. I nervously laughed as I reached for the door handles.
"Well, well, well. I think I came to the wrong room, you know? Uh...don't mind me. I'm just going to close the door, and y'all can continue trying to kill one another," I summarized with a sweet smile.
"GET HER!" one of the males in the room commanded, and they all charged towards the doors. "Shit!" I slammed the doors shut. "SEALANDO VE!"
The shortened spell activated in time for me to jet, the rattling sound of the wooden door giving me leverage to escape as fast as my legs could carry me.
It wouldn't be long until they maxed out on their power, my body still weak from last year's incident at the exhibit. I'd learned how to channel my magic to my lower limbs, which was why I was able to run at full force here and now, but the only thing I struggled with was jumping really high.
A little magic boost helped out, like commanding the wind to aid me, but it was something I was still working on during my rehab sessions that would end next week.
Turning the corner, I shrieked when I heard the loud screams of the students cut through the air of the halls, which forced me to push even harder. I sensed another spike of energy coming down from one end of the hall, but I debated whether to take the risk like I had last time.
My eyes took a peek as I was about to pass the hallways with the growing energy force, but my eyes caught onto two things: Camilla with her partner pinned to the wall - literally making out like the world was ending - and a golden ring with the glowing word “checkpoint” hovering near the top of the hall ceiling.
I forced myself to a hard stop, which landed me flat on my face as my legs gave out.
"Oomph!" I groaned and quickly put my head up in annoyance, feeling blood running down my nose. "Damn legs! We're in an exam!"
"R-Rosadette?" Camilla called out to me, and I looked to see her shock as her partner stood behind her, looking curious as to why I was here.
"THERE! ARGH!"
I looked back to see the crowd of students at the end of the hall charging my way, which had me scrambling up and racing down the hall towards the golden ring checkpoint.
"CAMILLA! I NEED YOUR BACK!"
"What?" Camilla looked utterly confused.
"EXAM! I HAVE TO GO UP! UP!"
Her whole expression was full of bewilderment as she looked up to try to see what I was pointing at.
"MIDDLE! Move to the middle! Let me borr
ow your back!"
I was sprinting at full speed, which would only give Camilla five seconds to figure what the hell I was saying before I crashed right into her. She cursed and moved to the middle where I was approaching and suddenly dropped on all fours and lowered her head enough to make herself the perfect platform.
"YES!" I screamed and pushed the ground with all my might to leap onto her back and then push off of her. "WINDARA LEVEH!"
A burst of wind spun all around me, giving me that final push as I lifted the golden brooch to the ring. The moment it touched, there was a loud ringing noise.
"The exam is officially over!" a mechanical voice announced throughout the halls.
"I did- AH!" The winning magic that kept me afloat had finished its duties, which left me falling right back down.
"AH! Don't squish me!" Camilla screamed and literally rolled over towards her partner. My body was suddenly caught, leaving me to blink in confusion before I turned my head to see the man who caught me.
My confusion turned to a frown as my eyes locked onto cold blue ones.
"If you're going to look so dissatisfied with me, at least thank me for catching you," Xavier grumbled.
"You can let me go," I said with a monotone voice. "My butt would rather suffer like the rest of my body."
He rolled his eyes and muttered something about me being a pain in the ass, but slowly lowered me to the floor.
"Well damn. The ice prince of Fae Rose Academy isn't being a giant jerk," Camilla declared as she was helped up by her partner. I took a quick look at him. His silver hair was short and spiked to one side while the other side was shaved down.
He wore the school uniform but had a leather jacket on instead of the usual blazer, and his wallet that must have been in his pocket was connected to black chains that hung out on his left side.
He looked like the typical bad boy in any romance, and yet he was so perfectly handsome that he could easily be a magazine model for gothic attire.
Or for anything, for that matter.
"Hmph. I'm only helping because I'm running away," Xavier grumbled and gave Camilla a side glance.
"Running away from what?" Camilla asked, and there was the sound of doors bursting open at the end of the hall. We all seemed to look to see Vixen, her eyes so filled with annoyance that Xavier cringed.
"Bye."
He was running in a flash as Vixen screamed, "XAVIER ROSE! Get the fuck back here!"
The crowd of students at the end of the hall literally parted ways like the Red Sea in the bible scriptures of humans, leaving the perfect path for Vixen to run after Xavier, who was long gone.
"I actually feel sorry for him," Camilla commented as I rose up.
"I don't, but I guess he deserves it," I suggested. "Hmm? Hey. Where'd your boyfriend go?"
"He's not my boy-" She paused and realized the bad boy in question was literally gone from his spot. "Oh that fucker! He took my tickets! DAMMIT!" Camilla was running down the same path as Vixen. "YOU OWE ME FOR MY BACK PAIN, ROSADETTE!"
"Okay. Love you. Bye!" I called back and noticed the approaching footsteps from behind me. Alicia was approaching us with a clipboard in her hand.
"The midterm exams are officially over," she declared and looked at me. "Congratulations, Rosadette. You gained a perfect score."
"Seriously?" I gasped, totally remembering that this was an exam.
"But she cheated!" one of the girls near the back of the crowd commented. "She used her friend’s back to reach the ring!" It took me a second to realize it was Ella. I'd honestly forgotten she existed, which wasn't really my fault since I hadn't been in class for the last six months.
She passed Year One. Wow. What connections did she have?
Alicia blinked a few times before she looked at her clipboard as if to get the student's name.
"Ella. What's a common statement I've used throughout this year in class?"
The girl fell silent as everyone turned to her, which led to the male next to her raising his hand like we were in a classroom.
"Romeo," Alicia picked.
"In a changing environment, you must use anything to your advantage. Especially if it's going to lead you to victory," he stated with ease.
"Thank you, Romeo. Bonus points for stating it exactly as I did yesterday."
She returned her gaze to Ella to carry on. "Camilla was a bystander and couldn't see the ring because she was not a part of the exam. She couldn't 'aid' Rosadette by getting the ring due to her inability to see the target. However, she moved into Rosadette's path, which could have shifted into an obstacle for Rosadette if she hadn't altered her environment by telling Camilla she needed her back. Camilla could have turned right around and stood right there with her back facing Rosadette's, which would also block her path. Rosadette took a chance that her best friend would understand what she needed, and that's altering your environment to give you an advantage and is exactly what led Rosadette to victory. Therefore, it's absolutely fair."
She wrote something on her board before adding, "You've lost two points, Ella. If you're going to falsely accuse your classmates, make sure you have evidence to prove your claims."
She returned her gaze to me. "Rosadette, you may leave. Congrats on your perfect score. Your bonus gift is to keep the golden brooch. It empowers the purity magic in the individual wearing it and can give a triple boost in battle."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I bowed my head in gratefulness as I looked at the brooch with pride.
"Everyone else, pay attention as I begin to call your names. I will be going from highest to lowest collected points. When called, step forward and come receive your graded paper. Your midterm is again worth fifty percent of your final grade."
I decided to take the opportunity to leave and quickly bowed my head to Alicia before heading down the parted path. I couldn't help giving Ella a smug look, still shocked to see her around.
I swear she was expelled. Ugh. I swear, the bitches are always the hardest to get rid of.
Shaking my head, I forced myself to walk faster until I reached the royal path towards the castle. I'd have to take the courtyard garden route if I wanted to get to the underground path to the private medical rehab center.
I could have easily gone to my dorm to rest a little bit after that hell of an exam, but I wanted to spend time with Rainer. There was a good chance he'd be a little all over the place thanks to the switch of meds he was taking that were now concentrated on helping him conjure his magic back to a reasonable level.
The side effects of those were giving the patient a tipsy feeling while making their body feel heavier. Rainer was being a champ with all the medication switches and dealing with the slight side effects and after-effects, but he was getting better, which was what mattered the most to me.
I'd yet to confront him about the ring, which made me feel a little bad as a girlfriend, but I didn't want to add stress to his already stressful recovering process. Just because he was being a champ about all of this, it didn't mean I should add to the problems.
He'd gotten into this rough shape because of me. The least I could do was support him as much as possible and eliminate any type of stress.
Reaching the royal courtyard, I paused at the sound of the ice cream truck.
"Oh? Ice cream! I know Camilla mentioned there being an ice cream truck on the property, but I didn't think it was legit. Hmm. I want to try what she was talking about. Fortune chocolate ice cream sticks or whatever," I quietly rambled to myself as I spun around to try and locate the truck.
"Why are you such a cold-hearted jerk?!"
I stopped in my tracks at the sound of Vixen, my head turning to my right to see a hint of her figure in between the cement wall of the building and a floral wall of leaves and roses opposite it.
The spot was secluded enough, but it was her loud voice that gave her location away. I inched closer to one of the pillars, looking around to make sure no one else was around before I focused on what she was arg
uing about. I realized Xavier stood a few steps away from her - his back against the wall as he tried to look completely bored.
"You're not the first to say it. You defiantly won't be the last," Xavier muttered.
"You're going to make a rose wilt a second time?!" she snapped.
Second rose? Wait. Xavier has another rose?!
The news was sudden but then I realized he didn't have to let anyone know about his 'fated romantic life'. However, the revelation had my ears perking up to catch every bit of juicy information as Vixen went right along.
"How can you be so cruel?! You're just going to break her heart?"
Xavier rolled his eyes before they looked at Vixen with anger. "It's none of your business."
"It's totally my business!" she snapped back. "You're my business until the end of this school year so stop being a jerk and answer me!"
"What am I supposed to say?" he inquired and lifted his arms up. "You make it seem like I get any choice in whose rose I claim. Do you think I expected it to be Ella's? Fuck no!"
WHAT?! Xavier got Ella's rose? Out of all the people! No wonder why she's still here!
"Then what are you going to do about this?"
"Let it die," he casually muttered and lowered his arms.
"You can't do that!"
"Why the fuck not?" he countered.
"You can't go breaking girls' hearts and think it's okay!"
"But it's perfectly fine for me to be forced to love a woman I hate?" he offered. "Listen. I'm tired of being lectured by you! You're not my fucking mother. I've put up with you because I'm forced to do so. You just love to wiggle yourself into everything and are just another thorn that's stuck in my side. If you really think Ella is someone worthy of my time, let alone attention, you clearly haven't studied me long enough to figure out who I am."
"Bullshit," she snapped and walked up to him. She poked his chest as she screamed, "I know more about you from the last six months than you've even figured out about yourself!"
"Then enlighten me?" he suggested. "Because I'm pretty sure you don't know shit if you expect me to pamper Ella, a woman who isn't even close to fucking perfection, and love her."
Fae Rose Academy: Year Two (For The Purely Divine Book 2) Page 22
