Chapter 15: Chapter 15: She didn't write anything

~ Raven’s POV ~

Lord Varian walked in, his presence as commanding as I remembered. He was the King’s most trusted adviser, always composed, always calculating.

Even now, there was a slight, smug smile on his face as he walked in without haste, as if the world should wait on him.

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing briefly to the royal family seated at the dais. “My daughter’s dressmaker delayed us.”

Daughter? I blinked.

And then she appeared behind him.

A young lady of my age, dressed in soft lavender silk, her dress shimmering under the light. Her hair was stylishly done, not a strand out of place, her posture regal, chin tilted the way only nobles dared.

She didn’t bow. Didn’t even glance at the King. She simply strutted past us and slipped into a row among the nobles like she belonged there, like she owned the space.

I watched her quietly, something uneasy curling in my stomach. Everyone had turned back to the front, but I couldn’t stop staring.

There was something about her. Something... off. I didn’t know that Lord Varian had a daughter. I knew about his three sons, yet I thought she looked familiar, like I’d seen her somewhere before, but I couldn’t figure out where.

She hadn’t smiled. Hadn’t apologized. She hadn’t even acknowledged the other people seated around her. If anything, she looked bored. As if this entire ceremony was beneath her.

I shook my head gently and forced myself to look away. She was just one of those nobles, the kind born into luxury, never taught manners. Still, I couldn’t ignore the strange feeling I had.

The healer cleared his throat again, bringing the room back to focus. “As I was saying,” he continued, “these five young women have achieved something that deserves not just praise, but honor.”

He motioned for us to step forward and the four of us walked ahead. I still couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to the other girl, why would she be late to such a great ceremony?

I stole a quick glance at the royal platform and saw the Queen whisper something into the King’s ear. Princess Celeste looked like she was barely paying attention.

A hand brushed against mine and I turned my eyes away quickly. One of the girls beside me, Cara, whispered “That girl in lavender, do you think she’s the first?”

I stiffened.

Was she?

No… no, she couldn’t be. She had just walked in. Late. Proud. Distant. A girl like that wouldn’t sit through that exam, wouldn’t understand the fear and desperation of it. She didn’t need it. Girls like her were born to rule.

“I don’t know,” I whispered back. “Why do you ask?”

“She wrote the exam with us, I saw her, but..”

She stopped talking as the healer raised the parchment to read the names aloud.

The heavy doors creaked open again, louder this time, more deliberate.

Everyone turned.

Princess Ellie stepped through, her chin raised high, her lips curved in that wicked, familiar smile. The soft clinking of her beaded dress filled the momentary silence as she strutted in like she didn't have a care in the world.

I stiffened, suddenly afraid that she’d do something to me, but then I inhaled deeply, realizing that I was now a free woman. She wouldn’t be able to do anything to me anymore.

The King’s jaw tightened, his gaze dark and piercing as it settled on her. The Queen leaned towards him, her lips barely moving as she whispered something into his ear. I couldn't make out the words, but I saw the flicker in his eyes as he gave a curt nod.

No one said a word.

She didn’t walk to the royal platform. Instead, she scanned the crowd until her eyes landed on me.

For a moment, she froze and then I saw the disbelief written on her face. Then, slowly, her lips parted into a mischievous grin, like she'd just uncovered a secret.

She didn’t look away. Not as she walked past us, not as she turned and sat beside a couple of noble ladies near the side. She chose a seat just far enough from the king’s dais, but still close enough to be seen. To be heard, if she wished.

As though this was her stage.

I swallowed hard, her gaze still clinging to my skin.

I could almost hear her voice in my head. “You? Here? Don’t make me laugh.”

But I was here. I belonged here. No matter how badly she wanted to drag me back down.

The healer, perhaps sensing the tension but choosing to ignore it, cleared his throat once more and raised his parchment again.

“Fifth place,” he began, “Isla Everett, maid from the royal stables.”

She stepped forward shakily, bowing low as applause rippled through the room.

“Fourth place, Tayna Mire, maid from Princess Celeste’s quarters.”

She gasped beside me and gave my hand a quick squeeze before walking forward with trembling excitement.

I hardly heard the rest. My eyes kept flicking towards Ellie.

Her smile hadn’t faded. She was enjoying this.

She was waiting. Waiting for something.

I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin, reminding myself that I was number two. I earned this. No one could take that from me.

Not even her.

“Second place, Raven Thorne, maid from Princess Ellie’s quarters.”

My feet moved before I even realized it. My heart raced, but I made sure my steps were steady, my chin lifted. This moment belonged to me. No princess, no cruelty, no chains could steal it.

I bowed before him, and when he placed the badge into my palm, the weight of it made my chest tighten. It was real.

“You have proven skill, discipline, and heart,” the healer said kindly. “Wear this with pride.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice croaking with emotion.

Someone was still clapping, and I turned to see that it was Princess Ellie. She still had that mischievous smile as she continued clapping.

I stepped back into line, still reeling, when the healer called out, “And the highest score, Lady Seraphine Lorne.”

My head snapped to the side.

Lorne? Varian Lorne, Seraphine Lorne? It couldn’t be…no way...The rude girl who had walked in with her father, the King’s adviser?

My brows furrowed as she stood and made her way to the front with the grace of someone who had never known struggle.

I remembered her now, she’d sat behind me during the exam and, unless my memory betrayed me, she had barely written a word. I’d glanced back just once and seen her sheet almost blank.

But now… she was first?

The healer didn’t seem fazed as he presented her badge, though the look in his eyes wasn’t warm like it had been with the rest of us.

“Congratulations, Lady Seraphine,” he said formally, and she nodded in return, offering nothing but a smug, practiced smile.

Something was off.

“That’s

impossible,” Isla whispered beside me. “She didn’t write a damn thing. I saw her when she submitted her answer sheet.”