The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 271

Liora’s POV

With one last flourish, I filled out the final answer to my exam and stood. I handed the paper to the professor, then grabbed my bag and left.

Well, that was one less thing to think about. Now, I just needed to wait for my name to be called for the field tests.

Groups of students had already been called for the tests. Some pulled out of classes early in the morning, others from their beds late at night. Most students came back disheveled and tired. A few said that their tests were simple. Others said they were the hardest things they’d ever done. It made it impossible to gauge how your own test would be.

Mia, who had already taken her written exam earlier today, was waiting for me in the hallway when I emerged from the classroom. She smiled and shot up from the bench she’d been sitting on and scurried over to me.

“Come on!” She grabbed my hand. “We should go to the cafeteria. I hear a group is about to return from the field test.”

I fingered the strap of my bag as I followed her. “I wonder when it’ll be our turn,” I mused.

Mia glanced at me over her shoulder. “Hopefully soon. I’m getting sick of waiting. The anxiety is keeping me up at night.”

“Same.” I bit my lip, wondering what my test would entail. Alder had said that the tests would be fair for wolfless, but I also didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him, which wasn’t very far at all.

Furthermore, he still hated my guts. I wouldn’t be surprised if he intentionally put me in a group with no wolfless, forcing me to perform at the same level as those with wolves.

As we entered the cafeteria, I spotted the group that had just returned. They were covered in mud, their clothes torn and dirty. One girl was crying.

“It was impossible!” she whined. “My time was so bad!”

Mia and I pushed through the throng. I overheard one student asking a boy what his test entailed.

“Well, we’re not really supposed to talk about it too much, but I guess everyone’s test is different, so it’s okay.” He leaned in a little. “We had to army crawl through twenty yards of mud. Then, there was a race to get the one and only supply pack. After that, it was every man for himself.”

Mia whined and scrubbed her hands over her face. “Gods, I hope we don’t get stuck doing that,” she whispered. “I hate mud. It makes me gag.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t sound pleasant,” I replied.

Just then, I felt a thread of awareness slip into my mind. A moment later, my father’s voice came through our family mindlink.

The understanding in his tone took me by surprise. My father had spent his entire life in the palace. He’d devoted every part of himself to being the perfect King. I never expected him to be so reasonable about something like this; how could he understand how I felt if he never desired the same thing I did?

But he went on, “I know what you’re thinking, Liora. I can sense it through our bond. I’ve sensed it all semester.”

“Father, I—”

“I know how it feels. To want to experience life outside the palace walls before you put this heavy crown on your head. Believe it or not, I was young once, too.”

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly going dry. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that…” He paused, and for a moment, I could sense his uncertainty. “I’m saying that you can consider staying. If that’s what you truly want.”

“It is.”

“But you need to pass your exams first. Focus on that, and we’ll talk more over the holidays. Does that sound fair?”