The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 281

Liora’s POV

The next morning, everyone gathered in the auditorium for the announcement of the written exam results. I sat between Mia and Amy, having purposely made the decision to avoid Zane as punishment for yesterday.

“Good morning, students,” Alder said into the microphone, adjusting his glasses. “As you know, the written portion of your final exams has been graded. Results have been posted outside the main office. You may check them after this assembly.”

A collective murmur rippled through the crowd. I clasped my hands together, trying to steady my nerves. At least I felt confident about the written exam. I’d studied my ass off for weeks, and the questions had been straightforward enough.

“However,” Alder continued, raising his hand to quiet the students, “I have an important announcement to make regarding those results.”

My stomach clenched. Nothing good ever came after “however” with this man.

“Many of you failed the written exam.”

Mia’s eyes widened. A ripple of murmurs washed over the crowd, but Alder went on, “However, due to the rogue lockdown earlier this semester, which disrupted normal class schedules and study time, we’ve decided to offer students who failed the written exam an opportunity to retake it. The makeup exam will be held one week from today.”

“Are you kidding me?” I muttered.

Mia leaned over. “What’s wrong? That’s good news, isn’t it?”

“Not for me,” I said through gritted teeth. “I passed the written exam. It’s the field test I failed. Where’s my second chance?”

Amy, sitting on my other side, frowned. “That does seem a bit unfair. Why can we retake one test and not the other?”

Alder dismissed us shortly after, and the crowd surged toward the main office to check the results. I followed, although I already knew what I’d find. Sure enough, my name was listed under the “passed” column for the written exam.

As for the field exam…

I left Mia chatting with Amy and marched straight to Principal Alder’s office. I didn’t bother knocking. Just walked right in.

Alder looked up from his desk, expression souring the moment he saw me. “Miss Belrose. To what do I owe this intrusion?”

“Furthermore,” he said, cutting me off, “wolfsbane is fatal to wolfless. If you truly ingested it, you would be dead. The fact that you’re standing here, perfectly fine, tells me you’re either lying or mistaken.”

“I’m not—”

“Either way,” he cut me off, “the answer is no. You failed the field test fairly, and you will not be given a second chance. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

I stood there for a moment, fists clenched at my sides. Every part of me wanted to scream at him, to tell him exactly who I was and watch him grovel for forgiveness. But I bit my tongue. For now.

“Fine,” I spat. Then I turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind me.

The hallway was mostly empty, just a few students milling around. I leaned against the wall and pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to calm down. This was so unfair. So completely, utterly unfair.

I couldn’t repeat the semester. I couldn’t go home and tell my parents I’d failed. Not when my mother was already struggling. Not when my father had finally agreed to let me stay.