The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 299

Liora’s POV

By the end of the semester, my field exam was all anyone could talk about.

I heard the whispers everywhere I went. In the hallways, the cafeteria, even the bathroom. Students I’d never spoken to before came up to congratulate me or ask questions about what had happened.

Bianca, for her part, kept her distance. Her sneers occasionally slammed into me like throwing stars in the hallways, but she didn’t cause any trouble. Maybe because, despite everything, people had still voted in the majority for me.

Zane told me about what happened at the bar that night. How outraged people had been when I revealed Alder’s schemes. How the wolfless cheered for me. How many of my fellow students voted for me. Even Jessica.

Bianca, of course, said I didn’t deserve it. That I’d broken the rules of the challenge and failed.

And Callum agreed with her.

That part hurt a lot more than I wanted to admit. So Callum really was choosing her, despite everything she had done. Time and time again, he picked her—not even because he truly loved her, but because she was a “princess”, the one he was betrothed to.

It made me even more glad that I hadn’t told him about my identity. If he chose me simply because of my title and not out of love, following me blindly only because he thought duty compelled him to, then I would never be able to handle it.

I didn’t see him for the rest of the semester.

Either way, I was relieved to have passed the exam. I should have been happy that it was over, and that I had one less thing to worry about.

But all I felt was empty.

Because Mia still wouldn’t talk to me.

“This is outrageous!” Alder was shouting, waving his arms around wildly. “You can’t just barge in here and force me to leave!”

“I can, and I will,” Marcus cut him off. His voice was cold and commanding. “Not only did you kidnap, terrorize, and harm a student, you also drugged another student with wolfsbane and forced him to fight in a rigged exam. That’s grounds for immediate termination, not to mention criminal charges.”

“That student consented to the exam. She didn’t have to go through with it.”

“She accepted under duress and false pretenses. You’re done here, Alder. Pack your things and leave. Now.”

Alder’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. The students who had gathered all whispered amongst themselves, although I couldn’t hear them from my vantage point.

Finally, Mr. Alder threw his hands up in the air. He said something else I couldn’t hear, but he seemed to be giving in.