The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 479

Liora’s POV

The third week of May came around, hot and humid with the promise of an early, miserable summer. A summer in which I might have normally been swimming in the lake behind the palace, or laying on the cool tiles of my bedroom.

Instead, I very well might be locked up in Ambrose’s castle when that time came around.

At least it was colder in the mountains.

Final exams were supposed to start next week. I’d been dreading them, partially because I hadn’t been able to focus on studying with everything else going on, and mostly because final exams meant the end of the semester, and the end of the semester meant my forced wedding to Ambrose.

But at least the exams themselves were predictable. All I had to do was sit in a quiet room, fill out a test, and pass or fail based on how much information I had managed to cram into my brain leading up to the exam.

Simple. Straightforward. No surprises.

Of course, that was before Bianca decided to get involved.

Mia and I were heading to the cafeteria for lunch when we heard the commotion. A crowd had gathered near the center of the room, students craning their necks to see what was happening. I could hear Bianca’s voice carrying over the noise.

“Gods, what is it now?” Mia muttered.

We pushed through the crowd until we could see what was going on without being spotted ourselves. Bianca was standing on top of one of the tables, still wearing that ridiculous tiara. Her gaggle of cronies, which had grown since last week, stood around her while Daisy loomed in the background with those eerily blank eyes.

“Attention, everyone!” Bianca called out, clapping her hands twice. The cafeteria quieted immediately. “I have an exciting announcement to make: as you all know, final exams are typically held at the end of the semester. But this year, I’ve decided to do things a little differently.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I glanced at Mia, whose look of confusion mirrored my own.

“This year,” Bianca continued. “I have decided to change the format of the exams. Instead of boring written exams, I will be hosting a royal tournament!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, applause, and excited murmurs. My brows shot up in surprise.

“The tournament will include various disciplines,” Bianca went on. “Archery, racing, obstacle courses, and of course, combat. Everyone is welcome to compete in whichever discipline they choose. And to make things even more interesting, I will be offering a grand prize.”

She paused for effect, eyes scanning the crowd.

“Anyone who can beat me in combat will receive fifty thousand dollars directly from the royal treasury.”

The cafeteria exploded. Students were shouting, some with excitement, others with disbelief. Fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money. Enough to pay off student loans or buy a car or live comfortably for a year.

“Is she serious?” Mia hissed.

“Apparently.”

Bianca held up her hands, and the noise died down again. “Sign-up sheets will be posted outside the administrative building this afternoon. I look forward to seeing who’s brave enough to challenge me.”

With that, she hopped down from the table, and her cronies immediately surrounded her, escorting her out of the cafeteria. The crowd dispersed, everyone talking at once.

I stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. A tournament. Instead of exams. Because apparently, Bianca could just do that now.

“This is insane,” Mia said. “She can’t just change the exam format.”

“She’s the royal heir. She can do whatever she wants.”

“But fifty thousand dollars? That’s—”

“Bait,” I finished. “She wants people to try to fight her. Wants to prove she’s strong enough to be female Alpha.”

Mia frowned. “Are you going to sign up?”

“For combat? Hell no.” I shook my head. “I’ll do archery or something. Anything that doesn’t involve getting my ass kicked by Bianca in front of the entire school.”

“Smart,” Mia said.

We grabbed food and found a table in the back. The tournament was clearly Bianca’s way of showing off, of cementing her position as heir. And the grand prize was just a way to make sure people challenged her so she could publicly humiliate them.

Well, I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify