The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 206

Chapter 206-

Chapter 206

5 vouchers

Zane POV

I stared at the competition board for a full minute after the results were posted, convinced somebody had made a mistake. My name was sitting under the advanced division, and I knew I had never signed up for it.

“That has to be wrong,” I said.

One of my friends stepped closer to read the list again. He looked at me, then looked back at the board.

“It says your name pretty clearly,” he replied.

I groaned and rubbed my face while several students walked past us. The more people noticed, the more attention I received.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered.

My friend crossed his arms and smirked at me. He looked far too entertained by the situation.

“You realize most people would be celebrating right now,” he said.

“I am not most people,” I answered.

That answer only made him laugh harder. Unfortunately, a few nearby students overheard and joined in.

The rest of the morning became a nightmare because everyone suddenly wanted to talk about the advanced division. Some students congratulated me while others looked skeptical.

I hated both reactions equally. Neither one changed the fact that I had not entered the division myself.

By lunchtime, the rumors had spread through half the academy. Every conversation seemed to circle back to the competition.

“You should keep the spot,” one student told me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you can handle it.”

I shook my head and focused on my food. Confidence from other people was not the same thing as fonfidence from myself.

When classes ended, I headed to the training field for practice. The competition instructors had already arranged several exercises for students preparing to compete.

The advanced division participants trained nearby. Every time I looked in their direction, my stomach tightened.

Most of them were older than me. Several had already competed in previous years.

One instructor approached me while I stretched. He held a clipboard under one arm.

“I heard about the registration issue,” he said.

“Then you know I shouldn’t be there,” I replied.

Chapter 206-

vouchers

Mudied me fose moment before speaking again. His expression remained calm.

His expressi

“Maybe he said. “Or maybe someone saw potential that you don’t

I did not have an answer for that Fortunately, he moved on before the conversation became more uncomfortable.

The afternoon training session was harder than usual: Every mistake felt larger because I kept imagining myself competing against older students.

At one point, I completely missed a target during an observation exercise. The miss was so obvious that several people

noticed.

My friend immediately started laughing. He nearly fell over trying to catch his breath.

“You were staring at the advanced group again,” he said.

“I was not”

“You absolutely were.”

I threw a training marker at him. He dodged it and laughed even harder.

The worst part was that he was right. I had been watching them.

The next exercise required us to identify hidden scent markers across a practice course. Normally I enjoyed those challenges.

This time I spent half the course distracted by my own thoughts. The result was terrible.

When the instructor announced rankings for the exercise, my name landed much lower than usual. Several students looked surprised.

I felt embarrassed immediately. My friend looked concerned for the first time all day.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

I sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. There was no point pretending around people who knew me.

“I don’t know if I belong there,” I admitted.

The words felt strange once they left my mouth. I rarely said things like that out loud.

My friend sat beside me and nudged my shoulder. He remained quiet for a moment.

“Maybe you do,” he said.

“Maybe I don’t.”

“Then prove it either way.”

I looked at him for several seconds. It was annoying when he accidentally made sense.

T

Chapter 206-

6 vouchers

Aff training ended, I returned home still thinking about the competition. The estate felt unusually peaceful compared to the academy.

Cassian’s laughter echoed from another room as soon as I entered. That sound alone improved my mood.

I found Conrad outside a short time later. He was checking something on his tablet when I approached.

“You look troubled,” he said.

‘Everyone keeps saying that.”

‘Maybe because it’s obvious.”

I sat beside him and explained the situation. He listened without interrupting once.

When I finished, he leaned back in his chair. His expression remained thoughtful.

‘So what do you want?” he asked.

‘I want whoever entered my name to admit it.”

He nodded slowly. Then he asked another question.

‘And after that?”

I opened my mouth and immediately closed it again. The answer should have been simple.

Conrad noticed my hesitation. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“That’s what I thought,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. He looked far too satisfied.

“I’m serious,” I told him.

“So am I.”

He set the tablet aside and folded his arms. His attention focused entirely on me.

“Nobody is forcing you to compete,” he said. “If you don’t want it, walk away.”

The words surprised me. I expected encouragement.

“You’d be okay with that?”

“Of course.”

I frowned slightly. That was not the answer I expected.

Conrad shrugged. His voice remained calm.

“You don’t need to prove anything to me.”

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