After two months, Ace and Derek finally received the results of their entrance exams. Ace achieved the highest rank, while Derek found himself with a lower rank. "Well, at least I got lower than nothing!" Derek exclaimed. Ace responded with a nonchalant, "Yeah, cool." "How about you, Marianne?" Derek inquired. When Derek took a peek at Marianne's results, he was shocked to discover that she had achieved the highest rank. This meant that Marianne would be joining Ace and Derek as their classmate. "What?!!! Do you realize what you have accomplished, Marianne?!!!" Derek exclaimed in disbelief. "Huh, what do you mean?" Marianne asked, puzzled by the conversation. Ace stepped in to clarify, explaining that Marianne had achieved the highest rank in the entrance exam, which meant she would be transferred to a higher grade, the same grade as Ace and Derek. Derek interjected, pointing out that this rule only applied to new students, as it meant they wouldn't have to study the first grade anymore. "If that's the rule, then why didn't you get transferred to a higher grade when you were a new student? I mean, you're smart," Marianne questioned. Ace let out a gentle sigh and replied, "I made mistakes on two questions, that's why." "How about now? Since you got the highest rank, does that mean you can transfer?" Marianne inquired. Ace clarified, "No, the opportunity to transfer is only available for new students, transferee students, or scholarship students." "Oh, that's great! We'll be classmates!" Marianne exclaimed, her smile shining brightly. "We'll make great classmates, Marianne!" Derek replied, returning the smile.
"Hi there, folks!" Nathan suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Gahhh—! You startled me!!" Derek exclaimed. Nathan smiled at Derek and said, "Hmm, let's see where I stand," as he checked his name on the bulletin board. When Nathan found his name, he quickly checked his total score and compared it to Ace's. "Hah–! I still got a higher score than you, Ace! You got 98.3 while the brilliant me scored 98.4! Haha, what a loser!!" Nathan shouted triumphantly. "Cool," Ace replied coldly, showing little reaction to Nathan's taunting. "Hey!! Don't bully Ace like that!! You're only 1% higher than him!!" Marianne shouted, coming to Ace's defense. "Just because you're the campus president, it doesn't give you the right to bully Ace, Nathan!" Derek added, supporting Marianne's statement. "Hah—! Do you think I care?" Nathan retorted. "And by the way, you cutie, just admit that I'm way more handsome than Ace!! And that you'll fall in love with me soon!!" he said to Marianne as he walked away. "Hmp!! Neither you nor Ace are handsome!!!" Marianne shouted in response. Nathan ignored the commotion and walked away with a smirk on his face. "Gahh~!! How dare he?!!" Marianne shouted in frustration. "Stop being so stubborn, Marianne," Ace said, gently holding her head. "But he's bullying you!!" Derek interjected. "Just let it go this time, okay?" Ace said coldly, his gaze filled with anger as he glared at Derek. "O-okayy.." Derek responded meekly, resembling a puppy. "You're not going to seek revenge on him?!!" Marianne shouted at Ace. "Revenge is meaningless, Marianne," Ace replied calmly as he walked away. Marianne was stunned by his response and stood there, staring at Ace as he walked away.
When Marianne arrived home, she retreated to her room and called her father, as she did every evening, to spend time with him. "Dad! Look! I got a higher rank!!" Marianne exclaimed. "Wait, is this Harrington's Royal Academy?!!" Asherton exclaimed in surprise. "Yes!!" Marianne confirmed. "Wow! My daughter is so smart!!" Asherton exclaimed proudly. "C'mon here, buddy!! Give your dad a hug!!" Asherton said playfully. Marianne giggled and embraced her father. After the hug, Marianne rested her head on Asherton's chest as he gently stroked her head. "Dad, why are there people who don't want to seek revenge?" she asked curiously. "Hmm... That's their choice," Asherton replied thoughtfully. "Some people may not want to invite chaos into their lives, others may simply be kind-hearted or lack the motivation to seek revenge. And in the worst case, they may prioritize peace above all else." Asherton paused for a moment before asking, "Why did you ask about this all of a sudden?" "I just made a friend who was bullied by our campus president. But when I told him to seek revenge, he simply said that it's meaningless," she explained. "Hm... I see," Asherton responded.
The next morning, Marianne and Ace met at the school gate. "Hi, Ace!" Marianne greeted. "Marianne..." he whispered. "Shall we go to our classroom together?" she asked. Ace pondered for a moment and then replied, "Okay." When they arrived in their classroom, all of their classmates immediately turned their attention towards them, including Derek. Some girls gasped, while some boys simply stared. "Good morning," Marianne greeted with a smile. In response, everyone in the classroom smiled back at her and bombarded her with numerous questions. Marianne smiled awkwardly at them, while Ace pulled her out of the crowd and guided her to her seat. Ace and Derek were seatmates, while Marianne would be sitting with a girl who was known for always arriving late. When the class had started, a girl entered the room. "Good morning," she greeted. Her name was Yoma, and she was a princess from another kingdom. Yoma was a beautiful girl with black hair and yellow eyes.
Yoma then took a seat beside Marianne and smiled at her. Marianne smiled back, and as the class continued, she couldn't help but notice that the boys in the classroom were constantly staring at Yoma. When the class ended, Marianne and Ace walked out of the classroom together. Marianne suddenly asked, "Who is that girl beside me, Ace? And why do the boys always stare at her?" Ace paused for a moment and responded, "Her name is Yoma." "She is the campus muse, and she has participated in many district fashion modeling events," Ace explained.