Wait.
Hold on. Time out.
Wait.
Callista was profoundly, utterly unprepared.
Where was the obligatory, sweat-drenched montage?
The rigorous training arc where she conquered trials and emerged with a glowing protagonist aura? This was a fantasy story, there were rules.
Could she not just wave her noble title like a golden ticket and skip the line?
"So, um, sir..." She flashed her most winning, desperate smile. "Is it cool if I jump?"
It took the carriage driver five harrowing, sweat-inducing minutes to wrestle the noble girl back into the cabin, silently praying to whatever gods were listening that no one outside could hear the undignified wrestling match within.
It didn’t help that they were skirting a sheer cliffside.
Callista, meanwhile, was busy calculating the statistical probability of a second reincarnation versus a simple, messy death.
Mercifully, they arrived intact. Callista stepped down with the pristine poise of a lady who hadn’t tried to fling herself onto the pavement mere moments prior.
"Thank you, sir," she offered, wearing a grin that was about three teeth too wide for comfort.
The driver let out a heavy, soul-weary sigh. "You’re welcome, milady."
But the panic lingered. If this exam is purely physical... can she actually perish?
Before she could ponder her mortality further, Callista was swept away by a tidal wave of frantic, jostling students.
She was funneled through a side entrance and spat out directly into the grand foyer.
Up close, West Trinity Academy was less of a school and more of a gothic architectural anxiety dream.
Looming obsidian arches stretched skyward like ribs, flying buttresses defied gravity, and stained-glass windows seemed to track her movements with every eye. It was a fortress built on secrets, ancient magic, and an astronomical budget.
Behind her, hundreds of hopefuls filtered in. It was a mosaic of high fashion and practical leather, representing every rung of the social ladder.
Ah, a democratic institution of magical hazing. Wonderful.
╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗
[SIDE MISSION: Choose Your Sidekick]
Scenario: The entrance exam requires a partner.
Objective: Select a companion.
Approch carefully with caution. Choices trigger wildly different endings.
╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝
"Oh, so I’m just being dramatic," she muttered to herself.
While she wasn’t an expert on shoujo tropes, she knew the golden rule: side characters were supposed to gravitate toward the protagonist like moths to a flame.
Instead, she was met with a heavy, suffocating silence, followed by a wave of venomous whispering.
"Is that the homewrecker?"
"The one who tried to seduce the crown prince? No way."
"Yeah, good luck to whoever gets stuck with her. She’s absolute bottom-tier."
I have ears, you know! Callista screamed internally. Sure, the rumors weren’t technically wrong, but she still possessed a fragile shred of human dignity.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: A Love Interest Has Appeared]
A silent sigh of relief escaped her. Finally, her savior.
Someone was coming to rescue her from this social death sentence.
She just wanted to look remotely wanted. Being the outcast in a public scenario was her ultimate, paralyzing nightmare, one she’d spent her entire previous life trying to avoid.
She scanned the crowd, hunting for a character design that screamed "Main Character Energy."
And there he was. A figure so tall she had to tilt her neck at an uncomfortable angle just to make eye contact.
"Well, well. If it isn’t the black sheep."
The voice was drenched in smug superiority. He wore a sharp, arrogant smirk. His spiky red hair defied gravity, framing pale skin and a pair of sunken, amber eyes with pupils sharp enough to cut glass.
Behind him hovered a small posse of lackeys, arms crossed, exuding the distinct aura of unpaid sycophants.
╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ [CHARACTER PROFILE: Ruben Rosier] ║
║ Role: Academically Gifted School Bully ║
║ Background: Heir to the Ducal House of Rosier║
║ Relation: Childhood friend to the Crown Prince ║
║ Traits: Arrogant, Easily Flustered, Tsundere ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Callista didn’t even blink. She pivoted on her heel, preparing to walk away. Absolutely not. She was not teaming up with a cliché bully.
Besides, what kind of sick, twisted developer decided a high-school menace was romance material?
"Ignoring me now, ugly duckling?" Ruben sneered, his voice dropping an octave in irritation. "Lost your little prince, have we? I hear he’s already moved on to better company."
And he’s a total jerk, she thought.
"I wasn’t looking for him anyway," she replied dryly.
"Oh, really?" Ruben smirked, clearly enjoying himself.
Why was he like this? Weren’t male leads supposed to be tripping over themselves to serve her?
"Uh, Ruben..." The lackey on his right cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Haven’t you heard the latest?"
"Heard what?"
"Callista proposed to Corvina."
The entire grand hall fell into a suffocating, pin-drop silence. Hundreds of eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated shock.
Ah, Callista thought, watching the color drain from Ruben’s face.
So the gossip mill really is faster than the speed of light.