Chapter 70

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Bree ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

At the entrance exam hall, there were numerous students, all with tense expressions.

Given that this was the final test, and if they passed, they could all enter the academy, it was natural for them to be nervous.

However, only Jed had a confident look on his face. He was sure he would pass.

“The test is about to begin! Please take your seats!”

“Ah…”

“Please…”

When the assistant announced the start, the examinees sighed.

Before sitting down, Jed curled one side of his mouth and spoke to Becky.

“Then do your best, sister. Don’t forget to do well.”

“…Okay.”

Becky replied casually to the familiar sarcastic voice.

The test began, and the students diligently wrote their answers.

In the quiet exam hall, only the sound of writing and the ticking of the clock could be heard.

“Five minutes remaining. Please make sure you have written your name on your answer sheet.”

At those words, the students checked the name section of their answer sheets.

Most had written their names as soon as they received the test, but they double-checked just in case.

Of course, there were also several examinees who had focused on the questions and were writing their names late.

Becky and Jed were among them.

Of course, the names they wrote would not be their own.

“The test is over. Please put down your pens.”

The assistant announced the end of the test.

The students handed in their papers in an orderly manner, and as the assistant left, they began to chatter.

“I didn’t finish yet…”

“I messed up. I forgot to draw two lines over the typo…!”

“Oh, I think I failed this test. What should I do?”

“Look at this guy, pretending again. You always say that, but you barely make one or two mistakes!”

Ignoring the usual post-test chatter, Jed leisurely stood up from his seat.

“You did well on the test, right, sister? Of course, you didn’t miss anything.”

Jed asked, but Becky bit her lip and said nothing.

Seeing this, Jed mocked her as if he knew everything.

“Well, I don’t have to worry about you. You wouldn’t do anything to worry our parents.”

“…!”

Becky’s eyes shook instantly.

“…Yes. Of course.”

When she forced a smile and nodded, a satisfied smile appeared on Jed’s face.

“Then let’s go, sister. They’re waiting.”

The test consisted of both multiple-choice and subjective questions.

The multiple-choice tested basic pharmaceutical knowledge, and the subjective questions required medical ideas based on one’s knowledge.

Because of this, grading took time, and it would take a few days to announce the results.

Now, all that was left was to wait anxiously day by day for the announcement.

“Jed!”

As the siblings left the exam hall, the Ivern couple quickly approached them.

“How was the test? Did you do well?”

“Of course.”

Jed replied confidently, brightening the faces of the Ivern couple.

“Well done, Jed. You did great.”

“I always believed in you. Truly proud.”

But when they noticed Becky beside him, their smiles gradually faded. Mrs. Ivern asked cautiously,

“…Becky, how about you?”

Becky forced a smile and said,

“…I’m not sure. I think I messed up.”

“Really?”

At this, their faces brightened again.

Becky’s scores were lower than Jed’s but still enough to pass. This was a big problem.

Their household was not wealthy. If both children suddenly entered the academy, it would reduce not only their money but also their workforce.

Therefore, the couple hoped that Jed, rather than Becky, would pass.

Becky needed to help them.

So, it was fortunate for them that Becky seemed likely to fail.

“Yes. You worked hard, Becky.”

“Don’t worry too much.”

Although they offered words of comfort, their faces clearly showed relief.

Having been the eldest and seen them the longest, Becky could not fail to notice.

But she didn’t say anything. She just smiled faintly.

“Let’s go home now.”

“It’s early, but we should celebrate.”

The Ivern couple and Jed turned to leave.

But Becky stood still, watching their receding figures.

It was a sight she had expected.

‘I knew it, but…’

Facing the result in reality brought an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

Suddenly, she remembered what her younger sister Sukia had said.

“Sister, someday you will surely regret it.”

Yes, perhaps she would regret this choice for the rest of her life.

But this was the only choice given to her.

‘Yes, this will do.’

Everyone is happy… so it’s fine.

As Becky suppressed her feelings and was about to follow them,

“Ah, we meet again here.”

A gentle, soft voice came from behind.

It was a voice Becky knew well. She turned around.

A silver-haired woman in a black robe was looking at her.

But Becky instinctively knew who she was.

“…L-Lady Peregrine?”

“Long time no see. You recognized me even with different hair color?”

Daphne said, tipping her hood slightly.

“What brings you here, Lady Peregrine?”

“Ah, I have some personal business.”

Daphne smiled brightly.

“How was the test?”

“Oh…”

Becky’s expression, filled with surprise, quickly darkened.

“I… didn’t do well.”

Becky scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

“But I have no regrets. It was a good experience.”

“I see…”

Daphne slowly drew out her words, watching the departing Ivern family.

Their daughter was here, feeling down, and they showed no interest in her. Daphne discreetly curled her lips.

“But what should I do about this?”

She stared at them with a cold expression.

“Becky’s experience will begin from today.”

“Yes?”

Becky, who had just been fidgeting with her fingers, lifted her head. An inscrutable smile played on Daphne’s lips.

Becky blinked with a face that showed she didn’t understand.

Then, urgent footsteps could be heard from somewhere.

“What are you saying? The answer sheet was incorrect!”

“We don’t know either. Something about the what-was-it, verification? Verification of answers? Anyway, it came out as incorrect!”

“First, block the students’ ears. Quickly!”

Serious-faced professors from the academy were rushing somewhere.

What happened?

As Becky tilted her head, Daphne gazed at the scene and said, “I told you. I won’t just sit back and watch.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“I’ve lived in a place where even the slightest hint of misconduct is intolerable.”

Daphne smiled mysteriously as she spoke.

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“There’s been an issue with the exam. Please wait here for a moment.”

“What? An issue?”

“Did someone cheat?”

“Ah. Unless you want the family to fall into ruin, they wouldn’t have done that.”

The students, who had returned to the exam room at the assistant’s call, murmured.

Becky, standing at the back of the classroom, hunched her shoulders with a pale, dismayed face.

She felt a sting, but she was also terribly anxious because of Daphne’s cryptic words she had just heard.

And then.

Tap, tap. Someone tapped on their shoulders from behind.

“Are you Jed Ivern and Becky Ivern?”

“Yes, but…”

“Please come with me.”

Sure enough, at the assistant’s call, Becky’s face turned pale with dismay.

“Why are we suddenly being called?”

Jed also felt uneasy, but he never thought they were caught cheating.

Rather, Becky turned pale with embarrassment.

“Miss, stop trembling because you’re embarrassed. It’s nothing much.”

“But…”

“It could be a meeting with the headmaster. It’s not strange for outstanding students to meet the headmaster.”

“Why would I…?”

“Oh, because we’re family, we were called together! Miss, you might not know, but in happy occasions like this, families go together!”

Jed glanced at Becky as if asking why she was so frustrated.

Then he grabbed Becky’s wrist abruptly.

“Ah, let’s go quickly!”

Jed moved his steps along with the assistant without giving her a chance to say anything.

It wasn’t completely impossible for them to get caught. But they didn’t think they’d get caught.

They had never been caught before, so why would they suddenly get caught?

So separate calling like this was definitely about scholarships.

‘Yeah. Other than that, there’s no other reason.’

Jed grinned slightly.

But what he faced was neither a meeting with the headmaster nor a discussion about scholarships.

“This… What is this?!”

It was the answer sheet he had written himself, submitted under Becky’s name.

But instead of Becky’s name, his own name, Jed, was written on it.

“This… This can’t be. What is this?!”

Jed stammered in confusion.

Seeing his reaction, Daphne smirked.

‘What’s the big deal?’

It meant he had been caught in the act of forging answers.