Chapter 115

115 The announcement

Morning come to the Icarus dorm, and our heroine took her time to get up from the bed. Chikara, her familiar already meowing at her, seeking breakfast from his master.

Anne was groaning, “I can’t wait for you to be independent of me.”

Chikara’s relentlessly purred in Anne’s ear, making her give up to get more sleep and begin to give him the breakfast that he want. She took sighed and smile at her familiar, after all, she consider him as a family now.

One hour later, she was ready to go to the place for the gathering, her friends already waiting in the breakfast room, they waves at Anne with a grin on their faces.

“So, are you ready to hear the announcement?” Asked David enthusiastically toAnne.

Anne was in the middle of munching her pouched birdie egg, she nodded her head to David, “I am ready, and can’t wait for the result to be announced.”

“Really? You’re not nervous at all? I mean, girl, your story is as scandalous as it can be.” Chuckles Darla with a caftea cup in her hand.

Glaring at her friend, Anne gave her a warning, “Come on Darla, I just want some peace right now, you know what happened because of all that scandal.”

Darla raised her hand, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to have you on edge, it was a cruel joke, Anne.”

.....

“Apology accepted, now let’s have some breakfast and go to the gathering place, alright?” Said Anne with a smile on her face.

Since the day that Anne tried to become a cupid for Darla and Brom, she was getting more friendly to Anne. In her mind, it was probably because everything went well with Brom and she was happy for her.

A red cardinal came flying to the breakfast room and perch on Anne’s shoulder. She knew immediately it was Sabrina.

‘Miss Anne, my master gave you the information that all is well for the children and you can be at ease for the announcement today.’

Anne took a piece of bread and give it to Sabrina, “Thank you, Sabrina, really appreciate the information, send my regards to Henry.”

“Sabrina? Why are you here?” Said another voice from their back. Turning around, Anne saw Heirim looking at her and the small red cardinal on her shoulder with astonishment, Sabrina excused herself and fly away without talking to Heirim. Heirim was furious and feeling humiliated, “You! Answer me, why does my brother’s familiar come to you.”

Snorted at the furious lady, Anne just raised her eyebrows at her and said, “Why not? Henry is my friend, and we are in the middle of doing something together.”

“You! I will never accept this!” Heirim was not only furious, but her eyes also glared fire at Anne, “You do something to all of them, don’t you? You do something that makes them adore you”

Anne was shaking, Heirim actually said something that half of it was the truth, she would never do something so horrendous as to cast a bewitched spell on innocent people, in fact, she kept some information about the effect of the bewitched spell cure. The information could make her the only one that will gain nothing and end up being the miserable kind.

“Please, lady Heirim, we were trying to enjoy our last time together here, would you please just ignore her for the rest of the day?” Darla practically begged Heirim, she had enough of her shenanigans for now, especially when she thought that Heirim was just being ridiculous.

Heirim eyeing on Anne, and she whispered directly into her ear, “This is not over, peasants! In fact, this is just the beginning.”

“Don’t worry, after the announcement, you will be glad, and probably never to see me again.” Whispered Anne back at Heirim.

“What?! What do you mean?” Heirim was flabbergasted, even when Alastor took her far away from Anne, she looks at Anne with disbelief on her face.

David stare at Anne and asked her a question, “What did you say to Heirim? She looks so surprised right now?”

“Surprised? More like her whole life just sunk in, she was in shock!” Said Darla to David, her eyes glancing at Anne, “So, what did you say to her?”

“Just some meaningless words, nothing important.” With a mystery on her face, Anne was smiling at her friends, denying anything.

The two of them gave up trying to get more information, they end up having a good small conversation and end up on the first carriage that will get them to the hall of the main administrative building near the palace. The silver pass recipients were so excited to be headed into the main administrative building, anxious about their result altogether.

“I’ve heard most of the failed ones came from the knight section.” Said one of the silver pass recipients inside the carriage.

Anne, David, and Darla were not engaging in their conversation, they have their own time to converse, and for now, they just want to listen.

“Well, it’s a given, knight positions were so easy to obtain, and probably they don’t have any high demand right now.” Said another silver pass recipient.

“Well, we do know who’s going to easily get the certificate right away.” The two of them laughed together, “Yes, lady Heirim of course, they need so many magic knights, and there were only two candidates this year for magic knights, they probably already gain their certification right now.”

It is not a secret anymore, magic knights are rare in the kingdom, every year only two or three people applied to become magic knights, and the truth, this time of year was the first time in seven years two people applied as certified magic knights. Their power in combat and also they’re adept in magica makes them powerful opponents in every battle, Anne knew right away that Heirim will get certified even if she never attended the exam, and she applaud her dedication to following the rule anyway.

She always thought, if only she wasn’t a vengeful girl, they could become a friend. Sadly, she knew that it will never be the case for both of them.

“Hey, we’re almost there, I was so nervous.” Said Darla to the other silver pass recipient.

“Yes, and thank goodness that the golden pass recipients don’t want to sit with the peasants, look at us, we practically could lay down inside this big carriage.” The gossiping silver pass recipient was joking about the golden pass that refused to go inside the carriage with them.

“They don’t want to get our poor and peasantness rubbed into their body.” Joking David makes the whole situation more ridiculous than before.

They have arrived at the administrative building, many bronze recipients already coming from all over the inn scattered at the capital. As usual, they look at the silver recipient with stinking eyes, full of envy of their fortunate times as the elevated recipient. Although they all are equal in the eyes of the judges.

“Let’s look for a table first, I heard they will be giving us some entertainment before the announcement.” Darla pull Anne and called David to follow them, all that she wants is to have fun before they begin to hear the announcement.

They settled on the corner table for four, in the middle section of the huge hall, everyone trying to sit on the good table at the front section, little that they know, the front section was always the place for the golden pass recipients. When the golden pass recipients come inside they glared at the people who took their seats.

“They are always being ridiculous, I mean, it wasn’t even being put out there that the front seat is for the golden pass recipient.” David was gruntling looking at the golden pass recipient that force themselves to grab the table at the front from the bronze recipient.

“Just let them be, when we get the job, we are equal with them anyway.” Said Darla to David with a slight giggle.

David suddenly have a wicked smile on his face, “Then you don’t know nothing, you know that if we get certified, we are then eligible for stars to gain rank later on,” With squinted eyes, he smirked directly at Darla, “Did you know that the golden pass always gets one more star than the silver and bronze pass?”

Anne and Darla gasped, they in fact never knew about this, “No! you’re joking.” Said the two girls at the same time.

“I am not,” David said with a grin on his face, “They have their noble’s privilege, after all, we are going to get one star from the five stars that we need to collect to gain the first rank, but the nobles will get one or two stars more.”

“That will be unfair to us! I mean I thought the judging process will be equal!” Darla was practically screaming, and almost all of the people near their tables turned their heads to see Darla.

David lock his hand on Darla immediately and hissed at his friend, “Shut up Darla! Now you make us more visible than before.”

“But David just thinks of it, they will gain rank faster than we are!” Said Darla to David.

Let out a sigh, Anne hold into her friend’s hand carefully, “Darla, it is given that the nobles always have their advantage, probably we should...” Suddenly Anne went quiet, her eyes captured a figure from afar, a figure that she thought will never be here, “I... I need to go, right now.”

Standing up from her seat, Anne left the room and follow the figure to the other rear alleyway, ignoring David and Darla who constantly called her name.