"What's this?" Cecilia's voice lilted as she sauntered up to me, the picture of mischief wrapped in an Imperial princess's composure. Her smirk alone could ignite a diplomatic incident.
She leaned closer, crimson eyes gleaming with that maddening spark of hers. "Did I surprise you again?"
It was such a Cecilia thing to say. Casual, teasing, and utterly infuriating. I resisted the urge to groan. 'God, she's such a hassle,' I thought, forcing my expression into something neutral.
In the novel, this evaluation had been a spectacular disaster for Rachel and Cecilia. They had failed so colossally that their F grade became a running joke among the other students. But this wasn't the novel anymore. Somehow, their fractured dynamic had turned into an A+ performance. And from the look Cecilia was giving me, it wasn't just coincidence.
"Perhaps," I replied evenly, my gaze steady as hers sparkled with satisfaction.
