The villainess will survive!

Part 55: Determination to win

Obviously, he was looked at with respect thanks to his new Earl status, given to him by the King.

Although the students participating in this competition usually come with their parents, mine had some business to do so they were absent. 

Although I'm half-sure that Roselyn's parents did participate here in the otome game, I can't really say for sure. 

Already, I could spot Ivy's loyal admirers. 

Ivy was a beauty, no doubt it. Her appearance looked very heavenly, and her personality seemed as pure as a baby lamb's. 

Obviously, Roselyn's face wasn't that much behind either. 

Except I was pictured more as a 'cruel beauty', with my strict and fine personality. 

I used to be the center of society thanks to my status and appearance, but lately Ivy has been nipping at my popularity. 

Although this wasn't a loss, but much more as a gain. 

Although Ivy should have dominated society completely by now, which was an improvement from the original story.

The thought of trying to find where Onii-sama was sitting crossed my mind, but somewhere within me I was too scared to. 

I took a deep sigh with the knowledge that being this irritated before starting a medical tournament would not buy me a win. 

I listened for the announcer to ring to bell that signified the beginning of a round, and walked in with resolution gleaming across my face. 

I stomped my heel on the ground hard enough to cut a hole through the grass beneath me as they rounded the participants on the field. 

Every one of us were determined to receive the best results and win, but the person I was facing was not any of them but Ivy. 

Although we may not cross paths throughout this tournament, we both knew that at least indirectly, we were opponents. 

                                                                      ***

The first part was quiet easy. It was a test on paper, with twenty-five questions in total. 

Although I witnessed many struggling and confused faces around me thanks to how much of trick questions they were, they were not much of an obstacle to me. 

As long as you found a pattern to this kind of stuff, you would know the answer immediately. 

My pencil skittered across the page with words trailing behind, not giving a single care for the world in this moment. 

"Lady Ivy! I ask that you keep your bird near you, so it doesn't distract other candidates!", I heard the supervisor say. 

I raised my head up towards the sky, and found the bird flying above the contestants. 

A feather dropped on my hair, and I threw it on the ground. 

Other contestants were surprised that I treated the feather like any other, since this was a magical animal's. 

Whether or not it was from a normal bird or a magical one's, the only thing I cared about was to dominate this tounament. 

And plus, I doubt that the bird really was a creature so pure and innocent, just like its owner was. 

However, I did find it strange that it was flying across our heads, but specifically mine. 

It did not go as close to my head than it did to other contestant's heads. 

I sighed, seeing that Ivy had barely filled in 3 questions up to now as she stood up to call her bird back. 

"Ria! Please don't bother Lady Roselyn and the other girls!" 

The others accepted this phrase as if it were a reasonable excuse for bothering us, and went back to their sheets. 

Ivy, she was definitely cheating. Probably even used her bird to spy on my answers. 

But this did not bother me. Luckily for her, I wasn't much of a person to call out on other people. 

And plus, who would believe that a magical animal in the flesh would help a saintly girl to cheat?

All I could do is focus on improving myself, and to be better than Ivy and the dirty tricks she used. 

Without looking back at Ivy and however she and her bird communicated, I slapped my pencil on the desk and stood up to submit my paper. 

We'll see if you can cheat on the second part of the tournament, Ivy. 

We'll see.