CHAPTER SIX: OF THE CROWN, THE COURT AND THE BOMB
RIYEE'S POV
The Sovereign Court gleamed under its usual clinical lighting, but today it buzzed like a pre-war bunker.
Total disaster. That's the only way to describe Supreme Allievo Academy right now.
The surprise written examination? Over.
Today? Results day.
Not a big deal for me—or any of the Ardent Court members, really. But for the rest of the student body? Oh, it's everything.
Supreme Allievo is the Nation's Academic Crown Jewel. The school everyone worships for its brilliance. The academy that headlines national rankings, wins every competition, produces icons.
That's why the word exam sends them into collective cardiac arrest.
They're supposed to be Celestine's academic rival.
But the truth? We don't compete with them. We don't have to. We already know who's better. We built the pedestal they're standing on. We let them shine. We let them wear the crown.
Celestine Ardent Academy and Supreme Allievo Academy are school rivals in the public eye. The news of me and Xythe transferring? It set the entire academic board ablaze.
Celestine pretended to panic. But honestly? Didn't matter. Well... kinda mattered. They didn't remove their jurisdiction over the both of us—classic Celestine. But when it came to the academic excellence they always bragged about? Not a problem.
Because in reality, Celestine Ardent Academy is the standard. We make the exams. We never chase rankings. We are already at the top. SAA gets to shine, and we stay behind the shadows.
When I transferred here, I already knew what I would do: blend in. Pretend to be a normal transfer student, avoid the spotlight.
But the Annoying President didn't let that happen. Then Xythe transferred. Then all the Ardent Court members followed through the Sovereign-Ardent Alliance Program. Now? We're here, playing the rebellious students who don't bend to rules.
And today? We decided to blend in. Well... not really blend. More like... we hijacked the spotlight the Vice President used to have.
The bulletin board gleamed with golden ranking numbers:
Rank 1: Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara
Rank 2: Khaizer Dylan Dela Vega
Rank 3:Arielle Rylance Del Rio
Rank 4: Lyle Raizen Soriano
Rank 5: Alexandria Marie Fernandez
Rank 6: Kenzell Ynnah Montez
Rank 7: Saichel Andreau Levesque
Rank 8: Tristan Angelo Ramirez III
Rank 9: Cristofer Anthony Cruz
Rank 10: Sebastian Michaelis Santos
Rank 11: Bianca Andessa Madriaga
Silence. Complete silence.
Gasps. Mutters. Eyebrows shot up so fast they almost left their faces.
Bianchi's jaw clenched so tight I half-expected her teeth to shatter. Every calculated smile, every whispered complaint, every hope for supremacy—it all froze midair like someone had hit pause.
And there we were, the Ardent Court, barely hiding smirks behind perfectly composed masks. We didn't need to say a word. The message was crystal clear: We set the rules. We play the game. And yes... we already won.
"This is impossible," she hissed, glaring at me.
We didn't flinch. Saichel raised an eyebrow, Lyle folded his arms, smirking like he was enjoying a private joke. This wasn't war—it was checkmate.
Their plan worked.
They wanted to provoke Bianchi. To see what she'd do if her precious rank took a nosedive. Every twitch, every glare, every tightened jaw was exactly what they'd been waiting for.
YOU ARE READING
OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)
Teen Fiction✧ STRINGS BETWEEN US ✧ Book Two: Operation Winterspine by miszywitch She thought she buried the war with her title. But some crowns aren't laid down--they're reactivated Arielle Rylance Del Rio walked away from the Ardent Court, from the strategist...
