"Wait… what?"
The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
Noah was number three.
Not first.
Not second.
Third.
My eyes widened as the reality sank in.
Above him was Leo Velden, the Empire's third prince, at number two.
And in the coveted first place sat...Draven Lockwood.
Someone who had always been in the running for the top but never quite dethroned Noah—until now.
I stared at the list, disbelief swirling in my mind.
Noah, the infamously untouchable top student, had been knocked down.
For the first time, the academy's golden hierarchy had shifted.
My thoughts raced.
What had happened?
Was it that arrogance during the exam?
The way he'd wasted time, acting as if the questions were beneath him?
It was infuriating to think that someone as brilliant as Noah could squander his talent like that.
But then again, maybe this was what he deserved.
