Irena hurriedly walked towards a room and opened the door. "Daddy!" she exclaimed.
Edward sat behind the table, working on some documents. Startled by Irena's sudden entrance, he adjusted his glasses and raised his eyebrows.
"Will you really let her join the royal academy?" Irena asked.
Edward looked at her, remaining silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and nodded.
"Do you know what that means?" he asked.
"Come here," he said, beckoning Irena towards him. Her eyes watered.
"Ire, Daddy is sorry," Edward said.
"But, Father," Irena replied, intertwining her fingers. "Your actions will make people think you're making her a duchess."
Edward smiled and patted her head. "Shh. Looks like Ire has studied a lot."
"Father, stop joking," Irena said.
"Alright," Edward replied, patting her shoulders. "Let her enjoy this one time. She won it herself. And don't worry, my only heir is you, Ire."
He hugged her, saying, "I won't forgive you, Erin."
The day of the Royal Academy's admission arrived. In the principal's office, Carlos, an old man with a long mustache, gazed out the window.
"This year, we have more students than expected," Carlos commented.
"Yes, sir," a man beside him replied. "Especially since, for the first time in history, all the heirs of the great dukedoms are present."
"Not to mention our prince," Carlos added.
"Well, let's make the difficulty level higher," Carlos said.
"Yes, sir," the man replied.
Everyone gathered in the hall. Outside, near the entrance of the Royal Academy of the Holy Kingdom, the road was bustling.
Erin, with a cold expression, entered the hall. She heard a big announcement:
"ALL KIDS, PLEASE CHECK YOUR RANK ON THE SCOREBOARD. IT'S THE RESULT OF YOUR WRITTEN TEST EXAM. STUDENTS BELOW RANK 150 WILL BE ELIMINATED."
The students rushed towards the scoreboard, some laughing and others crying.
"My rank is 120..." Erin mumbled, her focus diverted by the chatter around her.
"God, seriously, I barely made it," someone said.
"Who's rank 1, though?" another student asked.
"That's Eastern Duchy's great Prince, Prince Darcy," someone replied.
"Seriously? Maybe he bribed them?" a student joked.
A new announcement interrupted the chatter:
"NOW, THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED SUCCESSFULLY WILL HAVE TO TAKE A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION."
All eyes and ears focused on the announcement.
"ALL OF YOU, PLEASE PASS THROUGH THE DOOR IN FRONT OF YOU TO ENTER ANOTHER REALM."
The students proceeded through the door and found themselves in a vast forest.
Erin looked around, spotting an instructor with blond hair.
"Hi, students," he said. "From now on, I'll be taking charge of these tests. My name is Cathal. Nice to meet you."
"This test is called Capture Light. There are 150 of you here. To survive, you can kill, hunt, steal, or do anything necessary. You have two options: either survive without food until only 80 of you remain, or find the secret items that will automatically make you pass the test."
"But remember, don't harm nature. Don't pluck any fruit or anything from the trees," Cathal warned.
"That's unfair, Instructor! How can we kill our fellow friends?" a student protested.
"No worries, no one will die here. Those who are 'dead' will automatically fail the test and exit the realm," Cathal explained.
"Sir, what's the secret item? At least give us a clue?" a student asked.
"I've already given you all the clues," Cathal replied, smiling.
The students exchanged questioning glances.
"Your game starts now!" Cathal announced.