The Betrayed Princess Rising (Lylah and Ezra) novel Chapter 324

Chapter 324

Lylah’s POV

Finished

“Eleven? What?” Professor Vale’s voice cracked through the hall like a thunderclap. “That’s impossible. There’s no way she outscored both of my students combined!”

The outburst rippled through the hall, but my attention shifted elsewhere.

Eldric had turned to Cora..

The look he gave her made something cold coil in my gut. I had never seen him look at his cherished daughter that way.

“She received eleven,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “And you are only four.” His gaze narrowed. “Explain that to me, Cora. You said your mentor praised your work. So what is this?”

“Lylah,” Professor Grimwood said, warmth and pride threading through his tone. “Well done.”

Then he turned, his expression hardening as he addressed the others. “My student chose humility. A rare trait, unlike those who were already celebrating before the results were even announced.”

A flicker of red flared across Eldric’s face, quickly twisting into something far uglier.

He strode to the podium, his presence pressing down on the chamber as he faced the judges.

“I demand the works be released,” he declared. “Let everyone see them. I will compare them myself.”

“No! Father-don’t!” Cora’s voice broke, sharp with panic.

“Darling, why not?” Daia hissed under her breath, fingers digging into Cora’s arm. “This will help you. Once they compare your work to hers, they’ll see the judges made a mistake.”

“Yes! Release them!”

The demand spread, voices stacking over one another until it became a chorus.

Andrei, after a brief pause, gave a single nod.

So be it.

I exhaled slowly, the last threads of my irritation settling into something colder. Detached.

I had no stake in what came next.

Turning away, I guided Professor Grimwood back to his seat. My senses brushed against the room-the uneven heartbeats, the restless shifting, the quiet hum of anticipation.

And Cora.

This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Proof. Validation. If she truly deserved higher marks, this would secure it. So why did she look like prey cornered under a hunter’s gaze?

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Chapter 324

“You’re thinking,” my mentor murmured, watching me closely. “Have you figured something out?”

I let my gaze drift back toward Cora, who stood unnaturally still beneath the mounting pressure.

Finished

“Yes,” I said quietly. A slow, knowing smile touched my lips. “I think I understand why she only received four marks.”

Cora’s POV

The moment Andrei began presenting our drafts, I knew this was where everything would unravel.

The screen flickered, casting a pale glow across the hall. Thane’s work appeared first, precise and neat, exactly what everyone expected of him. But I barely registered it.

Because mine was next.

And after that-

Lylah’s.

My stomach twisted violently. The words I had stolen from her would be laid bare for everyone to see. My anger dissolved, burned away by something colder.

Fear.

A primal instinct surged forward, wild and desperate.

Run.

The urge clawed at my insides, sharp and insistent. Run before they see. Run before they know.

But I couldn’t move.

I stood there, rooted, as my work appeared.

Line by line. Word by word. My gaze locked onto it, refusing to look away. But then-

No.

It was different. The structure was familiar. The ideas-yes, they echoed what I had taken. But the depth, the substance, wasn’t the same.

I traced the lines with mounting dread, my thoughts spiraling.

Why is it different?

“We’ve read and compared them!” someone shouted from the crowd. “Now it’s clear why Lylah scored higher. Hers is richer, her arguments far stronger!”

“Cora’s is correct,” another voice added, sharper. “But there’s nothing remarkable about it.”

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