"Don't move a muscle..." Maid Petra said to herself as she sat across the First Young Lady of the Booker Manor in a carriage.

Maid Petra was the one who saw Teacher Walker fall down from the upper floor after being used as a punching bag by Lady Selena. After seeing such a gruesome scene, She was so terrified that she ran away. However, knowing that she was a witness to the incident, she reluctantly came back only to see Claire Walker being taken away in a stretcher and the Marquis and Teacher Ren holding their heads in distress. Before she could make sense of what was happening, Selena approached her and said, "Come with me..."

Maid Petra felt extreme panic and wanted to run away but seeing the state at which Claire Walker was taken away, she did not dare to run away. So she ended up in the carriage with Lady Selena.

Lady Selena stared blankly at the maid because she was in deep thought. However, Petra didn't know that and she felt as if she was a prey, being eyed by a ferocious wild animal. Petra felt like crying on the spot but feared that if she moved, Selena would might just eat her alive.

Petra looked at the maid sitting beside her. Selena had brought along two maids with her. One was Petra, and the other was a delicate-looking girl. Unlike Petra, who looked like she would drop dead from fright from Selena's stare, the other maid was blushing slightly with her head bowed down, as if stared by a lover.

'Huh? The hell's wrong with you, Gwen? Why are you blushing? That's the woman who beat up her teacher. Why the hell are you not scared? If you were a mouse, would you blush at the sight of an approaching Snake?' Maid Petra felt like tearing her own hair out due to frustration.

Unbeknownst to Maid Petra, Gwen was the same maid who spilled tea on Selena's Dress due to her clumsiness yesterday. Maid Gwen had also heard about Lady Selena's temperament and she was terrified about how would Selena punish her. She quickly kneeled down on all fours and apologized profusely. But contrary to what she expected, Selena picked her up quickly and said, "Forget about it. It's just a dress."

This froze Maid Gwen. She had always been a bit clumsy and she rarely took delicate jobs, but since the other maids were busy, she was tasked with bringing tea to Lady Selena. A Young Lady of any manor cares greatly about their appearances. It would have been normal for Gwen to receive several lashes and kicked out of the mansion for this. But surprisingly, Selena casually threw away her crime by saying, "It's just a dress..."

"You are hurt... Get the first aid kit." Selena spotted the injuries on Maid Gwen's knees when the latter kneeled down to apologize, unaware of the broken shards of the teacup beneath her. Selena quickly ordered another maid to bring in the first aid kit.

While the other maid was applying the medicine, Selena told Maid Gwen, "Next time, when you make a mistake, don't hurt yourself. Try to find a way to fix it. Who knows, maybe you will accomplish something you never expected to."

This made Maid Gwen almost cry. Like the whole country, she also knew about everything that happened to Selena at the Prince's Birthday party. It was obvious that Lady Selena was speaking from experience and it made Gwen realize how strong the young lady was to brave through it. This made Maid Gwen respect Lady Selena a whole another level, which is why she blushed after being stared at by her hero.

***

Unaware of the contrasting thought process of her two maids, Selena stared blankly at the front while having a discussion with Soul.

"So, can you do it?" Selena asked Soul via her thoughts.

"I think so, but I honestly don't know how much data I can save. This form of mine does not come with a manual." Soul replied.

"Which is why we are going to a library. If you can record all the books in there and tell me the answers during the exams, I would pass without hitch." Selena replied calmly.

The Reason Soul knew about Elder Miren's real birth date was because a couple of days ago, when Selena and Nicholas were being reprimanded by the Marquis for Baron Turner's incident, Soul browsed through the books in the Marquis's study and managed to record everything. Elder Miren's Birthdate happened to be written in one of those books.

Selena did not pay much attention to it back then, but today, after Claire Walker's incident, Selena realized about this ability of his and decided to test out his limits.

"This... Wouldn't that be cheating?" Soul asked.

"Technically, it is not cheating, since the information would be stored inside you and you are inside my head. So ergo, the information is also inside my head." Selena remarked nonchalantly.

"Wow, you should become a lawyer with that kind of thinking." Soul replied, shocked at Selena's shamelessness.

"The Aristocrat Exam is more than a mere test of knowledge. It is a test of a person's ability to survive the harsh Aristocrat world, and one of the ways to do that is to use every means at one's disposal." Selena replied, and then continued.

"Do you really think other Aristocrats play fair? They have always tried to tame the Exam Hall since getting a Grade above 90% would make one eligible to marry into Royalty. With such a sweet prize awaiting them, they have already tried to spy, threaten, bribe, or even destroy the exam hall. The only difference between them and me is that they failed and I have a good chance of success."

"Whatever allows you to sleep at night..." Soul replied without care, "So, are you planning on getting above 90%? I read the information about the exam in your head and it seems like a good deal."

"I am not sure yet..." Selena replied, "Frankly, the exam differs from time to time. Just having a sharp memory might not be sufficient. Honestly, I am okay with just getting Second Class. I rather not stand out after the incident of Claire Walker reaches the public. If I get a grade too high, they would definitely suspect me of cheating."

"AHA...!! So you admit that you would be cheating."

Selena "..."

"We have reached, My lady." The Coachman of Selena's Carriage sounded out.

Selena looked out the window to see the gates of a grand library.

'The Soaring Heaven Library'

It was one of the biggest and grandest libraries in the Capital. It was so exclusive that only Aristocrats bearing the Insignia of their Family could enter it. The Insignia was like an Identity Card of Aristocrats and their Families.

When the Carriage doors opened, an attendant standing near the gate rushed out to welcome the visiting party.

First, the guards that came along with Selena secured the perimeter and after their nod of approval, the two maids came out of the carriage and stood on both sides of the door facing it.

One of the maids looked cheerful while the other looked as if she just survived a punching match with a Tiger. The Attendant was a bit confused by the opposite reactions but did not show it on his face.

Selena came out of the carriage and stood in place waiting for the Attendant to approach her.

"Ugh... You people are so stiff. Don't you get tired by doing all these useless formalities?" Soul replied after seeing that. If he had a stomach, it would have churned at the sight.

"Good day, My Lady. How can the Soaring Heaven Library help you today?" The Attendant quickly approached Selena and bowed in respect.

"I wish to browse the books within your library. I hope I am not troubling you with my actions." Selena replied politely too.

"Not at all, please enter. Shall I guide you inside?"

"If it is not too much trouble..." Selena replied.

"UGGGHHHHH....." Soul felt stressed out after hearing the unnecessary sugar-filled polite conversation.

Since the library had its own guards and considering there were other Aristocrat children in the library, only one guard and two maids were allowed per person to enter the premises. However, only Aristocrats were allowed to be inside the library. So, the guard and maids would have to stand outside waiting for any orders their Aristocrat may have after entering the library.

As Selena along with the attendant, the two contrasting maids, and a middle-aged guard walked to the building of the Library, Soul spoke to Selena.

"Wow, there are a huge number of guards in the area. Not to mention, there are a lot of hidden ones too. This place must be a Gold Mine considering the Security here."

"It's normal..." Selena replied, "A lot of Aristocrats and their Children come to this library, and there is always a threat to them considering their social standings, hence the security."

"Oh, okay... That explains why they asked your guards to---- wait, do you hear a banshee screaming?"

"Banshee...?" Selena asked, but before she could ask more, the shrill voice of a woman could be heard as Selena approached the building.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CANNOT ENTER...?!"

Selena walked into the gate of the compound covering the building and saw a yellow dressed young lady standing akimbo in front of the door to the library screaming at the guard who stopped her from entering.

"Like I said my lady, I cannot allow you inside the building without seeing the Insignia of your Family." The guard replied with a stressed face. He was an old man with a wrinkled face but had a body that would put many youngsters to shame. Just one look at him and one can tell he was once a soldier who braved through countless battlefields and protected this country.

"Respect, man. It seems many retired soldiers of your country became guards for this place. The other guards also are pretty old but strong." Soul replied after seeing the experienced face of the old man.

"Humph...!! Don't you recognize my lady? She is the Second Young Lady of Marquis Reeves, Mila Reeves. How dare you stop her?" One of the maids beside Lady Mila spoke out in anger.

"Of course I recognize Lady Mila. But the rules are one cannot enter this building without the Insignia from their Family." The Guard replied resolutely. There was always a chance that someone could disguise as an Aristocrat to infiltrate the Library and the only way to tell them apart is the Insignia of the Aristocrat Family.

Of Course, the Insignia was itself a magic item. One cannot claim ownership of it by just holding it. It needs to resonate with a person's magic similar to the Magic Seal Bag. It only reacts to a certain person and the Insignias were made by the Royal Family whenever a child is born to an Aristocrat. Thus, no one has been able to hack or crack them. Since Selena can't use magic, hers is specially designed to react to a drop of her blood.

"...and like I said, I forgot it today. Do you think I am a spy or something?" Lady Mila spat out in anger.

"This... please excuse me for a second." The Attendant that came along with Selena quickly excused himself to extinguish the situation before him.

"My Lady, is there a problem?" The Attendant approached Lady Mila.

"Humph...!! Your lowly guard is not letting me inside the library. I demand you fire him...!!" Lady Mila demanded.

"Wow, how cocky is this girl? The guy's just doing his job for the safety of the other aristocrats." Soul thought. It was like a person who has never swum before, wanting to jump in the pool but was stopped by the Lifeguard. Only to get the ire of the person who the lifeguard protected.

"This... Guard Rhys, can you allow Lady Mila to enter? She was dropped here by the Marquis himself and I can attest to that." The Attendant quickly spoke with the Guard, known as Rhys.

"I am sorry. But rules are rules... I cannot allow anyone to enter the library who doesn't hold their Family's Insignia." Guard Rhys replied. However, before Lady Mila could retort, a haughty voice came from inside the library.

"Who dares to stop the young lady from entering this building...!!"

The Crowd looked towards the door to see a young man, possibly in his twenties come out of the Library.

"Assistant Manager Kevin..." The Attendant swiftly bowed.

But Asst. Manager Kevin ignored the bowing attendant and swiftly approached Lady Mila.

"Lady Mila, I am so sorry for the grievances you have incurred due to our incompetent staff... I hope you will forgive me for not training my men well." Kevin flattered Mila.

"Humph... I am willing to ignore this if you get rid of that guard for insulting me."

"Of Course... Of Course..." Kevin replied and turned to face Guard Rhys.

"Guard Rhys...!! Quickly bow down on all four and apologize to Lady Mila and maybe I will just give you a month's suspension."

The guard's face visibly frowned at that command. The hidden guards in the vicinity also frowned. However, considering their roles, they could not interfere.

"I... will not apologize for doing my job." Guard Rhys replied resolutely.

"So be it...!!" Kevin was angered, "You are fired...!! Guards, throw this bum out...!!"

"No need... I will leave by myself." Rhys put down the spear in his hand and started walking towards the gate. He walked upright proudly but his face showed despair on it. He spent his youth in the army, protecting his country. After 30 years of service, he retired with a pension. However, his Wife felt gravely ill recently and his children ignored them. His pension wasn't enough to pay the bills so he tried applying for a loan but was rejected due to his advanced age. He got the job of a guard with the help of a friend. But right now, he was being fired because he did his job. He was fired, by a youth who was not even half his age, just to flatter a young girl. Is this all a soldier who gave his country was entitled too? The feeling made him feel broken. He cast a glance at the fellow guards who also had the same expression as him. One of them wanted to stand up for him, but Rhys shook his head stopping the guard from helping him. That Guard also was in a similar circumstance and he could not do that to him.

As he was leaving, the voices of those two people sounded from behind.

"Humph... Good riddance. I hope this pleases you, my lady."

"Thank you, Sir Kevin. If it was not for you, I might have not been able to enter the library today due to this brute."

Rhys closed his eyes but before he could sigh out in pain, a cold voice came from his side.

"Hmmm... I wonder?"

The Cold voice was not loud but it managed to silence the chatting duo and they looked towards the source of the voice. It was a lady in a blue dress. She had a cold demeanor and it looked like she was talking to herself. Even Rhys who turned to look at the lady felt a slight fear despite being a soldier who braved numerous battlefields. While everyone was looking at Selena, Maid Gwen caught on to Lady Selena's hint and spoke.

"My Lady, is something bothering you?"

"Ah, It's nothing..." Selena replied as if she awoke from deep thought, and then continued.

"What's loyalty worth these days?" she asked herself.

"Eh?" The Crowd was surprised at the question. But before they could say anything, Maid Gwen asked.

"Loyalty? I am not sure My lady. Perhaps you can enlighten us."

Maid Gwen may be clumsy, but she had a good head on her shoulders. She played along with Selena and waited for her response and just as she hoped, her next words cleaved through the heart of everyone present.

"Apparently... it is only worth whatever's underneath a certain girl's yellow dress."

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