CHAPTER 166: _ RESULTS ARE IN

The results are in.

The tension in the auditorium is like static. Hell, it’s not just like any, but one thick enough to taste. Heidi can practically feel the nervous energy vibrating through the air as she stands in the front row beside Val, Andre, and the boy from Sector Two—the one who talks to plants and once cried over a trampled tulip. The crowd behind them murmurs in restless waves, the kind of anticipation that feels less like celebration and more like a storm brewing over something unfair waiting to happen.

She tries to steady her breathing, clasping her clammy hands together in front of her skirt. Her pulse is out of rhythm. Her wolf hisses in her mind, "You look like you’re about to pass out."

"I might," Heidi mutters through a smile that’s about as stable as a newborn deer. "If this doesn’t go the way it should."

The Headmaster rises slowly. How he manages to be so dramatic with such a sluggish motion will faze Heidi for the days to come. He brushes something off his jacket like he’s about to announce the next royal heir. The man loves theatrics; Heidi can see it in the way his fingers linger over the sealed envelope in his hand. The cameras flash from somewhere in the back of the room because of course, this is the highlight of the month, not the one hundred students who were thrown into a demon-infested labyrinth where only fourteen survived.

Fifteen... yes. Heidi refuses to exclude Junie’s name from the list of survivors. She just needs a position that would permit her a way to get a fairy who would help open another portal.

Headmaster Halric clears his throat, the lapel fixed on his collar amplifying his voice through the room. "For the Top Male of the Year One class..." He pauses, holding the words as he basks in the collective breath being held by every poor soul here. "...the title goes to—Andre Vega."

Sharp and thunderous applause erupts. Andre flashes his signature grin, that cocky half-smirk that probably made half the female dorm faint at least once. It was during the striker game that he looked helpless. Ever since then, Heidi has come to find how confident and strong he can be. Well, maybe it’s increased ever since he discovered how important he is.

He steps forward, giving a dramatic bow that earns him a few playful whistles from the audience.

Heidi claps along, even as a weird knot tightens in her stomach. She likes Andre... to a stretch at least. He’s bossy, determined, and too charming for his own good, but he fought hard in the labyrinth. He deserves this one.

But then—then... It’s time for the female category.

"And now..." Ms. Vesper steps up, looking like she was carved out of precision and cold logic. Her sharp eyes sweep the room, resting briefly on Heidi before moving on. "...for the Top Female of the Year One class."

The silence that follows feels heavier than the air before a thunderstorm. Heidi’s heart drums in her chest. Val’s fingers twitch at her side. Helena and Jia are practically holding their breaths two rows back.

Ms. Vesper glances at the paper in her hand. "The title goes to..."

There’s a pause, the kind of pause that could end lives.

"...Valentina Cruz."

Val’s real last name might be Duarte, but Cruz is her Duskwind family name.

For a moment, Heidi doesn’t process the announcement. There’s just the sound of clapping. Even the applause is loud, surprised, and uneven, and her brain goes utterly blank.

Val wins.

Her latest BFF wins.

Heidi blinks, then blinks again, like maybe she misheard. Val’s mouth drops open too, clearly shocked. The girl looks like someone just handed her the moon and said, ’Here, hold this.’

The crowd starts murmuring, confused. Even Helena and Jia exchange glances of disbelief. One of the Moon Blessed at the back, who is a tall boy with white streaks in his hair whispers, "What? No way. Heidi should’ve taken it."

Heidi hears it. She hears all of it.

Her stomach turns cold.

She loves Val. She truly does, but that doesn’t stop the sting from slicing through her chest like a serrated blade. Because she knows, knows, she earned it. She fought like hell in that labyrinth. She bled, led, and made the impossible possible. Val was brave, yes, but Heidi had been the one standing between life and death, rallying them when everyone else panicked.

Her wolf stays silent at first, maybe sensing that one wrong word could make Heidi lose it entirely.

Then Headmaster Halric smiles his political smile again, raising his hands for silence. "Before we proceed, I believe it’s fair to clarify the voting outcome."

The murmurs die down instantly. Heidi feels every gaze in the room fix on her.

Yes, they’d better tell her what the hell is going on.

"From the votes of your peers. Heidi Castell received the highest number which totals eight to two against Valentina Cruz."

The words crash over Heidi like cold water. Gasps ripple through the room. Heidi freezes, gawking at the Headmaster as if he just started speaking in tongues.

Eight to two. She... won?

Then why...

"However," Halric continues with a professionalism Heidi has come to see as false, "as per academy tradition, the final decision also factors in the votes of the teaching panel. And after careful consideration, the faculty has decided to award the title of Top Female to Valentina Cruz. I don’t want you all to perceive this as unfairness as there is a reason behind this. A reason Ms. Castell can’t be placed in such an honorable position. A reason you will all come to know as soon as possible as the school finishes judging."

A silence falls so thick that it feels like the air has turned to syrup. Heidi doesn’t move. She can’t. Her mind goes blank, then lights on fire.

They—what?

There’s a reason why? Why the hell is the bloody headmaster phrasing this like she’s just killed a person?