Novel Palace
Chapter 64
Chapter 64
After telling Frankie her score, Cordelia texted Mr. All–Round, I scored 298‘
Mr. All–Round replied almost instantly, ‘Awesome.”
A small smile crept onto Cordelia’s lips.
Ever since he scores went public, her classmates swarmed her with compliments and genuine well– wishes, each praise as varied as the next. But Cordelia remained indifferent to it all. Yet, a simple awesome from Mr. Ali–Round sparked a flicker of joy in her heart.
If the top dog thought she was awesome, she probably was.
Later, in the Midnight Scent, after responding to Cordelia’s text, Everard opened up the Math Forum. He intended to browse through the praises for young prodigies but stumbled upon a post instead. “My ship is sailing! Serving up sweetness online, Keen and Cordelia tied for first place with an out–of–this–world score of 298.”
Comments flooded in, everyone binging on the sweetness. There were even fanfic snippets of their saccharine moments –
[Cordelia and Keen found themselves frequently debating one peculiar future concern: whose surname would their future children use? That’s why they put a bet before their exams: the winner’s surname would be passed down!
Envious of Cordelia’s beauty, someone manipulated events to ensure she entered the exam hall a half–hour
late.
Tears welled up in Cordelia’s eyes in frustration and disappointment. She thought to herself, “Pity, now our future kids are going to carry Keen’s last name!” After the first test, a regretful Keen approached her, trying to placate her, “Sweetheart, I can give you a half–hour head start in the second test, okay? Just stop crying now.”
When the results were released, a surprising turn of events: both of them ranked first with equal scores! So
they made an agreement; they would have two children, one carrying the father surname and the other, the
mother’s.
Later, when asked why they didn’t score full marks, Keen sighed saying, “If I didn’t let her beat me by two points, our child carrying my surname would’ve made her cry. What could I have done?”
Cordelia added, “If our child carried my surname, it would be a blow to his ego. So, I decided to go easy on him and let him ahead by two points.]
Moreover, the fanfic snippet scored over a thousand likes.
The top comment, shockingly, came from Keen Himself, “See you at the Mathematics Olympiad.”
Below his comment was a chorus of screams, “Ahhh, it’s confirmed! I’m crying over the sweetness of their love!” Everard, bemused by the intensity of the fandom, his eyes glinting with amusement, muttered, “Kids these days, huh?”
Keen? He remembered this little boy/
Two minutes later, the post vanished into thin air.
Five minutes later, a new post appeared in the forum, “Genius Cordelia herself said she’d die without her boyfriend and her heart aches without him.”
He gave the post a like and then looked up at Calvert, “Buy two thousand more.”
Calvert was at a loss for words.
Who was it that said they wouldn’t stoop to a kid’s level?
After the third period.
Cordelia checked her phone and noticed a new message.
Mr. All–Round said, ‘I think you can do better.
Because of the two points she lost?
The big fish always knew best.
Cordelia straightened up, replying with all seriousness, Til work harder Next Mathematics Olympiad, fin going for a perfect score.”
The Mathematics Olympiad, a fierce national competition where ranking in the top sixty could land you a spot at either Superiority College or Top Crest Academy, with a chance to join the national team and compete internationally.
It had been years since their country took home a gold medal internationally.
Suddenly, Cordelia felt a renewed hunger for knowledge. She set aside her phone, grabbed her math problems, and dug in.
The quest for knowledge never ended.
Merry, sitting in front of her, was about to share some juicy gossip with Cordelia but stopped, seeing the studious girl engrossed in problem–solving.
Merry couldn’t bring herself to interrupt and instead took a photo of Cordelia at work, posting it to the Flame Union group chat, “Lia’s been on fire since she got first. Instead of slacking, she’s doubling down. Honestly, as her desk mate, I feel the pressure. Somehow, the kid in me who never liked studying is itching to hit the books.” Flame No. 1 said, ‘Her picture makes this video game feel a whole lot less fun.
Flame No. 2 added, ‘Her picture makes this fried chicken taste a whole lot less delicious.‘
In class 8.
After posting, Flame No. 1 turned around to share the group’s collective madness with Yates, the usual back–row snoozer. But to his shock, Yates was buried in a book.
Flame No. 1 was stunned, “Yates?” Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
Yates, irked, glanced up, running a hand through his fiery hair, “Damn! This problem’s a beast. You got any clue?”
Flame No. 1 was at a loss for words.
Yates tossed the book aside, his brow furrowed, “Forget it. If I can’t crack it, you’ve got no chance. Guess I’ll ask Lia after school.”
Back in the Math Forums, alongside the fangirling posts, an unexpected thread caught fire in the afternoon.
StarJuli said, “Funny how some think they’re all that after acing a test. Today, someone actually asked the teacher if Superiority College or Top Crest Academy had called to offer her a scholarship.
Sure, this is the National League, but it’s still just a state–level contest. Not even Keen asked such an arrogant question. Why should Superiority College or Top Crest Academy make an exception for Cordelia?”
Beneath, the thread quickly filled with bitter comments.
“Cordelia comes from the countryside. It is normal to don’t understand the rules. After all, not everyone can take the test first?”
“Cordelia is so self–aware? Although I think she will get good grades on the Mathematics Olympiad, she is so arrogant now and I don’t like her.”
“Be low–key, Cordelia! The ardent embarrassment from Keen.”
11:18
Merry slammed her locker shut with a huff that echoed down the corridor. The last bell had trilled its release, and she was still fuming from the online jab that had spread like wildfire through the school. Her fingers itched to hurl her phone against the wall, but instead, she tightened her grip and spun around to face her
classmates.
“Which one of you keyboard warriors went off blabbing on the forum, huh?” she barked, her voice slicing through the post–class chatter.
The morning’s incident had been a private affair among the honors students, a secret that should have remained within the four walls of their elite classroom. Yet, as quickly as a spilled milkshake spreads across a diner counter, the gossip had found its way onto the school forum.
Merry suspected it was an inside job, one of their classmates stirring the pot.
Her outburst caused a flurry of activity as phones were yanked from pockets and bags, fingers swiping frantically to pull up the infamous post.
Some read in silence, others couldn’t help but chime in with their two cents.
“It’s the truth, Merry. Are we supposed to censor the truth now?” sneered a voice from the back, dripping with
sarcasm.
Merry flushed her cheeks. “The ‘truth“?” she spat out, “It was Latham who offered Lia the fast–track to college, and all she did was ask if Superiority College was on the table. How does that translate to Lia demanding a spot at Superiority or Top Crest Academy? Aren’t you twisting words much?”
Before the instigator could retort, Cordelia’s phone buzzed insistently. She glanced down to find an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen, the area code pointing to Ontoky City.