Jealousy & Unpredictability

"Fifth in her class and eighty-first in the national rankings, Helena Troy," Nathania said with a slight smile, her gaze fixed on a girl with long blonde hair and captivating blue eyes seated at the center of the row.

"Wow! As expected from the daughter of the owner of the largest pharmaceutical company in the eastern region, the Troy family To achieve such a national ranking is truly impressive! Someone exclaimed, offering a compliment.

"You're absolutely right! Helena's intelligence and brilliance are beyond compare," several classmates chimed in, their voices filled with pride and admiration.

Meanwhile, Helena, who had overheard the praise, couldn't help but smile with pride.

She exuded an air of grace akin to that of a princess.

Her eyes unconsciously drifted toward Aether, hoping to gauge his reaction.

Unfortunately, Aether maintained an indifferent expression, seemingly unaware of the conversation.

"Humph! How can he remain so indifferent after hearing all this?" Helena felt a pang of sadness, and her achievement seemed slightly less meaningful in the face of Aether's indifference.

The reason was simple: Helena was in love with Aether, and this had been the case for a long time.

However, he had never once acknowledged her feelings or even glanced in her direction.

Even though Helena enjoyed a prestigious status as the daughter of the Troy family, who were not only a prominent family but also owned the largest pharmaceutical company in the entire eastern land, Aether remained seemingly impervious to her charms.

One could easily imagine that, as the heiress of the Troy family, Helena had no shortage of suitors and prospective spouses.

In a world where death could strike at any moment due to Martian attacks with their formidable Genesis robots, the Troy family continued to thrive thanks to their pharmaceutical prowess.

Yet Helena's eyes and heart were already devoted to someone else—Aether.

The problem was that Aether consistently ignored her, always focusing his attention on Arshley, a fact that left her feeling somewhat infuriated.

"How can I fail to capture your attention, Aether?" Frustration welled up inside her, and an unwitting seed of resentment began to take root in her heart.

Without realizing it, Nathania redirected her gaze to her papers and smiled.

"In fourth place and fifty-ninth in the national rankings, we have Frederic," Nathania announced, shifting her attention to a man with glasses and meticulously combed hair.

"As expected of Frederic! He consistently ranks fourth in our class and nationally!" Several classmates praised Frederic's achievements.

However, Frederic himself wore a dissatisfied frown and occasionally stole glances at the ever-indifferent Aether.

"Damn it! Am I destined to never surpass him in this lifetime?" Frederic bit his lower lip in despair, bowing his head in dejection, as he had never managed to outperform Aether.

Nathania smiled faintly, recognizing his frustration, but she understood that this was all about talent and ability, matters beyond her control as a teacher.

With that, she resumed her task of reading the rankings.

"Third in our class and tenth nationally, Neil Van!" Nathania announced, and all eyes in the classroom turned to Neil, who wore a gentle smile, prompting admiration from his peers.

"Unbelievable! Tenth in the entire national?! The shock and disbelief in the room were palpable.

Neil had consistently occupied the tenth spot within the class for years, leading many to believe it was his fixed position.

However, this new class and national ranking had everyone reevaluating their assumptions.

It became apparent that Neil had been holding back his true abilities!

Under the scrutiny of his classmates, Neil merely smiled and casually waved his hand.

"Oh, it's nothing to be too impressed about. No need for such amazement." His response caused a collective eye roll in the class, with many perceiving him as overly pretentious and subtly arrogant!

Meanwhile, Ethan, who had overheard the conversation, gasped in astonishment, causing the potato chips he had been munching on to tumble to the floor.

His eyes darted from the paper on Nathania's hand to Neil, who continued to smile as if he had anticipated this reaction.

Recognizing his friend's peculiar reaction, Neil let out a sigh and rose from his seat.

He gently patted Ethan's shoulder.

"No need to be disheartened, my friend. This turn of events was quite unexpected, you see," Neil said with a hint of helplessness, as though his third-place class ranking and national ten recognition ranking were mere accidents.

This only seemed to irk Ethan further.

"Seriously?! Still putting on an act?!" Ethan withdrew from Neil's touch, turning around in frustration.

He picked up the potato chips that had fallen to the floor and ate them with apparent indifference to their cleanliness.

"Oh? Who gave you permission to eat, student Ethan?" Nathania's stern voice suddenly echoed through the room, causing Ethan to freeze in shock.

The potato chips slipped from his grasp once again.

He slowly looked up at Nathania, who wore a chilly smile.

"Well, well, I apologize." Ethan mumbled and smiled, scratching his head in embarrassment as he put away the potato chips.

This prompted another round of laughter from the entire class, and this time, Ethan couldn't help but feel embarrassed himself.

"Are you finally serious about the exam this time?" Aether, who had remained silent until now, looked up and teased Neil.

In response, Neil turned his gaze toward Aether and smiled.

"Of course, I put in my best effort, but it seems I still fell short this time." His words held a subtle undertone directed at Aether.

However, Aether merely chuckled and brushed off his comment.

Without delay, Nathania refocused her attention on the paper in her hand and continued with the rankings.

"Next, we have second place in the class and third place nationally: Arshley Frey!"

Nathania's eyes landed on Arshley, seated at the front, and she smiled with pride.

"Congratulations, Arshley!" Nathania offered her warm congratulations.

Instantly, all the students turned their gazes toward Arshley, their admiration for her undeniable.

"As expected of our most beautiful goddesses!"

"That's right! Our goddess is truly amazing!" Enthusiastic praise poured from the male students, while the female students, despite some feelings of envy and jealousy, joined in the acclaim.

Arshley, upon hearing the compliments, remained unperturbed.

She cast a happy smile in Aether's direction, as if asking, "How did I do? Was I impressive?"

Seeing Arshley's proud expression, Aether, who had previously been aloof and indifferent, responded with a warm smile and a subtle nod.

Several women who happened to witness this blushed and occasionally stole glances at his charming smile.

However, one person watched this scene with intense jealousy—Helena.

"Why... Why don't you smile when I achieve something? Am I lacking compared to her?" Helena's gaze bore into Aether in irritation as she bit her lip.

Then she turned her gaze toward Arshley, her eyes filled with resentment.

Nathania nodded and smiled at the various reactions from the students before returning her attention to the paper in her hand.

"Now, it's time to announce the top-ranked student..."