The classroom air buzzed with anticipation. The lesson had dragged on, students shifting restlessly in their seats, half-listening, half-dreaming of the lunch break. But the moment the teacher posed a question-one so intricate that even the brightest hesitated-the atmosphere shifted.

Silence.

The teacher sighed. "Anyone?"

Alicia Langford, ever the academic star, leaned forward slightly, preparing to speak.

But another voice cut through the quiet first.

"Two-thirds," Vaelis said, her tone smooth, effortless. "But the given solution method is redundant."

All heads turned.

The teacher blinked, caught off guard. "Elaborate."

Without hesitation, Vaelis stood, walking toward the board. The chalk moved in swift, confident strokes as she rewrote the equation in seconds.

"The standard approach is lengthy," she explained. "But if you use this derivation instead, you reach the answer in half the steps."

Another silence followed.

The teacher adjusted his glasses, nodding slowly. "That is... correct."

A ripple of murmurs spread across the room.

"She solved it just like that?"

"Even Alicia didn't get a chance."

Vaelis turned, meeting Alicia's gaze head-on. The other girl's smile was polite, but there was a tightness around her eyes.

"That was impressive," Alicia said. "But some of us prefer to follow proper methods."

Vaelis smiled, slow and deliberate. "Proper? Or inefficient?"

Alicia's fingers curled against the desk.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said lightly. "I was just pointing out that sometimes, taking shortcuts isn't always best."

"Only if you lack the ability to use them," Vaelis replied, tilting her head.

A murmur of suppressed laughter echoed through the room.

From beside her, Rowan let out a low whistle.

"Damn," he muttered, amusement lacing his voice. "I think I just witnessed murder."

Vaelis didn't acknowledge him. She didn't need to.

But she did notice the shift in Alicia's expression, the way her lips pressed together before she quickly masked it with another smile.

Across the room, Adrian remained unreadable, but his gaze lingered on her for just a second longer before he returned to his book.

Not that Vaelis cared. ---

Ignoring Adrian entirely, Vaelis turned away and walked back to her seat, her steps measured, unhurried. As she settled into her chair, Rowan leaned in slightly, his excitement barely contained.

"That was brutal," he mused, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. "You always this ruthless?"

Vaelis picked up her pen, poised to take notes. "Only when necessary."

Rowan chuckled. "I think I'm starting to like this seat more and more."

She didn't reply, her focus already drifting elsewhere.

As the class drew to a close, the afternoon light streamed through the tall windows, casting golden patterns across the wooden desks. The murmurs of students faded into the distance, but Vaelis remained composed, unbothered.

She had no interest in fleeting glances or whispered admiration.

Let them watch. Let them wonder.

She had far greater things to accomplish.

And this was only the beginning.