Chapter 2

Corisande's POV

In the corridors of Oakhaven Arcane Academy, Oriana was surrounded by a group of senior apprentices.

"Oriana, what do you think of this rank-ten runic formula?"

"As expected of the top student in our year! Amazing!"

Praise poured in from all sides. Yet Oriana’s gaze swept past the crowd, fixing dead on me with confusion and resentment.

She couldn't figure it out.

In our past life, when she had beauty, she arrogantly attached herself to wealthy playboys, skiving off classes, bullying others, and acting out, which ultimately led to her being isolated and despised by the entire school. She thought that was the curse of beauty.

Now, I was the one holding the "Pact of Charm." Yet I wasn't arrogant or flashy. I greeted everyone with a gentle smile and even helped commoner apprentices correct their incantation pronunciations. The girls who should have been jealous of me were instead offering me warm coffee.

Beauty was never a sin; stupidity and arrogance were.

"Hey! Corisande!"

An arrogant, harsh voice broke the peace of the corridor.

Jovyn Haleck, the youngest son of the wealthy Haleck merchant family, blocked my path with a few followers. Dressed in rich silk robes, his eyes burned with possessive intent.

"There's a top-tier crystal skiff racing event at the Astral-Coliseum tonight. Dress up pretty and come with me."

A collective gasp echoed around us. Jovyn had a violent temper and an overbearing personality; nobody in the academy dared defy him.

Standing nearby, Oriana curled her lips into a gloating sneer, waiting to watch me get humiliated by Jovyn.

I stopped, my expression calm. "I'm sorry, Jovyn. I have to return to my dorm tonight to review advanced runes."

Jovyn’s smile instantly froze, his face darkening dramatically. "What did you say? You actually dare to refuse me? Nobody in Brindleport dares disrespect Jovyn Haleck like this in public!"

A wave of intense magical pressure surged toward me.

I didn't confront him head-on.

I lowered my head slightly. Under the enhancement of the "Pact of Charm," my features shimmered with a captivating, delicate glow under the light. I sniffled, my eyes instantly welling with glistening tears, my voice trembling faintly:

"Jovyn... I’m just afraid my grades are too poor, that I won't be worthy of standing in front of everyone later... Please don't be angry... You're really scaring me."

The subtle empathetic effect of the Pact of Charm activated quietly at that moment.

Seeing my aggrieved and pitiable state, Jovyn’s raging anger was doused like ice water, vanishing in a second. A rare trace of fluster and panic even crossed his eyes.

"Uh... I-I didn't mean that!" Jovyn coughed, awkwardly pulling back his pressure, yelling with a lack of confidence, "Fine, fine! Stop crying! Acting like I bullied you or something. If you want to study, go study!"

"Thank you, Jovyn," I sniffled, offering a tearful smile before taking advantage of his momentary daze to walk away quickly.

Once away from everyone's sight, the fragile look on my face evaporated completely.

Beauty was a double-edged sword. Without sufficient strength, being overly high-profile only invited disaster. I would never be like the Oriana of my past life, willing to become a man's plaything.

Shaking off the crowd, I slipped into the long-deserted Rune-Vault Chamber.

It was quiet and empty here—a perfect sanctuary for focused cultivation.

I took a deep breath, opened the dense, ancient runic textbook, and began my long, tedious derivations.

Meanwhile, a scream erupted before the announcement board at Oakhaven Arcane Academy.

"Impossible! How could I be second?!"

Looking at the name ranked above hers, Oriana’s face turned green.

The Pact of Wisdom had indeed granted her superior mental energy and memory, but it couldn't do the tedious meditation and practical exercises for her. Over the past few days, she had been too busy showing off and indulging in praise among the noble circles, lacking the discipline to dive deep into academic work.

She ducked into the restroom, screaming inside her mind: "Why did I drop from first place?!"

"Damn it!" Oriana nearly smashed the mirror above the sink in rage.

I knew the truth about the Pact of Wisdom better than anyone. It gave you a head start, but it never did the heavy lifting for you. Talent without effort was just a fleeting spark.

Oriana was finally realizing it too. Terrified of losing her top rank and status, sheer panic forced Oriana to put in the work. She locked herself away and ground out late-night study sessions, gritting her teeth just to barely reclaim her spot at the top on the next test.

That evening, the atmosphere at the Thalyn family dinner table was suffocating.

Our father, Hastin Thalyn, slammed his fork onto the table, looking at Oriana with pride: "Oriana, as expected of my daughter! Though there was a small hiccup, you're still firmly at the top of the year!"

Our mother, Heltrude Thalyn, hurriedly cut a prime piece of steak for her, turning to glare at me with instant disgust and contempt.

"Look at you, Corisande!" Mother spat venomously. "Ranked ninety-second! Who are you showing off that face to every day? How utterly disgraceful!"