Chapter 84: Unexpected Forfeit

The moment Starlight opened the door to their dorm room, she barely had time to step inside before a hand shot out, grabbed her wrist, and hauled her into the room. She stumbled forward with a startled yelp, blinking in confusion as Elle quickly shut the door behind her.

"What on earth is wrong with you?" Starlight gasped at the exact same moment Elle demanded, "Where the hell have you been?" Her eyes widened as she took in Starlight’s damp hair and the faint scent of chlorine clinging to her.

"Wait... did you go swimming?" Before Starlight could answer, Elle waved the question away. "Actually, that’s not important right now. You are not going to believe what just happened!"

Starlight sighed heavily and headed toward her section of the wardrobe, grabbing a fresh set of clothes while absently toweling the excess water from her hair. Elle followed her so closely she looked like an overexcited puppy, practically vibrating with excitement.

"What is it this time?" Starlight asked, wringing out another strand of wet hair. "Ever since I came to this academy, something seems to happen almost every damn day. So what fresh disaster am I dealing with now?"

Ariel, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed, rolled her eyes. "Elle, at least let her change out of her wet swimsuit first."

"Not happening!" Elle protested immediately.

A snort came from above as Chloe peeked over the edge of the top bunk, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"I am going to explode if I don’t tell somebody!" Elle declared, her voice rising an octave as she shoved her phone directly into Starlight’s face. "Just take a look at this, Star. Princess Sera had just forfeited from the duel!"

Starlight glanced from Elle’s excited expression to the screen, then frowned when she saw the ranking page displayed.

"Uh... what exactly am I looking at?"

"Sera Selene forfeited the Ranking Duel Challenge!" Elle practically yelled, shaking the phone for emphasis. "Not only did she forfeit, she honored her promise and handed over her entire three-month voting allocation to you. Every Apex vote, point, and credit she accumulated over the last three months has been automatically transferred directly into your ranking account!"

"Is she crazy or something?" Starlight asked, struggling to process the absurd statement. "Why would she do that? She was the one who practically cornered me yesterday morning."

"I wouldn’t exactly call what happened yesterday cornering," Elle said, waving a dismissive hand. "But that’s not the point." She jabbed an excited finger toward the phone screen. "The point, Starlight, is that the vote transfer pushed you all the way to number one in the Apex Rankings. Number one. Do you realize how insane that is?"

Starlight’s eyes dropped to the apex ranking board, and her frown deepened. Sure enough, her name sat at the very top of the rankings, glowing prominently above every other student in the academy.

"This makes absolutely no sense," she muttered. "Why would that petty Umbra princess suddenly hand over three months of hard-earned votes?"

"Maybe she got terrified," Ariel suggested with a shrug. "After everything that happened yesterday with Prince Mikhail, she probably realized she didn’t stand a chance against you in an actual duel and decided to cut her losses before she got embarrassed publicly."

"Or maybe she thinks fighting you is pointless now," Chloe added with a knowing smirk. "Everybody has seen those pictures of Prince Mikhail carrying you across campus yesterday. I guarantee half the school already thinks you’re together. Nobody wants to start a war with the future Crown Princess."

"That’s basically the same thing Ariel said," Elle pointed out. "But you both might be right. If Princess Sera thinks Starlight is involved with Prince Mikhail, there’s no way she’d want to risk getting on his bad side."

"Are you all completely insane?" Starlight stared at her roommates in utter disbelief. "Mikhail and I are not together."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Elle said with a snort, her gaze returning to her phone. "You should see the comments under Princess Sera’s post. They are absolutely frying me."

"Give me that." Starlight snatched the phone from her hand, her brow furrowing even deeper as she began scrolling through the comments.

*****

Sera Selene

@seraselene_official · 10 minutes ago

Public Post

I am making this post today to address the events of yesterday morning and to offer a sincere, public apology to Starlight Dawson (@Starlight_Dawson).

When I saw that she had ranked above me yesterday, I was thoroughly stunned to find a human candidate ranked above me. As an heiress of the Umbra Clan, I allowed my pride, privilege, and personal prejudice to cloud my judgment. The truth is, I struggled to accept that someone outside our traditional inner circles could step into our space and claim such a position. That shock triggered a petty, emotional reaction, which pushed me into issuing a public duel challenge, a decision made out of wounded pride rather than honor or reason.

Looking back, I realize that my reaction was unfair and completely unnecessary. The Apex Rankings exist to measure true potential, grit, and merit. They belong to everyone, regardless of background, and my behavior yesterday completely went against what those rankings are meant to represent. I should never have allowed my narrow mindset to dictate how I treated a fellow student or diminish anyone else’s worth or status. Starlight earned her place through her own efforts, and I had no right to let my personal prejudice influence how I viewed her achievements or dictate how I treated her.

For that reason, I have decided to forfeit the Ranking Duel Challenge between Starlight Dawson and me. As I promised when I issued the challenge, I will also honor my commitment and transfer all three months of accumulated Apex votes, points, and credits from my account directly to Starlight’s ranking. I know an apology cannot erase the way I behaved yesterday, but I sincerely hope Starlight can accept it.

I would like to put this misunderstanding behind us and start afresh. Perhaps, if she is willing, we can even become friends someday. Miss Dawson, if you’re seeing this, I am truly sorry for the way I confronted you. I hope we can move past my foolishness and begin on better terms. I will be eagerly waiting for your response. Once again, my apologies to everyone affected by my actions. May the Moon Goddess bless you all.

— Sera Selene