Of course, I never wished for my dad to push me up the ladder as I intend to pull myself to the top on my own. As such, I don’t like the people who are sitting up on that ladder just because of their parents. Weren’t government officials supposed to be those who help support the country? They should be ashamed of themselves for taking over that position, not through their own efforts. Oh, just as a reference, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are selected by his majesty himself, so that’s out of the question. Generally, it’s those who are from powerful families that are picked.

“Well, well. If that works out, you’ll be the supervisor to that punk Kyles. Wasn’t his rank the lowest among the accepted, and he was appointed as a chief?” asked Mother.

“That’s right. And he barely got in, because I helped him study. Thanks to him, I know a lot about the middle-rank exam.”

“H-hold on, Marina! You might be rushing into a decision here. You don’t have to be-”

My father hastily spoke out, to which I became curious over his objection and was going to ask why if it wasn’t for mother covering his mouth with her hand. Then she asked, “Oh, Marina. Then you must go ahead and begin studying! When is the exam?”

The last exam was earlier this year.. Oh. There are only two months left until the next one. That’s too short of a time to prepare, even if I consider myself smart.

“The one in two months will be the last one this year. I guess I should aim for the one next year then.”

“T-that’s right! Why don’t we try next year, hmm?” said Father hastily.

But my mother shook her head, and with a determined look on her face, said, “What are you talking about, Marina? You didn’t get my looks, but you did get that brilliant brain from me. I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of preparing for the upcoming exam. And you! Quit it, will you?”

‘Mother, that’s absurd. That’s impossible no matter how smart I am.’

The middle-rank exam was an entry point to become government officials for rich commoners and fallen nobles. As such, it is very crowded with people. You knew that really well, so why are you doing this to me? But also, what was going on with my father? It felt like he didn’t want me to become a government official. These questions appeared in my mind but eventually went away.

“Here, here. Let’s not waste any more time, shall we? Go ahead. Start now!” declared Mother.

Because my mother was pushing me to start, I had no time to ask my father why he was acting this way. Dammit. I guess I underestimated my mother.

“Oh, I should tell my brother that my daughter will become a government official in exactly two months and one week later. Hahaha!”

My mother was beyond imagination. If I don’t get accepted, then she’ll be behind my back, nagging for an entire year. So, I have to pass the exam this year.

“Marina, tell me if you need anything. Your mother will get whatever you need.”

“It’s alright, Mother. You can leave now. I should be preparing to move to the capital as a government official in two months.”

Mother laughed and dragged my father out of the room. I let out a sigh. My dear family didn’t even give me the time to sulk about my broken relationship. At least I felt my heart warming up to know that my family was on my side.

‘I thought I lost everything and alone, but I still have something left.’

What I had was a barrier called family. I once thought of them as a burden, but now they were my trusty supporters. I was a fool. Even if I felt betrayed by the relationship, I never should have thought my family was like Kyles. I should show them the best results to pay back their trust.

‘That’s right. Let’s try my best to study. I have people who believe in me, and I need to get revenge on that son of a b**ch, Kyles.’

Every time I felt like I was slacking off, I reminded myself of my anger toward Kyles to help motivate me to study harder. But that didn’t take too long. Since the beginning, I studied with revenge on my mind, but soon I forgot about that as I was too focused on studying. There wasn’t any room left in my brain to keep my hatred as I tried to cram a vast amount of information into it.

***

After two months of studying like crazy had passed, it was now the day of the exam. Currently, I was in the capital city of Constantia. I wasn’t nervous because I was ready for this. Still, I had to take a lukewarm herbal tea that was known to help me relax because my family insisted I take it. I was about to walk towards the main gate of the royal palace for the exam when someone stopped me. It was my mother who came with me to the capital.

“Marina, relax and do your best. Do it like there’s no tomorrow,” said Mother.

“..Yes, Mother.”

Just as I was about to take a step, my father stopped me this time around and added, “Just write down what you know carefully.”

My father tried to interrupt my studies discreetly, but in the end, he gave up at the sight of me studying so hard. After that, he acted as if he wasn’t a part of it until he became worried about me sleeping less and began cheering for me. A few days before the exam, my father an*lyzed the exam with me and gave me a lot of advice. Thanks to that, I wasn’t nervous at all and didn’t regret taking the exam today.

“Yes,” I replied.

Then, I began to walk awkwardly towards the gate and saw the guidance post to the examination site.?‘Oh, that’s the way. There’s still time left, so I should just follow that.’