The entrance ceremony of Gelly the On Academy began.

The gazes of nobles famous in politics and business focused on a man standing on the platform.

That man’s name… I don’t remember exactly as I only saw him at the entrance ceremony in my previous life, but he is the general director of this academy and the imperial finance minister who is said to be highly favored by the emperor.

“I am Deric, in charge of overseeing this academy. I look forward to working with you.”

Ah, right.

His name was Deric.

Deric began with his introduction and then explained what kind of education we would receive at the academy over the next six years and what items we would need for admission.

It was an extremely boring occasion for us, but the eyes of the noble parents were sparkling.

“I’ll end my explanation here, and once again, congratulations on your children’s admission to the academy.”

With those words, Deric disappeared amidst applause.

Next, a woman wearing glasses stepped onto the platform and began explaining the pre-entrance exam we were about to take.

“The exam you will take today will evaluate your level of knowledge.”

Tension spread across the faces of the incoming students at her words.

“Our academy manages students by dividing them into four levels. The higher the number, the higher the level of study, and students at level 4 will attend classes separately in the annex. And among them, those with the highest grades will be given the opportunity to work in the imperial palace with a recommendation letter from our academy director, Deric.”

Hearing those words, some students’ eyes lit up with excitement.

Since Gelly the On was the only direct connection from the academy to the imperial palace, the students’ shoulders seemed to rise with pride.

“Now, let’s move on to the entrance exam. You must leave all your belongings behind. All accessories must be removed, and you must change into the indoor shoes we designate.”

Some incoming students’ faces filled with dismay at those words.

Since Gelly the On’s exam was famously difficult, parents without children who had previously entered the academy often placed devices in accessories or shoes to help raise their children’s levels.

Gelly the On knew this fact and always required all accessories and shoes to be removed before the exam.

They even asked young ladies with high hairstyles to let their hair down.

But they couldn’t refuse the staff’s instructions.

Because this academy was Gelly the On.

Arriving at the exam hall in the auditorium filled with numerous desks and chairs, even I, who was confident about doing well, began to feel nervous under the pressure.

When the large clock in front placed at the front indicated exactly the hour, the exam began.

What I felt while solving the exam was that the difficulty level of these preliminary test questions was remarkably high.

I wasn’t wrong in my assessment, as people everywhere began to clutch their heads in despair and sigh.

And when the proctor announced that there were 10 minutes left in the exam, some children even started to cry.

Of course, I had the leisure to put down my pen about 15 minutes before the end of the exam after solving all the problems, and slowly look around the exam hall.

Leila was no different from the other children.

She had confidently turned the first page, but gradually her page-turning speed slowed down, and now she had put down her pen completely and was just staring intensely at the problems.

After the exam ended, dejected children left the exam hall.

But the difficulty of this exam was such that no one could feel like they “did well” after completing it.

If I had to describe it, it felt like an exam designed to distinguish geniuses from ordinary people.

“How was the exam?”

As soon as Father saw us after we finished the exam, he began asking about it.

When Leila shook her head with a gloomy expression, Father gently stroked her head to reassure her.

“It’s alright. You’ve only just started studying, so you can learn at the academy.”

Father offered words of comfort to Leila, who continued to look dejected, but her expression didn’t easily brighten.

“Rowenloa, how was the exam for you?”

Brother Rubert, standing next to Father, carefully approached me and asked cautiously.

“Well… I think I did not too badly?”

Brother Rubert looked surprised at my answer.

“Is it possible to do… not too badly on that exam?”

“I just said I didn’t do too badly, not that I did well. We’ll see when the results come out.”

Then Father, looking at Leila with tears hanging in her eyes, made a sweet proposal.

“Then today… shall we visit the imperial shopping district?”

Leila’s eyes sparkled at those words.

“The shopping district…?”

Until now, Father had strictly forbidden Leila from leaving the residence, citing safety concerns.

The coming-of-age ceremony was probably Leila’s first outing to the shopping district since entering the marquis’s family.

“Yes, I heard there’s a famous bakery. Eating sweet foods might help improve your mood.”

Leila nodded with upturned lips.

“Leila, Gelly the On’s preliminary exam is famously difficult. Even if you think you failed, you might unexpectedly get good results, so don’t worry too much.”

“That’s right! I thought I totally messed up, but I managed to avoid the bottom class!”

Right.

Bershua had cried loudly about failing the exam, but he got placed in level 3, and now at 22, he’s studying in a level 4 class.

Rembro got level 2, and after three years at the academy, he’s finally able to advance to level 3.

And Brother Rubert… being smart, he immediately got level 4.

Anyway, looking at it, that brother seems to have it all…?

In my previous life, I got level 3, and Leila got level 2.

Then I was promoted to level 4 the following year, while Leila graduated from the academy without ever setting foot in level 4.

This time, Leila would probably stop at level 2 if she does well.

So we visited the famous bakery in the empire, “Caramel Factory.”

As soon as we entered the store, a sweet smell wafted over us.

Oh….

Just the smell makes me feel better.

I stepped into the bakery with anticipation.

Father wanted to buy lots of bread and return home, but since Leila insisted on trying the bread right away, we decided to taste a few pieces in the bakery before leaving.

The bread was very, very sweet, but very, very delicious.

Hmm….

Eating such sweet bread and drinking sweet drinks makes my mouth feel too sweet….

If there were a tea that paired well with this bread, it could sell like hotcakes.

As I thought that, the bean tea I had been drinking consistently every morning came to mind.

That bean tea, slightly bitter and astringent but with a lovely aroma….

Wouldn’t it pair well with sweet foods?

In my mind, I imagined becoming a billionaire by selling bean tea that I ground myself and sweet bread after becoming independent from Masipacius.

Just thinking about it made me smile involuntarily, to the extent that I didn’t even notice my brothers looking at me with strange expressions from across the table.

Afterward, Leila and I returned to the residence, attended the classes we had missed, and could only fall asleep late at night.

* * *

A few days later, two letters arrived from the academy.

Mylene and Mollin brought the envelopes to us while we were having dinner, and Leila and I opened the letter envelopes with tense expressions to check the contents.

[Notice regarding test scores and assigned levels.]

As expected….

They’ve already finished grading—as expected of Gelly the On.

I closed my eyes and vigorously pulled the letter from the envelope.

Then, slightly opening my eyes….

[Congratulations, you have been assigned to level 4 class. You will attend separate classes in the annex next to the main building.]

A very pleasing phrase appeared.

With a satisfied expression, I proudly handed the letter to Brother Rubert, who was glancing at my results.

And Brother Rubert, receiving the letter, looked surprised.

“Level 4?”

His voice was a bit loud, causing people who had been focusing on Leila’s letter to turn their attention to me.

“Sister Rowenloa is… level 4?”

Leila looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

“Leila, what level are you? Since you took the same classes, did we get similar results?”

Hearing Rembro’s tactless words, Leila quietly put the letter back into the envelope as if embarrassed.

“Leila.”

When Father called Leila’s name, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

“I’m… level 2.”

Father breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.

And his reaction seemed to give Leila a feeling of disappointment or anxiety.

Leila’s face looked very gloomy after seeing Father sigh with relief.

“Yes, considering you’ve only just started studying, getting level 2 is a good result, so don’t be too discouraged. There are annual promotion exams, so you’ll be able to raise your level soon.”

Leila nodded at Father’s words.

“And Rowenloa, you did very well.”

At Father’s words, I opened my mouth while keeping my gaze fixed on Leila.

“It’s nothing special.”

Leila’s face crumpled significantly.

That face was quite a sight to behold.