"Hum, Harold."
I turned toward Alicia who seemed hesitant to speak.
"What is it, Lady Alicia?" I asked, noting how she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts before speaking. "I noticed that you had left very quickly from the written exam... was it okay?" The concern in her voice was genuine, tinged with the kind of worry that suggested she'd been mulling over this question for some time. "I mean, you finished so fast that I wondered if perhaps..." She trailed off, but her meaning was clear enough.
It was understandable. Most students who finished examinations that quickly were either prodigies or had given up entirely. Given my previously empty academy records, she likely suspected the latter.
"I did what I could," I said simply.
Alicia studied my face for a moment, her head tilting slightly as if trying to read something in my expression. "You seem quite confident, Harold. Again."
