57 No Man Can Do More, and They Are Entitled To No Less.

It took a few minutes before Cynthia stopped crying. During that time, poor little Kate was drenched in snot and tears. After the older woman regained her composure, she properly apologized for what she did to Kate.

Her apology was so moving that even Stella wished that she had some popcorn, while watching the drama unfold. Kate, on the other hand, was having a hard time to keep her face straight.

"You see, I started teaching in this school five years ago…"

Kate lightly coughed to prevent the older lady from telling her life story. First she was not in the mood, second she was not interested. What she wanted to know was why the proctor was looking at her as if she was the Messiah who came down to the world to save humanity.

"Ma'am, why are you looking for me?" Kate asked. "Didn't you tell me that you would lose your job if you left the examination room during the exam?"

Cynthia choked on her words and bit her lip. After seeing Kate and crying her heart out, she completely forgot the reason why she was looking for her.

"Please come back with me to the examination room," Cynthia said with resignation. "The School Dean is looking for you. I don't know the reason, but it must be something important."

'Oh no! Did I get in trouble because I was late?' Kate felt anxious. Why would the School Dean of the academy look for her?

Stella analyzed Cynthia's words and frowned. She knew that the School Dean wouldn't bother with someone as insignificant as them. Was it Ciel's chess mentor, Charles? Stella rejected this idea.

Charles wouldn't interfere in her taking the exams nor would he extend his hands to help her. After all, everyone was thinking that Kate was currently taking the exams. They would not go out of their way to bother her while taking the tests.

'Then what was the reason?' Stella muttered within their shared mindscape. 'Don't tell me…'

She thought of a possibility, but the chances of that happening was so miniscule that she rejected the idea as soon as it popped up inside her head.

[For now go with her,] Stella advised. [We won't lose anything at this point in time.]

'You're right.'

Kate raised her head and looked at Cynthia's eyes. She could see anxiousness, guilt, and fear in her eyes. Stella was right, they are not going to lose anything by following her.

"Ok," Kate nodded her head. "I will come with you."

Cynthia grasped Kate's hand with both hands. "Thank you! Now, please, let's hurry. The duration of the exam is halfway finished."

The two ran as fast as they possibly could. Cynthia wasn't used to running so she lagged behind Kate, but she never stopped running. Now that there was the possibility of redemption, she would not let go of this chance. Cynthia prayed. Although she was not a religious person and only went to church once a month, she prayed that the Dean would show mercy on her.

The garden was not that far from the Edelweiss building, so they reached it after a five-minute run. Kate felt uncomfortable because her dress was drenched in sweat, snot, and tears, but she endured. If there was an opportunity to take the exam within the remaining time, she would take it.

Cynthia knocked on the door and waited patiently. Kate stood by her side in curiosity. The younger girl was looking forward to meeting the Dean of Saint Claire Academy. They didn't have to wait for long because the door opened a few seconds after Cynthia knocked on it.

Noah saw Cynthia's disheveled state but paid her no attention. His gaze landed on the young girl beside her. The girl's dress was a mess, her hair was a mess, even her expression was a mess.

Noah frowned, but knew that now was not the time for nonsense. His gaze softened a bit and spoke in a gentle manner.

"Do you still want to take the exam?"

"Yes, Professor."

"I want to talk to you, but that can wait until you finish taking the exam." Noah went to the table and motioned for Kate to follow him. He then personally handed her a test paper and an answer sheet. "Take your seat. You don't have much time remaining."

Kate nodded her head with a smile and hurried to her seat. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She repeated the process until her nerves calmed down. When she opened her eyes, there was a determination in them that made Noah nod his head in appreciation.

'This girl is not half bad,' Noah thought. The Dean looked at his wrist watch to check the time. 'She only has an hour and fifteen minutes to finish three exams…'

Although the time was not on her side, Noah noticed that Kate wasn't anxious. Her calm demeanor and the steady movement of her pencil, as she answered the test questions, raised the Dean's impression of her by a notch.

'The ability to stay calm amidst difficulties is praise worthy,' Noah praised Kate in his mind. 'I like this girl. If she passes the exam, I'll bring her under my wing.'

Kate was unaware of the Dean's thoughts because her concentration was focused on the answer sheet in front of her. True to her word, Stella didn't help her and just watched from the side. Although a few of Kate's answers were wrong, she didn't correct her.

Stella didn't know that Kate fell into a trance. In her current state, time seemed to flow slowly. The knowledge she gained through her studies came pouring out to her as she answered the questions one by one.

Thirty minutes passed and she finished answering the English Proficiency Test. Kate was about to stand up to submit her paper when another test questionnaire appeared in her vision.

"Here, take it," Cynthia said as she took Kate's finished answer sheet from her hand. "You still have forty five minutes. Goodluck."

Kate nodded her head and immediately started answering her test questions. Cynthia watched her with a complicated expression. She never thought that she would say "Goodluck" to someone she had barred from taking the test. The irony made her feel guilty. The feeling of guilt which she thought she had lost long ago had returned .

'It took her thirty minutes to answer the English Proficiency test. It seems that forty five minutes is not enough to answer the Science and Math test,' Noah thought as he propped his chin using the back of his intertwined hands.

He was currently debating whether he should open the backdoor for Kate. This was the reward he had in mind in the case Kate didn't pass the exam. It may be underhanded, but he didn't care. Noah didn't want to be indebted to anyone.

It was only twenty minutes since Kate started her second test when she stood up from her seat to hand over her answer sheet. Cynthia and Noah were both surprised, but they quickly regained their composure. They thought that Kate was just answering blindly due to the limited time she had.

Kate took the final Math test with twenty five minutes remaining in the exam. Her pencil danced on the answer sheet as she solved formula after formula. Noah and Cynthia heard the subtle sounds of a pencil striking paper. At first they didn't pay it any mind, but the sound grew stronger as time went by.

Ten minutes remained before the exam officially ended and the majority of the examinees had turned over their papers. However, some of them didn't leave the room. They returned to their seats and looked at Kate. They wanted to see if the pretty girl who returned in the middle of the examination would be able to make it in time.

Some of them even hoped that she would be able to pass the exam. All of them were commoners. They were not rivals.

"Times up," Cynthia said softly. "Please hand over your answer sheet."

Kate's hand stopped. She looked at her answer sheet and found that there were still ten questions which had not been answered. A sigh left her lips as she handed the paper to her Proctor. She did her best. No man can do more, and they are entitled to no less.