Exactly at the same place where Layla drowned, four individuals dressed as ancient warriors stood, reporting their findings to a man. He was strikingly handsome—tall, well-built, with long black hair. He wore a pristine white outfit that clearly marked him as a member of a noble family. His serious expression alone commanded authority and respect.
"Prince Kazaf, we have tracked the Holy Daughter for months. We followed every clue, and they all led us here. But beyond this point, the trail vanishes—as if the Holy Daughter disappeared into thin air," one of the warriors reported.
Prince Kazaf remained silent for a few seconds, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere. Then, with a calm yet firm tone, he said, "Keep searching. Do not stop until the Holy Daughter is found." He paused and added, "Make sure to cover your tracks. This is abandoned land—we are not supposed to be here. I will return to the palace and report the situation."
"We will obey the Prince's order," all four warriors responded in unison.
---
Layla pulled out her phone and called Asma.
"Hey girl, why so mysterious? Where are you? I've been calling and texting you with no response," said Asma, answering the call.
"I'm at the school playground," Layla replied calmly.
"What are you doing at the school playground at this hour? You need to come back to class. The English teacher will be here any minute."
"Coming." With that, Layla hung up.
She then walked to the restroom, where she came face-to-face with her enemy—Sarah. A week ago, Layla would have avoided her, choosing to skip the restroom and return to class. But the current Layla was different—confident enough to face twenty professional fighters if she had to. Sarah and her two lackeys were nothing.
"It's good you came on your own. I was planning to grace you with my presence," Sarah said, slowly approaching.
Layla didn't even glance at her. She splashed water on her face, then pulled out her scarf and began wiping.
"What arrogance! Sarah showed you some respect and yet you ignore her? Layla, are you looking for death?" Lena hissed, raising her hand to slap Layla.
Layla caught Lena's hand mid-air and, with her other hand, delivered a powerful punch to Lena's stomach. Lena was thrown to the end of the restroom, groaning in pain with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Sarah and Meena gasped, backing away in disbelief and horror.
Without saying a word, Layla walked out and returned to class.
Sarah and Meena rushed to Lena's side.
"Lena, are you okay?" Meena asked.
Lena couldn't speak. Pain had overtaken her.
"How is this possible? How can that weak, sickly girl be this strong?" Sarah muttered in shock.
"That explains her arrogance. She didn't even say a word to us," Meena added.
"I… I'll… I'll kill that bitch," Lena groaned.
"I don't think that's possible anymore," Meena replied. "I don't want to go anywhere near that crazy girl again."
"No… No… We can't let her go unpunished. We have to teach her a lesson," Sarah insisted.
"But how are we going to do that?" Meena asked.
"We'll figure it out," Sarah said firmly.
---
Back in class, Layla took her seat.
"Hey girl, what are you hiding from me? You've been acting mysterious," Asma said.
"I just went to the restroom," Layla replied.
"Whatever. But why did you leave your answer sheet blank?" Asma asked.
"Who said I left it blank?" Layla replied, answering the question with a question.
"Then what did you write? You submitted your answer sheet just five minutes after the test began," Asma pressed.
"Oh, I used those five minutes to answer all twenty questions."
"What? Are you joking with me?" Asma asked in disbelief.
"No, I'm serious. Stop asking so many questions—you'll see when the teacher returns the results."
---
In the teachers' staff room, the math teacher sat stunned as he marked Layla's paper. He had already graded ten of the twenty questions—all correct.
"How is this possible?" he muttered to himself.
Layla had only taken five minutes to complete the test, and her answers were flawless. He had intentionally included ten very difficult questions among the twenty, hoping to encourage students to study harder for the upcoming college entrance exams.
He moved on to mark the remaining ten questions. Upon finishing, he was no longer just shocked—he was speechless. He didn't know what to feel.
A student had correctly answered all twenty math problems—some of them extremely difficult—and had done so in just five minutes.
"I need to talk to Layla," he whispered to himself.
Layla, who was always ranked in the bottom ten, had suddenly stunned everyone. How did she do it? Even if the teacher wanted to accuse her of cheating, it would be impossible—there was no way.
Layla was well-known in school for two things: her breathtaking beauty and her poor academic performance. It wasn't that she was the dumbest student, but her exceptional looks made her lack of academic success more noticeable.
...
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Teachers came in, delivered their lectures, and left.
When the final bell rang, it was time to go home.
"It's strange," Asma said as they walked. "Sarah was so determined to pick a fight with you on Monday, but she didn't show up at all today."
"Maybe she was too busy with the test," Layla replied casually.
"Maybe," Asma murmured.
With that, they exited the school gate, heading toward their respective homes.