**Chapter 65: Set Up**
In a moment of unexpected clarity, I found myself yearning for a husband from the bargain bin. It didn’t matter what his flaws might be; as long as I could hold onto him, nothing else in the world would matter.
Veyric, however, was not in the mood for pleasantries. Without sparing her a glance, he thrust his hand forward, jabbing her shoulder patch with an intensity that made her wince. “Do you see this?” he hissed through gritted teeth. “This signifies that you are now the chief of the Agriculture Department.”
His fingers dug into her shoulder, the pressure sharp and uncomfortable.
Sylvara’s gaze dropped to her right arm, where the patch was affixed. To her surprise, it was indeed there—a black background adorned with a vividly embroidered red pepper, bright and eye-catching.
With a mixture of disbelief and pride, she peeled the patch off and held it aloft. “So this pepper means I’m the chief? Not just an ordinary student?”
The embroidery was surprisingly beautiful; the craftsmanship was exquisite. No wonder she had felt the weight of so many eyes on her during her journey here. She had assumed something was amiss with her appearance!
Veyric looked as if he might combust from frustration. He jabbed his own patch, his voice rising in disbelief. “Where did you even come from? You don’t know the basic rules of the Fifth Military Academy?”
He gestured toward his own insignia, a stark contrast to hers. “Look at mine. I’m just a regular student in the Mecha Department. My patch features a small mechanical design alongside a gold fruit mascot. If you were a chief in Mecha, that fruit would turn a vibrant red. Combat chiefs sport a sword and a red fruit, while Strategy chiefs carry a scepter and, you guessed it, a red fruit. Each department chief has their own unique symbol paired with that red fruit.”
“But Agriculture?” he continued, his voice dripping with incredulity. “Their chief patch is simply the fruit. Regular students wear a patch with a blade of grass. It’s a joke!”
Ha!
Damn it all.
Aslan had completely set her up.
And here she was, thinking he was handsome enough to flirt with. Who could have predicted that he would casually suggest, “You should be chief,” and then actually make it happen?
Now it made sense why that senior from Agriculture had insisted she wear this uniform last night. She had checked it thoroughly—it was identical to the one she received upon enrollment. Who pays attention to a tiny patch, anyway?
Taking a deep breath, Sylvara exhaled slowly, tugging at the patch while reminding Veyric, “When we first met, we were in a heated debate about whether a three-headed dog was edible. Didn’t you already know I came from a waste planet?”
He froze momentarily, the realization dawning on him. “Okay, my bad,” he conceded, the tension easing slightly.

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