Replaced by a True Prince, Your Failure Means Nothing Chapter 05

Replaced by a True Prince, Your Failure Means Nothing Chapter 05

Joren froze for a second, a dry laugh slipping out.

“Mrs. Parlow, Wynne’s definitely messing with you. She chose Haven Community College in the application portal.”

“Do you think she’s too embarrassed to tell us, so she got you to lie for her?”

“C’mon, tell her the sun’s brutal out here. We can’t wait around much longer.”

My mom was totally confused by what he was saying.

“What on earth are you going on about? Her scores were strong, and she already got into Vallis. Why would she go to Haven Community College?”

“I saw her official acceptance letter. She’s going to Vallis University.”

Worried he wouldn’t buy it, she snapped a quick photo and sent it over.

“See? I even watched her buy the plane ticket to Vallis. There’s no mix-up here.”

The bright blue envelope of Vallis University stared clear as day in the picture. My mom tossed out one last question before hanging up.

“Did you two fight with her? How didn’t you know any of this?”

“I gotta run, my soup’s boiling over on the stove. Swing by anytime over break!”

The line went dead.

Joren stared blankly at the photo of the acceptance letter, dread coiling tighter in his chest by the second.

Maren noticed how quiet he’d gone and tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong? Did you hear anything about Wynne?”

Joren’s expression shifted, holding his phone out for her to see. “Auntie said she’s not coming to HSU. She’s headed to Vallis U instead.”

Maren glanced at the screen and scoffed. “No way, that’s totally fake.”

She grabbed the phone, zoomed all the way in on the picture, then let out a relieved little smile. “This is obviously AI-generated. Look at the weird crop around the logo. She probably edited it.”

“Wynne’s always had such a stubborn pride. She’s just throwing a fit over the application thing.” “You changed the school yourself. There’s no way it went wrong.”

The tight tension in Joren’s features melted away. He nodded slowly.

“Yeah, we all promised we’d go to the same university together anyway.”

“She must’ve snuck off to campus early without telling us. We can swing by the dorms next week to check.”

“Wynne can’t stand being apart from us for long. She’ll cave and hit us up sooner or later.”

He sounded totally confident he was right. And honestly, he had every reason to think that.

Every time we fought over the years, I was always the one swallowing my pride to make peace.

It never mattered who was actually in the wrong—I’d be the first to cave. I’d hang my head, tug shyly at their sleeves, forcing a shaky apologetic grin.

“I’m sorry, okay? Can you forgive me?”

“Please don’t stay mad.”

That memory made a small smirk tug at Joren’s lips. His thumb brushed gently over the tiny photo tucked behind his phone case.

It was taken last year, the day Joren and Maren finished their finals. I’d waited outside their classroom with a giant hand-painted banner that read: Good luck, Joren and Maren!

They’d stood on either side of me holding bouquets, and I’d asked a random stranger to snap three shots of the three of us.

We’d grabbed dinner afterward, and I’d laid the photos out on the table, my eyes shining.

“What schools are you two planning to apply to?”

“Whatever you pick, I’m following. You’re my whole motivation to study hard.”

They’d both laughed and promised we’d stick together, no exceptions.

The harsh sunlight beat down on Maren, and she furrowed her brows a little.

“Ugh, Wynne couldn’t even text us first?”

“We’re gonna give her the cold shoulder for ages. She owes us a real apology.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Some random thought crossed Joren’s mind, and his mood lifted instantly. He ruffled Maren’s hair softly.

Maren’s cheeks flushed pink, and she leaned in close to his side. “So… are we still a couple, then?”

Joren ducked his head and pressed a light kiss to her lips.

“Always have been.”