Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

It was a point of no return.

"But thankfully, someone caught onto the issue at hand."

Could it be that no one else sensed anything amiss?

Roseanne found that hard to believe.

Yet, once aboard this metaphorical ship, it was impossible for her alone to steer it in a new direction. The only option was to... keep going, even if it meant heading down a path of mistakes.

After all, for most graduate students, their heart wasn't set on research. Securing a master's degree was merely a step to gain a competitive edge in the job market, not a pursuit of academic achievement. To them, a thesis was not a symbol of scholarly success but a graduation requirement.

What if Madeleine had suddenly stood up, challenging the entire project? Those who had already graduated wouldn't be affected, but what about the current batch of students on the brink of graduation? They had based their theses on this project, already deep into their preparations.

Madeleine wanted to turn back, but she couldn't.

"It's my fault too. I was laid up in the hospital for so long, and by the time I noticed the issues, it was too late to bring them up without affecting that year's graduates. And so, I kept silent." Now, correcting course was not an option the situation demanded they press on.

"But I'm relieved that you all noticed the problem so quickly and pinpointed the exact issue," Madeleine said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Roseanne remained silent.

Then, Madeleine suddenly asked, "What do you think of Mamie and Scales?"

what way?"

academic thinking, research talent, and

a moment: "All things considered,

had shown they could think critically, which was why they had identified the flaws in

they sought to verify

their investigation, both

was quick-witted with

analyze

couldn't help but smile: "It seems

direction, I assume you've

has become meaningless to

"to start

lab..." There was

it impossible to carry out

exclusively for the

Roseanne relayed Madeleine's suggestions

current project continue on its

"Just because

we have a