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nThis wasn’t ‘liberal arts’! How did they expect sheltered young ladies to solve the problem? Talented, skilled people who graduated from the academy had also analyzed and agonized over that question for days without sleep.

nIt was far too specific to not be for Rosaline.

n‘Did His Majesty personally choose the problem?’

nWell, who else could it have been? The elder nobles knew the level of education young women received at home. They wouldn’t have asked this question.

n‘This is too obvious.’

nCahir had said that each candidate would have an equal opportunity in the transparent selection process. This time, somehow it seemed like he was smiling at her. Was he already thinking of making her the empress from the beginning?

nRosaline shook her head in denial, and also to clear her head. She couldn’t afford to waste any time during the test.

n***

n“Secretary Rosaline—no, Lady Rosaline—you’re amazing.”

nIt was Rose, who was currently looking through her answer. She clasped her hands together and, with a gaze filled with respect, asked Rosaline how she was able to think of her answer.

nRosaline smiled awkwardly. Lots of the papers were either blank or almost blank, unsurprising for such a difficult question. Among those who answered, there was an answer of offering up their family’s estate for the sake of diplomatic relations, and one had an outstandingly detailed description of the religion of Berlos.

nIn the end, there were only two correct answers. Rosaline’s and Ella’s.

n‘As expected…’

nElla had written down the site of the Temple of Berlos in the original novel, which was different from the current one but wasn’t a bad choice.

nThis would be a problem.

n“Lady Ella’s answer is not wrong either,” said Lady Egu, who alternated between the two answers.

nThey realized that the winner of this round would certainly be either Ella or Rosaline.

nStrangely, no one was disappointed. Perhaps it was because they’ve been admiring stories of strong women since their youth.

n“Still, I like the warmth in Lady Rosaline’s answer. Lady Ella’s is full of numbers, which makes it difficult to understand. I prefer that the details are explained in a way that I can comprehend quickly.” Rose wrote her name on Rosaline’s paper.

nMany others followed suit, and there was an overwhelming number of signatures, but there were also those who supported the other answer.

n“If you’re done choosing, I’ll collect your papers. As for the results…” Paulo’s voice weakened.

nEven without saying anything, it was obvious that those who couldn’t put down an answer would be eliminated. However, they could not officially leave unless Cahir announced it. The only thing left to do was drink their tea gracefully.

nLady Tauri, who had described the religion of Berlos and written as best as she could, was quite proud of her answer. She’d read it all from the informational materials directly from the imperial palace. Her pride came crashing down when she read Rosaline’s answer, though. While one young lady signed her paper, Tauri’s answer was shallow compared to Rosaline’s.

n“I feel so ugly and pathetic.”

nIt broke Rosaline’s heart to see her tablemate so depressed.

n“No, please don’t think like that.”

n“My father was so happy for me. While we may not be a rich or influential family in the capital, he bought a lot of dresses for me for the selection. I don’t know how he did it, but I’m sure he must have taken a loan or…” Tauri confessed, despondent that she might be going home right away. “I really am a useless human being.”

nRosaline’s eyes were full of regret. “Oh, don’t say that.”

n“But Lady Rosaline is good at everything. I saw your answer, and I realized that even if I didn’t know anything, I would definitely agree to build a temple wherever you told me. If I were His Majesty, I would start the construction right away.” Her eyes sparkled with admiration despite the self-deprecating words.

nThe thing was, Rosaline did know how that felt. Living as an ordinary person in Korea, the frustrating of wanting to do well but not being able to, constantly living within the borders of ‘good enough’.

nShe grabbed Tauri’s hand, who stared in surprise. “Lady Tauri, I don’t know how to drink tea elegantly. I mean, I know how to do it in my head, but I always make mistakes. Although I always drink tea, I never really know what kind it is. Just like now, I have no idea.”

n“This is Angelis. The first flavor is flowery, but the last is sour, right? But after drinking, the sweetness lingers in your mouth. It’s named like that because it tastes heavenly.

nRosaline’s eyes curved into half-moons at the explanation. “You know a lot.”

n“Yes… Yes?” Tauri choked at the compliment and was quickly given a handkerchief. She forced herself to swallow her cough because that would be unsightly, though she could do nothing about her teary eyes.

n“Lady Tauri is so cute. The freckles on your cheeks look like stars.”

nIt wasn’t difficult to see Rosaline’s sincerity, and Tauri wasn’t a malicious person to twist her words. Besides, this was also the first time that anyone had called her freckles cute. Like stars? Her slumped shoulders gradually returned to their usual poise.

n“Additionally, don’t worry about the costs. The empress selection was ordered by the imperial palace, so I’ll ensure that the participants will receive compensation later.”

n“Is that possible?”

n“Of course.” Rosaline nodded eagerly.

n‘If I become the empress, wouldn’t that be within my power?’

n***

nBefore dinnertime arrived, many carriages already left the palace. Unlike the original plan to eliminate all but those who were chosen, it was decided that all the ladies who had written something down would remain. This was because there would be too few left if that rule was applied.

nRosaline visited the other tables and offered words of consolation. There was no need to let resentment against the imperial family fester.

n‘In the end, it’s my job to take care of this.’

nShe made eye contact with the other ladies as she greeted them.

n“You must be feeling good,” Ella’s tinkling voice came from behind.

nShe curtsied, her skirts flaring like a butterfly’s wings, hair neatly coiffed. An emphasized neckline, earrings made of layered gold threads that accentuated her small face. In a word, she was beautiful.

n“Long time no see, Lady Ella.”

n“Did you miss me, Lady Rosaline?” Ella responded, her tone and body language obviously displeased. “I thought you did, since you greeted me first.”

n‘She should just leave instead of picking a fight.’

nRosaline stepped out of the way, drawing a pretty line with her lips. Ella didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Rather, she approached and smiled as if they were friends. The other ladies believed as much, whispering that it was true that pretty people stuck together.

n“Don’t we have something to talk about?”

nWhat in the world was she doing? Rosaline had nothing to say to her. She’d only feel irritated that she wasn’t sadistic enough to do something unpleasant on purpose. So, she decided to ignore her.

n“I’m sorry, Lady Ella, but I don’t have any specific stories to share. If you want to talk to me, you can come to my table at dinner, though I don’t know if I have time to talk to you.”

nIt was a clear rejection no matter who heard it. Rosaline bowed lightly and excused herself to change into a different dress for the occasion.

nElla’s gaze stayed on her back like an arrow, but she didn’t look back once. This Ella wasn’t worthy of consideration, being so far from the heroine she had once cheered for. Now, Ella was relegated to a supporting role.

n‘Then who will be the main character?’

nHer absentminded musings had to be discarded in favor of more urgent things. Like checking which room was assigned to her…

n“This is the Empress’ bedroom!”

n***

nDinner had begun, and the hall was so much more strained than it had been earlier. Young ladies dressed in finery settled at their designated tables.

nImperial servants smoothly served mushroom soup and bread as appetizers. Musicians started playing as well.

nJust when Rosaline was about to lift her spoon, someone came and filled an empty spot. In front of her sat the elderly Baroness Vellus.

nShe got up from her seat and curtsied. “It’s an honor to meet Lady Vellus.”

n“Isn’t your greeting late? Perhaps you’re not used to etiquette yet—” the baroness hurriedly closed her mouth.

nRosaline sat down with a relaxed smile as if she hadn’t heard anything.

n“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Rosaline Verite.”

nShe wasn’t surprised by the appearance of this woman who didn’t fit in with the environment at all. Fine, maybe she was a little surprised, but she pretended not to be.

nAs Baroness Vellus lifted her spoon, Rosaline glanced around. Elderly ladies occupied tables one at a time.

n‘They’ll be watching the entire time we eat, won’t they?’

nTable manners were very important for aristocrats, to the point that children would cry from the strict teaching. Eating was not just the act of putting food in one’s mouth. It involved skillful participation in conversation. Leading it without being too obvious and letting other people speak was a quality highly regarded in society.

n‘Cahir probably didn’t order this.’

nHe hated troublesome dining etiquette, and he didn’t like the intricacies of socializing, which included pretending to be considerate, yielding to others, and calculating when to initiate. That meant that this was likely a test from Azela.

n‘And Baroness Vellus is my partner, too.’

nThe Vellus family supported Charon, the empress dowager’s biological son. Wasn’t one of the baron’s cousins his companion?

n‘I probably won’t get a good score anyway. I should just be comfortable.’

nRosaline relaxed and lifted her spoon once more, feeling a blatant gaze but choosing to disregard it. She opened her mouth delicately and tasted the soup.

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