Eldra, Iris Valderia’s head maid, was about to lose her mind.
With her silver-gray hair falling in messy strands over her shoulders, she stood frozen in the castle hallway, the brown-haired maid’s words hammering in her head like a bcksmith striking metal:
“She scored perfect!”
Her gray eyes shot wide, and cold sweat trickled down her neck as her hands trembled under her white apron.
‘What the fuck did this idiot just say?’ Eldra thought, her heart pounding so hard she could almost hear it over the echo of her own thoughts.
It made no sense.
Eldra wasn’t just any maid; she was a pnt, a key pawn pced by the second princess, Lirien, Iris’s older sister who despised her with a vengeance.
Lirien couldn’t stand the thought of Iris—the useless one, the family embarrassment—having even a chance to shine. And Eldra had clear orders: make sure Iris flunked that entrance exam.
For weeks, she’d fed her books stuffed with fake magic theories—“fire and earth make psma,” “water and wind is an icy tornado”—and every time the princess tried to study, Eldra swooped in with trays of sticky sweets, cream pastries, and sugary tea, distracting her with dumb chatter until her patience ran dry.
‘That girl shouldn’t even know how to hold a quill!’ Eldra thought, grinding her teeth as a knot of panic climbed up her throat.
“I’ve… I’ve got to see that,” she blurted suddenly, spinning toward the brown-haired maid with a jerk that made her apron rustle.
The girl, still panting from her run, blinked in confusion, that goofy smile still pstered on her freckled face.
“What’s wrong?” she replied, tilting her head like a lost puppy.
Eldra took a step closer, eyes narrowing and voice low but sharp as a bde.
“Where’s the proctor who graded that exam?” she asked, her tone trying for calm but quivering with barely-held rage.
The brown-haired maid stepped back, scratching her neck with a nervous giggle.
“Oh, uh… he’s with the king now, giving him the news,” she said, shrugging like it was no big deal.
Eldra felt the floor wobble beneath her.
‘He’s with the king. Shit,’ she thought, a chill racing down her spine.
Lirien wasn’t just a vengeful princess; she was a monster with power, a noble who didn’t tolerate slip-ups.
If she found out Iris had scored perfect, Eldra wouldn’t just lose her post; she’d probably end up with her head on a ptter.
‘I’ve got to do something. Bribe the proctor, swap the results… anything!’ Eldra thought, her mind firing desperate ideas like arrows.
But before she could sort her thoughts, the sound of firm footsteps echoed down the hall.
The queen swept in, her blue silk dress flowing behind her like a royal banner, dark hair pinned in a fwless bun.
Eldra turned just in time to see her storm into the king’s workroom, a grand space with tapestry-covered walls and a massive desk where King Aldric sat, the proctor at his side.
The room was a mess of energy: Aldric, a burly man with a graying beard, was on his feet, pacing with his hands behind his back and a grin too big for his face.
The proctor, though, looked like a cornered deer, gsses slipping down his nose and hands shaking as he clutched Iris’s scrolls.
“What happened?” the queen asked, her voice clear but firm, stopping in front of her husband with arched brows.
Aldric spun to her, eyes gleaming with excitement, and threw his hands up like he was decring a grand victory.
“Iris got a perfect score on her entrance exam!” he boomed, his voice so loud it bounced off the walls.
The queen’s jaw dropped, a hand flying to her chest.
“Perfect score?” she echoed, a whisper of disbelief as her eyes widened.
Eldra, lurking in the hallway’s shadow, felt the air rush out of her.
‘No, no, no…’ she thought, sweat now dripping down her forehead.
Then the queen’s eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, locked onto her.
“Eldra,” she called, her tone cutting like gss, “where’s my daughter?”
Eldra swallowed hard, forcing an awkward bow as she tried to keep it together.
“I-in the garden, Your Majesty,” she replied, her voice shaking as she vaguely pointed toward the window where she’d st seen Iris.
The queen narrowed her eyes, her stern look cshing with the joy she’d shown at the news.
“Bring her here now,” she ordered, her tone leaving no room for debate.
Eldra nodded fast, heart pounding in her throat, and stepped back to slip out of the room.
But before she could fully escape, the proctor spoke, his voice shaky but clear:
“It’s the first time this has happened in this exam format, Your Majesty. The princess’s admission… it’ll take a bit longer than usual.”
Aldric frowned, halting his frantic pacing.
“Why?” he asked, his tone mixing curiosity and demand.
The proctor adjusted his gsses, swallowing loud enough to hear.
“Because she’d enter as a standout student,” he expined, holding up the scrolls as proof. “We need to adjust the process. No one’s finished an exam this tough in… in ten minutes.”
The king let out a booming ugh, smming a hand on the desk.
“That’s my girl!” he roared, his grin creasing his eyes.
The queen, still stunned, pressed a hand to her forehead, muttering something about “impossible” as she eyed the scrolls with disbelief.
Eldra, meanwhile, felt the world crashing down.
‘Standout student. Ten minutes… Perfect score,’ she thought, the words swirling in her head like a storm.
All her work—the fake books, the distractions, the nights ensuring Iris never touched a decent text—down the drain.
Eldra left the room with stiff steps, legs like lead, as panic squeezed her chest.
‘Lirien’s going to kill me,’ she thought, picturing the second princess’s cold eyes and cruel smile.
There was a chance, a slim one, she could bribe the proctor or hide the results before they reached Lirien’s ears, but the king already knew.
The queen knew.
Soon, the whole damn castle would know.
‘How did that idiot pull this off?’ she wondered, clenching her fists until her nails dug into her palms.
This novel already has 4 advance chapters on Patreon, more coming soon!
Postings of each new chapter will be every 2 days starting today.
