- The royal arena is active this morning.
One of the knights commented as he was on his way to the training grounds, and his companion replied:
- I heard that the royal palace is in need of a new lady-in-waiting for the princess from the beehive.
He exclaimed in astonishment:
- That hidden place?!
- Yes!
- Then it will be full of girls.
- Oh man!
The first knight added with a hint of mischief:
- Why not go and have a look?
The first knight looked at him mischievously and said cunningly:
- Why not indeed?!
...
The royal arena was a wide square platform in one of the palace grounds, surrounded by a massive rocky amphitheatre from all sides as if it was a part of the earth. It seemed that the competition had already begun when the knights arrived. They lined up in organized rows, some of them ran towards the opposite side, some had already arrived, and some were running back. The voices and cheers of the other girls were indistinct but varied, and the chief, Elizabeth, looked towards the stands with great anxiety.
- My goodness!
The chief exclaimed angrily:
- Do they have extra time?
After the running challenge was over and exhaustion was evident on their faces, they had to move on to the next challenge. They lined up behind a long table with equipment, utensils, and various ingredients, and on the other side, at a little distance, there was a large bucket. The chief explained:
- And now, after having trained your bodies, you will have half an hour to fill this bucket with herbal cold medicine. I expect no mistakes in its preparation; it's an easy medicine as you can see.
They looked at each other nervously, and their eyes seemed to say:
"Easy medicine!! She definitely wants us to fail!"
The bell rang, signalling the start, while the knights who took the opportunity to observe the situation in the arena still didn't fully understand this strange situation. One of the knights exclaimed, surprised:
- It seems like everyone is determined to win!
Another knight replied:
- But it seems impossible. Is this really a competition for herbal doctors?
- Who knows what Lady Elizabeth is thinking? She always has crazy ideas in her mind.
- Poor girls!
One of them commented:
- It seems like they're spending a stressful time with her.
Meanwhile, the second challenge ended, leaving only one challenge to settle the matter. They had to head to the river, where another table was set up on one of its banks, but this time the large bucket was on the opposite bank. The candidate girls understood the situation, and they seemed shocked.
"Are they really going to walk through the river? That's madness!"
Elizabeth explained:
- You will have half an hour to fill the bucket on the other bank with herbal cold medicine.
- Really?!!!
They shouted in unison, at which Elizabeth remarked:
- What? Do you all want to go to the palace?
They obediently lined up behind the table, but exhaustion had taken its toll, and the bucket was barely filled.
...
The greenhouse appeared unusually organized. Everyone stood in their place to form a circle, while the candidate girls stood inside it. Finally, Chief Elizabeth stood inside the circle as well, along with Mrs Mervat and another woman who were calculating points and consulting with each other. Tension filled the air between them.
Chief Elizabeth finally stood still and announced:
- And the loser who will go to the palace is the one with the highest score... Miss Rosette!
Everyone seemed surprised, but it wasn't something worthy of applause. One of them objected:
- But isn't the loser the one with the lowest score? Doesn't she seem like the winner?
Another one objected:
- Yes, you said the loser, madam.
A wave of objections surged, creating a loud uproar. Elizabeth raised her hand for silence, and it spread across the greenhouse. She said:
- I said that to make you exert effort, but I didn't specify the title of the loser.
The chatter resumed, and she clapped her hands firmly and said:
- No objections. Miss Rosette will go to the palace tomorrow morning. She should prepare and gather her belongings.
Elizabeth left, and the wave of objections continued in the greenhouse.
- What is this?!
One of them exclaimed.
- It's clear that she's belittling our intelligence.
Another one commented:
- That's right, she wanted Miss Rosette from the beginning.
- Yes, indeed!
Another one objected:
- If that's the case, why all this trouble?
- We were a mockery in front of the knights. Did you see that?
- Oh my, let's not mention that!
...
In the knights' arena, some knights lined up in a consecutive row, sitting on their horses, while a massive knight with a whip walked behind them, striking each one in turn. Sir Rohan stood in front of them, alongside a group of officials, with extreme anger and frustration on his face, while the others stood silently, watching intently.
"What a disgrace!" Rohan commented with disdain. "Can't you control your instincts?"
One of the individuals standing next to Rohan remarked, "It would have been better to dismiss them, Your Highness."
Another lord replied, "But they are already receiving their punishment. Should we dismiss them every time a small problem like this occurs?"
"A small problem?" another person objected. "It concerns the knight's pride. Is the knight's pride a small problem to you?"
A voice from one of the knights, weak and hesitant, spoke up, "Your Highness!"
Everyone looked at him in astonishment. "My sincere apologies. I promise it won't happen again."
One of the lords arrogantly commented, "Who told you that you would have a second chance?"
"That's enough!" Rohan finally interjected. "We will strip each knight of two ranks. You have a long way to regain the trust between us."
Ending the meeting, he said, "Dismissed!" as he walked away, his scarf fluttering behind him. The group dispersed, leaving the punished knights to tend to their wounds.
...
The three lords walked through the corridor when one of them said, "It seems His Highness is being lenient this time."
The other replied, "Do you think so, Lord John?"
"Yes, expulsion would have been the best solution for such a situation!"
"I don't think so!" the third lord interjected, leaving Lord John surprised. "Do you not think so, Lord Marcus?"
"Yes," Lord Marcus confirmed. "He took into consideration the scandal that would befall the royal family if the matter was neglected."
"Do you mean, Lord Marcus, that stripping them of two ranks is the best solution?"
"Taking into account what Lord John and the knight said, in my opinion, it is the best solution, Lord Lin."
"I think His Highness has matured a lot," Lord Lin commented.
"Do you not think so, Lord John?" Lord Lin asked, looking at him curiously.
Lord John appeared reluctant to agree but sighed in resignation and said mysteriously, "Who knows! He has a long way ahead to prove that."
As they walked away, Lord Lin glanced at Lord Marcus, wondering. Lord Marcus responded, his eyes full of resentment, never ceasing to follow Lord Lin's path, "Don't worry, he stands on the opposite side."
...