[S-she signed it . . .]
Raymond repeatedly blinked as Arabella made her list official.
'Sorry. I have to get these people by my side,' she thought as she saw the disappointment on Raymond's face when his chance to poach some talents slipped away. He quickly recovered though.
[There's no time to feel down. This is a selection for Her Majesty's assistants so whatever she decides is final. I'll just get some of those who performed well.]
Raymond listed five names and used his seal as well. He was not planning to get new assistants but when he saw the candidates were exceptionally capable, he decided to hire some of them.
Alwin replicated Arabella's list into seven copies and gave one each to the five ministers, one for Raymond and one for Raymond's assistants who would announce the results. He did the same to Raymond's list.
The ministers' faces were filled with dread when they realized the best ones were, of course, already picked by Arabella and Raymond.
