Hikari and the rest of the girls were rushed into the annex. The sun was setting, and each girl was advised to retire for the night. Hikari, when assigned her maid, meekly nodded before entering her room.
It was a lavish thing, decorated with simple delicate elegance. Rather than being impressed, Hikari presumed they did this to create the least offensive decor. While the idea of throwing a tantrum due to room decor was ridiculous, they were also children. Children. Why were they children.
Organizers, this is your fault.
Hikari sighed. She still couldn't believe it. This was an event that didn't exist inside the book! It was honestly scary, not knowing the story beforehand. Yet she doubted it mattered much. In the end, she was just a small child.
It was extremely unlikely that she would win something like this.
Pearl Mansion. This was their resting place for the next two weeks. They would eat, sleep, and socially in this annex. No one was allowed to walk outside. No one was allowed to throw a fit. For the next two weeks, all their interactions would be monitored. So Hikari prepared herself for two incredibly boring weeks. After all, she wasn't a main character.
The Princess Candidate Selection was a strange concept, thought Hikari.
In theory, it was supposed to be a grueling battle of feminine strength - all the girls fighting with their pride as a woman at stake. If you won, you would be acknowledged as the nation's pearl. That was all there was to it.
Once you'd won, you had defended your right to be called 'a princess of Oscar Empire'.
So how come she, a literal child, was brought to this battle?! Hikari wanted to scream. It was absurd! Did she even have to fail at this point?
Hikari had seen her competition - and there was an alarming amount of toddlers present.
This could either be due to most noble families sending forth any female daughter they possessed, or...Hikari gulped. Was the prince a pedophile?
She wanted to reject this idea, but then again, her memories had failed her once before. She didn't even think there was a crown prince! The seat of the crown prince changed so frequently that it was no use to remember who currently sat on the seat. It could be anybody.
Oscar Empire had (or would have) 14 princes. There were 6 concubines, 1 Queen, and one King.
But that was not the issue at hand.
The issue was the maid. She was too creepy. She stood at the corner of the room, head inclined slightly towards her. Her eyes were closed. She looked ready to serve her anytime. Combat maid? How did they train her? Who stood like that, completely immovable, like that? This was crazy.
What kind of horrible labor laws were in place here? It had been three hours already. Hikari had tossed and turned and was unable to sleep. And every time sleep brushed by her side, she would remember the strange creature at the corner of the room...and she would peek.
Gah!
Darkness really makes anything scary. Hikari didn't know what to say to this girl. She looked like she was around Hikari's real age. She was a thin, taut girl with pools of grey-blue hair fixed in a high bun. Her eyes were a sharp amethyst, intense and rich. Her presence was easily felt.
Hikari didn't get why such a gorgeous girl was her maid.
If Hikari thought about it, she was 101% sure this girl was some secret heiress, or perhaps a ruthless spy with a vendetta, or whichever storyline suited her. She wasn't a maid. Hikari's vast otome (nerd) logic told her so.
In this case, talking to the girl might prove disadvantageous. She didn't want to make any waves. Just quietly live like a ghost and escape undisturbed. So, she would only smile and acknowledge her.
Yes, that would work! Satisfied, Hikari retired to her bed and slept peacefully.
The next day arrived, and the girls were given twenty minutes to prepare themselves. Hikari could hear the high-pitched shrieks down the hall.
"Twenty minutes?! This is absurd!"
"I want my mommy!"
"Do you know who my Father is? How dare you wake me as you please!"
Hikari didn't feel a shred of sympathy for the organizers.
'Why did you bring children though...' she could only think this with apathy in her heart. Then, she heard a noise from the corner. Ah, the maid! Wait...had she stayed like that the whole night?!
"Young Lady, please allow me to assist you today." came the stoic question from the stoic beauty.
She was finally gone from home. Everybody else was acting selfishly, so Hikari decided to be selfish for a brief moment.
'I have a feeling I'll be swept into something if I do, so no thanks.'
And Hikari said: "No, that's quite alright. I'll manage."
And she did! She undressed without help, went inside the bathroom, took a quick shower by herself - brushed her teeth, and dried herself off, before arriving inside the room with a bathrobe.
The sheer amount of terror in Maid #1's eyes was palpable. She was acting like Hikari had teleported. What's with her? Hikari smirked.
"What's wrong? Never seen a girl take a shower by herself?" and she giggled. She knew she shouldn't, but the look on the maid's face was too funny.
Realizing this, the maid schooled her features. "Forgive me, Young Lady."
Hikari opened the closet door and ruminated over the outfits. "For what? You didn't do anything wrong. Besides, I laughed. You cheered me up."
Maid: ....
Hikari paid her no heed and got changed right there. The maid inched forward, but Hikari turned towards her again. "Ah, seriously. Don't help. I mean it. Getting helped makes me feel like a baby, you know?"
Maid: ...?
Hikari let out an amused sigh. "Of course, you don't get it, getting clothed every day might be seen as a luxury to you guys. But to me, who has to deal with that every day...do you know how I feel? It's completely embarrassing!"
She fastened her underdress, and hoisted the large dress onto her head. She looked super ridiculous. "Why do I have to sit around a bunch of chicks that spend hours putting a dress on me? I can do it myself! No, please let me do it by myself! What am I, a doll? Who wants to live like that?!"
Then she finished, smoothed out the dress, and looked at the Maid with a winning smile. A smile that accentuated her earthy eyes.
She put on a cute bow and twirled.
"See, done! And I promise you, it would've taken longer if you had assisted. Nothing against you, but maids have a tendency to overthink the outfits."
Maid: "My Lady, I disagree. We maids take pride in our ability to accessorize the dresses of Young Ladies! It is not wasted time. It is art!"
Hikari leveled her an unimpressed look. "Really? Getting a bunch of ungrateful snotty children dressed is 'art'?"
Her eyes said 'really??'. The maid flushed and looked away.
Hikari humpfed. "Exactly. You maids have better things to do. Watching paint is more productive. Rather, I'd congratulate you if you did! You know we drop 90% of those stupidly expensive gem thingies, right? What's the point?"
The maid rose, face darkened. 'Ah, thought Hikari. Maybe I went too far...'
"You---You....Hick, the Lady just doesn't get it!" she exclaimed as she burst out of the room in tears.
'Eh..eh?! What kind of reaction was that?!'
Running down the hallway, not one but several maid/children pairs witnessed the crying maid. Her immense beauty made her tears seem much more severe.
Suddenly, Hikari felt like a giant outcast.
'Wait, what's this? The first time I open my mouth, and the girl runs away crying?'
Several maids looked at her with judgement in their eyes.
'These maids totally think I'm a bully!'
Luckily for Hikari, she was already dressed. She strode through the hallway exuding confidence she didn't have. 'At least it can't get worse', thought Hikari.
But it did. Later, as they arrived outside, they were met with Governess Tundra and her associates. Standing behind her was a young guy.
His eyes were golden and sharp. His lips drew a lazy smile. His hair was not unlike the night sky, dark blue and mysterious.
It was clear to Hikari that his boy was important inside the novel. Because love games were often like that - the extras being plain and the protagonists being ridiculously beautiful. This boy was indeed that.
Conversely, it made it shockingly easy for Hikari to realize which people to avoid and who to befriend. Small mercies.
Governess Tundra's voice sounded, strict and unyielding. "Today marks the second day of the Selection."
This statement brought chaos to the group of girls.
"Second? What does she mean?"
"They didn't tell us that! Retry! Retry!"
And predictably, some girls started wailing.
She didn't even blame them. They were children who were probably told by their parents to go and become princesses. And now they are told they failed already. Again, the organizers were at fault.
Of course, that didn't mean it wasn't immensely annoying to witness. Hikari could feel the headache mounting.
'Why was this her life...'
Governess Tundra smiled. "In life, you must always be prepared for sudden changes. That, and the willingness to adapt, is the hallmark of a true Crown Princess."
"I can adapt!"
"No, I can!"
"No you can't, stupid!"
"Eh, Miss Gundam! She hit me!"
"No, Miss Gunther! She hit me first!"
"Gah!"
'Is it okay to be so familiar, thought Hikari. She's a real Countess, you know? And her name isn't Gundam...'
A literal fight broke out. Instead of opposing it, the children started to cheer on the two girls - a blonde green-eyed girl, and a droopy-eyed red haired girl.
Don't think just because they were nobles they weren't fighting seriously, either. No. They were really going at it. Clawing hair out, elbows in ribs, even punching.
It was like R*cky and Apoll*. Why were they going at it so fiercely?!
No, wait! How did it derail this fast?? She wanted to laugh but that would be bad for her image.
Hikari's eyes turned towards Countess Tundra. She was also shocked - and looked unsure, before coughing defiantly into her hand and adopting a strict look.
'...That's it?! That's all you're going to do?!'
Hikari's eyes grew more and more bewildered. What's with the the superior act?! Where's your strictness?? This is your fault! Why did you make this terrible selection?!
Then, a chuckle was heard. Hikari's eyes darted towards the sound, only to freeze when she saw who it was.
It was that mysterious blue-haired guy. His eyes widened when he realized she looked at him too, and annoyingly, he sent her a brilliantly bright smile and waved. The fact that he could so easily enjoy this while she was suffering angered her. So, she ignored him.
He pouted. "So mean!"
The girl in front of her thought he was referring to her, and started to apologize. Before the confusion could be resolved, however, a booming voice could be heard.
"Is this the sorry selection you've put together, Yerenica?" Countess Tundra flinched, a look of shame flitted across her eyes.
"Forgive me, my King. This is entirely my fault," she said.
"Obviously. Bring the girls to my Queen and let her deal with it. I told you once before," he added while walking back. "This selection is a joke."
The blue-haired boy from earlier tensed up at that. The previous joy in his eyes was exchanged for withering rage.
Against these two men who opposed each other so openly in the courtyard, the rest of us felt like grass before a butterfly. Completely disregarded.
So this was the Mad King, Mithildis Minor.
And considering how openly he was glaring, the boy was either a relative of the crown, or a prince. Or even the Crown Prince. Hikari laughed quietly in her heart.
There's no way she would be that unlucky, right?
Ultimately, a soap opera was unfolding that had little to do with her. She intended to keep it that way.
It was a good day to be a side character.