Merly continued to drag Selene's petrified body across manicured lawns until they reached the most strikingly beautiful botanical garden. It was breathtaking. Selene stared around in wonder at the enormous beauty that surrounded her. The garden was created exemplary with a mixture of bright colors and shades along with fragrance.
Roses, lilies, and other exotic flowers were everywhere; their petals made a vibrantly colored carpet across the whole area. Along the garden paths stood iron arches, entwined with climbing ivy, and tall hedges framed the area with perfection. In this floral Eden, a white, elegant gazebo with thin vines was standing in the middle. Everything here spoke of peace, and Selene couldn't help but stare at it in wonder, for a moment, she totally forgot about the situation she was in.
This was the same garden from Damian's route, Selene thought, as her mind raced to recall the scene in the game. The garden had been arranged by the duchess herself, a personal retreat to drink tea and relax. It was her domain. In the game, Damion had to ask for the duchess' permission to bring Eri into the garden.
Why would they be meeting the queen and the crown prince here, then? Had the duchess even agreed to it?
When they arrived at the gazebo, Selene saw that it was already occupied by the Duke, the Duchess, and Damion. The Duke and Damion sat on one side while the Duchess was sitting alone on the opposite side, straight-backed and cold-faced. Immediately, Maid Merly bowed to them before hurrying off to attend to whatever chore she had, leaving Selene standing there, feeling terribly out of place.
Selene looked around, and an awkward silence ensued. She gathered her courage and walked over to sit down beside the Duchess. But the moment she approached her, she growled, "Do not come near me."
Selene froze, her mouth twitching with irritation. Hey. You obnoxious auntie, she thought bitterly. You're the one who gave birth to me.
She flexed her fists and swallowed, letting her irritation slide, and sat on an empty bench at the far side of the gazebo, as far away from the Duchess as she could manage.
Since you treat me like I have a contagious disease, I will treat you like you are a disease. Hmm. Selene thought as she turned her head away from the duchess.
Several more minutes of awkward silence passed before the maids entered, bearing trays piled high with breakfast.
The smell of buttered toast, fresh fruit, crispy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and warm pastries wafted in front of them. Together with freshly brewed tea and juice, there were exquisite cheeses, jams, and even beautiful pastries.
Selene, whose stomach had been growling since she woke up, wasted no time digging in. Greedily, she ate, her appetite overcoming the awkward feeling she felt. The Duke and Duchess were indifferent, but Damion occasionally shot her glances from the corner of his eye, clearly displeased.
When the Duke had finished eating, he wiped his mouth with the napkin and turned to Damion, a serious expression on his face. "Damion," he began, "What is eight times eight, times eight, times eight again?"
Selene nearly spat her tea in shock. What kind of question are you asking a 13?!
Even though this is a fantasy world, doing calculations would take way longer than it would on Earth. Basically, it would take hours or a day for a scholar to calculate that. That is if they don't have a calculator... Wait. Does this world have calculators? Selene thought to herself.
She rapidly started calculating it in her head, but when she looked over at Damion, she saw he was working hard. The boy fidgeted, unable to answer.
I knew it.
An excruciatingly awkward silence ensued, with Damion's discomfort grew by the second.
Selene felt the urge to jump in and answer herself, but a warning deep in her head is telling her to keep her mouth shut.
Back on Earth, Eun-ji went to a private elementary school where the teachers beat the students to learn. A rule in her class was that if a teacher asked a student a question and they were unable to answer it, the question would go to the rest of the class. If no one can answer it, the student from before would receive 3 slaps on the hand.
To avoid this, Eun-ji would study very hard, saving herself and her classmates from the abuse. Thankfully, the school was forced to shut down, but the urge to answer questions someone couldn't answer was still there.
She bit into her lip as she fought her urge to speak. Suddenly, the Duke slapped Damion on the back of his head, which sent the boy wincing in pain.
This made Selene stunt, and she started feeling bad for not answering. Maybe I should have answered.
"You fool of a boy!" he said, coldly, reprimanding and with cutting sharpness. "You have taken yesterday's matter as an excuse to trifle with your books, and indulge yourself in your little hutch, and I destroy your playroom."
At the mention of the playroom, her eyes widened. The playroom? This was confirmation that Damion had already started his secret experiments that played a major role in his storyline.
Yeah, I don't feel sorry for him anymore.
But before she could dwell deeper on it, the Duke turned his piercing gaze toward her. She tensed up as a cold shiver ran down her spine from the look.
"You," the Duke said in a very low, dangerous tone. "What is 8x8x8x8?"
Her mind was flooded with questions. Should I answer, or should I say I don't know? Her internal battling continued, but the strong stares from around the table made the decision for her.
Well, fine, I'll answer! She said to herself, her voice barely more than a whisper as she replied, "It's… 4,096."
.
.
.
The room fell silent for a moment. It seemed as though everyone in the room had been struck dumb, even the Duke, but in an instant, his face turned from surprise to amusement.
One of his eyebrows arched. "Good."
He asked her more questions after that, and despite shaking, Selene found herself answering each one. For every correct answer she gave, the Duke seemed to grow further and further pleased, while the Duchess remained silent, though her icy demeanor hadn't changed.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Duke leaned back in his seat and picked up a newspaper, signaling that this impromptu test was at an end. "Good, " he said, as if satisfied.
Finally, the tension was released from Selene, and she let out a deep sigh of relief as her shoulders sagged.
I survived, she thought. However, she sensed a shiver running down her spine just as she was beginning to feel at ease.
Why is it so cold? Is winter coming?... No, that can't be. The awakening ceremony is held in spring. Maybe someone is looking at me.
She looked around cautiously and froze when she saw Damion glaring at her from across the table, his eyes filled with silent fury. His gaze was as if daggers were being thrown her way.
Selene swallowed. Great. I'm doomed. I've offended this male lead.