"*yawn* mhmm, Kaleigh, did you have a nice nap?"

"U-uh, yes, Emma?"

"When I woke up, I didn't see you in Sariel's office. I figured you must have gone to your room to rest?"

"Ah, yep! The nap was especially rewarding after learning so much about the kingdom and of etiquette among the nobles. Well, Emma, aren't you meeting the princes this afternoon?"

"Ah, yes, I actually met two of them yesterday...they are Prince Chevalier and Prince Leon..."

"Oh, but where?"

"At the Foundation Day festival. Remember when I told you there was a guy who sheathed his sword to end the drunkard on the spot...? It was Prince Chevalier...he was so scary..."

Emma retells the story to Kaleigh, feeling like it was so long ago that that happened while it was just yesterday that their lives changed forever.

Kaleigh pats Emma's back, reassuring her with a caring voice: "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm sure with someone as sweet and lovely as you, even the toughest guy will soften!"

"Oh, I admire your positivity sometimes, Kaleigh...I hope I can get to know him as Belle.."

"Worry not, Emma! You got this!"

"Aw, thank you, Kaleigh~ thanks to you and Rio, I feel much more confident now, ehe~"

The chatter between the two ladies continues until they reach the throne room. Apparently, Emma will have the chance to formally introduce herself there in front of every princes as well as officially declaring herself as Belle, even though she has already signed the covenant yesterday. Kaleigh tags along as Emma's assistant, secretly guiding Emma through the process of selecting a king without influencing her choice, as she has previously agreed with Sariel.

Finally, the two of them stop in front of the large oak door.

"Emma, are you ready? Behind that door are eight candidates for the throne. Are you ready to get to know them? To assess them not only as a monarch but a person as well?"

Taking a deep breath, Emma steadies herself. Kaleigh is surprised when she sees a glimmer of her own determination within Emma's gaze.

"Let's do this. This might be the largest contribution I can make for Rhodolite, as a commoner. It's an honor to be given this chance."

"I'm glad you think so, Emma. It's about time we enter, shall we?"

Kaleigh pushes the large door open gently, revealing a gentle figure standing in front of the door. Emma, with all of her poise and dignity, steps into the throne room. Kaleigh follows behind her closely. Unexpectedly, Leon greets both her and Emma, having met both of them before. Clavis and Nokto's eyes flicker in surprise upon seeing Kaleigh, but their attention is quickly diverted to the new Belle of Rhodolite. Kaleigh winks at Emma, signaling her to introduce herself. Getting the cue, Emma bows down and curtsies. It's not perfect, but an incredible effort for someone who started learning only this morning.

"Greetings, your highnesses. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Emma, and I will be the next Belle who chooses the next king for Rhodolite." Her self-introductory speech is soon followed by lively chatter:

"Oh, so the new Belle is quite the lovely lady~" Nokto says, winking at Belle seductively.

"And it seems like she's very bright as well! Welcome to the palace, Belle." Jin says in his warm, masculine voice. As always, he's being a big brother, even to Belle.

"You seem like a lot of fun, Belle~ I'm sure we can cause a lot of trouble together~" Clavis chimes in as he attempts to get in front of Belle, but before he can, Luke gets between them.

"No, Clavis. Belle is too soft...she will end up going along with all of your shenanigans and suffer.."

"Hey, I'm not that soft!" Emma huffs cutely with her cheeks puffed up.

"Yeah~ a really tough little rabbit~" Leon teases.

"Hey, your highnesses, give Belle a break..." Kaleigh deadpans. She glances at Luke with a grateful look, silently thanking him for going along with what she asked of him earlier. Kaleigh's quiet yet trenchant voice has attracted the princes' attention.

"I see it is now my turn to introduce myself. I am Kaleigh, Sariel's newest apprentice. I hope to gain your approval within this month to be able to work in the royal court." Kaleigh says loudly and clearly, bowing deep down in front of the noble beasts. She is so refined, emitting calmness and confidence with her every move. Kaleigh doesn't smile nor brag, yet the princes can infer that she is a tough nut to crack.

"Oh hi Kaleigh! I thought you were a probation maid, never a minister in practice, haha!" Leon laughs as he approaches Kaleigh with his long strides.

"It's you...the person watching us spar this morning..." Licht mumbles "Hi.."

"Hello, your highness prince Licht." Kaleigh responds politely. She then turns to Emma.

"As we're both receiving training from Sariel for the time being, I will be assisting Emma should she need help with anything. I expect having a studymate makes things a lot easier too, hehe."

"Oh, you're finally smiling, Kaleigh! Feeling comfortable already?" Leon asks with a wide grin, his eyes slightly squinting.

"Yes. All thanks to your help, your highness."

The only people who haven't said anything are prince Chevalier and prince Yves. While Yves is judging the new Belle from the bottom to the top, crossing his arms defiantly, expressing that he hasn't accepted her yet, Chevalier is staring at Kaleigh with a piercing gaze, sending a shiver down her spine. His gaze wasn't mixed with disbelief and suspicion like that of Leon this morning. It was full of certainty.

"Oh no...is he onto something?" - Kaleigh gulps discreetly, making sure no one notices her little gesture. Chevalier is not the type to care about something that concerns neither him nor the kingdom, so he probably won't tell anyone about her true identity. But Kaleigh is not a genius -she's just a normal person. The exposure of her identity might serve him in ways she could have never come up with.

And so for the rest of the evening, Kaleigh can't pay attention much to the conversations between the princes and Emma, but rather how exposed and worried she felt in front of the Brutal beast that moment. She needs to come up with something. She needs to come up with something to ease her worry, because having her surname out of the bag right now is not much different from admitting defeat to Sariel, not to mention how she'd have to be the representative of her family to wield its influence - something that promises a lot of potential risks, for her, and for her beloved family.

-end of chapter 9-