“The theme of the first competition is.”

Baron Gabriel dramatically raised his well-groomed eyebrow, then spread out both hands and exclaimed.

“Agrute, which can be called the mother of continental culture and art.”

Like a wave rippling, the audience seats began to stir all at once.

As Baron Gabriel said, Agrute could be called the root of the current culture of not only the Helterd Empire but also the major kingdoms of the continent.

Along with ancient language, it was now a lost language, but unlike ancient language, it still had a great influence on the current art world, including poetry, novels, music, theater, and fashion.

If they were young ladies who had received proper aristocratic education, they would have naturally learned Agrute from a young age, but in social circles, they could only stumble through a few dozen words enough to save face.

That’s because, unlike the modern languages used by the kingdoms of the continent, including the Helterd Empire, Agrute had no rules for the language system and the order of arrangement did not apply.

Even though it had syntactic rules such as subject, object, and verb, it was difficult to understand the meaning of sentences due to the lack of semantic rules. For example, it was a form that had syntactic rules but did not convey any meaning, like “The flower rained the sea.”

Of course, it would have been an easy language for the Agruteans who bloomed the flower of continental culture a thousand years ago, but for the current continental people, it was a language like an unsolvable riddle.

While ancient language was given up because they didn’t know the words themselves, the words of Agrute were very similar to modern languages, which frustrated scholars.

Masterpieces spanning the ages contained words of Agrute, but as time went on, this was the reason why perfect sentences could not be created.

The candidates sitting in the audience seats tried to maintain their composure, silently reciting the Agrute words they had memorized over and over since childhood.

Among them, a relaxed smile spread across Grace’s lips.

Grand Duchess Caroline was right. Thanks to the Grand Duchess who noticed that the theme of the first competition was Agrute, Grace had recited an Agrute poetry book this morning as well.

Grace’s smile twisted up and stretched wider as she glanced at Arabel sitting next to her out of the corner of her eye. By the looks of it, Agrute was an unheard-of face.

As Grace had guessed, Arabel, whose face had turned white as a sheet, had never encountered Agrute before.

That’s because Agrute was a symbol of upper-class aristocratic privilege. It was a language that appeared in the highest-quality cultural and artistic works that only upper-class aristocrats could access, and a cruel tool that could be used to ignore and exclude those who did not belong to their society.

The candidates are expecting to go on stage and recite Agrute poetry, or create poetry or music by combining given words with the imperial language. As if reading the candidates’ thoughts, Baron Gabriel said with sparkling purple eyes.

“We cannot have the young ladies representing the continent take such a trite test as reciting poetry or composing lyrics for songs using Agrute.”

As the audience began to stir again, Baron Gabriel extended his right arm and slightly twisted his upper body to point to the right side of the stage.

“I introduce the Royal Performance Troupe of Kedin, who arrived in the Empire last week.”

The Royal Performance Troupe of Kedin, undoubtedly the best theater troupe on the continent, entered.

The vain royalty and upper-class aristocrats, who couldn’t properly understand Agrute, went wild for the only performance troupe that used Agrute for one-third of their performances.

Even though they couldn’t understand, they believed that just watching the performance elevated their status.

“In this competition, the young ladies will participate in the troupe’s play together.”

At the baron’s words, not only the candidates but also the guests in the audience opened their eyes wide.

“After watching the troupe’s play, predict the last scene and….”

The thin lips moved as the purple eyes looked at each of the eleven candidates in turn.

“Show us your acting. This is the theme of your first competition.”

In short, it was a test of how well they understood the play made in Agrute.

This was a different dimension from simply memorizing a few hundred words.

To watch a play in Agrute, a language like a riddle with no rules in its language system, and act out the last scene. Even Grace’s face, who had been confident, stiffened a little like the other young ladies.

“The first competition will now begin.”

Baron Gabriel made an elegant bow and exited the stage.

The stage of the Kedin Royal Performance Troupe, in a word, drove the audience into a frenzy of laughter. The play, which parodied the animal kingdom, was a comedy filled with expressions and gestures that were ridiculous to anyone who saw them.

Even if one couldn’t fully understand the lines made by mixing the imperial language and Agrute, if they knew the words to some extent, it was enjoyable enough. No, one could at least pretend to understand.

Especially the blue bird in the cage held by the two lovers who got lost in the forest was the star of today’s performance.

Every time the blue bird flapped its wings, mimicking the woman’s words exactly, and moved its pointed beak to make a sound, the audience’s laughter shook the theater.

The quick-witted candidates covered their mouths with fans and let out laughs whenever they heard laughter from behind, elegantly shrugging their shoulders.

Young ladies who knew many words like Grace burst into laughter at the funny lines that could be somewhat understood when mixed with the imperial language, and even those who didn’t understand at all giggled at the actors falling, rolling, and getting messed up.

Only one person couldn’t laugh and was staring blankly at the stage with round eyes.

The three maids were stomping their feet in frustration. Even they, who couldn’t understand Agrute at all, found themselves laughing at the troupe’s acting, but.

They wished she would follow the cues like the other young ladies and laugh when the audience laughed, but now she was even blushing up to her eyes with tension.

Finally, when the troupe’s play ended, Baron Gabriel appeared again and said,

“Now, will all the candidates please come up on stage.”

He called the eleven candidates.

“Please go to the actors who will act out the last scene with you.”

The actors, dressed as forest animals scattered on the stage, smiled at the young ladies walking towards them.

Grace and two other candidates took their places in front of the actress holding the cage with the chattering blue bird, today’s star.

When Arabel, the last one left, also went next to the actress holding the cage, Grace twisted her lips and mocked.

“You have the sense to follow me, but you won’t be able to avoid embarrassment by doing so.”

At her words, the young ladies on stage let out a chuckle loud enough for others to hear.

Baron Gabriel pulled out one of the papers with eleven names written on it from inside a large copper goblet and unfolded it.

“The first young lady to continue the last scene with her acting is… Lady Margaret.”

Margaret, who was standing next to Princess Lilibet, swallowed dryly and approached the man dressed as a giraffe whom she had chosen. She picked up a branch that was there as decoration and tried to feed it to his mouth, then snatched it away, creating a funny scene.

Spitting out the word “Jump” that she knew.

As the giraffe twisted its head comically trying to eat the branch and jumped up, laughter erupted from the audience.

After each name was called one by one, finally only Grace and Arabel were left.

Baron Gabriel unfolded the folded paper and said,

“Lady Grace, please show us.”

Grace, who was called, stood in front of the actress with a confident expression and looked around the audience.

“Well, that…”

“Speak clearly.”

When Assistant Kyle hesitated, looking around nervously, the Emperor commanded shortly. While suppressing the impatience in his heart.

The Emperor had finished a meeting with the naval commander-in-chief on the pirate eradication plan since early dawn and was on his way to the knights’ training ground. To keep his promise to Arabel, he tried not to even glance at the competition venue, but he couldn’t ignore the progress of the situation.

“She’s the only one not laughing, they say.”

“The only one…”

“Yes, the only one… she looked like she was holding back tears…”

At Assistant Kyle’s answer, the Emperor’s jaw clenched strongly.

“I should have gotten rid of that damn Agrute when I ascended the throne. I will make sure this useless language, now used only for the vanity of nobles full of conceit, disappears.”

Assistant Kyle gaped at the Emperor, who was spitting out something like a curse between his teeth.

The Emperor, who had a natural talent for languages, and well, not just languages, sometimes used Agrute on purpose to tease the nobles.

After cleverly mixing words into sentences and speaking, then sneering at the nobles who misunderstood with different meanings, the Emperor was satisfied with Agrute. Saying [It’s useful when flattening the noses of those frivolous intellectual nobles].

Now that Emperor is grinding his teeth, saying he’ll get rid of Agrute that ‘only promotes the vanity of nobles’ right away. The Emperor who used to tease him so much for having a fit just at the sight of Agrute words.

Assistant Kyle pouted his lips and followed the Emperor.

“Huh? Your Majesty, the training ground is this way…”

As Kyle called out to the Emperor passing by the way to the training ground, the Emperor half-turned his head and answered.

“I’ve been in meetings since dawn and my head hurts. I need to cool my head alone in the fresh air on the rooftop for a moment. Don’t let anyone follow me.”

The Emperor’s long legs were already stepping on the secret stairs inside the palace leading to the 6th floor rooftop.

When the Emperor watched from behind the secret entrance, Grace was already receiving enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Grace, who understood the most words, was certain that this play was a comedy about two lovers who got lost in the forest and caused a commotion with animals under a spell.

The blue bird in the cage irresponsibly imitated the woman’s confession about the man when she was alone, putting her in an awkward situation, but it played an important role in confirming their love.

Grace handed the bouquet next to her to the woman and briefly said, “Congratulations. Marriage.” Then she gave a berry to the blue bird through the bars, saying, “Well done.”

Thanks to the chattering blue bird, she perfectly concluded the end of the play where the two lovers confirm their love after the commotion and get married. It was undoubtedly Grace’s victory.

Baron Gabriel restrained the loud applause and said,

“There is still one last young lady left. Please be quiet, everyone.”

Turning to Arabel, he said in a kind voice.

“Lady Arabel, please act for us.”

In an instant, the theater was filled with silence.

The only candidate said to be favored by the Emperor. Most of the gazes on her were so sharp with hostility that they stung.

It was natural since more than half of those seated in the audience were relatives of the candidates or those close to their families.

The small and thin woman on stage who was the center of attention was pathetic. She was shaking so much that now large teardrops were falling from her big eyes.

Even when watching the play, her face was pale and she didn’t even smile, let alone laugh, and since she came up on stage, she started sobbing with her lips trembling.

If she hadn’t received proper education, she should at least have the sense to follow others, but she’s just dull and stupid.

If she doesn’t have sense, she should at least have guts, but now she’s not only trembling on stage but also bursting into tears when it’s her turn.

The nobles shook their heads or clicked their tongues, inwardly mocking the Emperor’s terrible judgment.

When the blue bird in the cage made a chuckling sound as if it had found something to mock, people burst into laughter too.

As Arabel, whose face had turned red, kept wiping her tears with the back of her hand, blue veins popped up on the back of the Emperor’s hand holding the doorknob of the secret entrance. As the thought of bringing her right away, promise or not, surged, the Emperor turned the doorknob.

At that moment, Arabel’s hand suddenly opened the cage door. As soon as the cage door opened, the blue bird spread its wings wide and flew into the sky.

The actress holding the empty cage from which the bird had escaped could be seen standing dumbfounded, along with the actors with similar expressions.

At Arabel’s sudden action, not only the Emperor but also the audience was at a loss for words, but soon complaints could be heard here and there.

“What, what is this?”

“No matter how uneducated she is, to do such an ignorant thing! Even a woman working in the marketplace wouldn’t do that.”

“Letting the bird fly away! She ruined the play we were enjoying.”

“How, how can a woman unqualified to be an empress candidate stand on the same stage as our child, it’s shameful.”

The Emperor, who had decided to tear apart those insulting mouths, opened the door and put one foot on the theater floor.

At that moment, squeak, squeak, the bird’s cry grew closer, and the blue bird that had disappeared far into the sky returned to the stage.

The moment the blue wreath that had been hanging from the blue bird’s beak fell on the actress’s head, the atmosphere on the stage changed instantly.

A blue feather robe was put on the actress’s body, and the actors playing the animals around her all rushed to the male actor who everyone thought was the lover and eliminated him.

It was the moment when comedy turned into tragedy.

The female protagonist wearing the blue feather robe took the feather wreath from her head and put it on Arabel’s head, then knelt down and bowed respectfully.

Baron Gabriel, as if unable to believe it, steadied his trembling voice and,

“The winner of today’s competition is…”

He announced in a resounding voice.

“Lady Arabel!”