Althea blinked once, unsure why Frederick had repeated the same question he'd asked Isolde.
'Wasn't that supposed to be it?'
By all her calculations, her earlier answer should have been sufficient — clean, logical, and perfectly neutral. She'd expected him to move on to the next person.
Yet here he was, giving her another chance… or perhaps laying another trap.
In her mind, she ran through the possible outcomes like a strategist on a chessboard.
If she gave the same "None" like Isolde, there were two outcomes: either she'd be accepted but leave a disappointed impression, or she'd be electrocuted into the infirmary for "plagiarizing answers."
Neither was worth the gamble.
And if there was one thing Althea detested more than failure, it was copying someone else.
'No, I'll have to give him something different — something thar reflects my own strength.' thought Althea
With a small, confident smile, she began,
