The next day was the commissioning ceremony where the assignments of those who had passed the recent national exam would be announced.

The ceremony was originally supposed to take place the previous day—one week after the examination results were announced—but due to the unbelievable incident of the top candidate being seized, it had been postponed until the situation had settled down.

With the commissioning ceremony being held a day late, a restless atmosphere drifted through the venue, the great hall of the royal castle.

Avril, dressed in formal attire, watched the ceremony from near the end so as to not stand out. By her side was neither Dylan, Chris, nor even Grace. She was completely alone.

Yesterday, after returning to my room in the old wing, His Majesty Listeard was fully convinced of my innocence. As there were no more points of suspicion, it was decided that the commissioning ceremony would carry on without any trouble, and I was granted permission to attend, but…!

Until the day before, the problem had been that she was being held for a crime she did not commit. Today, a different problem had arisen.

That was—

Today, I must decline my commission in front of everyone and request them to begin the mine redevelopment…!

Just confirming it within her heart was enough to make her pale.

Originally, the formal negotiations were supposed to be Dylan’s role. As such, Avril spent the last three months giving her best at playing the role of a villainess. She never expected such an important role would be waiting for her at the end.

She had mostly imagined how everything would develop and was prepared to take on the challenge. This duty, however, completely went beyond her expectations.

I’ve discussed it with Lord Dylan, but still…all I can do now is hope it goes well…

The reason Dylan couldn’t be with her was simple. Today, only the successful candidates were lined up in the center.

Until yesterday, she was treated like a criminal. Hence why, even though she was in the center, she had somewhat positioned herself near the edge to avoid attracting attention. Regardless, there was no way she could completely hide her presence.

She could keenly feel the successful candidates’ curiosity, their eagerness to ask, “What in the world happened?” However, no brave soul had yet to step forward. A restless balance was maintained, and a strange atmosphere hung over Avril.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, was Jeanne. She and Avril seemed to be the only two successful female candidates.

Jeanne wore a calm navy dress befitting a civil servant.  The golden thread embroidery embellishing the fabric was brilliant. Her long hair, tied together, was adorned with an ornament that matched her dress.

Her outfit suited the formal ceremony of the commissioning while also being elegant and conveying her good sense.

Jeanne seemed concerned about Avril, but she likewise showed no sign of speaking to her. Her expression was somber, and everyone could see the difficulty of her position.

She must’ve heard from her father that I’m suspected of cheating. Not only am I a villainess, I’m a cheater. She probably thinks I’m the worst.

The consequence of rust came from her body, yet Avril couldn’t hide her disappointment and her shoulders drooped.

Avril had been permitted to attend the appointment ceremony, but the explanation that her wrongdoing was a false change had yet to be given.

As such, the events that occurred after returning to the room that had been used to detain her were known only to Listeard, Avril, Dylan, and a few other high-ranking officials. That everyone else whispered from afar without calling out to her was only natural.

“—The appointment ceremony shall now commence.”

As the civil official in charge of hosting took to the platform, the atmosphere surrounding the successful candidates tensed. According to what she heard, the king would personally issue a royal decree to each and every successful candidate.

Avril glanced diagonally forward to the right from where she was standing. There, Dylan and Chris were watching her with worried expressions.

“—Let us present you the most brilliant young lady in the country.”

At the host’s words, she could feel every gaze in the venue turn towards her.

Such was only natural, as everyone already knew the results of the exam. The question was whether Avril was an unparalleled prodigy or not.

Ugh…

A cold sweat ran down her back.

“Top scorer: Avril Allingham, come to the stage.”

A murmur ran through the hall as her name was called.

“Wasn’t she disqualified for misconduct?”

“Congratulations!”

“Since she’s here, surely that must mean the suspicions have been cleared?”

“Let’s congratulate her for now. The details will most likely be explained later.”

Among the voices suspecting Avril of fraud, words of congratulations and applause could be heard.

The skeptical words came from nobles ignorant of everything. The words giving blessing, on the other hand, were likely from the successful candidates who had been helped by the villainess. As for the latter, they absolutely didn’t think Avril a villainess.

—Even so, I’ve come to quite the far-off place.

I followed Prince Lawrence’s orders and did my best to act villainous, but… how did it end up like this…?! According to the plan, even if I passed the exam, I should have been able to remain a villainess…

Just as her eyes were gazing off into the distance, her gaze met with Dylan. He was watching over her, and just as she had imagined, he looked extremely worried.

However, right now he couldn’t take her hand and escort her. That was because, apparently, His Majesty King Listeard intended to use this commissioning ceremony to carry out something important regarding domestic reforms.

As it had been agreed to that matters of diplomacy and politics would be heard only after that was safely completed, they couldn’t interfere until after his objective was achieved.

What that something was hadn’t been shared, but in any case, they needed to endure until Listeared gave the signal. Thus, Chris stood diagonally behind Dylan, firmly grasping his arm to keep him from rushing forward. However, as both of them were controlling their expressions to keep their emotions from showing, only Avril could understand how they truly felt.

From the outside, the fact that Dylan wanted to take her hand immediately wasn’t conveyed in the slightest. As for Chris, who never lost sight of his duties no matter what, he was truly amazing.

Seeing them, Avril, who had been feeling anxious about her situation, gradually felt eagerness welling up inside of her.

I shall follow Chris’s example and steel myself here. As for being a prodigy… I truly hold doubts regarding that, but at the very least, as the foremost villainess of my country, I must negotiate firmly!

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E/N: For anyone wondering, “The consequences of rust came from her body,” is a phrase meaning consequences of her own action. I could have localized it, but it seemed more interesting this way.

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