Ilse returned to the staff quarters and woke up the next morning having had almost no sleep. The high from the ball and the unexpected kiss with Dietheart meant sleep simply wouldn't come. She got into bed, but she would writhe, constantly remembering the vivid kiss, and tossed and turned again and again. Just as she thought sleep was finally arriving at dawn, she was jolted awake by the bell wake-up attendant rings while walking the halls, and she started work still sleep deprived. If she let her guard down, her body would vividly recall the sensation of the intimate kiss. She had always thought that sneaking away from a ball with a man, and kissing, were things she'd never experience. Even though she had to cooperate with her brother's plan, she never imagined she would so casually end up alone with Dietheart in a guest room. She had been absolutely certain she'd be rejected in seconds the moment she hugged him. (Why did Prime Minister Schwarzen do that to me...? For someone who supposedly noticed the honey trap and tried to turn it around on me, he seemed a bit too eager... Maybe he plays around with women, and we just don't know about it?) If that were the case, his quick hands made sense. However, the fact that he hadn't been caught in the palace staff's information network was impressive. As expected of the Prime Minister, his skill was fully utilized. (Then why did he approach me yesterday...? Was he too busy with work to spare time to go out in the city?) "Ilse, read the rest." "Eh? Ah, yes. My apologies!" Ilse nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice of Madame Frisch. I shouldn't have forgotten I was at work. "What's wrong? You're distracted. That's not like you." "Ilse attended the ball yesterday. Didn't something nice happen? Forget reading those boring documents, tell me the details of what happened yesterday." In contrast to Madame Frisch's frown, Heidemarie curved her lips in amusement. "Nothing at all happened." Ilse desperately covered up. "Are you perhaps a little flighty? This is time devoted to serving the Princess. What is the meaning of being distracted?" "I apologize." Ilse bowed deeply at Madame Frisch's scolding. She was entirely correct. "Oh, come on, it's fine. Even a maid needs some enjoyment. But... you don't look flighty today, Ilse. Did something unpleasant happen at the ball last night? It was your first ball, wasn't it? If any of the guests were persistent or said nasty things, I'm here to talk." "Oh, is that so?" When Heidemarie expressed concern, Madame Frisch also turned a worried gaze toward Ilse. "Nothing happened to trouble Your Highness Heidemarie. I just haven't fully recovered from the excitement of my first ball. I apologize." Ilse bowed again, then opened the document in her hand to resume reading. "—Therefore, it is our intention to recommend Lord Dominic, the third son of the Count Henried's family, as the winner of this year's competition." Heidemarie, sitting in her chair, was currently having her hair and nails tended to. A hair pack several times a week was essential to keep her hair glossy. To make good use of the waiting time, the maid would read letters and documents aloud, or write down Heidemarie's dictation for letters. Ilse's work was primarily as the reader and scribe. She also assisted in gathering materials for official duties and drafting speeches. Thanks to her parents, who hadn't neglected her education, Ilse could speak her native language and two foreign languages widely used among the aristocracy of the Western Continent. Madame Frisch had highly evaluated her high-quality education and her ability to effectively utilize what she had learned. "There's nothing more boring than a competition where the winner is decided from the start." Heidemarie sighed loudly, causing Madame Frisch to gently scold her, "Your Highness." "I know, I know. You're going to say this is part of the political balance." "That is correct. Last year's winner was sponsored by an aristocrat from the Reformist faction. The opinion arose that this year, we should grant favor to the Conservative faction." Deigern's politicians are broadly divided into three factions: the Reformists, the Conservatives, and the Neutralists. Since the Second Prince was the selection chair last year, Ilse only learned about these behind-the-scenes machinations this year. If Heidemarie hadn't been the selection chair this year, she wouldn't have known about it at all. Working as a maid, she had quite a few opportunities to learn things she probably shouldn't. "Do I even have any meaning as the award selector?" "Of course, Your Highness." "I would have preferred to choose Alain from the Baron Remigny family, who returned from studying at the Louve Academy of Arts last autumn. He's competing, isn't he?" Ilse hurriedly flipped through the documents, but unfortunately, it didn't list who was entered. "They would like Your Highness Heidemarie to discuss the reason for the selection, including one or two anecdotes from the attached resume of Lord Dominic." After reading the request, Heidemarie puffed out her cheeks. "They decide the winner themselves, then completely dump the selection reason on me... Should I just announce that it's a fixed match due to political considerations?" "Your Highness." Madame Frisch gently warned. "I know. I won't say it. Ilse, read the resume." Nodding, Ilse began reading the resume of Dominic Henried's biography. The content was a typical growth story of an aristocratic son. It was relatively common for sons who weren't meant to inherit the house (second sons and younger) to lean toward the arts. "Ilse, come up with two or three draft reasons for the selection. That's enough for this matter. Next." Afterward, as requested that she continued to calmly read the letters and documents who had been addressed to Heidemarie.