Perhaps I can still go, pretend to browse the books and read the first chapter? I wonder if that is permissible.
I release another sigh. I had been looking forward to that story for months, and now I will have to wait more.
But it will all change once I get a job. Government positions pay well, and they should be enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my rather pathetic existence.
I guess those males were right on that account.
I am rather pathetic, am I not? The brother of the current Duke of v’Kyro and I have to count my coins because I may not have enough to last me until the end of the year.
As more time passes, the courtyard fills until there’s barely enough space to move around. There are thirty-seven available positions for this round of applications, and looking around me, I reckon there are more than five hundred applicants ready to fight for one of those spots.
That makes my resolve that much stronger.
These people are all from prominent families. Even those coming from lower social standing still have enough money tonevergo hungry.
Me, on the other hand? This is my only chance to make something of myself.
I can always apply for the next cycle of applications, but I fear that I will starve by that point.
I need to qualify for the positionnow, not later.
My survival hinges on this.
Even if they fail, these people can still apply to other positions within their House. But for me, this is the only government body that I can count on to have an objective selection criteria.
My House will deny my application outright. I have no doubt my mother has made sure of that. And the other Houses would consider me a potential spy, and why would they hire a foreigner when they could hire their own people?
The noise around me intensifies. Everyone is anxious but hopeful because despite the possibility of working for their House, the Central Administration offers more prestige.
When the clock strikes noon, the gates close.
A loud horn resounds in the air. Everyone falls silent.
One. Two. Three.
Three seconds pass before the double doors of the Central Administration building open, and three people come out in a queue.
The first is one is Jacobo Telfa, the president of the Central Administration. He is one of the most famous figure in Tartareia. For thousands of years, he has served on the board of the Central Government, and everyone praises him for his neutrality in dealing with the Houses.
Of course, that means the Houses themselves only tolerate him on the surface. In reality, they see him as an obstacle in the way of their domination.
The Central Administration had been created fifteen thousand years ago after a deadly civil war had wreaked destruction on Sattoriya. The Houses had come together and elected a neutral body to decidewhowas worthy to rule Tartareia, and after a lengthy period of deliberation, the council had chosen the House of Silla.
Tor, the Lord Supreme and the head of the House of Silla was seen as the savior of the Tartareians, especially after he’d managed to organize a Peace Summit with Aperion, which is currently underway.
“You will each be given a rune as you enter the exam hall. This is specific to you and cannot be transferred. For that reason, when you are assigned your rune you will be asked to do a blood oath,” Jacobo Telfa explains. “Keep the rune with you at all times during the examination. This is to ensure no cheating will occur and the process will be fair.”
Jacobo finishes his speech and a line of people forms to enter the examination hall. I sneak a peek to see what this blood oath entails and I note that each participant is asked to cut himself and pour his blood onto the small wooden tablet containing the rune to activate it.
On one hand, I appreciate this step towards making the process fair. But on the other… I worry that my blood might trigger something; that they will know my identity and ban me from the examination before I even set foot into the hallway.
The line moves quickly and soon I’m in front of the door. Two senior officers stand on either side of me, their expressions neutral as they hand me a wooden tablet with my corresponding rune.
Saying a small prayer in my head, I cut myself and infuse the rune with my blood.
Nothing happens.
I let out a relieved breath as I’m ushered forward into the hall.
