For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the man leaned forward again. "Could he be a hidden scion from the royal line? One of the outpost heirs raised in seclusion? Or an imperial foster child trained in one of the empire war academies?"
"Maybe," the woman said. "Or maybe he's something else entirely."
The man rubbed his temples. "Should we… report this to the Duke?"
But the woman shook her head again. "Later. For now—"
Her eyes flicked down to the stage.
"—we need to finish judging this round."
She straightened her back.
"Make the announcement," she said coolly. "Only He makes it to the next trial."
The man gave a low grunt of agreement and raised his voice.
"99 participants...eliminated."
The crowd erupted again at the official declaration, but neither of the blue-robed officials looked away from the youth standing below.
He had turned slightly, just enough to glance up at them.
Not arrogantly.
Not even curiously.
Just aware.
