The third morning began with bells, bright skies, and candidates who looked like they wanted to fight the sun itself. Dressing up, smiling, and impressing royalty for two days had clearly drained their souls.
The queen looked refreshed. Queens always do.
Adrien looked calm. Princes are trained for this.
Rowan looked exhausted. Rowan was not trained for this.
After breakfast, the queen stood and tapped her spoon for attention.
"Today," she said, "we test compatibility. A queen must rule beside her king. She must solve problems. She must work with others."
No one suspected there was a second part to her plan.
Because while the compatibility test was public, the stamina test was secret. Only the queen, Adrien, and Rowan knew.
Rowan also knew because Rowan always knew and wrote it in tiny angry notes.
The candidates were split into five groups. Each group received a scroll with a "kingdom problem."
Problems included:
Disputes between merchants and nobles
A festival needing funds
A damaged wheat field
A school demanding books
A chicken that went missing under "mysterious" circumstances
The queen chose these problems for brains and teamwork.
Adrien chose them for realism.
Rowan chose them because they were true.
However, what no one noticed was the time limit. It was short. Very short. And there was no sitting. No tea. No cushions. Just thinking on feet for ninety minutes.
A few candidates wilted like flowers in desert. One dramatically fanned herself. One demanded a chair. One tried to flirt with Rowan to escape the puzzle. Rowan pretended to be deaf.
Meanwhile, one group calmly discussed cost, labor, and permits. They did not finish perfectly, but at least they didn't panic.
The queen took a mental note.
But secretly, the queen watched how long each lady stayed focused without complaining. That was the stamina test.
After lunch 'light lunch, no naps — another stamina trick', candidates met Prince Adrien for individual talks on the terrace.
He asked simple questions:
"What brings you joy?"
"How would you spend a peaceful day?"
"What makes a kingdom strong?"
Most answered like they were reading from a book called How to Impress Royal Men, written by someone who had never met a royal man.
"I would bring glory to our lands."
"I enjoy embroidery and being admired."
"I would rule with strict fairness."
Adrien nodded politely. Inside, he wondered if anyone actually enjoyed real things like books, naps, or cookies.
Anastasia and Drizella watched from behind a column, whispering comments like sports commentators. Cinderella brought cookies because cookies were diplomacy.
The queen timed the conversations carefully. Another secret stamina factor. Sixteen remained polite. Four lost their sparkle halfway. Two tried to sit on Adrien's chair. The chair was not big enough for such ambitions.
In the evening, the mini ball started in the golden hall. No costume change. No resting. No four-hour pampering break.
Another hidden stamina strike.
The musicians played fast dances first. Twice as long as normal. Rowan instructed them with a small evil grin, following queen's secret plan.
Some candidates kept dancing. Some slowed. One pretended to tie her shoe for twenty minutes. One tried to flirt with Rowan again. Rowan refused to be part of romance testing.

Finally the music slowed. Adrien and Rowan escaped to the balcony for air, thinking no one saw.
But Anastasia stood there eating a cookie. Drizella was beside her with a full snack plate. Neither looked tired. Neither pretended.
Adrien joined them. No flirting. No speeches. Just quiet talk about music and soft night air.
From across the hall, the queen watched with raised eyebrow and murmured, "Interesting."
Because while others collapsed in chairs, those two still stood, still chewed, still talked, still smiled.
The stamina test had spoken.
When the music finally stopped, the hall turned silent.
The candidates did not glide out like graceful swans. They limped, slouched, and crawled out like wounded pigeons. Some fanned themselves. Some asked for chairs. One requested a "royal nap room," which did not exist. Rowan pretended not to hear.
The queen watched them go, her face calm. Adrien watched too, quietly thinking.
Rowan only took notes and prayed for sleep.
Soon the hall emptied, leaving only Cinderella and the stepsisters collecting ribbons and snack trays.
The queen called out, "Cinderella. Anastasia. Drizella. Come here, dear girls."
They walked over, startled. None expected to be called at the end of such a day.
The queen smiled without being scary.
"Tell me — what did you think of today's trials?"
Cinderella answered first, simple and true:
"They worked hard. But I think everyone focused too much on impressing and not enough on solving. Some tried to act perfect, and that is tiring."
The queen nodded slowly. "Yes. I saw that too."
Drizella spoke next, matter-of-fact and surprisingly sharp:
"The problem tasks were rushed. Many wanted to jump to the answer without listening to each other. They forgot teamwork. And they didn't pace themselves through the ball. They used too much strength too early."
Rowan blinked. Adrien blinked. The queen's eyebrow lifted a little.
Then the queen said, "And what about compatibility? Did any seem suited for a prince?"
Drizella shrugged. "Hard to tell. They were too stiff. A queen must relax at some point, right?"
That earned a tiny royal smirk from the queen.
Then Anastasia finally spoke. She was quiet at first, serious in a way that made people listen.
"I think the test showed that ruling a kingdom is a marathon. Not a sprint," she said.
She looked at the queen, not scared, not shy.
"And if someone becomes tired from talking a few hours or dancing a little longer or thinking without tea, then how will she handle storms, harvest failures, angry nobles, or sick villagers? Queens do not get to rest when it gets hard. So I think today was fair."
The queen stared at her for a moment — long enough that Cinderella wondered if they should bow or run.
Then the queen smiled very slowly.
Adrien looked away so no one could see his expression.
Rowan wrote nothing because Rowan forgot how pens worked for a second.
The queen dismissed them kindly and went to speak with Adrien and Rowan in private, voices low and thoughtful.
As the hall workers cleared the remaining trays, Rowan helped fold music sheets. Drizella stayed to stack plates — and not because she had to, just because it looked like work that needed doing.
They did not talk at first.
It was peaceful.
The kind of peace that feels like warm tea.
Finally Rowan said, "Not many noticed pacing today. You did."
Drizella shrugged like it was no big wisdom. "If you run out of breath early, you lose before the real test starts."
Rowan chuckled softly. "I wish the candidates knew that."
Drizella gave a small nod. "They were trying too hard to look perfect. Perfect things crack faster."
Rowan stopped folding for a moment, looking at her with a gentle surprise. Not admiration. Not flirting. Just… recognition.
"You're right," he said quietly.
The silence returned — but it was warm.
They carried plates and music sheets side by side without speaking. They didn't need to. It felt natural, easy, something calm in the middle of the palace chaos.
When they finished, Drizella simply said, "Good night, Rowan."
He replied, just as quiet, "Good night, Drizella."
No blushing. No dramatic sighs. Just two people who understood each other without trying.
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