Reborn in The Princess Diaries: My Multiverse Empire
Chapter 12 – The Second Round
The email remained open on the screen as Anshul read it again carefully.
"Your project has been selected for the second round of evaluation."
Even though he had already understood the message the first time, reading it again made the reality sink in.
StudyFlow had successfully passed the first stage.
Out of hundreds of student projects submitted from across the country, his software had been selected as one of the promising entries.
Anshul leaned back in his chair and let out a slow breath.
"Good."
He wasn't the type to celebrate too early, but this result confirmed something important.
He was moving in the right direction.
The email continued explaining the next phase.
Selected participants would need to give an online presentation explaining their project in detail.
The judges would evaluate:
practicality of the idea
technical understanding
potential impact on students.
In other words, the next stage was not just about coding.
It was about explaining the idea clearly.
Anshul immediately opened his notebook and began writing a new heading.
Second Round Preparation
Below it he listed several tasks.
1. Improve StudyFlow stability
2. Prepare presentation script
3. Practice explaining the system clearly
4. Gather more user feedback
He tapped the pen lightly against the notebook.
Public speaking had never been his strongest skill.
But it wasn't something he couldn't learn.
Confidence came from preparation.
And preparation was something he was already good at.
Just then his phone rang from the desk.
The old Nokia device vibrated loudly.
Anshul picked it up.
"Hello?"
"BRO!"
Rahul's excited voice exploded through the speaker.
"You got the email, right?"
Anshul chuckled slightly.
"Yeah."
Rahul sounded almost more excited than he was.
"That's amazing!"
"It's just the second round."
"JUST?" Rahul protested.
"Do you know how many people applied to that competition?"
Anshul smiled faintly.
"I'm guessing… a lot."
"Exactly!"
Rahul continued talking enthusiastically for several minutes before finally calming down.
"Anyway," Rahul said, "you're definitely going to win this."
Anshul shook his head even though Rahul couldn't see him.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
After the call ended, Anshul returned his attention to the computer.
If the judges wanted a presentation, he needed to prepare one properly.
He opened a blank document and began writing the outline.
Introduction.
Problem students face with time management.
How StudyFlow solves that problem.
Demonstration of features.
Future development plans.
The more he wrote, the clearer the presentation became.
But explaining technical ideas was only half the challenge.
He also needed to demonstrate real impact.
Which meant collecting feedback from users.
Anshul opened the email inbox connected to StudyFlow.
Several messages had arrived during the past few days.
One student wrote that the software helped them organize exam preparation more efficiently.
Another said the progress charts motivated them to study regularly.
Reading those messages gave Anshul a quiet sense of satisfaction.
The program was actually helping people.
And that mattered more than winning any competition.
Late that night, after finishing his preparation notes, Anshul stepped onto the balcony for some fresh air.
The city lights of Pune shimmered in the distance.
He rested his arms on the railing and looked up at the sky.
Somewhere far beyond that horizon was San Francisco.
The city where the story of Mia Thermopolis would eventually unfold.
Anshul knew the timeline roughly.
The discovery of her royal identity.
The transformation from awkward student to princess.
Those events would happen soon.
Which meant time was moving forward.
He couldn't waste it.
Anshul straightened slightly.
First the competition.
Then international exams.
Then university applications.
Each step would bring him closer to his destination.
Closer to the world where Genovia existed.
Closer to the girl who didn't yet know she was destined to become a princess.
He smiled faintly.
"Step by step."
Then he went back inside.
Tomorrow would be another long day of preparation.