Reborn in The Princess Diaries: My Multiverse Empire
Chapter 14 – The Day of the Presentation
The day of the second round arrived sooner than Anshul expected.
For the past week, he had spent nearly every spare moment preparing for the presentation. Practicing the explanation, refining the demonstration, and making sure the software worked without errors.
Now the real test had come.
That morning, Anshul woke up earlier than usual.
The house was still quiet. The faint light of dawn filtered through the windows, and the city of Pune had not fully awakened yet.
He washed his face, dressed quickly, and walked straight to the desk in his room.
The family's desktop computer stood there as always.
He switched it on.
The CRT monitor flickered slowly as the machine started. While waiting for the system to load, Anshul reviewed his printed presentation notes again.
Introduction.
Problem.
Solution.
Demonstration.
Future expansion.
Everything was organized clearly.
The competition email had explained that the second round would be conducted through a video conference at the school computer lab.
Participants from different cities would connect to the judges remotely.
For many students, this was their first time speaking in front of such an audience.
Anshul felt a slight tension in his chest.
But he wasn't afraid.
He had prepared too carefully for that.
A knock came on the door.
His mother stepped inside.
"You're awake already?"
"Yeah."
She noticed the printed papers in his hands.
"Today is the presentation, right?"
Anshul nodded.
"Good luck," she said with a warm smile.
His grandmother's voice echoed from downstairs.
"Breakfast is ready!"
A few minutes later, the whole family sat around the dining table.
His grandfather looked at him curiously.
"So today you're presenting that software of yours?"
"Yeah."
His father sipped his tea and asked calmly,
"Are you confident?"
Anshul thought for a moment.
"I'm prepared."
His father nodded approvingly.
"That's what matters."
After breakfast, Anshul packed the necessary materials into his bag.
The USB drive containing the StudyFlow program.
Printed presentation notes.
And the demonstration files.
Then he headed to school.
---
The school computer lab looked unusually busy that morning.
Several teachers were present, along with a technician setting up the video conference equipment.
Rahul spotted him immediately.
"There you are!"
Rahul looked more nervous than Anshul.
"Relax," Anshul said.
"I'm not the one presenting!"
Rahul laughed awkwardly.
"Still… it feels important."
One of the teachers walked over.
"Anshul, the connection will start in about ten minutes."
He nodded.
"Alright."
Anshul sat at the computer assigned to him and inserted the USB drive.
StudyFlow loaded without any issues.
He tested the features quickly.
Everything worked perfectly.
Good.
Across the screen, the video conference software connected slowly.
After a few moments, several faces appeared on the monitor.
The judges.
Some were professors.
Others appeared to be industry professionals.
One of them spoke through the speakers.
"Good morning. We will begin the second round presentations shortly."
The room became completely silent.
Anshul glanced once at his notes.
Then he placed them aside.
He already knew what he wanted to say.
After a few other participants presented their projects, the moderator finally called his name.
"Next participant: Anshul Giri. Project title: StudyFlow."
Anshul stood up and walked to the front.
His heart beat slightly faster.
But his voice remained steady.
"Good morning," he began.
"My name is Anshul Giri, and today I will present a project designed to solve a common problem faced by students."
The presentation had begun.
Step by step, he explained the idea behind StudyFlow.
Why students struggled with time management.
How the software organized study schedules.
How the progress tracking system helped maintain discipline.
Then he demonstrated the program.
The judges watched quietly.
One of them asked a question.
"How scalable is this system if implemented at a school level?"
Anshul answered immediately.
"The architecture allows expansion to institutional use. Schools could manage student schedules collectively."
Another judge asked,
"What inspired you to build this?"
Anshul smiled slightly.
"I'm a student myself. I built something I wished I had earlier."
A few judges nodded.
The presentation lasted around fifteen minutes.
When it ended, the moderator spoke again.
"Thank you, Anshul."
He returned to his seat.
Rahul immediately whispered,
"That was amazing."
Anshul exhaled slowly.
"Let's see what happens."
The final results would take time.
But one thing was certain.
He had done everything he could.
And sometimes…
That was enough.