ONE STEP BEHIND

AFTER the First Round ended, the candidates for the Selection were invited inside the People's Palace.

To be precise, the candidates were ushered to the dining hall with the capacity to entertain four hundred to five hundred guests. The People's Palace was named like that because it was supposed to be open to the public.

Anyway, while the candidates were having a feast for lunch, Neoma and her "children" were busy checking the 'artworks' that the candidates submitted.

Papa Boss and Mama Boss already returned to their offices, and so did Nero and Hanna. After all, her parents still had work to do as the emperor and the empress. That applied to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess as well.

But it was okay.

Lewis, Juri, Jeno, Xion, Paige, Greko, and Dahlia were enough to check the artwork with her. The eight of them were currently inside the royal bedroom that Neoma would use until the Selection was over.