Hearts of the Realm

001. Trivia, trivia, trivia!

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　Upon heading through the doors on the left, precisely as instructed, Capri was left baffled.

"What is this?" she muttered, somewhat unwillingly. She was still squeezing the plastic cup in her hand as her eyes scanned the huge room.

Shy, standing to her right, shrugged. "As long as it's fun."

At that Capri huffed out an amused pant. A man (not Hadrien nor anyone else she had met already) next to them squinted at the rows of something like rostrums, except numbered and with touch screens. Some people already spread out, while some remained glued to the floor by the entrance like Capri herself. Was the anxiety kicking in just now? She felt good, but she imagined seeing the cameras and lighting equipment could be scary for those new to this. She loved the camera, and the camera loved her, or so she convinced herself. She glanced at Shy. They seemed to share the sentiment.

The previously mentioned man licked his lips and spoke, assumedly replying to her question with a bit of a delay. "Looks like a very modern exam hall."

Hearing that, Capri grimaced. She said out of all the possibilities she just didn't want an IQ test to be the first challenge! And her mother still had the gall to tell her she was one of the luckiest people she knew. Just because she often found quarters on the sidewalk and was good at any sport she tried didn't mean she had some sort of blessing from the universe.

Hey, Universe. Capri has an idea. She'll start believing in her luck only if she gets the first place in this entire show. How about that?

Shy tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at the front section of the hall (later Capri would realize she was actually pointing at rostrum number 29). "Go find your contestant number."

Capri nodded, resigned, and followed Shy for a while before breaking away to stand at the eighth podium.

Please, please, please.

That one word echoed in her mind as a pink-teal-purple logo of the show flickered on the display before her, the a's vaguely heart-shaped and the s curling like a vine at the end.

Please.

　Malik watched the fire-dancer and journalist walk away. Hm.

Should he be scared? Like he said, this was a lot like an exam hall. He was used to those. He felt good in those.

Podium 35 felt sturdy when he rested his hands on it. A playful tune came from an unnoticeable speaker, and his knee jerked involuntarily. The show's name appeared on the screen, and his grip on the edges of the tin lectern tightened.

Okay.

He was feeling it now—in his stomach and everywhere else.

The nervousness was a bit like tingling. He knew some people grew nauseous in moments like these. He was so glad he wasn't one of them.

More words appeared:

Trivia Quiz Rules!

He skimmed through the block of text—fifty questions, ranging from math, through history, to pop culture—and smiled, for a few reasons.

One, he now knew why Hearts of the Realm advertised itself as 'honest and transparent' among other things: "This challenge is supposed to test whether the contestants have basic knowledge about how monarchies operate, world history and current events, as well as cultural complexities. It's important for royalty to be informed about the sociopolitical landscape and understanding of the constantly evolving world. There will also be a few questions concerning traffic laws, math equations and grammar or spelling to ensure only people actually capable of succeeding in a regular field of work pass this stage."