The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Seventy-Six

Two weeks pass from when I wrote the exam.
Reading a book in the sun room of the duke's estate, the birds chirp outside as the rain finally stops.
I take a sip of a sweet cold tea, engulfed in a book.

"Lady Luna?"

I turn to see Fredrick walk in.
"Hello." I flash a small smile, setting the book down.
"Your gown from Madam Charmile's has arrived, along with a letter for you."
"Oh, perfect, thank you."
Handing me the envelope, my heart quickens as I see it's my test results.
I gulp nervously, trying to muster the courage to look.
Slowly tearing open the envelope, I hesitate, afraid of the results.
"Luna of Avri, has received a score of 289 out of 300." I read out loud, "W-Wait! Did I pass?"

Running up to Fredrick who jumps at the sound of my voice, he turns as I show him the results.
Taking a moment to read the letter, his eyes widen.

"My lady, I think that's one of the highest scores anyone's received." Fredrick adjusts his glasses, staring at the score.
"Oh my goodness, I passed!" I exclaim, hugging Fredrick out of joy, "I need to tell his grace, is he here?"
"Oh, yes, he's in his study." Fredrick coughs, confused by my burst of affection.
"Perfect, thank you!" I bow my head, sprinting across the estate.

"I passed! I passed!" I shout, bursting into Duke Oslo's study.
"S-Sorry?" He puts his documents down, blindsided by my commotion.
"I passed! They sent the results, I got 289 out of 300!" I rejoice, showing him the papers.
"You passed?... Y-You passed!" Duke Oslo reads the results, confused at first before turning overjoyed.
"I did it!" I jump happily, hugging Duke Oslo.
He hugs me back, picking me up and spinning me.
"I'm so proud of you, you did great!" Duke Oslo puts me down, staring at the pages.
"So what happens now?"
"You apply to different jobs. You could work at the academy, work for a private estate, or work in the palace."
"This is amazing, oh my god. Thank you!"
"It was your intelligence, there's no need to thank me."
"You helped me, of course I have to thank you! Thank you, thank you!" I jump into his arms.
He chuckles, catching me as I wrap my arms around his neck.
"I'm very proud of you. I knew you could do it." He smiles, continuing to hold me.

My eyes widen as I freeze in his arms—realizing just how close we are.
"Um-"
Before I can say anything about it, Duke Oslo moves to sit back down.
Taking the envelope from my hands, his eyes meet mine curiously.

"Lady Luna?" He asks.
My cheeks begin to burn from embarrassment.
"Y-Your grace..." I mutter.
"What's the matter? Are you alright?"
"C-Could you please let me go?" I whisper, averting my eyes.

Only upon seeing my reaction, his eyes look down to realize he sat down with me on his lap. His arm wrapped tightly around my waist, stopping me from moving.
"O-Oh! Yes, of course. M-My apologies." He releases his arm from my waist, moving to slide over.
He sits me on the sofa as he slides to sit beside me.
"My apologies, I didn't realize."
"I-It's okay!" I exclaim, my back turned to him from embarrassment.
"Ahem. S-So about the results..." He clears his throat, his eyes scanning the paper.
I look back at him as his expression is composed, yet his ears and cheeks burn bright red.

"Um, what does it say?" I ask, trying to calm down.
"What?" He asks.
"T-The results?"
"Oh! Right, the results... Um." He reads the document, flustered.
"If you'd like, I can read it if you can't?" I giggle, teasing him slightly.
"I can read it fine." He exclaims, trying to remain calm.
He clears his throat again, focusing on the paper.
"Hm? Oh, it says your results were one of the highest, because of it you're accepted to apply at the palace without a need for a reference."
"Really?" I exclaim, overly-joyed.
"Yes, you just need to send a letter to the palace advisory and they'll accept you. They were notified of your score already."
"Oh but I'm not ready for it. I need to prepare, I don't even know how to do the job yet." I sigh, feeling anxious.
"All jobs have training, you'll be taught on what to do. Don't worry too much." He reassures, giving me back the papers.
"Your grace... Thank you... You helped me so much."
"No, you passed on your own strengths and intelligence. No need to thank me." Duke Oslo shrugs.
"No, but you did help me... You didn't think I was some silly concubine, you believed in me—which is more than enough reason to be thankful for. Thank you..." I smile slightly, staring back at Duke Oslo.
"Of course. I said I would help, didn't I?" Duke Oslo smiles back.