Around its edge were dozens of small golden weights and thin metal markers that moved whenever someone stepped onto it.
Every candidate had to stand in the center while the machine tested her.
That was all.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Soon, girls across the kingdom became obsessed with preparing for Julian’s strange test.
They hired dance teachers.
They practiced walking with books balanced on their heads.
Some trained for hours on narrow wooden boards.
Others learned to stand completely still for several minutes without moving a muscle.
Yet none of it helped.
One after another, the candidates stepped onto the golden platform.
The surface tilted.
The markers moved.
Master Henry examined the result.
And Julian said:
— Next.
Then, during another royal selection, a young woman named Clara appeared at the end of the line.
She immediately looked out of place.
Clara was short and noticeably curvy.
Her dark-red dress was simple, without jewels or expensive decoration.
