Chapter 5

I immediately decided to apply for the librarian position the next day.

During my journey to this town, I had taken on simple jobs to earn money. But I had no other work experience besides that. Therefore, I wasn't sure if I would be hired for a proper job like this.

...I was surprised that the application requirements weren't as strict as I had expected. It seemed that, because this was a unique place where people from various backgrounds sought knowledge, they were looking for suitable candidates regardless of their past experience.

If they had asked for a detailed work history, I don't think I could have worked anywhere. After all, I had no experience attending school, and my only roles had been as a duchess and a duke's daughter. Despite being a duchess for six years, I rarely appeared in society. Both my birth family and my in-laws shared the view that they didn't want someone like me to be seen in public.

If I had been able to appear in society, my world might have been very different.

After applying for the position, I immediately moved on to the exams and interviews. I was glad that I could apply even though I didn't own a house in this town and was staying at an inn.

I later found out that this was a highly competitive position.

This library was renowned even in other countries, and working here was considered a great honor. I had applied for this position simply because I loved books and it was a place I had always wanted to work at... but with so many applicants, I might not get the job.

Still, I thought that applying would be a good experience.

However, the fact that they continued to recruit despite the high number of applicants suggested that they hadn't found the right candidates.

I took the written exam with several other applicants.

Some of them looked down on me, perhaps because my clothing was shabby compared to theirs.

When I was in the ducal family, I always wore the expensive dresses provided to me, even though I had no particular fondness for them. No one ever asked about my preferences.

After being disowned, I chose practical and affordable clothing, trying to cover as much skin as possible and aiming for a plain appearance. My attire clearly marked me as a commoner, and they might have thought I shouldn't be applying for a position like this.

All the other applicants looked like nobles.

...For the nobles, working here was also considered an honor. Additionally, it seemed that some used such prestigious positions as a stepping stone before getting married. I only knew this information from books, as I had only seen my peers at the minimum number of parties I attended.

If I had come to this neighboring country, perhaps I could make new friends? I would enjoy getting close to someone who didn't know my reputation.

Thinking about this potential future, I was filled with excitement.

Even if I failed the written exam, I would deal with it when the time came... for now, I would give it a try.

With that thought, I began the written exam.

The questions were easier than I had expected. There were many language problems, and just looking at them made me happy.

I had never taken such an exam before.

I had heard that my siblings and my late husband had taken exams at school. I had always wanted to take school exams.

Solving tasks assigned to me by my sister on a whim had been fun.

The exam time was longer than I had imagined, so I had expected a lot of questions. However, there were more than I had anticipated.

Still, I would solve as many as I could.

There were also questions about magic. I was a bit anxious about whether I could answer them correctly based on my knowledge, but I did my best.

After the written exam, we were told to go home.

The other applicants who had finished the exam looked tired.

Some of them said things like, "That's why commoners don't get in, so they can act calm" and "It's probably just a commemorative application."

I didn't understand what they meant.

When I asked, I learned that most commoners who applied to this library did so for commemorative reasons. Just applying and taking the exam was considered prestigious.

I hadn't intended to do that. I genuinely wanted to work here if I could.

They seemed to believe that I wouldn't understand the exam content.

"I didn't understand some of the questions, but I filled in most of them."

When I said this, I was told, "Don't lie." It seemed they didn't believe that I had filled in most of the answers.

I didn't understand, but I decided to return to my inn for the time being.

A familiar inn employee said, "It was difficult, right? Don't be discouraged if you don't get in. Not getting in is the norm."

It seemed that they also believed I wouldn't understand the exam and that not getting in was the norm.

I didn't believe I would get in, but I had indeed filled in most of the answers, and I was particularly confident about the language questions. So I had hoped to get a decent score.

The results of the written exam came out a few days later.

I had passed.