Where Fireflies Light the Moon

The late autumn rain carried a chill that bit at my face.

I looked at Arthur Stevenson in disbelief. As the Lord Chancellor, he was never supposed to be part of selecting the royal physicians. Yet, he chose to step in and flex his authority.

"Attending to His Majesty requires utmost care."

Arthur stood tall in his official robes. He pointed at that tiny bit of medicinal residue, his voice cold. "Miss Claire is clearly not qualified. Wouldn't you agree, Sir John?"

Arthur then turned toward my younger stepsister, Eleanor Fletcher, and pointed directly at her. "This one, on the other hand, is careful. Let the choice fall to her."

Beside him, Sir John, the Physician to the King, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Even now, he hadn't fully processed why the Lord Chancellor—a man usually buried in affairs of state who never bothered with trivial matters—would suddenly interfere in such a minor selection.

"The Lord Chancellor is right," Sir John chimed in hurriedly before turning to look at me. "Miss Claire, you have been disqualified. You may take your leave now."

The selection had always followed its own established rules, yet I was the very first person to be publicly criticized and dismissed by the reigning Lord Chancellor himself.

I clenched my dress tightly. Unable to endure the mocking and curious looks from the crowd any longer, I turned on my heel and left.

I walked away in such a hurry that I didn't even grab an umbrella. I wandered alone down the narrow passageways of the castle grounds, letting the misty rain soak through my clothes.

Unbeknownst to me, Arthur had chased after me, holding an umbrella above his head. Following close behind him was Eleanor.

"Why did you run off so quickly, Claire?"

Eleanor had always picked on me, and having just beaten me in the royal physician selection, she naturally wasn't about to pass up the chance to mock me.

"What's that expression? Oh right—running away with your tail between your legs."

She looked smug at having beaten me, but I ignored her and looked straight at Arthur.

"Why?" I asked.

Why did he nitpick my performance on purpose? Even though the choice had nothing to do with him, he still chose to get involved.

Arthur let out a soft sigh. "Claire, you lost to Eleanor once. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Your sister wants the spot. As her elder sister, what's the harm in stepping aside for her?

"A proper lady shouldn't be so jealous and willful. Consider today a small lesson. Besides, the status of a royal physician in the castle is a humble one. Why are you so obsessed with entering the castle?"

I balled my hands into fists. From the start, Arthur had never once asked me why I had wanted to become a royal physician in the first place.

"It's all my fault. I should've stepped aside for Claire," Eleanor spoke in a soft, delicate voice. Her eyes darting toward Arthur from time to time.

I was never one to swallow my anger, so I turned to Eleanor and snapped back, "Don't you know your own limitations? Since when do I need you to step aside for me? Eleanor, with your third-rate medical skills, do you honestly think you're fit to treat the King? I hope you won't end up getting kicked out after just a few days!"

Eleanor's face turned livid. Her medical skills were indeed mediocre. If not for Arthur, there was no way she would've been selected today.

"Enough!" Arthur frowned and stepped in to speak up on Eleanor's behalf. "Claire, why can't you be half as gentle as Eleanor? Look at how jealous and willful you are! How can you possibly take good care of His Majesty? Consider this a lesson, and don't forget it."