Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 242

“No.”

“Alright, correct answer. Next question.” The host turned to Tobias. “Mr. Hart, please look at the screen—can you tell us which era this cauldron is from?”

Tobias wiped a nervous hand across his forehead. “Uh, well… This cauldron has the beast motifs that were common in the late Bronze Age, but also the bird designs that became popular in the early Iron Age… I’m not sure, it’s…”

“Time’s up,” the host interrupted, pressing his stopwatch and letting out a breath to ease the tension. “Mr. Hart, although the time’s up, I’ll give you another shot, alright?”

Tobias could feel his cheeks burning. “No, no, I really don’t know the answer to this one.”

“Alright then,” the host replied, a hint of regret in his tone as he turned to Serena. “Serena, do you know?”

Serena glanced at the image on the screen and nodded slightly.

The host’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You’re familiar with cauldrons too? Well then, can you tell us which period this one is from?”

“If I’m not mistaken,” Serena said calmly, “this should be from the early Iron Age. At that time, the old regime had just been overthrown, so the craftsmanship still preserved some of the late Bronze Age artistic traditions. If we could see the inscription inside, we could be even more precise.”

The host was clearly impressed. “That’s exactly right—this is an early Iron Age cauldron, and in fact, there is an inscription inside.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen displayed the cauldron’s inner inscription.

An expert’s translation appeared alongside it.

In brief, the inscription documented a ritual held during the reign of King Charles I of Valeria.

Early Valerian culture is rarely studied, due to the scarcity of surviving records.

The fact that Serena knew this left everyone present—Tobias included—deeply impressed.

The contest continued.

Next up were Rosa and Julian Sterling.

Abby smiled and greeted the guests. “Thank you all for your hard work. Mr. Hart, Mr. Sterling, I hope we can work together again sometime.”

In the earlier round, both Tobias and Julian Sterling had lost.

The two men managed awkward smiles, exchanged a few polite words, and made their exit.

Abby chatted with Rosa for a moment before turning to Serena, her eyes crinkling with a broad smile. “Serena, could you come with me for a minute?”

Serena nodded and followed Abby out of the studio.

Cynthia Lynwood watched them go, then shot Rosa a sidelong glance. “Ms. Fairchild, do you know what’s going on between Serena and the director?”

“No idea,” Rosa replied absently, busy packing up her things.

“The two of them seem pretty close—maybe they’re related or something. Besides, Serena got every single question right. She’s incredible, almost like she knew the answers ahead of time.”