8: NEARER THE FLAME

After being initially rejected by the scholarly Princess-General, a determined young woman persists in her pursuit despite facing anger and dismissal. She obtains books on history and philosophy to study independently, then returns to the library where she encounters the girl once more and, impressed by her genuine passion for learning, agrees to accept her as a ward after all.

When confronted in her alcove, Princess-General and scholar, finds that her rejection of the petitioner has been so complete that a young lighteyed woman has been hiding nearby. She expresses anger initially but later recalls the girl, apologizing for her harshness. The girl provides her with a written letter demonstrating her self-teaching and logical reasoning. Although impressed, the princess defers acceptance, requesting that the girl spend years studying history and philosophy first, an offer that would come too late to save the girl's house from financial ruin. The girl leaves devastated but not defeated. Later, on the city streets, she encounters a cheerful sailor named and is persuaded by his simple wisdom—that one must try a third time—to attempt one final approach. She seeks out a merchant to purchase books on history and philosophy. At the merchant's shop, she engages in a battle of wits with the proprietor, confronting his condescension about her intellect and his inflated pricing. The sailor intervenes theatrically, pretending to represent a rival merchant and shaming the first merchant into lowering his price from ten emerald broams to two emerald and three sapphire. She purchases the books and compensates the sailor with a portrait she has drawn of him. She returns to the library and secures an alcove adjacent to the princess's, filling a lamp with her remaining spheres to read through the night. The princess discovers her studying, having anticipated this move and bribed servants to alert her. Rather than anger, the princess finds herself impressed by the girl's determination and the genuine scholarly pursuits evident in the girl's sketchbook and notations about natural history. She invites the girl to her personal chambers in the library and offers her formal acceptance as a ward, permitting her to begin studies the following day.