Seeing her hesitate, Angela smirked, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. "What's the matter, Contestant Number Four? Weren't you the one who claimed your design and creativity were the most valuable? I, for one, would love to hear why you used thorns and roses to express the theme of 'Revival.""
Hailey took a deep breath, walked forward, and accepted the microphone from the host, trying to make her voice sound calm and confident.
"My piece is titled 'Thorn Rose.' I specifically used the motif of thorns wrapping around a rose to... to represent confinement and imprisonment. The chain is made of the purest white diamonds to achieve the most perfect fire and brilliance..."
"When the light refracts through the diamonds, passing through the thorns to illuminate the rose, it... it represents... hope and the vibrant revival of life. Th-that is my concept of revival."
Hailey's words were flat and uninspired.
Someone in the audience snickered. “Is Number Four just reading from a primary school script?"
"Didn't Dr. Kerrick just say all of that? Is she just repeating Dr. Kerrick's words back to us? Is this her design concept or his?"
"Why do I get the feeling that Contestant Number Four doesn't seem to know her own design at all?"
Hailey's face flushed bright red.
This was the speech she had prepared!
How was she supposed to know Dr. Kerrick would say it all first?
She bit her lower lip, about to offer a defense, when Daphne suddenly picked up her
microphone, her expression flat. "Since Contestant Number Four can't seem to articulate her concept, let's talk about the core structure of your piece."
A jolt of fear shot through Hailey.
Her heart plummeted.
She had a terrible feeling about this.
Daphne's words were definitely not a good sign.
Sure enough, she heard Daphne ask, "According to your original sketch, the thorns in your 'Thorn Rose' were to be constructed using a specific alloy and casting technique. Did you consider the structural integrity issues this would present when you were designing it?"
Hailey's lips trembled.
Daphne pressed on. "In the original draft, we can see that the rose petals had diamonds designed to imitate morning dew. Why was this detail removed in your finished product?"
Hailey froze.
She had drawn the sketch, but she had no memory of any design imitating morning dew.
Hailey never had much of a knack for design. She'd only studied jewelry because she heard it was an easy way to meet rich people and
that the credits were easier to get than in other majors. She'd basically just been costing through the program.
It had been a monumental effort just to memorize every detail of the discarded
drafts she'd found in that storage room.
She truly hadn't noticed any dewdrop design on the rose petals.
Hailey's mind was racing, but she forced herself to remain calm. "B-because... during production, I felt that detail would make it look too busy. It would have... interfered with the refraction from the chain..."
Her answer was hesitant and halting.
The judges' expressions didn't soften in the slightest. They looked deeply unsatisfied with her response.
Angela immediately followed up, "On the original sketch, I noticed that the way the thorns wrapped around the rose was very distinctive m curious... why were your thos concentrated on the calyx, rather than the root?"
"In design language, thorns winding up from the root would better symbolize a struggle originating from one's foundation. What was the reasoning behind your choice?"