Beatrice Maeril.
A brilliant professor and scholar who fell into mediocrity for one simple reason.
She lacked merits.
Or rather, she was made to lack them.
Most of the work that could have made her famous would be taken from her. Papers she would submit for review would then be submitted under someone else's authority and name.
Discoveries credited to senior figures who had done nothing but sign their names. With no proof and no backing, Beatrice had been boxed into a corner, left with no path upward, condemned to remain an academy lecturer despite her capability.
That was the extent of her world.
"Pardon? What did you just say the benefits are?"
Until one day, an opportunity arrived.
The offer came directly from the Empress's research division. Access to imperial-grade facilities. Unlimited funding for mana-related experimentation. Priority treatment for immediate family. Medical coverage that surpassed even noble privileges.
And, most alluring of all, recognition.
