When she showed her the sketch, her mother had smiled and told her that it was beautiful.
But she had also warned her that turning the drawing into a real garment would be difficult.
Her mother had been right.
The sleeves had required several attempts.
The skirt had initially been too heavy.
The first version of the bodice had not fitted correctly.
There had been days when the young woman wanted to abandon the entire project.
But she had continued.
Now the original sketch was displayed on a screen in front of hundreds of people.
The woman in green approached her.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "Is that your original drawing?"
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "Yes. I made it before purchasing the fabric."
WOMAN IN GREEN: "It is lovely. I can see how the final design developed from this."
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "I changed several details along the way. The original sleeves were much smaller."
WOMAN IN GREEN: "And why did you decide to make them larger?"
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "I wanted the dress to have a more dramatic shape, but I also wanted the proportions to remain balanced. It took a while to find the right structure."
The judge smiled.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "I would love to see the finished version again."
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "I would be happy to show you."
The designer in black joined them.
BLACK-GOWN DESIGNER: "Your original sketch is very interesting."
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "Thank you."
BLACK-GOWN DESIGNER: "I think people sometimes forget how much experimentation happens before a design becomes successful."
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "Yes. The final result can make everything look easy."
BLACK-GOWN DESIGNER: "It never is."
The two women exchanged a friendly smile.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere became warmer.
Then the announcer returned to the microphone.
ANNOUNCER: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. We will shortly resume the presentations. The organizing committee has decided that the remaining evaluations will be conducted under additional supervision to ensure complete transparency."
The audience applauded.
The elderly gentleman returned to the stage.
He stood beside the judges' table and waited until the room became quiet.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Before we continue, I want to thank everyone for remaining patient. This evening has reminded us that the value of a competition does not lie only in the awards presented at the end. It also lies in the fairness of the process."
He looked toward the contestants.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Every person who has worked hard to create something deserves to have that work evaluated honestly."
He then turned toward the technical director.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Are we ready?"
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "Almost, sir. There is one final record we need to verify."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "What record?"
The technical director approached him and spoke quietly.
The gentleman listened carefully.
Then he looked toward the woman in black.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "I see."
The woman in green noticed his expression.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "Has something else been discovered?"
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "It appears that the instructions concerning the presentation were not the only unusual changes made before tonight's event."
The woman in green frowned.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "What else?"
The gentleman looked toward the technical director.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Please bring the final registration report."
The technical director opened another file.
A list of contestants appeared on the screen.
Several names were marked with different administrative codes.
The elderly gentleman studied the information.
Then he pointed to one particular entry.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Why was this contestant's original score classification changed?"
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "The classification was revised during the final registration process."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Who requested that?"
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "The request came from the same authorization channel we have been examining."
The woman in green looked toward the woman in black.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "Again?"
The technical director nodded.
The woman in black slowly stepped away from the table.
WOMAN IN BLACK: "I cannot continue listening to this. I have already explained my position."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Then perhaps you should stay long enough to hear the complete explanation."
WOMAN IN BLACK: "I have nothing more to say."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "That is your choice. But the committee still needs to establish what happened."
The elderly gentleman looked at the screen.
The technical director opened the details of the revised classification.
A new document appeared.
The gentleman read it carefully.
His expression became completely serious.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "This is not what I expected."
The woman in green stood up.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "What does it say?"
He did not answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the blue-gown contestant.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Miss, there is something about your registration that I believe you should know."
The young woman stepped forward.
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "About my registration?"
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Yes. According to the original records, you were not supposed to be competing in the category in which you were placed tonight."
She looked confused.
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "But that is the category I registered for."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Your original application confirms that."
He pointed toward the screen.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "However, someone changed your classification shortly before the final judging process."
The contestant stared at the document.
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "Why would anyone do that?"
The elderly gentleman looked toward the judges' table.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "That is precisely what we need to find out."