After Headmistress McGonagall came to see her and explained the reasons, Alice realized she would probably be unable to refuse taking part in the Triwizard Tournament.
That was not to say she could not simply refuse.
For Albert's sake, no one would force her. Otherwise, the Ministry of Magic would not have offered what it considered "tempting" compensation.
But Alice knew perfectly well that she was not her father, someone who could do whatever he wanted. When facing certain matters, she lacked that kind of confidence.
That was life. Nine times out of ten, things did not go as one wished.
The reason she had not immediately agreed to Headmistress McGonagall was that Alice intended to discuss it with Albert before making a decision.
Anything involving the Ministry of Magic's major interests was never simple.
She had to find herself a backer first. Otherwise, once she agreed and became someone else's political bargaining chip, all sorts of disgusting trouble might be waiting for her afterward.
Even if she ultimately did take part in the Triwizard Tournament, she had to secure some degree of control.
As such, this matter was destined to be dragged back and forth for a long time.
Even Kingsley had no good solution.
From Hermione's letter, Alice learned that some Ministry officials had suggested to Kingsley that they replace her.
But Kingsley had rejected it outright.
Though not everyone was capable of reliably winning the Triwizard Tournament, this also made Alice catch the scent of a conspiracy.
After everyone ran out of ideas, Kingsley called Hermione, who knew Alice well, to discuss the matter.
According to Hermione, Alice was a smaller version of Albert. As his heir, she had inherited not only Albert's talent and brilliance, but also some of his personality and temper.
Alice had lacked