Chapter 11

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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The entrance hall, which had been empty when she left, was now filled with people.

For a moment, Evi was flustered, wondering if she had found the wrong room, and checked the room number.

However, it was definitely her room, Room 305.

‘Then who are all these people?’

If it had been her roommate who had arrived, she would have understood, but no matter how she looked at it, there were at least twenty female students standing inside the room.

“It seems Miss Irene’s roommate has arrived.”

“But she looks quite young, doesn’t she?”

Most of the children standing there were around ten years old.

While Evi was worrying about how to greet the children who were taller than her, someone chuckled and spoke.

“I haven’t seen your face before. Where are you from?”

A girl who looked Evi up and down asked with a puzzled face.

“My name is Evi Alden. I came from Elam City and…”

“Ah, I’ve heard of you. You’re the orphanage child who came in this time, aren’t you?”

Before Evi could finish her sentence, someone let out a surprised sound.

The other students nearby also began to chime in one by one.

“My goodness, did the Gifted Center really accept a commoner?”

“I heard she was chosen because of her excellent grades, but still, how could they admit her to the Gifted Center?”

“Does she not have any clothes? She’s already wearing the school uniform, and her appearance is a mess.”

At the comment that her appearance was a mess, Evi hurried to check her attire.

Because she had gone into the forest and come back, there were parts of her clothes that were a bit wrinkled, but it wasn’t to the extent that it would be a major problem.

However, the gazes now looking at Evi were as if they were looking at someone who had been rolling on the dirt floor.

Evi looked at the clothes of the students who were standing and watching her.

None of the people standing there were wearing the Gifted Center’s uniform yet.

Instead, they were all wearing colorful and extravagant clothes without exception.

Even though it was children’s clothing, some were adorned with so many decorations that their splendor did not fall behind the clothes of ordinary nobles.

She could tell just by their clothes and attitude.

The fact that all the children in this room were from wealthy noble families.

At that moment, one person walked out from among the girls.

‘Wow…’

Evi barely managed to swallow the exclamation that almost slipped out of her mouth.

The person who walked out from the group was a student who looked to be about thirteen years old.

Naturally, she was much taller than Evi, and she stood out particularly because she had a much more mature atmosphere compared to the other children.

Long, wavy silver hair that fell to her waist. Clear and transparent dark purple eyes.

She was the prettiest person Evi had seen in her life.

Her eyes were tilted upwards, giving her a slightly sharp impression, but even that looked charming along with her delicate features.

Then one of the students said to her.

“Miss Irene, something seems wrong. There’s no way a child like this could be your roommate…”

At those words, the girl called Irene frowned.

Then the other children began to chime in one by one.

“What on earth does the Gifted Center think of Miss Irene? They said Miss Ezriella is sharing a room with Miss Lency!”

“That’s right. So we thought at least Miss Irene’s roommate would be someone from a family of a count or higher, but a commoner!”

As the whispering of the surrounding children grew louder, Irene’s eyes became even sharper.

“Enough.”

At Irene’s words, everyone fell silent.

In the middle of the quiet entrance hall, Irene walked up to Evi.

Tock, tock.

Luxurious shoes with beautiful decorations the likes of which Evi had never seen before stopped just one step away.

Gulp.

Evi swallowed her dry saliva in tension and met the gaze of Irene, who was looking down at her.

Meanwhile, the other female students standing nearby whispered.

“What insolence this is to the lady of a family called the King of the South. Were the dormitories really assigned randomly?”

“Surely not. It’s only natural for the Gifted Center to pair roommates with someone of appropriate status.”

“Then what happened? Does the Gifted Center think a commoner child like this suits Miss Irene?”

“But they said that child is the one who entered the Gifted Center as the second top student after Lord Arcel.”

“Even so, she’s just a child from an orphanage. This is an insult to Miss Irene!”

At the voices of the female students talking about her, Evi ended up shrinking back.

The gazes that watched her while whispering were fierce.

After looking around for a moment, Evi turned her gaze forward again to look at Irene.

During that time, Irene was quietly looking her over here and there with her eyes.

‘As expected… she must feel unpleasant, right?’

She remembered when she attended the upper school in Elam.

Everyone there was a commoner, with a few exceptions. Nevertheless, when Evi came to attend classes, everyone wore a lukewarm expression.

She had no parents and was just a bit poorer, but they had already categorized Evi into a low class that dared not associate with them.

If they were like that, there was no way the daughters of the empire’s prominent high nobles would welcome her.

‘She might ask to change her roommate.’

There was a rule that roommates could be changed under the discussion of the Gifted Center’s professors, provided there was a significant problem.

While Evi and Irene quietly looked at each other, the students’ whispering grew even louder.

“Still, what kind of family is the Terence family? It’s no exaggeration to say that half of the south’s money belongs to that family.”

“Come to think of it, I heard Miss Irene’s relationship with her older half-sister is very bad. They say there’s a lot of friction over the successor position… Could it be that her sister had a hand in this?”

Amidst the buzzing, Irene finally made her eyes tremble and opened her mouth with difficulty.

“…Shabby.”

“Pardon?”

“Your hair, your skin, your body. Everything is a mess. Does the orphanage you were in starve the children?”

Was it a southern accent? A unique accent she had never heard before was mixed into her sharp voice.

Evi jumped in surprise.

“No! Our director would never do such a thing!”

At the loud voice, the people nearby were surprised and covered their mouths.

“Oh my, who does this child dare to shout at now?”

“My goodness, I thought she would at least have some basic culture since she entered the Gifted Center. To think she would act so rudely.”

At the scathing words, Evi shut her mouth.

She realized too late that she had made a mistake, but it was already too late.

‘But I can’t stand it when they speak badly of the director.’

The director was someone who truly cared for the children.

Unlike directors of other places, far from embezzling support funds, she even sold off all her original property to feed the children.

If there was a sick child that other places said they couldn’t take, she would travel a long distance to bring them back in her arms and treat them.

If the neighbors brought food, she was someone who put it all into the children’s mouths without even thinking of her own share.

She had spent all her money to bring Evi, who was not worth even a penny, to the orphanage and save her.

She could not bear to hear words that slandered such a director.

Was she surprised by Evi’s high-pitched voice? Irene wore a flustered expression.

However, her expression soon returned to its initial expressionless face, and she spoke in a calm voice.

“I am sorry for jumping to conclusions. I only…”

At that moment, one of the female students standing nearby interrupted their conversation.

“Miss Irene! Why are you apologizing to something like this?”

“That’s right! What do you think you’re doing? Hurry and apologize for your rudeness!”

While Irene herself was staying still, the students next to her were making more of a fuss.

As the room became noisy, Irene raised her hand. With just that, the room became silent in an instant.

“Stop. It seems difficult to continue talking here, so I would like you to leave for a moment.”

“Of course!”

“Miss Irene, do you know? There are five cafeterias in the Gifted Center…”

At Irene’s words, the students changed their expressions and began to talk about other things as if they hadn’t been bullying Evi.

Irene led the other students and left the room.

Just before leaving, the moment her gaze met Evi’s, Irene bowed her head slightly.

“…?”

While Evi was flustered, the other students followed Irene and left in a hurry.

Before she left, Irene’s image lingered in her head. That was definitely a greeting containing an apology, as if she were sorry.