Chapter 14

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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The staff of each dormitory greeted each other warmly first and discussed how they would move.

In the meantime, students who were acquainted exchanged light greetings.

However, in the end, the people their gazes lingered on were all the same.

Among the male students, Arcel and Ruska were receiving everyone’s attention, and among the female students, Irene naturally drew the attention of others.

It was only natural, as she was a student who was becoming quite a topic of conversation.

“Hello, Lord Arcel. I’m glad to see you again here. I greeted you before at the winter greenhouse banquet…”

“Lord Ruska! I sent a letter before you entered the Gifted Center, did it get delivered safely? I am…”

The female students surrounding Arcel and Ruska, in particular, were very active in speaking to them.

That was because everyone was certain that one of the two would become the emperor’s adopted son.

‘But there’s no rule that the one decided as the adoptee must marry Irene Terence, is there?’

Among them, there were many who judged that it would be dangerous if the power of the Terence family grew larger than it was now.

So, on the contrary, they might never do so with the Terence family.

If that were the case, then there was an opportunity for them as well.

Arcel and Ruska were people who had value in themselves, not just their families.

People who would shine anywhere and at any time even if they weren’t nobles. But they even had honor, wealth, and status.

Furthermore, they no longer had to blindly wait to meet them at occasional banquets like before.

If classes or special activities overlapped at the Gifted Center, they could build a friendship by spending much more time together than could be compared with social circles.

Then, naturally, they would become even more intimate.

Even though they were only in their early teens, it was around the time to decide on engagements in noble families.

Therefore, the eyes of the female students looking at the two sparkled even more.

“Won’t you go and greet them too, Miss Irene?”

The female students who were by Irene’s side were also anxious to greet the two.

However, Irene glanced at the two and turned her head.

“It’s because I’ve never been officially introduced.”

At Irene’s words, the female students wore anxious faces.

They thought Irene was already acquainted with the two.

So they thought they would meet more frequently if they were by Irene’s side.

If so, they thought they could take care of their friendship with Irene while also building a relationship with the two, leading to a good relationship.

‘Why is she so cold?’

Irene really showed not even a little interest in the two and instead only looked around as if she were looking for someone.

While Irene was checking the surroundings, Evi was squeezed between people, looking at Arcel and Ruska.

When she first saw the two, she felt like approaching them and greeting them with a glad heart.

However, before Evi could even take a step, people flocked and surrounded the two.

They were students from noble families, anyone could see. And all of them were prominent.

Rimora, who had been acting confidently while showing off her brooch next to Evi until a little while ago, was the same.

She hovered around the vicinity without being able to go near the two.

Seeing such a scene, Evi could not even dare to greet them.

The two had helped her, but that was all.

To them, she was just another student they briefly helped on the way in.

With so many people flocking just to greet them once…

‘There’s no way they’d remember.’

Furthermore, what made Evi even more disheartened was the attitude of the two.

At first glance, it didn’t seem much different from last time.

However, Evi could tell.

‘Somehow… both of them seem to be in a bad mood.’

If she only looked at their faces, they didn’t seem much different from what she saw yesterday.

However, in the expressionless Arcel and even in Ruska’s face, which was smiling just like back then, an unknown faint shadow was visible.

‘They look tired.’

That wasn’t all. Somehow, both of them seemed to be in a state of grieving for something.

However, she couldn’t tell anyone what she felt.

Even if she told other people, who would listen?

It would be a relief if it just ended with ignoring her.

They might glare at her, asking who she dared to pretend to know them, acting beyond her place.

So Evi had no choice but to look at the two with pity from a distance.

Ruska greeted the flocking people appropriately and glanced at Arcel.

As expected. The face that looked cold because it was usually expressionless was even more cool today.

Ruska slightly grabbed Arcel’s shoulder and whispered.

“Unbend your face. You look like you’re about to kill someone.”

At those words, Arcel fiercely brushed off Ruska’s hand as if annoyed and spoke.

“Go and look in a mirror. Who are you saying that to right now?”

When Arcel turned his back, the smile that had been hanging on Ruska’s face disappeared.

“Is it that obvious?”

“It’s a mess.”

At Arcel’s answer, Ruska gave a bitter smile.

It seemed that even though he tried to appear no different from usual, it ended up showing.

Ruska thought of this morning.

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“Haa!”

With a rough breath, Ruska kicked off the blanket and sat up.

Sweating and catching his rough breath several times, he looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and wiped his face with both hands.

“That’s right, I entered the Gifted Center…”

Thinking where this unfamiliar place was, he remembered yesterday’s events.

And Arcel’s face, which was distorted when he entered this room.

Originally, Ruska and Arcel were not in the same room.

However, the male student who was assigned to the same room as Arcel quit the Gifted Center in half a day.

He had quickly quit after learning the fact that he really had to do all the work by himself without a servant.

There were many who aimed for the room that became empty in less than a day.

Just as the female dormitory was full of children trying to become close to Irene, it was the same for the male dormitory.

From nobles staying in the capital to provincial nobles who gained the opportunity to come up this time.

The male students were also in a state of having heard their parents say until their ears bled to build a relationship with the Kaylan Duke family, or the Lagselve Marquis family.

Even without their parents’ words, all the male students looked at the two with eyes of longing.

Those who would one day rise to the very top of this empire.

What was the harm in showing themselves well to such people?

Furthermore, because a fairly large number of students besides that student said they would return, the room assignments ended up in a mess.

Ultimately, the male dormitory had to urgently reassign rooms.

There, Ruska drew the same number as Arcel. The moment he checked the number, Arcel’s eyebrows twitched minutely.

“Look at this. I told you we were destined to use the same room in the end.”

“…Be quiet.”

Even while saying so, Arcel moved his luggage to the new room without further complaint.

They each organized their rooms, looked around the Gifted Center, did some evening exercise, washed up, and fell asleep.

‘But…’

Ruska wiped his cold sweat and got up from his seat.

“Lilian…”

He muttered the name of the person he saw in his dream.

Lilian Shell.

The deceased empress, and to Ruska and Arcel, a childhood friend and older sister… and the only adult they could uniquely trust.

He hadn’t dreamed of her for a while…

Ruska, who was dazed for a long time, came to his senses at the sound of the bell and hurriedly washed and changed his clothes.

And when he opened the door to his room, he encountered Arcel, who was just coming out.

As soon as they saw each other, the two spoke at the same time.

“…You dreamed of Lilian, didn’t you?”

“…Did you dream of Lilian?”

A brief silence flowed. And after a long while, they let out a sigh at the same time.

Somehow, he thought the face he saw looked miserable, and as expected, it was so.

“It’s unusual. There’s still a long time left before her death anniversary…”

Ruska muttered as if it were strange.

Usually, dreaming of Lilian was around the time the day she passed away was approaching.

At that time, the emperor’s mood especially sank, and because of that, their parents’ moods also darkened together.

Furthermore, black flags signifying national mourning were hung on the streets by the emperor’s command.

As a result, they couldn’t forget even if they wanted to, and they thought it was natural to dream of her.

But nothing happened yesterday…

“…”

“…”

The two left the room without a word.

While quietly descending the stairs, Arcel bit his lip.

Strangely, the two always used to dream of Lilian on the same day.

Until now, he thought it was because they dreamed on her death anniversary, but to dream on the same day even when it wasn’t such a day.

‘She was a mysterious person even when she was alive, but…’

Arcel recalled a very old memory.