Chapter 21

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.

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The students who came out of the museum were divided into two large teams and entered other buildings of the Imperial Palace.

It was because people were working, and from then on, they were in places where it would be troublesome if loud noises were made, so they divided the numbers as much as possible to manage them.

While following and listening to the staff’s explanation, Rimora’s friend approached and asked in a small voice.

“Rimora? What did you do?”

At her friend’s question, Rimora scanned the staff in front.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to be paying attention to where they were.

Rimora lowered her voice and answered.

“She didn’t even know the door was closing because she was foolishly looking only at the paintings?”

Saying so, Rimora shrugged her shoulders.

“What a pitiful child. Getting locked in because someone closed the door while she was wandering around alone… and because she doesn’t have a single friend, no one even noticed.”

At Rimora’s words, the friend who had approached had a face that looked a bit repulsed for a moment, but soon skillfully hid her expression.

If the noble students made an effort to become close to Irene Terence, the commoner students hovered around Rimora.

Even though she was a commoner, her family was one that had produced many reputable scholars in the capital.

So, during this entrance to the Gifted Center, everyone thought Rimora would be the runner-up, except for Arcel, who was said to be a genius.

‘She pretended like it was nothing on the outside.’

Rimora’s friend clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘She even pretended to be kind in front of other students by saying Evi was amazing or that she respected her.’

But in her heart, she only wanted to push down the one above her and rise up somehow.

So she thought she would do something, but she didn’t expect her to leave the child locked in alone.

When Rimora said she would play a trick on Evi earlier, she thought about whether she should stop Rimora, who didn’t know the limits… but she just kept her mouth shut.

Because there would be nothing good about getting on Rimora’s bad side.

Seeing Rimora even humming to herself as if she were in a good mood, the friend returned to her place.

‘It’s inside the Imperial Palace anyway, so nothing major will happen.’

At most, she would be locked in there for a few hours before being found.

Perhaps a passing staff member has already found her and she has come out.

‘That much isn’t anything grand, right?’

If it were something that would cause problems for her body, even Rimora wouldn’t have tried it.

Because if the matter became big and there happened to be a witness, only Rimora would be in trouble.

‘But seeing Rimora’s attitude, it doesn’t seem like she was caught by anyone.’

If so, it was better for her to also quietly keep her mouth shut.

While the students were moving like that, no one noticed that Evi had disappeared.

* * *

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Evi raised her hand and hammered on the door.

Her small fists had turned red and were swollen because she had already hammered countless times.

“Is anyone outside? Please open this door!”

Evi did not give up and shouted toward the outside.

But the answer that returned was still nothing.

‘They said it’s not a place that has officially opened yet.’

So even when she entered inside with the Gifted Center staff, the managing staff only stood at the entrance.

At least in the area where the jewels were, several museum staff members walked around, but in the portrait exhibition hall, she hadn’t seen a single person.

So no one would hear even if she kept hammering like this.

Evi blew on her swollen hands.

It seemed like it would be a waste of effort to keep hammering.

Eventually, Evi crouched down in front of the door.

‘Why was the door closed?’

It was certainly wide open when she entered.

Moreover, if someone tried to close the door, they would have definitely looked inside once, and there was no way they could have missed seeing her standing in the middle.

Then, did someone purposely close the door to lock her in here?

She remembered the cold gazes of the students who glared at her. Was it one of them?

Evi, who was lost in thought for a moment, shook her head.

‘No. Let’s not think bad thoughts.’

The thing has already happened. Even if she thought that way, nothing would change and her mood would only turn bad.

‘The orphanage director told me to think about what to do next in times like this.’

Recalling her past memories, Evi thought of today’s schedule.

It was a schedule to tour various places in the Imperial Palace until quite a late hour.

Since they didn’t check the personnel separately in the middle, they would check the number of students right before returning to the Gifted Center or after arriving.

‘They will find out then that I have disappeared.’

Then suddenly, Evi became anxious. What if they don’t check even then?

If so, the only person who would realize that she was missing was her roommate Irene…

‘Will she notice that I haven’t come in?’

Irene always seemed busy, surrounded by other students.

Furthermore, she would go straight into her own room once she entered the room.

She didn’t think such a girl would notice that she was not there.

“Mmm…”

Evi’s expression became a bit more serious.

Perhaps it might take much more time to realize the fact that she was missing.

‘But at the latest, they will notice tomorrow morning.’

From tomorrow, guidance on each classroom and class will begin.

Since there are pre-assigned times and places for that, they will come looking for her if she is not in that spot.

If so, what should she do until then?

Evi opened the bag she was carrying on her side.

After having a meal at the Imperial Palace restaurant during the day, she had brought some of the stacked cookies.

‘I even packed two candies.’

With this much, there is no problem at all in holding out until tomorrow morning.

“It’s okay! In the past, I held out for a week with only water!”

Evi clenched her small fists as if she were confident.

She remembered the time when she lived doing chores at an inn before entering the orphanage.

How hard she had lived until the orphanage director saved her.

Thinking of that time, starving for about a day is not even a chore. She wasn’t even starving; she had cookies and candies.

Having solved the problem of eating, Evi looked around again.

If she had to spend the night here, she had to find a place to sit or sleep.

‘The floor is pretty marble, but it’s too cold.’

Fortunately, there was a long wooden bench for visitors in the corner. When she went up and sat there, it was much better than the floor.

Even so, it was only better than the floor; it was still not a place to stay comfortably for a long time.

‘If I stay like this, my body will hurt.’

When she was young, she had fallen asleep in a cold and hard place, so she knew very well how much her body would hurt if she slept on a wooden chair.

Getting down from the chair and examining every nook and cranny of the exhibition hall, Evi discovered a drawer in the corner and opened it.

Was it a cloth to cover paintings? A large cloth was neatly folded.

Evi pulled it out and spread it. It was a thick and scratchy cloth, but it was much better than nothing.

Carrying it and going back up onto the chair, Evi curled up and covered herself with the cloth.

Meanwhile, the room with the portraits became even darker.

Evi sat covered with the cloth and looked around. Strangely, the exhibition hall had become dark, but the faces in the portraits felt even clearer.

“They say the people in the paintings come out and wander around when it becomes night. And if they encounter a living person… Wah!”

She remembered the ghost stories the children in the same room at the orphanage used to tell before falling asleep.

Back then, too, she had screamed “Aah!” and covered herself with the blanket.

‘…I’m not scared. I’m not scared at all…’

Right now, she was alone in an unfamiliar place without her friends, but she didn’t feel afraid.

Evi could know the reason.

The portrait that she had been blankly looking at as soon as she saw it.

Evi turned her body and sat facing the portrait.

Because it was a painting, Evi muttered in a regretful voice at the sight of the woman smiling just as she had when she first saw her.

“I wish you could really come out of the painting…”

Then she would be able to say hello. They could also talk.

In the ghost stories her friends told, the people in the paintings came out and harmed living people.

But the woman in this portrait didn’t seem like she would ever do that.

Rather, if she came out, she seemed like she would smile and greet her, and then talk to her kindly…

Evi fixed her gaze on the portrait again.

It was a painting she saw for the first time today, but why did it feel like she had met a person she missed so much?

Then she remembered that she had felt a similar feeling.

‘When was it?’

It was recently…

“Ah!”

Then Evi, who remembered, let out a loud voice. She remembered when it was.

‘When I met Professor Sian.’

At the grave there, she had felt a similar feeling to now.

Although it was an exhibition hall where the only window was in a high place and the door was firmly closed.

Miraculously, it felt like a warm wind had brushed past her head.

Evi faced the painting with a smile.

She felt like she wouldn’t be scared at all until people came to find her.

* * *

The schedule ended only after the sky turned dark.

The students, who had been divided into various teams here and there, gathered again in the plaza of the Gifted Center.

It was when everyone was about to return to the dormitory while chatting with friends who had gone to other teams.

“Wait a minute!”

Somehow, an urgent voice called out to the Gifted Center staff.

“I can’t see my roommate!”