Chapter 37

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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In the meeting room of the inner palace, ministers were sharing stories while waiting for the Emperor.

Was it because the Gifted Center had recently reopened?

Most of their conversation topics were related to the Gifted Center.

“I am glad to see the Gifted Center is operating safely.”

“Indeed. Since it’s the first time reopening after the war, I thought there might be many deficiencies, but so far there seem to be no major problems.”

In fact, it wasn’t that there were no problems at all.

‘The number of children quitting is quite high.’

Before the war, everyone knew the strictness of the Gifted Center.

So, in noble families, they used to prepare their children to enter the Gifted Center from a young age.

Things like washing up alone in the morning, getting dressed, and preparing for their own lives.

But now, seven years after the war broke out.

Even though not that much time had passed, people had completely forgotten the rules of the Gifted Center.

Furthermore, because many nobles had died in the war, current nobles cherished their children even more.

As a result, it was only natural that the children grew up spoiled.

Children who didn’t even eat by their own hands.

Having suddenly separated such children and told them to do everything on their own, there was no way they could do well.

A child who couldn’t even enter on the first day because they cried and made a fuss, saying it was scary.

A child who, after entering, asked if there were no maids or servants and then asked what they should do now.

A child who endured for a day or two but eventually withdrew because they found it difficult even to put on their school uniform with their own hands.

Even a child who was quickly expelled because their demerit points exceeded 50 for causing friction with fellow students or acting rudely toward staff during their not-so-long stay.

There were many children who ended up quitting the Gifted Center for all sorts of reasons.

Naturally, that became a disgrace. Not only for the individual but also for the person who had stepped forward as their guardian.

Therefore, the meeting room was now largely divided into two groups.

Those whose wards were still safely remaining in the Gifted Center.

Conversely, those whose children couldn’t endure and had left.

In the case of the latter, they were desperately trying to ignore the stories of the Gifted Center, unable to lift their faces in the meeting room.

Of course, the more they did so, the more proudly those whose children still remained brought up the stories of the Gifted Center.

“Now that I think about it, it will soon be time to send the guardian’s gifts. What gifts have you all prepared?”

A minister, who had heard news that his nephew was already deepening his friendships with children of many noble families, said with a smile.

‘Especially that he has become close with Irene Terence.’

He had received a letter saying that the nephew was always by Irene’s side and that she seemed grateful for him getting rid of the annoying children who attached themselves to her.

‘If he becomes close with the Terence family… nothing could be better than that.’

The Terence family had decided to send their second daughter out into the central social circles.

If that family had made up their mind like that, they would surely occupy a position in this capital.

So he had to stick very closely.

At his leisurely words, others also replied as if they had been waiting.

“I intend to give a fountain pen that I ordered from a craftsman last year. He is the grandson of a friend, and he studies so hard that he asked me, saying he wanted to have a new pen. I’m really looking forward to his future. He will surely receive the love of good professors.”

“I have ordered books for my relative’s child to read while in the Gifted Center. It’s an encyclopedia that was revised again this year…”

“Since just wearing the school uniform of the Gifted Center will be boring, I’ve ordered clothes and shoes from a very famous boutique to be worn on days when they can wear civilian clothes…”

While everyone was talking about what gifts they would give to the children for whom they had become guardians.

Through the slightly open meeting room door, Clois was listening to their conversation.

‘Guardians give gifts?’

That was a custom that did not exist when he attended the Gifted Center.

‘In that case, I should send something too.’

At the same time, he recalled the handkerchief he still hadn’t returned.

He had been debating whether to just return it or send a simple gift along with it, and to think there was such a custom.

Thinking it was just as well, Clois listened to what the ministers were giving as gifts.

After listening for a long time, he thought.

While other children would usually receive this and that from their own families, Evi was not in a position to do so.

In that case, wouldn’t it be okay for him to take care of many things for her?

The moment he thought so, all sorts of things flashed through Clois’s mind.

What would be good to give as a gift?

He thought about the things the ministers had said a moment ago.

‘It would be good to have a good fountain pen.’

Not only that.

Fountain pens, regular pens, pencils, colored pencils… it seemed good to prepare all stationery items children could have, with the highest quality.

‘It would be good to have more dictionaries or clothes too.’

In an instant, the study of his quarters flashed through his mind.

Books by the empire’s prominent scholars were selected once by the Chief Chamberlain and placed in his study.

It wasn’t that there were only books he liked.

There were also books placed there saying they were famous or the most basic ones to have, even if he didn’t read them.

As it was natural, if one could say so, it was full of various types of dictionaries as well.

Among them were those for young children.

They must have been placed in his study because it was something all noble families in the empire were obligated to have.

‘Indeed, it would be good to have a set of dictionaries as well.’

That way, she would be able to look things up right away when she was curious about something.

Clois looked for more things to fill Evi’s room with in his imagination.

She was a child from an orphanage. She probably wouldn’t have very many clothes to wear.

‘Shoes are good to have many of too. Since it’s an age to run around and play.’

Before he knew it, Clois naturally began to imagine what color of clothes and shoes would suit Evi.

‘Since it will soon be summer, she will need a wide-brimmed hat.’

She was a child with bright blonde hair. She would look very good if she wore a hat with flower decorations.

‘Do girls like decorations like ribbons?’

He had heard that usually, such things were matched with the children’s eye color. Since hers were green, if he gave her something like a large green ribbon brooch, it would suit her no matter where she attached it.

Like that, the types of gifts were gradually increasing in Clois’s imagination.

Then, he suddenly remembered a past conversation.

The time he had talked with Lilian about the hair and eye color of the child to be born.

At that time, Lilian had said.

“This is just my thought, but I think the child will have the same hair color as yours. And the eyes will resemble mine.”

At those words, Clois had shaken his head.

“Why? I hope our child resembles your red hair. In my life, I’ve never seen a more beautiful color.”

At the playfulness that increased day by day even after they were married, Lilian burst into a giggle and then spoke with conviction.

“I know. Our child will be born with blonde hair and green eyes. And she will be a girl.”

She had spoken with conviction as if she had seen the future.

So after going out to the battlefield, whenever he thought of the child whose face he hadn’t seen, he naturally thought of blonde hair and green eyes.

‘Just like Evi Alden…’

Having thought that far, Clois was startled and came to his senses.

Then he wiped his face with both hands.

Until now, he had thought about Evbien vaguely, but he had never thought of one child continuously like this…

‘I must be careful.’

He sighed.

Lately, it was frequent that his heart, which he had held firm until now, collapsed in an instant.

What if he came to harbor an affection for some child like the one he had for his own child?

‘That won’t do.’

Even now, how brightly were the eyes of the nobles who were eyeing the position of the adoptee shining?

It wasn’t simply because they were disgusting.

‘My daughter is not in the world.’

Yet to think of another child as that child and cherish them.

That is something that should not be done to that child, nor to the real Evbien.

Clois erased the many items that were floating in his head.

He could just give a suitable gift that followed the format. There was no need to give more than that.

Looking at the ministers’ words, they also didn’t seem to give very many things.

If so, it would be good for him to give only about one as well.

‘In that case…’

Clois fell back into thought.

She was a child who had come from far away, leaving the grounds where she lived. Unlike the other children of the Gifted Center, she was a very young child who had not a single person here to lean on.

And didn’t she also recently experience an unfortunate event where she had to tremble for several hours alone in the dark?

What would be good to give to such a child?

In an instant, something flashed through his mind.