Chapter 39

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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Over the past few days, the people who swarmed around him and Ruska constantly asked which classes the two of them were taking.

They were desperate to take at least one class together with the two.

People full of desire to somehow meet a little more often and become close.

Yet the child who he thought would try the hardest to seize such an opportunity was jumping and being surprised as if it were nonsense.

A child who, on the contrary, stepped back in horror while everyone else approached to become close with him and Ruska.

Arcel somehow didn’t like that behavior.

“It would be good to take it together! Arcel, you’ll take it together, right? You will, right? It’s settled with that class? No betraying, okay?”

At Ruska’s voice, which held onto him and urged him to the point of being annoying, Arcel replied gruffly.

“I got it.”

It wasn’t a bad thing.

He was curious to see how much knowledge the child, who had produced grades next to his, possessed.

‘Once I check to some extent…’

He could persuade the professor and change the class. That much was not a big problem for Arcel.

Director Seraphina might say no, but it wasn’t difficult to create a reason she could accept.

At that moment, Ruska saw a book Evi had placed on the table and picked it up.

“Advanced Mathematics? Have you already learned all of this?”

“Uh, that’s!”

It was a book received from Professor Malles. Because it wasn’t her own book, a panicked Evi grabbed the book held in Ruska’s hand without even being able to say the words to return it.

Then Ruska made a playful smile and pulled the book toward himself with force just as it was.

It was a prank and a contest of strength he often did with Arcel.

But the problem was that this time, the opponent was Evi.

As soon as Ruska pulled, Evi’s body fell forward all too easily.

“Oh!”

A surprised Ruska tried to stop, but it was already too late. The moment Evi’s body was about to hit the ground.

“I knew this would happen.”

With Arcel’s indifferent voice, Evi’s body floated up into the air.

Arcel had grabbed Evi’s waist and lifted her up.

He let Evi stand upright and asked again.

“Are you okay?”

Evi pulled her arms out in surprise and bowed her head repeatedly.

“I-I am fine!”

But Arcel frowned and said to Ruska.

“Apologize, Ruska. Evi almost got hurt.”

“No! I’ll be careful from now on!”

Evi replied, shaking her head desperately. Cold sweat ran down her back.

An apology? They said Ruska was the son of Marquis Lagselve.

She didn’t know much about nobles, but she still knew that it was a very high title.

‘The mayor of our city was a baronet.’

If it was a Marquis’s family, it was a high position that she couldn’t dare to look at, even if it was Ruska, who hadn’t received a title yet.

After he grew up, he would eventually receive at least one noble title owned by the family anyway. Or perhaps he would earn it through his own ability.

There was no way such a person would apologize to her…

“Sorry, Evi. I didn’t control my strength properly, thinking of playing with Arcel. I’ll be careful from now on.”

Ruska apologized by bowing his head slightly to Evi as if it were only natural.

At that sight, Evi felt like she wanted to faint.

What should she do? Should she prostrate herself and say not to speak such things?

They said that once entering the Gifted Center, students were treated as equals regardless of high or low status, but that was a story possible only in books, and it was impossible not to mind the status outside.

She didn’t know why, but anyway, the two were kind to Evi.

It wasn’t that she disliked it, but she had no idea how on earth she should respond.

At that moment, there was a group watching the three of them from afar.

“Look, isn’t that the commoner? And next to her are Master Arcel and Master Ruska!”

The student who had shouted in surprise realized that their voice was too loud and closed their mouth.

However, they didn’t withdraw their gaze.

It wasn’t just that student. Everyone who was around couldn’t take their eyes off the three in the distance.

“Why are those people with that child?”

“Indeed. I know they watched over her for two days during the disappearance incident recently, but wasn’t that the end of it?”

“Master Ruska often talks to other students too, so let’s say it’s that, but why even Master Arcel…”

Arcel only gave a brief return greeting when students greeted him, and never had a conversation more than that.

But now Arcel was continuing a conversation with Evi.

Even he spoke first.

The eyes of the students watching that scene grew sharp.

They didn’t like it. No, their insides were twisted.

They were people whose voices they might hear once even if they followed them around all day, yet she was enjoying that as if it were nothing.

‘This makes no sense.’

But it was also something they couldn’t go and complain about.

Even if they didn’t like it, what could they say?

Moreover, if they went and spoke to them now, it was certain they would receive Arcel’s cold gaze.

‘Can’t we really do something to clear that away?’

They racked their brains. Among them, someone opened their mouth cautiously as if they had thought of a good method.

“This… if Lady Irene knew, she would be very offended, right?”

It was Irene, about whom rumors were already circulating among people that she was as good as settled to be the Crown Princess.

So she wouldn’t like a lowly thing being close with the two people who had a high possibility of becoming the future Emperor.

Wasn’t that why Irene had also been together with them when Arcel and Ruska were next to Evi Alden last time?

That was surely a quiet warning not to have useless thoughts toward that young commoner.

Besides, isn’t Irene her roommate? So there would be many ways to punish her while avoiding the eyes of the Gifted Center staff.

‘Moreover, even if we don’t lay a hand, Lady Irene will take care of it on her own.’

It was something where they had nothing to lose.

“I must go and tell her right away.”

“Yes. We can’t say much, but if it’s Lady Irene, it will be different…”

The students hurriedly went out to find Irene.

Fortunately, after not much time, they could see Irene sitting surrounded by other female students in the cafeteria.

Even though she was wearing the same school uniform, Irene’s beauty was exceptional. Moreover, her elegant attitude.

Even the fact that she looked a bit indifferent to others and had few words matched perfectly with the aristocratic attitude they thought of.

“Lady Irene!”

When they called her, Irene frowned slightly.

A student who noticed that her mood was not good said hurriedly.

“Th-that is… Evi Alden was… with Master Arcel and Master Ruska.”

Then another student who had run together said as if trying to help.

“The two of them found that child last time, didn’t they? And took care of her for two days. Surely, using that as an excuse, she is wagging her tail and trying to get close to them. Even a moment ago, she was talking with such a smile…”

“What did you say?”

Irene raised her voice even before the student’s words were finished.

Then she put down the teacup she was holding and commanded with a sharp gaze.

“What you just said, tell me in detail.”

She was someone who was always quiet and graceful. Yet to have such a violent reaction.

‘She must be angry.’

The students excitedly told what they had seen. Of course, mixing in a bit of exaggeration.

“The way she smiled happily every time Master Ruska spoke to her…”

“She was sticking right to Master Arcel and acting close, truly…”

As the students’ words continued, Irene’s expression hardened into stiffness.

“That’s not all. She even pretended to fall on purpose and fell into Master Arcel’s arms, where did such a young thing learn to do such things…!”

The student who was blabbing even made up things that hadn’t happened and huffed as if resentful.

She took courage from the fact that Irene’s expression grew colder at her words and continued to speak.

“Both of them seemed to be holding her hand and asking if she was okay, but anyone could see that child did it on purpose…”

“So, you’re saying those two talked with Evi and also held her hand and played?”

At the voice as cold as a winter wind, the student who was blabbing shut her mouth.

“Ha, indeed, I was suspicious last time too. So she’s approaching again in that way to get close.”

At Irene’s voice full of displeasure, everyone had no doubt.

That Irene would surely kick Evi out of here somehow.

The students who believed their plan had succeeded did not notice.

The fact that Irene called Evi by her name but referred to Arcel and Ruska, whom everyone longed for, roughly as “those two” or “them.”