Chapter 6

* * *
Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
* * *

“Then I’ll be going now. If anything happens, please ask the dormitory staff on the first floor.”

“Yes!”

Melody nodded as if satisfied with the energetic answer.

“Then, organize your belongings well and get some rest.”

“Yes! Thank you so much for today.”

When Evi bowed her head politely, Melody chuckled as if she were cute and closed the door with a wave.

Evi looked around every nook and cranny of Room 305, which had become quiet again.

Was it because children from noble families mainly used this place?

Even though it was the same room number, the two rooms were completely independent spaces.

The only thing they shared was the entrance.

Since the room had its own toilet and bathroom, it seemed possible to live without encountering the person staying across if they just set different exit times.

Returning to her room, Evi opened the bag Melody had left and took out the items inside.

Uniform, notes, pens, ink…

Like magic, items necessary for daily life kept coming out of the bag.

Evi carefully took them out one by one as if touching treasure and placed them on the desk.

New books, new notebooks, new pens…

As things she had never enjoyed in her life suddenly piled up in front of her, she could not suppress her joy.

Evi first picked up a pen and wrote her name on the inside cover of the book Melody had given her.

Then she began to organize the items one by one.

Placing them here and then there. In the meantime, the objects gradually found their places.

“This is the last one.”

Opening the last bag, the uniform of the Gifted Center came out.

Not just the uniform, but socks, shoes, and even a ribbon.

Since today was the first day, everyone was dressed in what they had worn from their respective homes, but it was said that everyone would now have to wear the uniform of the Gifted Center.

It was probably to clearly distinguish them as children of the Gifted Center.

Evi, who was thinking of wearing it right away, carefully set the clothes down and kept stroking them with her hand.

Clothes made of clean and soft cloth.

On the inside of the clothes, there was the name ‘Evi’, which had been embroidered on the spot.

After fiddling with her clothes for a long time, Evi came to her senses and finished organizing the rest of her luggage.

There was still time until dinner.

Evi sat at her desk and opened the book Melody had given her.

She thought she should read more about the rules of the Gifted Center in detail while she had time.

Then Evi’s gaze stopped at one place.

“Huh? Guardian?”

* * *

Clois looked out the window.

The sky, which had been clear all day, was now covered by the orange sunset.

Even though it was a beautiful sky just by staring blankly at it, his face was full of irritation.

The inner palace where he stayed was far from the Gifted Center, so voices of children could not be heard.

Nevertheless, he could tell that today was the day the children of the Gifted Center entered.

It was because of the eyes that had been casting subtle expectations toward him since morning.

‘I should decide soon.’

Although he had shouted out who said he would choose an adoptee from among the Gifted Center children this time, Clois also knew he could no longer delay it.

Since he had become the Emperor, he could not turn away from the issue of succession.

If he continued to fail to decide on a successor like this, chaos would eventually return to the Empire.

He was someone who had experienced the terrible war of succession.

Chaos caused by such a meaningless war should never happen again.

Clois recalled the names of the children mentioned among the people.

Among them, the names that came to mind first were Arcel and Ruska.

The children of Duke Kaylan and Marquis Lagselve, who had helped him.

Since he had seen them since they were young, Clois knew the qualities of the two children well.

Although people rated Arcel higher, Clois thought Ruska was also a decent child.

If Arcel became the Emperor, he would be an Emperor whom everyone obeyed and looked up to.

However, if Ruska became the Emperor, he would be an Emperor who got along more intimately with the ministers and looked more into people’s hearts than someone with a strict atmosphere.

Both children had sufficient qualities.

Furthermore, both children’s families were meritorious families that had helped him, and since the blood of the imperial family had been mixed in the families several times so far, there was no major issue with their qualifications.

All that remained was his decision.

And yet…

“Phew…”

A long sigh he could not swallow escaped.

Lately, Clois often had vain imaginations.

Imaginations of what it would have been like if his wife and daughter had been alive.

‘Lilian.’

His wife, who was like a forest fairy he had met while inspecting a local territory after leaving the desolate imperial palace.

She was the daughter of a baron who ruled a small territory, but that did not matter at all to Clois.

Clois left the imperial palace, where there was not even a bit of affection even between parents and siblings, and went down to the territory where Lilian was.

Anyway, he had no interest in the throne at all.

He just wanted to live a fun and happy life with the person he loved for the rest of his life.

But the world ruthlessly trampled on his wish.

When he, who had headed to the battlefield to protect his wife and the child in her womb, returned, what greeted him were the fragmented corpses of the two.

His daughter, whom he had never even seen because he was not by her side when she was born, was rotting away beside her mother.

A servant who had barely survived spoke while crying.

The child Lilian had given birth to was a daughter and had been given the name Evbien.

Clois spent an entire day shedding tears while holding the gruesome corpses of his loved ones.

And when he buried them, he buried his heart along with them.

So he thought that as time passed, the sadness would fade, but it was a great mistake.

From a certain day, he saw illusions.

When he turned his head at the sound of laughter heard as if brushing past like the wind, Lilian was there.

And next to Lilian, there was also a little girl holding onto her hem.

“Evbien.”

Clois called his daughter’s name with regret.

Lilian’s face could be seen clearly, but his daughter’s face was as faint as if covered in fog.

It was natural since he had never seen her, but Clois found that fact so heartbreaking.

I am your father, yet I do not even know your face.

He thought the illusions would disappear as time passed.

But contrary to his thoughts, the illusions appeared more frequently.

As years passed, the Evbien in the illusions also grew little by little.

As if she were really alive.

Clois told the tight-lipped imperial physician about the illusions he saw.

Then the imperial physician spoke to him with a serious face. He said that he was currently in a state of severe depression.

The imperial physician said that if he used medicine, the symptoms would improve a bit and the illusions would not be seen.

But Clois rejected his suggestion.

Anyway, his life was one with no particular pleasure.

That illusion was the only joy left to him.

‘If Evbien were alive, would she have entered the Gifted Center?’

If she were alive, she would be 7 years old this year.

Of course, she might not be that smart.

But in his illusions, where he still could not see her face, Evbien was quite a clever child.

Just then, along with the sound of knocking on the door, the voice of the Minister of State asking if he could enter was heard.

“Come in.”

Soon, the Minister of State entered.

As always, he placed documents on matters that required a signature on Clois’s desk.

Although the Minister of State usually withdrew immediately after that, it was not the case today.

“Do you have something to say?”

Clois asked, noticing the Minister of State’s hesitant attitude.

Then the Minister of State bowed his head as if apologetic.

“I would like to receive confirmation from Your Majesty regarding the issue of the guardian.”

“Guardian?”

“Yes. Regarding Evi Alden’s guardian…”

“Evi Alden?”

It was a name he was hearing for the first time.

Clois muttered that name in his mouth. Evi Alden. Evi, Evi…

Why was it? It was a name he was hearing for the first time, but his tongue moved more smoothly than expected.

As if it were a name he had been calling until a moment ago.

Then Clois remembered that the Minister of State had mentioned the word guardian together and could guess whose name it was.

“Is it the name of the child I picked during the meeting?”

“That is correct.”

“But what do you mean by guardian?”

“All children entering the Gifted Center must have a guardian.”

“Didn’t I tell you to handle such matters on your own?”

Clois replied bluntly, feeling a strange sensation at the name that kept lingering in his mouth.

“Of course, I remember. So I was worried about what to do with the guardian…”

“Why? Is there no suitable person?”

“No. The problem is that people are in an uproar, saying they will do it themselves.”

The Minister of State recalled what had happened before he came.

All children entering the Gifted Center must have a guardian.

Evi Alden was no exception.

So he tried to find a suitable person, but contrary to his thoughts, many people said they would do it themselves.

The problem was that, to anyone’s eyes, their intentions did not seem very good.