Chapter 73

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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‘I’m full.’

Evi patted her protruding belly today as well.

When Ruska said he would be able to feed her today, she wondered what he meant.

After going to the cafeteria together, he sat in the seat next to Evi, which was always Irene’s seat.

Then he continuously put fruit and snacks into Evi’s mouth.

‘I should also study hard alone until the evening today.’

Otherwise, she felt like she wouldn’t even be able to sleep because she was too full.

Most of Evi’s exams were concentrated in the following week. Irene had been very envious of that fact.

Because it meant that much more time to study was given.

If she was going to be in her room anyway, should she rather go to the cafeteria now and bring some sandwiches or other snacks?

While Evi was worrying and about to go up, students were gathered in front of the notice board.

‘What’s going on?’

Since the exam schedule had been posted a long time ago, they wouldn’t be checking it now.

As expected, when she approached, a new notice was posted.

“Information on the temporary opening of the library?”

The content was simple.

It said that the library, which they had originally intended to open around the summer vacation, would be temporarily opened starting today.

“That’s great. I was having a hard time because studying wasn’t going well in my room anyway.”

“Right. Maybe it’s because there’s a bed next to me, but strangely, I just kept wanting to sleep even if I was only a little tired.”

“Even though they say we can use the classrooms, there were many students making noise…”

The children who were standing all welcomed the opening of the library and hurried upstairs.

While it was good that they could study while focusing in a quiet and clean place, it was also because they were curious about what kind of place the library of the Gifted Center was.

Evi also hurried up to her room.

‘I should tell Irene first!’

However, when she entered the room, a sign saying [Absent] was attached to Irene’s door.

It seemed she had gone to study somewhere else.

Evi, who was discouraged for a moment, soon clenched her fists tightly.

‘I shouldn’t cling to Irene too much.’

When she was attending the upper school, it was natural to go around alone.

There were no friends from the orphanage who attended the same school, and in the upper school, no one approached her at all.

So she had thought it was natural to be alone at school, but since when had she become anxious if there were no other people around?

‘Irene might also feel uncomfortable.’

Wasn’t that why she said she would study alone?

Evi, who thought so, gave up on looking for Irene and headed to the library alone.

* * *

At that time, Irene was sitting in a cafeteria not far from the dormitory.

On her table, books for the exam subjects she was to take were piled high.

People who discovered Irene approached her, thinking it was a chance to talk to her.

However, at her appearance of studying while glaring at the books frighteningly, they quietly stepped back.

Because they could guess that if they spoke to her in this situation, far from having a conversation, they would receive a cold gaze telling them not to be a nuisance.

Scratch, scratch. The pen moved busily over the notebook.

Irene was clinging to her studies desperately, to the point where she wondered if there had ever been a time she worked this hard in her life.

‘My grades must come out well.’

Because it was the first year and the first semester, many classes were currently arranged haphazardly without considering the individual learning achievement of students.

‘That’s why this exam is important.’

Based on the grades of this exam, it was certain that classes for the second semester’s mandatory subjects would be assigned in order of grades.

‘Evi’s grades are so high!’

It wasn’t that she herself was significantly lagging behind. Rather, her grades were high enough for everyone to be envious.

As a member of the Terence family, it was natural since she had made efforts with numerous tutors since she was young.

However, Irene was not at ease.

Befitting the name of the Gifted Center, the students gathered from all over the country each had a subject they were confident in.

To the extent that even the students who always slandered and whispered about others had at least one subject they boasted high grades in.

As a result, she, who was evenly excellent in all subjects, rather ended up in an ambiguous position.

‘At this rate… I’ll end up in a different class from Evi!’

Not being able to enter the top class was a matter of pride, but being in a different class from Evi was a matter that made her angry.

‘But Arcel Kaylan won’t have any problem.’

Grit.

Irene, who thought of Arcel, ground her teeth.

Strangely, Arcel had been sticking by Evi’s side even more lately.

‘To be honest, I thought he would just hang out with her reasonably and then leave.’

Nothing good would come of it if the child whom the Emperor had picked haphazardly ended up quitting.

It was certain that people who looked down on the Emperor’s authority would appear, and also, if there were those from commoner or orphanage backgrounds among the students who would newly enter next year, they might be ridiculed that they too would quit soon.

So she thought that once the atmosphere was settled to some extent, he would no longer encounter her, but…

‘It seems he looks after her more as the days go by.’

On a day when it was particularly chilly from the morning because it rained a lot, Arcel had brought a cup filled with warm tea from the cafeteria.

The cup containing the tea very naturally passed by Ruska and Irene and went to Evi.

Thanks to that, Evi, who was shivering despite being dressed warmly, had warmed her body only after holding the large cup with both hands, hadn’t she?

Other than that, Arcel would answer all of Evi’s questions, which might be a bit annoying, without fail.

Even going so far as to ask if there was nothing more she wanted to ask.

‘He’s not that kind of person.’

At the word that he might become her marriage partner, not only her older sister but also her parents had stepped forward to find out what kind of person he was.

In the report she received then, it was written that Arcel was very calculating, cold, and emotionless.

So they said the probability of the Emperor choosing him as an adoptee was high.

They clearly said he was that kind of person, and even when she passed him by, she thought he was indeed as she had heard, so why was he being so kind to Evi?

It wasn’t only Arcel who was strange. Ruska also treated her well.

Watching the two, it was as if they were people who had been waiting for Evi to come for a long time.

‘It’s not something I should be talking about, though.’

Hadn’t her sister also said it? That all sorts of things happen.

“No! Focus, don’t have idle thoughts!”

She couldn’t be the only one in a different class next semester.

Furthermore, she hated being in the same class as only Ruska even more!

Ruska Lagselve had a knack for turning people’s stomachs. Furthermore, lately he seemed to be aiming for Evi’s cheeks, which Irene always fiddled with.

‘Evi’s cheeks are mine!’

Irene ground her teeth and focused on her studies again.

Until someone ran over and said a big problem had occurred quite a long time later.

* * *

“Wow…”

Evi ended up admiring the entrance of the library made of pure white marble.

“To think this is a library.”

The only library she had seen until now was one library in the upper school.

Calling that a library was just a nice way of saying it; in fact, it was so old that it was like a graveyard for books that people no longer looked at.

Occasionally, new books came in to at least keep up appearances, but such books were borrowed by students and rarely returned.

Because of that, she had thought a library was always a neglected place full of dust…

“I think this is heaven.”

Evi couldn’t close her mouth while clutching her bag.

First of all, the library of the Gifted Center was a tall building built with four floors.

When she passed through the marble arch door and went inside, a high lobby appeared that was open up to the fourth floor.

On the ceiling, there was a glass window made in the shape of a hemispherical dome, and the sunlight that entered through it touched the white walls and brightened the inside of the library.

As she entered the hallway connected to the side, rooms divided by subject were full of bookshelves. Between those bookshelves, desks were placed one by one, waiting for students to use them.

Even that alone was a rapturous landscape, but above the bookshelves was even more.

In various places, there were paintings depicting scenes from myths along with portraits of famous people who graduated from the Gifted Center.

Between the bookshelves, there were even bronze statues of them.

It was a feeling more like a museum where relics were kept rather than a library.

Is it really okay to study here? In a place like this, shouldn’t she be saying a prayer to God?

Unlike Evi, who was frozen in surprise, the students of the Gifted Center had expressions saying it was great but not surprising.

It was because most had already seen the library of the Academy, which was even more massive than this place.

The students who entered the library moved to find seats to study.

However, even in the meantime, Evi was out of her mind exploring the library.

Because of that, after a bit of time passed, Evi realized that there was no seat for her to sit in.

Since everyone had come to find a place to study, they had hurriedly taken desk seats.

Only then did Evi wander around looking for other reading rooms in a flurry.

Originally, it was a very wide library because it was built considering the number of students in the Gifted Center.

The problem was that today was the day it had a temporary opening.

Because of that, the opened areas were merely a small part.

So those who arrived late realized there were no seats and turned back with regret.

‘Should I go back?’

When Evi was about to turn her body, realizing there were no empty seats even after circling several times, a slightly open door was seen in the corner.