Chapter 76

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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“At first, I tried to deny it. I couldn’t believe it myself. You know well how much I have loathed and guarded against those who push their children toward me with a purpose.”

“Of course.”

There were those who borrowed children for money and even taught them to say their name was Evbien.

Hoping that the Emperor who lost his daughter would blindly cherish their child.

In Clois’s eyes, they only looked like humans buying and selling people.

“I knew well what they wanted. So I ridiculed them. What more would I do just because I liked one child? I thought it would end at most with calling her occasionally to have a cup of tea together if I thought she was admirable. But that wasn’t it.”

“…”

“You’ve raised children, so you must know. What did you do if a five or six-year-old child looked at you and said they wanted something?”

“Shamefully, I gave them everything they wanted.”

“I became like that too. No, even if the child says they don’t need it, I ended up buying it and pressing it into their hands.”

Clois recalled the time of the festival.

Evi had not said a single word about wanting something or wanting to eat something.

Nonetheless, he was desperate to find out what the child’s gaze was lingering on and what she was curious about, and to give it to her.

He felt as if he had to. As if it were natural to cherish and love the child like this…

“Seeing her smile while being pleased with the things I bought her, it felt like I could give her the whole world. So that child could keep smiling.”

“…”

“Listening carefully to what she wants, and buying what she says she wants. At this rate, I feel like I might do something that you all might fear. Suddenly adopting her as my daughter and handing over all power and everything to her…”

Clois wiped his face with one hand.

Evi did not desire such a thing. But he was desiring it.

As if he wanted that child to enjoy everything his daughter should have enjoyed instead.

“It’s not a good thing for the child either.”

Initially, when he saw the documents the nobles had thrown away at their whim, he just felt a surge of irritation and only said to admit her since she was qualified.

By his choice, the child’s life was changed entirely.

The child left all the people she stayed with and came here alone.

Even for an adult, it is not an easy thing to move their residence to that extent.

However, a young child had to leave the place where she lived without even a guardian.

Furthermore, among peers who did not regard her favorably saying her status did not match, she must hold out alone while trusting only a few friends.

Furthermore, there are still several years left until graduation.

“Was the child happy coming here?”

“Your Majesty, admission to the Gifted Center is a great honor that everyone desires.”

“I know. But that’s only when they are ordinary, no, children of noble families. Was it really a good thing for a child from an orphanage without any backing to suddenly come here? To come alone to a place that avoids her?”

“…”

When the Minister of State could not answer further, Clois washed his face with his hands.

“Since you are worried enough to speak directly to me like this, it’s only a matter of time before rumors spread that the Emperor is paying attention to Evi Alden.”

The Minister of State, who had been worried about that point, answered with silence instead.

“I will wrap it up.”

He had to.

“Evi has already gained everything she can gain. Good teachers, good friends. Since she has done well safely so far, she will be able to do well by herself from now on. If the Emperor’s interest is added here, it will become poison from then on.”

Clois recalled the appearance of Evi learning a foreign language from him.

Her learning was fast enough to be scary.

She would probably be called a genius wherever she went.

But if an existence called the Emperor intervened here…

That talent would be questioned for the rest of her life.

Even if Evi made efforts and gained something, she could absolutely not avoid the talk that it was all received because the Emperor looked after her.

“Another professor wants the position of the child’s guardian. I think there will be no problem if I hand it over to him.”

Clois made up his mind.

‘I should remain as her guardian only until this exam.’

After the exam ends, the professor named Sian Roshen will go on a long business trip again.

And he will not return.

The items in the professor’s office will be sent somewhere, and a professor with the name Sian will never show his face again in the Gifted Center.

Evi will worry and miss him for a while.

But that time will not be very long.

For Evi, Professor Sian is a person she hasn’t met for very long.

While the child meets more people and has more experiences from now on, she will soon forget the professor of the Gifted Center whom she saw only a few times.

“Since it will be settled in a short period, do not worry any longer.”

“…”

At his words, the Minister of State withdrew after greeting with a very complicated expression.

Left alone, Clois sat at his desk again.

‘I should tell Seraphina to prepare to erase Professor Sian Roshen.’

Since he had made up his mind, it was better to finish the work as quickly as possible.

Even while he had made up his mind that he had to do so…

Clois looked at the foreign language book placed on the desk.

He thought of Evi’s voice saying she was worried about this exam because it was her first time learning it. So.

‘Just for today.’

Wouldn’t it be okay just to go and see Evi for today?

Before he knew it, Clois stood up from his seat and held the book in his hand.

It’s still bright outside. Furthermore, because it’s the exam period, all the students are inside the Gifted Center.

That meant the probability of there being a student who had met him in the past, like Arcel or Ruska, was high.

So even while thinking he shouldn’t go, his footsteps did not stop.

‘It’s a relief that it’s a place in a corner, at least.’

There were other professors’ offices, but they too were people who were often away on business trips and had almost no assigned classes.

So the probability of encountering them was low.

Furthermore, although it was the exam period, there were many students sitting in one place clinging to their studies, so there might be fewer people he would encounter than when there were classes in the Gifted Center.

After crossing over to the Gifted Center area, Clois realized his thought was roughly correct.

Even if not as much as when they went out, the Gifted Center was quieter than usual.

If so, it would be possible to go to the professor’s office without problem and come out after seeing only Evi.

However, the moment he approached near the building where his office was, he intuited that something was wrong.

While other buildings were quiet with children studying, the front of the building which should be even quieter because it was in a corner was full of students gathered.

Furthermore, they were all making a noise while being excited.

‘What’s going on?’

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed something was happening inside the building.

‘Should I go back?’

If there were this many students, it seemed better to go back now and come back in the evening.

The moment he was about to turn his steps, one student who came out from inside shouted.

“Anyone, go call the staff! A professor would be good too!”

The child who was shouting like that saw Clois and, with a face as if he were saved, ran over immediately.

“You’re a professor, right? There, a fight broke out inside the building! They’re slapping cheeks and kicking…! I think you should stop them!”

A fight.

‘So the students were gathered like this.’

It was the Gifted Center where school rules were strict.

If such physical force was exercised here, it was certain that the side that caused the problem would receive a large punishment unless there was a special reason.

Depending on the situation, to the extent of reaching expulsion.

Had someone else gone to say that a problem occurred, other than the student who grabbed him?

Several staff members were seen approaching quickly from the direction of the main building.

“People are coming over there.”

“Ah!”

When Clois pointed to the staff, the students who were at a loss ran to the staff.

“What is the situation? Is there anyone who can explain who had a problem with whom?”

Then the student who had grabbed Clois shouted in a loud voice.

“Ezriella said she caught a thief. There was a student who lost a bracelet last time, and she said she knew the person who took it and told everyone to go find them together. So we followed, and she went to a certain professor’s office in this building and shouted at Evi Alden, who was there, calling her a thief and telling her to hand over the bracelet.”

“…!”

At the student’s words, Clois’s steps, which were about to turn away, stopped.

The student’s words continued.

“But at that time, Evi was holding a box in her arms. When she told her to hand it over, Evi said she absolutely couldn’t, so Ezriella slapped her cheek. At that time, Irene came and blocked her, but…”

In the next moment, Clois ran straight toward the building.