Chapter 86

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.

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“What is the point of having power?”

At times like this, she wanted to rely on that power and pass things over comfortably.

‘I became a loyal subject for times like this.’

Seraphina smiled even more brightly as she looked at the Count and Countess.

“You have spoken very well. Even if you hadn’t, I think Evi Alden’s guardian would also very much like to see you both. So why not meet and talk?”

“Fine!”

Having heard only a brief account of the disturbance at the Gifted Center, he was completely unaware of the most chaotic part of the matter.

That was why he confidently told her to bring the guardian.

‘What kind of great person could the guardian of such a lowly child be?’

No matter who the opponent was, they were surely someone with less status and connections than himself.

The Count intended to use his family name to crush that guardian flat.

Seraphina went to her desk, quickly wrote something on a memo, and handed it to the Count.

“What is this?”

“What else? It is the address of Evi Alden’s guardian. I hope you have a good conversation.”

If you can go there, that is.

…Swallowing those words behind her throat, Seraphina stood up.

Doing a parent consultation for the first time in her life was more tiring and annoying than she had expected.

Promising herself to set a ten-minute limit on such things in the future, she picked up her outer coat and stood up.

“Then, I will be going. The work of a director involves so many duties and responsibilities that I cannot rest for a single moment. Please contact me after you have come to an agreement. If there is no other contact, I will handle it according to the school rules.”

Seraphina said that and left the meeting room like the wind.

The Count and Countess watched Seraphina’s departing figure with absurd eyes.

They were a couple who were always treated with respect in social circles.

But Seraphina had run away abruptly as if she had faced the most annoying thing in the world.

Since it was the first time they had been treated like this in their lives, the Count and Countess trembled with a sense of humiliation.

Naturally, their anger turned toward the guardian, whom they thought was a lower opponent.

“I won’t leave them alone.”

The Count ground his teeth and looked at the paper Seraphina had handed him.

After a moment, he tilted his head and muttered.

“I think she wrote it wrong?”

On the paper Seraphina had handed over, only [Imperial Palace, Main Palace] was written.

The Count stood up and went outside.

When a staff member, who seemed to have been waiting for them, tried to guide them outside immediately, the Count grabbed him.

“Wait, I think the Director wrote the address wrong for us.”

“Wrote the address wrong? I don’t know what you mean.”

“She said this is the address of the lowly orphan brat’s guardian, but does this make sense?”

Then the staff member looked at the paper once and then at the Count’s face.

“Have you not heard the detailed explanation about this matter yet? The Director, really…”

“Explanation?”

Looking at the puzzled face of the Count, the staff member sighed.

It seemed it was his job to tell them the fact that had caused the biggest stir.

“It is the fact that Evi Alden’s guardian is His Majesty the Emperor.”

At those words, the paper held in the Count’s hand fluttered and fell.

A moment later, the screams of the Count and Countess, who could not accept reality, echoed from a corner of the Gifted Center.

* * *

The incident with Evi and Ezriella brought a huge storm to the Gifted Center, but that did not mean a miracle like the exam schedule being pushed back happened.

The problem was that most of the Gifted Center was excited.

It was no secret that Evi, the person concerned, was calm, but other students were so engrossed in talking about this incident that they studied less than usual.

Perhaps because of that, on the day the report cards came out, a heavy air flowed in the dormitory from the morning.

Normally, one would hear the bright sound of laughter, but the faces of the students coming and going were filled with tension and anxiety.

Of course, there were those who were expectant.

“I think my score will come out pretty well.”

Ruska, who was sitting in the lobby waiting for the arrival of the report cards, smiled broadly as Arcel approached.

“That’s unusual. You’ve never waited for exam results before.”

Before entering the Gifted Center, Ruska had also attended the same upper school as Arcel.

At that time, every day the report cards came out, he acted from the morning as if he would dig a hole in the ground and crawl in immediately.

Now, the pressure for results was much stronger than then.

So he thought Ruska would be almost dead… but to be so smiley?

Anyway, Ruska was Arcel’s close friend.

If his close friend was in a good mood, Arcel also had no reason to feel bad.

“I studied hard this time.”

“That means you didn’t study hard until now.”

“Arcel, you really… only say the right things.”

While muttering with an expression as if his bones were hit, Ruska did not lose his smile.

“Honestly, it’s not like studying is fun. It’s not easy to find someone who explains just right to understand what you don’t know. But this time, Evi told me a lot.”

“…What?”

“Before the Ezriella thing happened, you and Irene were busy. At that time, Evi helped me with my math study a bit.”

“Evi did?”

“Yeah. When I told her the parts I didn’t know well, she explained really well. She said she also told her friends a lot before coming to the Gifted Center. Thanks to her, it was easy to understand the parts I was stuck on… What? Why are you glaring at me?”

Ruska, who was talking excitedly, got up in surprise at Arcel’s cold gaze.

Did he say something wrong?

But no matter how much he thought about it, he hadn’t said anything in particular other than bragging that his grades would come out well.

After thinking for a moment, Ruska found the reason why Arcel’s mood had become uncomfortable.

“I know why you’re annoyed.”

“What?”

Arcel flinched slightly at Ruska’s words.

As Ruska said, he was not in a good mood. But to think he knew the reason.

He had hoped Ruska wouldn’t notice the reason.

Arcel looked at him tensely.

At that look, Ruska puffed out his chest even more confidently and pointed his finger at Arcel.

“It’s no use trying to hide it! You’re afraid that this body will finally surpass your grades, aren’t you?”

“…”

At Ruska’s words, Arcel was silent for a moment and then muttered.

“Ruska, sometimes I like even this stupid side of yours.”

“Right, right. This body… Wait? Stupid side? Hey! What does that mean?”

While Ruska was hanging onto Arcel, telling him to speak properly, a staff member holding envelopes entered the lobby.

The grades of the Gifted Center were delivered individually, except for the final exam at the end of the year.

“I will deliver the report cards for this exam. Please stand in line and receive them one by one.”

The boys who were waiting rushed in front of the staff member.

When they said their names, the report cards were found and handed over from the envelopes arranged in alphabetical order.

Both Ruska and Arcel received their report cards before long.

“Ugh, I’m scared to open it.”

Ruska held the report card envelope and trembled as if looking at the most fearful thing in the world.

“I can’t do it after all. I don’t have the confidence to open it here. I’ll open it after I eat. Let’s go quickly!”

Ruska, with the envelope stuffed in his back pocket, quickly went out of the dormitory and headed to the cafeteria.

Arcel, who was about to open it immediately, fiddled with the envelope, put it neatly into his inner coat pocket, and followed behind Ruska.

When they entered the cafeteria, the two didn’t need to look for where Evi and Irene were sitting.

“It’s chaotic today too.”

“Indeed.”

Two weeks had already passed since the Ezriella incident.

In the meantime, Ezriella had been expelled from the Gifted Center according to school rules.

And the five people who were with Ezriella received heavy disciplinary actions, although there were differences.

In the end, three of them also chose to drop out on their own.

But no one cared about their matters anymore.

Because everyone’s interest was now focused on Evi.

The child chosen by the Emperor and the child for whom he even took on the role of guardian.

It was said that rumors had spread not only among the students but also to the Imperial Palace and noble social circles, turning them upside down.

As proof of that, weren’t only the tables around where Evi and Irene were sitting in this large cafeteria crowded?

Everyone tried to talk to Evi, but Irene was blocking all the annoying ones with a wall-like defense.

“Evi, Irene.”

“Oh, hello.”

“Hello.”

As Arcel and Ruska approached, even the students who were hanging around all retreated.

Ruska took the report card out of his pants pocket and placed it on the table.

“What’s coming has come.”

“Ruska, have you checked your report card?”

When Evi called him Ruska, calling him intimately, Irene’s eyebrows twitched. Arcel’s expression next to her also became stiff.

While they were away, Evi had gone from calling Ruska ‘Ruska-nim’ to just his name.

In the meantime, they had let it pass as if they hadn’t heard because it was exam period, but now they could no longer endure it.

‘Ruska Lagselve, I’ll never leave you alone.’

‘Ruska, you say?’

Irene had been called that from before, but Arcel was still being called formally.

‘Why only me?’

Arcel felt his mood sinking again as he sat down.

Only Ruska replied with a bright smile.

“No, not yet! So, do you all want to open our report cards all at once?”

Then Irene and Arcel immediately slammed their envelopes on the table with a bang!

“Fine!”

“As much as you want.”

Then the two of them glared at Ruska and said.

“Anyway, mine will be higher.”