Chapter 94

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.

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Irene’s words that there would be many things to be surprised about soon became true.

“Wow! That! That!”

Evi pointed at a huge balloon floating above the endlessly lined-up building roofs.

“It’s called a hot air balloon. They install mana stones or heat devices that generate heat underneath to float them up.”

“It’s flying in the sky!”

“Because that’s what it was made for. Why? Do you want to try riding that?”

At those words, she whipped her head around with a surprised face, her gaze unable to leave the window.

“Can I… ride that?”

“Of course.”

“Re-really?”

Her already round green eyes grew even rounder.

Her eyes, looking alternately at the hot air balloon and Irene, were full of sparkling light.

Irene thought: If you don’t let her ride after seeing those eyes, are you even human? You’d be a devil.

“Of course. How hard can it be to ride a hot air balloon once?”

Even while saying that, Irene herself had never actually ridden one.

‘I can just ride it this time, whatever.’

Of course, not just anyone could ride it. To be precise, it cost a lot of money. Even Irene, who was indifferent to money, was a bit surprised when she first heard the boarding price.

‘But that’s not a problem at all.’

Irene had a different problem she was worried about.

Sure enough, as she thought, Evi’s shoulders, which had been sparkling at the thought of being able to ride the hot air balloon, dropped.

‘She’s surely worrying about money again.’

Probably, if she asked her to go ride it later, she would back out, saying she didn’t think she needed to ride it after all.

So, she would have to pretend not to know and then suddenly drag her there and make her ride it. So that she couldn’t refuse.

Admiring her own perfect plan, Irene fiddled with Evi’s dejected cheeks.

Being soft like freshly baked bread yet prettily red like an apple made her feel like touching them every time she saw them.

‘Hehe, only I can touch them.’

She remembered the sight of Arcel and Ruska staring enviously every time she did this.

But how could they dare touch a lady’s body at will?

‘Evi’s cheeks are mine!’

Irene looked out the window together while touching Evi’s cheeks, which only she could enjoy.

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Wow! Look over there! It’s a huge bakery!”

“The fountain is huge too!”

“There’s the market over there!”

Evi looked at everything joyfully while chirping incessantly.

The carriage ran for a long time like that and stopped at a shop in a long line of luxury shops.

“Is this… Irene’s house?”

It was too much of a shop for that. Furthermore, it was the largest and most splendid-looking place on this street.

“Aie, no way. This is Madame Crebel’s shop. It started as a boutique making only clothes, but now it handles everything from hats and bags to accessories.”

It was a place she had heard of.

Other students in the cafeteria had talked excitedly about this place.

“My mom said if I get into the top 100 in the whole school, she would go to Madame Crebel’s shop and order an autumn banquet dress for me… as if that would happen.”

“100th place is generous. She told me to get into the top 50. Is that even possible? I feel like vomiting just looking at books now.”

“But I really want to go there. Their autumn banquet clothes are the most famous.”

“I don’t even hope for clothes. I wish I could at least buy a hat.”

In Evi’s eyes, most of the children at the Gifted Center looked like the richest people in the world. Since they could get something immediately if they said they wanted it.

To think it was a place such students longed to go so desperately.

‘It must be an e-e-e-e-enormously expensive place.’

So she thought she would never have an occasion to go there in her life.

She was curious, but she thought they wouldn’t even let a child wearing ordinary clothes like her enter.

After that, Evi heard the name of that place several times.

Then, when talking with Ruska, he recognized it.

“Madame Crebel’s shop? I know that place too. My father and mother regularly get their clothes tailored there. Me? I also get them tailored occasionally, but their clothes are so cool that I don’t wear them often. I had a duel with my brothers wearing those, and my mom ran over and smacked my back, asking if I was in my right mind.”

For Ruska, the son of a Marquis, to even say such things.

While thinking even more that it was a place she couldn’t go, her curiosity had increased.

“Arcel also probably gets most of his clothes tailored there. Their clothes really suit him well. There was an uproar when that fellow came wearing a suit tailored there for last year’s autumn banquet.”

While doing so, the conversation had passed from Crebel’s shop to a story about Arcel before she knew it.

Of course, listening to stories about Arcel was more interesting.

Anyway, she thought it was a place she would have no connection with in her life, but to think she came like this.

“Uh, can I… enter?”

“Hmm? What are you talking about. Of course a customer can enter a shop.”

“That’s true, but…”

Evi looked at her clothes.

It was the best clothes among the clothes she had. On the day she left the orphanage after passing the Gifted Center, it was also the clothes the Director had prepared at her own private expense.

Although she knew it wasn’t as good compared to other people’s clothes, she had never particularly thought of these clothes as shameful.

It was the same now. Even if they didn’t let her in, she was fine. But Irene wouldn’t be…

Irene grabbed Evi’s hand.

“Evi, you brought the brooch that person named Lucy gave you, right?”

“Yeah. It’s here.”

Evi took out the brooch she had put in her bag in case she might lose it if she wore it.

Irene took it and immediately attached it onto Evi’s clothes.

Then she smiled and led Evi by the hand.

“This is enough. With this, they would accept you even if you went in naked.”

Irene looked proudly at the brooch that wasn’t even hers.

When Evi showed this, Irene had covered her mouth.

‘This is the brooch of gathering!’

She had only seen what it looked like in pictures, but it was also Irene’s first time seeing it in person.

was a gathering in which a great many scholars or experts in various fields participated.

For any ordinary gathering, they would take in new members, but they said that gathering had been maintained with the current personnel for several decades.

Among them, there was one who had served as the Minister of State in the past, the best architect in the Empire, and the representative of a famous merchant guild that rivaled the Terence family.

No wonder people said it was a gathering of successful people in the Empire.

The only thing in common was that they graduated from the Academy; their ages were all different, so people only guessed that perhaps they were people from some club at the Academy.

But for Evi to receive a brooch from there.

‘Thanks to that, I also learned that the gathering is a gathering of Professor Malles’ disciples.’

So when she sought out Professor Malles and asked, ‘Why don’t you give me one?’, he said that the current head of the gathering, Lucy, gives it personally and to go and receive it if she wanted.

At those words, not only Irene but even Ruska burned with passion.

“Let’s go receive it!”

“Great!”

“I’ll go with you.”

For some reason, even Arcel joined in.

That was how much this brooch had value and honor that anyone would be greedy for.

‘Our Evi received that!’

In her heart, she wanted to grab people passing on the street and shout, ‘Look, my roommate is such an amazing child. Hohoho!’

Of course, she desperately suppressed that desire.

Because if she did, it seemed Evi would run away before the person on the street.

“Now! Let’s enter!”

Two doormen who were guarding the entrance politely held the huge doors open.

Passing them and entering inside, she felt a scent that was slightly heavy yet luxurious.

Along with the lobby decorated with a splendid chandelier, the luxuriously patterned walls and the decorations hung on them captured the eyes of those who entered.

While Evi was unable to close her mouth at the dazzling splendor, which had a different charm from the elegant Imperial Palace, a woman dressed gracefully approached from inside.

“Madame Crebel!”

“You’ve come, Young Lady Irene.”

At the greeting of the two, Evi’s round eyes grew even larger.

Madame Crebel? The owner here? But were they in a relationship where they knew each other?

As Evi’s eyes wavered while looking at the two alternately, Irene smiled and explained.

“Madame Crebel is originally from the south and is a person from a collateral branch of the Terence family. Because her talent was outstanding from a young age, my father trusted Madame and invested greatly.”

“Yes, thanks to that, I am where I am now. I am always deeply grateful to the Terence family.”

Crebel smiled and looked at Evi. Then her gaze saw the brooch attached to Evi’s clothes.

“Oh my.”

As if truly surprised, she lightly covered her mouth and opened her eyes wide.

At the expected sight, Irene shrugged her shoulders.

‘See, I told you she’d be surprised.’

She thought that if it were Madame Crebel, who had a good eye, she would recognize what it was at once.

As Irene thought, Crebel, who recognized the brooch, didn’t know what to do and urged Irene.

“Young Lady, this person is?”

“This is my roommate, Evi! Isn’t she cute?”

At Irene’s explanation, Evi greeted with a slightly reddened face.

“Hello, I’m Evi Alden.”

“Welcome, Lady Evi Alden. I am truly hosting a very precious guest today.”

It was a polite greeting, unbelievable for dealing with a child.

Crebel, who bowed her head, was convinced.

That this child would surely become a very important guest of her shop.