CICN 98

Chapter 98

[Hello, Director! It’s me, Evie! I’m sorry for sending a letter after such a long time. I wanted to write more often, but I kept getting so tired that I fell asleep every day…

But I just couldn’t help it! There are soooo many fun things at Irene’s house!

As I mentioned in my previous letter, I’m staying at Irene’s house right now.

Everyone here is so kind to me. No one here dislikes me for being an orphan from the Foundling Home.

Every morning, Amber, Vicky, and Cindy bring me new clothes.

They’re all clothes Irene wore when she was little. I asked, and they said people from the South grow fast, so children quickly outgrow their clothes.

They also said that since the Terrence family won’t be having any more children, I can take all of them.

There are no holes, no tears—it’s like all brand-new clothes.

When I said the clothes were all so clean, Irene said it was because the Terrence family’s maids were skilled.

Even if you’re rich, it seems everyone is careful with their things, just like at the Foundling Home.

I received so many, so I’ll send everything I won’t wear to share with my friends.

It seems Irene was similar to me when she was little! The sleeves, the neckline, even the pants—they fit me perfectly! Isn’t that amazing?

These days, I always wear the hairpin Madame Crevel gave me as a gift.

When we went to the market together, a passing lady said to both Irene and me that we were such lovely young ladies. I felt so happy!

I’ll stay here for one more week. I’ve been here a week already, so I’ll stay another week, then go to Master Arcel’s mansion, then to Lusca’s mansion, and then return to Irene’s house.

I also received letters from Master Arcel and Lusca.

They wrote that they’re looking forward to my visit and that we should have fun together. After reading the letter, Irene took me to the drawing room. (Irene’s house has a room just for drawing, a room for reading, a room for listening to music, and even a separate room for changing clothes! Amazing, right!)

We drew together using colored pencils with 180 different colors. Irene said that Arcel’s and Lusca’s houses probably don’t have anything like this.

So she wanted me to draw a lot while I was here.

I was excitedly drawing when Irene praised the raccoon I drew. But it was actually supposed to be a dog…

Then Irene said that seven-year-olds usually aren’t very good at drawing. She told me she only got better when she turned ten and that I’d also be good at drawing when I turn ten.

When I turn ten, I’ll draw a lot and give them all to Director. And…]

“Ah, I used up the whole sheet.”

Evie, who had been writing the letter without stopping, finally looked up when she reached the end of the paper.

The paper was completely filled with writing. Holding her pen, she hesitated for a moment, then drew a few more lines over parts she had previously crossed out.

It was a part that might make the Director feel upset if he saw it.

After crossing it out completely several times, Evie opened the desk drawer.

Inside were sheets of stationery with a pleasant scent. Bringing one close to her face, she could smell the fragrance.

‘Director will probably feel good too when he receives this paper.’

I should tell my friends to smell it too, she thought.

Evie picked up her pen again and quickly continued writing.

It had been a week since she started staying at Irene’s house. Writing about all the events so far seemed endless.

‘There’s too much to write about!’

From the moment she opened her eyes until she went back to bed with Irene at night, there was no time to be bored all day.

During the day, they got so excited playing that they even got a bit feverish and flopped down.

That day, the maids said both of them had to take a nap in separate beds.

“If you stay together, I know you’ll just chatter and not sleep!”

Normally gentle maids, they wore stern faces this time and absolutely forbade it.

Thanks to that, she could finally sleep deeply.

When Evie finally finished her letter, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

“Miss Evie!”

It was Amber, the eldest of the three maids.

“It’s lunchtime. Since Irene’s guest has left, she’ll be here soon. Let’s go downstairs together.”

Amber held out her hand as she spoke.

When Evie grabbed it, Amber quietly said, “I feel victorious for winning rock-paper-scissors…!” while clenching her other hand and trembling.

‘She called me “Miss Evie.”’

At first, hearing that embarrassed her so much that her face turned red, and she told them not to call her that, but the maids continued to call her Miss Evie.

“When you wear such pretty clothes, you’re a young lady.”

“When you sit so properly, you’re a young lady.”

“When you’re so cute, you’re a young lady!”

In the end, Evie lost.

‘But I feel good.’

At first, it was embarrassing, but now she laughed every time she heard it.

When they entered the dining room, Irene, who had arrived first, waved.

“Today’s lunch is fried chicken, Evie’s favorite!”

“Yay!”

Excited, Evie hopped to her seat.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Yes! Southern fried chicken is really delicious!”

She thought frying chicken in oil was nothing special, but Southern fried chicken was a different experience entirely.

The crispy coating was delicious, and the sweet-spicy sauce on top was so addictive she could eat it all day.

While waiting for the meal, Evie noticed fatigue on Irene’s face despite her sitting upright.

“Were you very tired today?”

“Huh? Ah… five people suddenly came to talk about the autumn banquet, so my head hurts a bit.”

“Autumn banquet?”

“Yes. Soon, autumn banquets will be held everywhere. You saw the book with the Gifted Academy rules, right?”

Evie nodded, recalling what she remembered.

The autumn banquet was the biggest official event among the three main events of the Gifted Academy.

In other places, the New Year’s Festival would be the biggest, but the Academy was on winter break during that period.

So the autumn banquet, a festival during the students’ stay, was the most grand and luxurious.

‘And the guardians attend this event,’ she remembered.

Later, she learned that many people wanted to become guardians just to attend this banquet.

“This year, His Majesty the Emperor will come, so it’ll be really grand.”

Irene already imagined the commotion, pressing her forehead.

“Will the Emperor come?”

Would he move just to see her at the Academy’s event?

Evie murmured worriedly, and Irene scolded her as if she were worrying needlessly.

“If he didn’t come, that would be the real problem. Didn’t you see the letter? He asked if we could spend a week at his villa during the break.”

Irene recalled the Emperor’s letter that had arrived on the second day since she arrived home.

Although the wording seemed gentle, the message was simple:

‘He wanted one week out of the three I have.’

If it were a letter from anyone else, she could have dismissed it as nonsense or even forgotten about it, but not with the Emperor.

Even the great Terrence family knows who rules the land they live on.

Currently, the Emperor softens when he sees Evie.

But he was also a man who didn’t hesitate to annihilate thousands of enemies and their servants after the succession war.

The Emperor who took the throne with the most bloodshed in history.

That fact must not be forgotten.

“Yes, I think the villa will be fun.”

Unaware of Irene losing a week of her time, Evie smiled with anticipation.

“By the way, who is your guardian, Irene?”

“My guardian? It’s Countess Derschina Kamin. She’s nicknamed the Tiger of the South. Do you know her?”

Evie nodded vigorously.

Derschina Kamin, a woman well past sixty, held lands near the Dering Strait, called the Sea of Barbarians, in the South.

It’s a place where four kingdoms face each other across the sea, a site of constant past disputes.

During the succession war, the same happened. The four kingdoms tried to invade across the Sea of Barbarians, taking advantage of the Empire’s chaos.

But they couldn’t step foot on Imperial territory.

The Countess literally crushed them in the Sea of Barbarians.

She didn’t involve herself in the succession war but was wholeheartedly devoted to protecting the Empire.

She earned the nickname “Tiger of the South” because after the tiger she raised as a child died, she made a shoulder decoration from its hide and always carried it with her.

Such a brave woman was Irene’s guardian.

“Then she’ll come too?”

“Yes. She’s gotten interested in luxurious things as she’s aged, so she’ll come to the capital for shopping and to attend the autumn banquet. If the Countess comes, Evie, we should go meet her.”

“Wow!”

Excited at the thought of meeting a hero like those in old tales, Evie clapped her hands.

It was sure to be a truly delightful autumn banquet.