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Chapter 106
“You want me to come to your family?”
Evi didn’t immediately understand what that meant.
“Here… to the Kaelrun Duke family? Me?”
“Yes. Arsel once mentioned that after graduating from the Academy of Gifted Children, he hadn’t decided exactly where to go yet… Was there a place you wanted to go? A different dream you had?”
At the duchess’s question, Evi shook her head.
After the chaotic palace tour when she was trapped in the portrait room, she had continued to visit the palace.
She encountered countless institutions within the palace and even jobs she never would have imagined in Elram City, where the orphanage was.
Perhaps she had seen too much all at once.
Out of all the things she had experienced, Evi still didn’t know what she was truly good at or wanted to do.
‘But…’
There was one condition she wanted for whatever work she chose.
‘I want to earn a lot of money.’
She wanted to send almost all the money she earned to the director of the orphanage, leaving only what she absolutely needed for herself.
The director might not like it, but she would do it anyway.
Then the children left behind could eat potatoes and corn to their heart’s content.
‘That’s what I have to do.’
When she realized she could learn letters faster than the other children, and then calculate numbers faster too, she was overjoyed.
‘I can help my friends.’
It felt good to be praised for being smart.
“First place on this test too! Our wonderful Evi!”
The director had also been proud, boasting that there was a genius in the orphanage.
But just feeling good wasn’t enough to help.
Evi wanted to earn a lot of money with her abilities.
‘And I need to find Mom and Dad too…’
Occasionally, notices appeared in the village seeking people who had been separated during the war, offering a large reward to anyone who could provide their whereabouts.
‘I need to collect that reward money too.’
Once she found her parents, all the money would go to the orphanage.
‘And… other places too…’
Before coming to the Academy, there were only two places she wanted to spend money.
But after coming, another place appeared.
Evi thought of the items in her bag.
The gemstones given by His Majesty, the squirrel doll, the hat, ribbon, and shoes from Irene…
Moreover, Arsel had already said on his way over that he would give her 100 notebooks, maps, snacks, and hair ties as gifts.
‘Luska said she’d give me lots of treats too if I visited.’
Everyone gave her so many gifts, even though she only followed them around.
That fact made her happy, but a small part of her heart felt heavy.
‘I want to give gifts too!’
Even if you buy one item and get one free in the capital, you still have to spend money!
‘So I want to earn money quickly.’
And now, the duchess was asking her to come to the Kaelrun family.
In a small voice, Evi asked the duchess,
“Does the Duke’s family pay as much as the palace?”
“…Huh?”
The unexpected question flustered the duchess.
Evi hurriedly added,
“I’m still learning at the Academy, so I can’t work much yet, but by graduation I’ll be better! And I’m really good at cleaning. I cleaned all the classrooms at the advanced school in Elram City by myself. So…”
“Evi, wait. Are you saying you want to work at the Duke’s house?”
“Yes. Isn’t that why you called me?”
The duchess paused, momentarily speechless, seeing Evi tilt her head as if questioning why else she would be summoned.
She put Evi down gently and leaned forward to meet her gaze.
“Evi, that’s not exactly what I meant. I mean… well… you could stay with our family after graduation and become my pupil. If not… well…”
The duchess glanced at Arsel.
Even though he pretended to listen quietly, his face flushed with happiness.
For a moment, the duchess imagined an older Evi, shyly calling her “Mother.”
‘I like that.’
If her son liked it, so would she. Perhaps she even liked the child more than her own son!
‘I want to teach her more.’
She wanted to watch how Evi’s talent would shine and how she would grow.
If Evi stayed with the duke’s family, how joyful it would be.
‘It would be nice if she gets along with Arsel…’
But Evi was only seven.
She was too young to have special feelings for Arsel, and still young enough to change her choices in the future.
Holding her back too early might make her comply with decisions she didn’t truly want.
‘That can’t happen.’
No matter how tempting it was, she couldn’t force a life-altering decision.
‘Besides, His Majesty is her guardian.’
Imagining Evi as a musician with sparkling green eyes made her smile.
But ultimately, the choice had to be Evi’s.
Not a choice forced by circumstances, but one she made herself.
All careers are tough, and life as an artist is no exception.
She only wanted to help closely by her side.
She would have to grow closer first.
His Majesty’s vision for Evi might differ.
‘It doesn’t seem like His Majesty will allow it easily.’
Thinking back to what Arsel had said at mealtime, the math professor at the Academy was always keeping an eye on Evi.
Furthermore, Irene Terins, who had stayed here before, seemed to like Evi a lot.
‘A family known as magnates in the Empire.’
Although the Duke’s family was no less than the Terins family, the Terins still had a stronger image when it came to money.
‘At least I need to teach her to love playing instruments, even just for a week.’
Then she would come along whenever Arsel went out, and gradually…
As the duchess planned everything carefully in her mind, Evi whispered in her ear:
“If you pay me a lot, I’ll come here after I graduate. I’ll clean properly and not slack off. I promise.”
Despite sounding like the cleverest little schemer, Evi’s innocence in believing she would actually be asked to clean made the duchess hug her again.
“Evi, you really!”
Arsel, nearby, watched his mother rubbing her face against Evi’s cheek with a mix of embarrassment and envy.
“Why are you here today? It’s the first time I’ve been called to the main residence twice.”
A completely ordinary man, likely forgettable after a few seconds, grumbled as he stood before the duke.
This was Liden, the one who secretly handled all the duke’s sensitive tasks.
“Plus, Master Arsel came looking for me personally.”
“Did Arsel ask you for something?”
“Eh, is this something the duke doesn’t know about? Then I shouldn’t say.”
“Right now, I’m the one paying your salary.”
“Master Arsel might be responsible for my future, you know. I invest in dreams, hopes, and the future.”
The duke sighed at Liden’s cheeky answer.
“Enough joking. You might have to handle something serious.”
At the word “serious,” Liden finally wiped the smile off his face.
“What is it?”
His voice turned cold and professional.
“I need you to investigate an orphanage in Elram City. Specifically, we need to know how one of its children came to be there.”
“Who is it?”
“The little girl sitting between my wife and son outside the window. Cute, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she’s cute like my daughter… no. Wait, why am I being sent to Elram City when the girl is right next to me?”
“I suspect something. Above all, we need to find out discreetly where the orphanage director got the child and where she was before arriving.”
“But Elram City is far. It will take time.”
“That doesn’t matter. Investigate thoroughly without missing anything. By the way, did Arsel really entrust this task to you?”
“Ah, that? You’ll keep it a secret, right?”
“No. I’ll ask Arsel myself later.”
“Then why ask me now? Anyway, I’ll tell you in advance—it’s about the Aradman Count family.”
“The Aradman Counts? The ones troubled by their daughter being expelled from the Academy?”
“Yes. Arsel asked about a newly arrived girl there. A blonde girl with green eyes named Eve.”
“Eve?”
The duke instinctively felt uneasy.
A name came to mind without realizing it—Eve Bien.
The late princess’s name.
And outside, Evi’s name sounded similar.
Eve Bien. Could be called Eve… or Evi.
“Actually, since it’s a family in the capital, and their servants are discreet, I’ve already found out quite a bit.”
As if it were nothing, Liden replied lightly.
“Something?”
“A strange woman came by a few weeks ago with a child. We don’t know which family she belongs to, but the count treated her politely. And her characteristic… she always wears gloves.”
The duke’s eyes gleamed at that.
“I’ll cancel the previous instruction to take it easy. Investigate this as quickly as possible, above all other tasks.”
He looked at the calendar and fixed the deadline.
“It must be done before the Autumn Banquet.”
Before dinner, Evi clutched the duchess, eyes sparkling.
“Really? I can earn 1 gold a day?”
The duchess was now formally offering Evi a part-time job.
