CICN 16

Chapter 16

Once all the students had assembled, the staff began to lead the gifted children away again.

Evi moved with the crowd, blending in among the others.

The girl who had stuck to her side just a while ago pretending to be friendly—Remora—still hadn’t returned.

Instead, Remora was whispering busily with a group of students she seemed close with, occasionally glancing in Evi’s direction.

What are they talking about?

Evi couldn’t hear, but she could tell they were clearly talking about her.

So she deliberately hid herself among the crowd.

When Evi disappeared from view, the kids with Remora frowned.

“Ugh! She’s gone again. She’s so small, once you lose sight of her, it’s impossible to find her.”

“Hey, isn’t that the kid you said had something to do with His Majesty?”

“Um, well… Oh no, let’s hurry or we’ll be left behind.”

Remora quickly changed the subject and pushed past her friends to walk ahead.

What should I do? I thought this was my chance…

She bit her lip anxiously.

Before entering the academy, she had heard that there was a child personally selected by the Emperor.

Narrow-minded nobles were said to be quite displeased about it.

Until now, the Emperor had never appointed anyone directly.

Even the famous Arcel and Luska hadn’t met him outside of accompanying their parents to the palace.

There’s no way the Emperor would choose someone unrelated to him.

At the very least, the kid must be an illegitimate child of one of the Emperor’s close aides.

It’s hard to get close to Irene Terrins, but that tiny girl shouldn’t be a problem.

The person she really wanted to befriend was Irene. But Irene was difficult to approach.

Especially since the noble students gave sharp looks as if warning others not to get too close.

Even confident Remora didn’t have the courage to wedge her way in and approach Irene.

And yet, Irene seemed indifferent, even to the efforts of those prestigious students.

So Remora decided to start with someone easier to draw in—Evi Elden.

She had pretended to be friendly on purpose.

She thought that if she brought up the Emperor during their conversation, Evi would be eager to spill what she knew…

But she said it was nothing.

If things stayed like this, her friends would criticize her for pretending to know something when she didn’t.

What should I do? Should I say she lied…?

While Remora was lost in thought, everyone arrived at the entrance to the inner palace.

Seeing the heavy security, the students who had been chatting fell silent.

Beyond the gate stood a massive white building. Someone murmured softly,

“It’s really the Imperial Palace…”

Evi nodded in response to the awe-struck voice.

Although the academy was within the palace walls, technically it was just an affiliated institution.

So it wasn’t considered part of the main palace that people referred to.

After counting the number of students, the staff handed a list of names to the guards.

Only after confirming each student by name did the guards step aside to let them in.

Once through the gates, the students gasped in wonder.

“I’m actually inside the palace…”

“It’s even more magnificent up close.”

“We normally wouldn’t be allowed in here at all.”

Realizing they had entered the most glorious place in the Empire, many students were awestruck.

Of course, not everyone felt that way.

Some students scoffed at the reactions of their peers.

“Of course it’s impressive to commoners.”

“Right? I’ve been here before for the New Year’s banquet with my parents.”

“Me too. I was allowed in once when my father attended a monthly council meeting.”

Students from noble families puffed out their chests, acting as if this place was nothing new to them.

The others quickly fixed their expressions, realizing they’d be laughed at if they gawked too obviously.

Meanwhile, the noble kids went on bragging—how many times they’d been here, when they last visited, and so on.

Evi stood among them, quietly gazing at the palace.

It was said to be the most beautiful and grand building in the Empire.

From the academy, she could see its upper part, but this was her first time seeing the entire structure up close.

It’s really magnificent.

It looked large enough to hold the entire population of Elam City, where she used to live.

Then, she noticed something strange—a dark stain on one side of the otherwise perfect building.

Other students noticed it too and exchanged puzzled glances.

Seeing where everyone was looking, a staff member smiled and began to explain.

“The building you see in front of you is the main palace. Even the main palace connects to five more buildings in the rear.”

As she began to walk, the students followed closely behind.

The ones who had never been inside the palace trailed after her, eager to hear every detail.

Evi followed too.

“And as for that mark you’re all curious about—it was left by a fire during the succession war. I’m sure you’ve heard that the palace took heavy damage back then?”

The students nodded in silent understanding.

Evi had heard the story as well.

The vast palace had burned in many areas. The main building had only suffered partial damage, but other parts had collapsed entirely.

Even the academy had been damaged and shut down for a while, requiring extensive repairs.

That’s why many freshly painted areas stood out—they had been repainted after the fire.

A boy near Evi asked with a puzzled expression,

“But why is a place this noble still marked like that? Even the streets in the capital have all been restored…”

The staff responded as if expecting the question.

“Because His Majesty prioritized the restoration of the city over the palace. Many of you probably saw the bridges or ports being repaired first. Budget allocations also prioritized external infrastructure.”

Listening to the exchange, Evi thought to herself:

I’ve heard this before.

Back at the orphanage, the director would sometimes return with a bright smile.

When asked what had happened, she would pat Evi’s head and say:

“His Majesty ordered the lords to fund the orphanages first. Thanks to that, we were able to buy food without much trouble again.”

After the war, the Empire was in chaos.

So much had been broken or lost.

People were too busy taking care of themselves to worry about others.

In such times, who would spare a thought for the children in orphanages?

If not for the Emperor’s command, they would’ve been the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Thanks to that, we made it through the winter.

Apparently, the Emperor’s order wasn’t just talk—when winter hit hard, the local lord personally came with extra food supplies.

That’s how they made it through each year without going hungry.

Last year, they even received new blankets.

One day in the kitchen, while boiling potatoes, the director had casually said:

“We truly owe His Majesty so much. Thanks to the swift end of the war, fewer people died. And now he even cares for the lowest among us…”

She also mentioned that during the reign of the previous Emperor, they had barely received any funding.

But as Evi munched on freshly boiled potatoes, she used to think:

Our lord fixed up his own castle first before repairing the roads or helping people.

So maybe His Majesty also took care of his own things before turning to us.

But seeing the palace now, she realized she was wrong.

The academy had been completely repaired, yet the main building—the Emperor’s own residence—was still under reconstruction.

“Alright, let’s move on. I’ll continue the explanation as we go. Today, you’ll get to see the Jewel Hall and even the History Hall, which hasn’t officially opened yet.”

The staff clapped her hands lightly and began to lead the group forward.

After all, everyone was here to see the grandeur of the palace—not the scars left by war.

So the students quickly followed her.

“Are we really going inside there?”

“That place is normally closed off during banquets—this will be my first time too!”

“Even palace staff can’t enter without special permission, I heard.”

The students were buzzing with excitement over getting access to such a restricted place.

Meanwhile, Evi quietly turned to the damaged wall of the palace and bowed deeply toward the main building.

“Thank you. Because of you, we made it through the winter.”

Of course, she didn’t expect the Emperor to see her.

But even so, she wanted to express her gratitude, even in this small way.

When she raised her head again—

“Huh…?”

—she noticed the curtain in one of the high windows of the main palace flutter slightly.