Translator: Nox

1 - Can I Cry Now?

1

‘Annoying.’

Clois thought as he looked at the ministers chattering in front of him.

Seven years after going through numerous wars and ultimately beheading his brother to become emperor.

He no longer felt any emotion in anything.

He didn't want to be emperor. He just fought to protect the people he loved.

‘But…….’

Heavy weariness weighed him down. It was the emperor's seat he had obtained by cutting down many people, but he did not think this seat was meaningful.

‘Because of this ridiculous thing.’

His wife, whom he loved more than anyone else, and his newborn daughter, whom he had never even seen, were murdered.

Clois's gaze lingered on the mark on the back of his hand.

The mark, which only appeared in the direct bloodline of the Imperial Family, was now possessed only by him in the world.

If his daughter had lived, she would have had it too, but…….

He closed his eyes as the fatigue washed over him again. The State Affairs Minister next to him looked at him with concern.

Clois had ruled the empire for the past seven years as a wise ruler who would be remembered in history books.

But recently, he couldn't hide his tired appearance.

It was an empire that had barely stabilized after a long civil war.

So the emperor had to stand firm, but…….

Meanwhile, the voices of the ministers in the conference room grew louder.

“What is lacking for this child to enter the Academy for the Gifted?”

“Can't you see? The grades are not good enough!”

“That's right. Besides, age is also a problem! At 17, they are already out of the age range!”

“Still, this family has made great contributions during the war……!”

The State Affairs Minister clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight of them daring to shout in front of the emperor.

‘Well, everyone must be desperate.’

The State Affairs Minister looked at the documents on the table.

[Academy for the Gifted Admission Application]

The piles of documents were all admission applications for the Imperial Palace Academy for the Gifted.

The Academy for the Gifted was a special institution in the Imperial Palace that gathered children with special talents between the ages of 7 and 15.

The Academy for the Gifted had to close 7 years ago when the war broke out.

But this year, it was finally recruiting students again to announce that the empire was completely stable.

In fact, the empire had already stabilized a few years ago. Nevertheless, there was a reason why the Academy for the Gifted had not opened.

‘It's because of Evevien.’

The emperor's daughter, who left the world as soon as she was born, leaving only her name.

Clois missed his daughter, whom he had never even seen, very much.

Was that why? He would stare blankly for a long time if there was a child in the Imperial Palace.

There were those who had vain dreams after seeing that.

The emperor had said that he would never have another empress because he deeply loved his dead wife.

Therefore, the position of successor was vacant.

In that case, the next emperor would be succeeded by adopting one of the noble children with Imperial Family blood.

In the past, there was a history of an emperor without children adopting a child from the Imperial Palace Academy for the Gifted.

‘If my child receives the emperor's attention…….’

If they were to receive that love in place of the dead emperor's daughter, they would be able to obtain a high position without any problems.

If they traced their genealogy back and proved that they were descended from the Imperial Family, it would be possible to become the successor.

Those with such intentions were all trying to get their children into the Imperial Palace Academy for the Gifted.

Perhaps he noticed that. Clois kept postponing the reopening of the Academy for the Gifted.

Then, this year, Clois finally allowed the reopening of the Academy for the Gifted.

People thought that the emperor's heart had finally softened and submitted applications to get their children, or the children of their faction, into the Academy for the Gifted.

Those were the documents piled up in front of him now.

‘Everyone is mistaken.’

The State Affairs Minister shook his head.

The shadows of his wife and daughter still lingered by his side.

Clois would not have any affection to give to another child.

At that time, one of the ministers clicked his tongue and threw the document crumpled on the floor.

Clois stared at the document that had fallen on the floor for a long time, then raised his hand.

“State Affairs Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Can you bring me that document that fell on the floor?”

“Yes?”

At the unexpected order, the State Affairs Minister looked at Clois with surprised eyes.

Then he quickly got up from his seat and brought the document he had ordered.

Clois grabbed the crumpled document and straightened it out.

The minister looked around with a flustered face as the emperor showed interest in the document he had thrown away.

“It's an admission application, why did you throw it away?”

“That is, it's a document submitted by someone who is very lacking in qualifications…….”

At the minister's words, Clois unfolded the crumpled document and looked at it.

His expression turned cold as he read the admission application.

“I don't see anything particularly lacking in my eyes?”

“But isn't this a child from the Poorhouse? How could they dare to enter the Imperial Palace Academy for the Gifted, where Your Majesty's adopted son will be decided…….”

“Adopted son? Who said I would choose my adopted son from the Academy for the Gifted?”

Silence instantly fell in the conference room at Clois's cold voice.

The ministers, who had been raising their voices to get the children they supported in until just now, closed their mouths and looked around.

“The Imperial Palace Academy for the Gifted is a place where anyone with talent, regardless of field, can enter. But are you making your own rules and disqualifying qualified people?”

“…….”

No one could open their mouths at the frosty rebuke.

Clois clicked his tongue and turned his eyes to the document.

Unlike the high-quality paper piled on the table, it was an admission application submitted on the back of a piece of paper that had been used once.

Just looking at that, he could tell that it was a document submitted by a child in very poor circumstances.

As the minister said, the child in the document was written to be from the Poorhouse in Elam City in the corner of the empire.

Clois tried to remember where that was. A small city on the eastern edge of the empire, bordering the sea.

It was a city that fortunately did not suffer much damage during the succession war 7 years ago because it was in a corner.

“They passed the graduation exam for the upper school in Elam City this year.”

Upper school is a school for children aged 15 to 18.

Still, if it's an upper school, a lot of students will attend, but to pass the exam there.

That alone qualified the child in the document to enter the Academy for the Gifted.

“Ha, but that alone is not enough…….”

The minister who crumpled the document opened his mouth with difficulty, sweating profusely.

This Academy for the Gifted wants children from prestigious families or even commoners from wealthy families to enter.

There was a high probability that one of the children entering this time would become an adopted son, and even if they didn't, there was a possibility that they would make an impression on the emperor in advance.

Not only that, but the children of the Academy for the Gifted will hold important positions in the future of the empire.

In fact, this Academy for the Gifted was like a small social circle.

The total number of students this year is 500.

Before the war, they accepted up to 2,000 people, but this year was the first year they reopened, so they reduced the number.

As a result, the competition rate was fiercer than ever.

‘A child from the Poorhouse in a situation where every seat is precious. It doesn't make sense.’

Shouldn't such a child graduate from an external upper school and live by handling documents for noble families?

So he thought it was presumptuous and threw away the admission application, but he never thought the emperor would see it.

While the minister's face darkened, Clois continued to read the document.

The document stated not only that they had graduated from upper school, but also that they had passed the exam with perfect scores in all subjects.

Then Clois's gaze stopped at one place.

[Hobbies, Special Skills: Cleaning]

“…….”

Clois tried to recall the hobbies and special skills written in the other admission applications he had seen.

They were children from noble families, or even if they weren't nobles, they were children from wealthy families.

The hobbies and special skills sections contained all kinds of arts or hobbies in unique fields.

Not only art, but also instruments with unfamiliar names, and even ancient languages that are now almost extinct.

Everyone wrote things to claim that they were talents suitable for the Academy for the Gifted…… but cleaning.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

Clois placed the document he was holding on the table and ordered.

“I approve this child's admission.”