Translator: Nox

Ch#149

Before entering the classroom, Professor Males had already heard the general situation.

'What a fuss from morning, and it turns out it's these unwelcome nuisances causing trouble. Tsk.'

The little girl claiming to be the emperor's daughter and the child who had been expelled from the Genius Academy.

Normally, he would have just said, 'Oh, I see?' and paid no more mind, but the reason Professor Males's face twisted upon hearing it was, naturally, because of Evi.

'My little one has been down lately because she couldn't see His Majesty because of that brat.'

Even during the God's Natural Numbers gathering over break, Evi had chattered excitedly about looking forward to the Genius Academy's Seasonal Festival.

Not just that, but how often did she usually talk about the emperor?

Yet after the second semester started, she hadn't mentioned him once.

With that child claiming to be his daughter appearing, it was natural, but seeing Evi so glum just made him click his tongue in pity.

And for the girl who had hit Evi and gotten expelled to come clinging like a maidservant...

The moment he heard that, Professor Males resolved himself.

Get lost. Stay away from my student!

Are you going to take responsibility if my little one can't focus because of you lot!

Of course, his position as chief professor meant his social graces weren't so low as to rudely snap at royalty.

But Professor Males was the type who could go utterly unreasonable for the sake of his class.

Especially for his four prized disciples whom he would put his name in his book for.

Shocked by the command to leave, perhaps—Eve stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape.

"What are you doing? Get out. I have to teach the Nears equation starting today; I'm busy."

Izriella was the first to snap out of it.

"Wh-what is this rude attitude! This is Her Highness Evebien! The Princess…"

"Not yet, she isn't. And since when could someone who didn't pass the entrance exam waltz in and out of the Genius Academy like this? Royalty or not, once you're in the Genius Academy, you're just a student. Now, everyone out. Go on, go. Knights, what are you waiting for? Escort her out."

Finally coming to her senses, Eve shouted.

"I am the Princess! And I'm going to attend class too!"

Professor Males shook his head at the child throwing an open tantrum.

"You're too young and can't keep up."

"She can! Why can't I?!"

"You're not a Genius Academy student."

"They said I can come to the Genius Academy whenever I want!"

At that, Seraphina smiled from the side and corrected Eve.

"You mustn't use the title Princess until you've been formally recognized, Lady Eve. And today is just a visit; you're not becoming a student here."

As Seraphina said, it was possible only as a sponsor in the capacity of royalty, but she could never become a student.

"Moreover, even His Majesty the Emperor entered the Genius Academy by taking the exam."

Fearing Eve might throw another childish fit, Seraphina nailed it down by mentioning Clois.

Sure enough, at the mention of the emperor, Eve shut her mouth.

But she didn't want to leave either. In the end, the person Eve latched onto was who she deemed the easiest target.

"Then how can she be here?! She grew up in the Poorhouse! They only teach begging there!"

Naturally, the one Eve pointed at was Evi.

Eve was quite confident.

'The Poorhouse is only for beggars without moms or dads.'

Her relative who had taken her in had often told her to be grateful just for not being sent there.

All while spewing discriminatory words about Poorhouse children.

Because of that, Eve had come to think Poorhouse kids were beneath her.

'No way a kid from a place like that is smart! She must've gotten in because Daddy begged for it. Izriella said so too. That Evi Alden, she's not really that smart.'

Of course, it was Izriella's nonsense born of resentment toward Evi, but Eve didn't think that far.

At Eve's words, Evi flinched and grabbed Professor Males's clothes.

She wanted to shout, 'Our Orphanage Director never taught us that!' but the fact that Eve was the emperor's daughter made Evi shrink back.

Most fathers she had seen doted deeply on their daughters.

'His Majesty must be the same.'

With his supposedly dead daughter returned, he would now cherish and love her more than anyone, once over the shock.

If she yelled at such a person's daughter, wouldn't His Majesty come to dislike her?

So Evi couldn't bring herself to speak.

Watching her, Professor Males took Evi's hand, went to the front of the blackboard, picked up chalk, and suddenly scribbled equations like mad.

Then he said to Eve,

"You, can you solve this?"

"……."

Eve couldn't answer. Naturally, because she couldn't solve it.

Eve, who had barely learned to read in a rural farmhouse—how could she solve advanced math?

"My little one solved this perfectly two months ago, proof and all."

"Liar."

"You there, the dropout. Think my disciple Evi Alden couldn't solve something like this?"

Suddenly the sparks flew her way, and Izriella's eyes darted around.

She barely managed to open her mouth.

"I'm not a dropout. His Majesty forgave all my family's faults…"

"Ah, yes. A kid who got expelled and came back. Anyway, you've seen it now. How smart my disciple, my little one, is!"

As the professor glared as if demanding she explain to this young ignorant royal, Izriella floundered.

Seeing that, Eve shouted,

"You said Evi Alden isn't smart! That His Majesty just overlooks it!"

Seraphina didn't miss those words.

"What do you mean by that, Miss Izriella? Were you spreading rumors of cheating on the Genius Academy entrance exam?"

"No, no! I never did."

With the sparks suddenly on her, Izriella jumped.

Her expulsion had only just been revoked. Thanks to that, she got permission to re-enroll next year, but one wrong move and it could all fall apart again.

"Anyway, you can't solve it. Alright, how about this? Much easier problem."

Once more, Professor Males quickly wrote equations on the blackboard.

Naturally, Eve couldn't solve that either.

Eve could barely do simple addition and subtraction now, and still didn't fully grasp multiplication and division.

How could she solve problems that stumped not just Genius Academy students but even adult academy ones?

Eve glanced around, meeting the eyes of the other children.

Not just the expressionless Arsel, but Ruska sighing at the chaos, and Irene who somehow looked pleased.

Seeing the kids she liked show no favor toward her, shame flooded in.

"I'm tired, so I want to go back to the Main Palace."

Her pride stung; she couldn't bear to admit she couldn't solve it. So Eve abruptly stood from Evi's seat and stormed out.

"Lady Eve!"

Izriella hurriedly chased after, and Knight Hilde followed with a short sigh, as if she couldn't bear it.

Seraphina glanced at the distant clock tower and thought,

'Took 1 hour and 45 minutes.'

Anyway, success in sending her off within two hours.

* * *

"Don't come in! You too, Izriella! I don't want to see your ugly face!"

"Lady Eve, hear me out. That Evi girl…"

Bam!

After shoving the desperately explaining Izriella out, Eve slammed the door shut.

Still not satisfied, she stomped around the room, then swept all the books and pens off the desk.

After raging for a while, not only did her anger not subside, but it only grew worse.

The images of the children and professor looking at her pitifully kept coming to mind.

'It's all because of Evi Alden.'

She had been annoyed since learning of her existence, but seeing her in person made her hate that girl even more. Her hair and eyes that resembled hers in color.

'I want to tell Daddy and send her far away.'

But somehow, she felt Daddy wouldn't listen.

No, rather, like the Genius Academy professor today, if she said that, he might look at her pitifully.

That thought brought stinging tears of frustration.

After sobbing on the bed for a while, Eve wiped her tears and got up messily.

She wanted to drive Evi Alden away, but Izriella was no help.

'Then…'

Eve pondered who could help her.

One person quickly came to mind.

'Noma.'

Maybe because of the cold gaze she sometimes gave her.

She called her Lady Princess and treated her politely, yet Eve feared Noma.

But one thing was certain.

'Nothing Noma has said has failed to come true.'

Noma had told her she was imperial. And that she would enter the Imperial Palace as the emperor's daughter and become a figure everyone reveres.

People she had first thought impossible were all turning out as Noma said.

'So if I ask Noma…'

Surely Noma could drive Evi Alden away too.

* * *

"Foolish thing."

Siren muttered as he read Eve's letter.

Eve hadn't sought him out once since being let into the Imperial Palace.

He had never been annoyed by that fact.

A foolish, greedy thing suddenly enjoying the world's greatest luxuries wouldn't have the mind to think of others.

The reason for Siren's irritation was elsewhere.

"Why hasn't that emperor, who longed so for a daughter, recognized her yet?"

Wanting possessions and love, she must have fawned over the emperor endlessly.

Yet the emperor, as if sensing something, kept making excuses and wouldn't acknowledge Eve as princess.

Because of that, Siren grew anxious.

Only if Clois cherished Eve would everything go according to plan.

"Evi Alden, huh."

He knew of her existence.

A child the emperor cherished.

But one he thought would be quickly forgotten once Eve entered.

Unless the emperor's interest in that child wasn't temporary.

"…Then I'll just use her."

Siren crumpled and tossed Eve's letter, then picked up his pen.

A slight shake, but everything was still going according to plan.

Adding one more insignificant orphan child to the plan wouldn't derail the one he had prepared for so long.