16 - Can I Cry Now?
Chapter 16
Once all the students had gathered, the staff began moving the children of the Academy for the Gifted again.
Ibi, too, moved along with them, buried among the people.
Limora, who had been acting friendly and sticking close to her just moments ago, still hadn't returned.
Instead, she was busily whispering with students who seemed close to her, constantly glancing at Ibi.
'What are they talking about?'
Even if she couldn't hear them, it was clear they were talking about her.
So Ibi deliberately hid herself among the people.
When Ibi disappeared from sight, the children who were with Limora became annoyed.
"Ugh! She's gone again. She's so small that once you lose her, it's hard to find her."
"By the way, isn't she the one you said was related to His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Well, that's... Oh, let's hurry. We'll lose her."
Limora stammered, pushing past her friends and striding forward.
'What should I do? I thought it was a good opportunity...'
She bit her lip.
Before entering the Academy for the Gifted, she had heard that there was a child personally chosen by the Emperor.
And that narrow-minded nobles were very displeased with that fact.
Until now, the Emperor had never specifically named anyone.
Even the famous Arcel and Ruska were said to have not met the Emperor except when they entered the Imperial Palace with their parents.
'But there's no way he'd pick a child who has no connection at all.'
At the very least, she must be a child of someone close to the Emperor.
'Irene Terrence is difficult, but this little kid is no problem.'
In fact, the person she wanted to befriend the most was Irene, but she was too difficult to approach.
Especially since the noble students glared as if daring anyone to come near her.
No matter how confident Limora was, she didn't have the confidence to push through them and approach Irene.
Besides, Irene didn't seem to care at all, even though those students from great families were trying to befriend her.
So Limora decided to target Ibi Elden, whom she could easily draw in.
So she deliberately approached her, acting friendly.
She thought that if she brought up the story of His Majesty the Emperor while talking, she would happily spill everything she knew...
'But it's nothing.'
At this rate, she would be scolded by her friends for pretending to know something.
'What should I do? Should I say she was lying...?'
While Limora was worrying, everyone arrived at the gate leading into the Imperial Palace.
The students, who had been chattering noisily, fell silent at the sight of the guards standing watch.
Someone muttered at the sight of the huge white building visible beyond the gate.
"It's the real Imperial Palace..."
At someone's mutter, Ibi nodded.
The Academy for the Gifted was within the walls of the Imperial Palace, but it was technically an affiliated institution.
Therefore, it was not included in the area that people called the Imperial Palace.
The staff counted the number of students and handed a list of names to the guard.
The guard checked each name before stepping aside to allow them to enter.
Exclamations of admiration flowed from the students' mouths as they passed through the gate and entered.
"I really came to the Imperial Palace..."
"It's even more amazing up close."
"We're not normally allowed to enter this place."
The students were beside themselves with the fact that they had entered the most glorious place in the Empire.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
Some students sneered at the other students who were moved.
"Of course, it must be amazing for commoners."
"I know. I've been here with my parents for the New Year's banquet."
"Me too. My father attended the monthly meeting, so I got permission to visit."
The students from the great noble families shrugged their shoulders, acting as if they were already familiar with this place.
The students who had been admiring them quickly composed themselves.
They felt like they would be ridiculed if they looked around in amazement here.
Even so, the children of noble families boasted to each other about how many times they had been here and when they had come.
Ibi stood among the people and looked at the Imperial Palace.
It was said to be the most beautiful and magnificent of the Empire's buildings.
She could see the top of the building from the Academy for the Gifted, but this was the first time she had seen the entire structure properly.
'It's really amazing.'
A building of this size could probably fit all the people of Elam City, where she used to live.
Then she saw a dark stain on one side of the building, which could be said to be perfect.
Other students besides Ibi also looked puzzled, as if they had seen it too.
When everyone's attention turned to it, a staff member from the Academy for the Gifted smiled and began to explain.
"The building in front of you is the Imperial Palace's Imperial Palace. Even though it's called the Imperial Palace, there are five more buildings connected to it in the back."
As the staff member began to walk, the students followed behind.
The students who had never been to the Imperial Palace followed her closely to hear the explanation in as much detail as possible.
Ibi was the same.
"And the stain that everyone is curious about is a mark left by a fire during the Succession War. Everyone knows that the Imperial Palace suffered great damage at that time, right?"
The students nodded in response.
Ibi also knew the story of that time.
It was said that various parts of the vast Imperial Palace had burned down. Fortunately, the Imperial Palace was only partially burned and avoided major damage, but many other places were completely burned down.
The Academy for the Gifted was also damaged at that time and closed, and many places were repaired.
So when she saw a place that was particularly cleanly painted, she thought that it had been burned and repainted at that time.
At that time, a male student standing near Ibi asked as if he didn't understand.
"But why is there still such a trace left in this noble place? The streets of the capital have all been restored..."
The staff member answered quickly, as if she knew that question would come up.
"By His Majesty the Emperor's will, the restoration of the city was prioritized over the Imperial Palace. Many of you probably saw the broken bridges and ports being restored first. The budget was also allocated to external facilities before the Imperial Palace."
Ibi thought about the story that was being exchanged.
'I've heard this story before.'
When she was in the Poorhouse, there were times when the Headmaster would return with a bright smile on her face.
When asked if something good had happened, she would stroke Ibi's hair and say,
"His Majesty has ordered the lords to take care of the budget for the Poorhouse first. Thanks to that, we can buy food again this time without any major problems."
After the war, the Empire was, of course, a mess.
Many things were broken and many things disappeared.
So people were so busy taking care of themselves that they didn't have the mind to care about others.
In such a situation, who would take care of the children in the Poorhouse, who had no connection to them?
If it weren't for the Emperor's order, the Poorhouse's food would have been the last thing people would have thought of.
'Thanks to that, we were able to survive the winter.'
Whether it was true that the Emperor had told them to take care of it, the lord came and gave them more food separately when the cold became severe.
Thanks to that, they were able to spend every winter without starving.
They even received new blankets last year.
While boiling potatoes in the kitchen, the Headmaster said in passing.
"Really, I am always grateful to His Majesty now. Thanks to him for quickly resolving the war, the number of people dying has decreased, and he even takes care of the very bottom..."
At the same time, she said that a long time ago, under a different emperor, they could hardly receive any money.
But while munching on freshly boiled potatoes next to her, Ibi thought.
The lord of Elam City also repaired the bridge and took care of the people only after he had restored his castle.
'So His Majesty the Emperor must have taken care of us after he took care of his own things.'
But seeing the current Imperial Palace, she realized that it was different from what she had thought.
The Academy for the Gifted was completely repaired, but the repair of the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor resided, was still in progress.
"Okay, let's move again. I'll give you a detailed explanation as we go. Today, you'll be able to see not only the Jewel Hall but also the History Museum, which hasn't officially opened yet."
The staff member clapped her hands briefly and began to move the students.
In any case, everyone wanted to see the splendid Imperial Palace, not the building with the scars of war.
So the students quickly followed the staff member.
"Are we going to be able to go in there?"
"That place is closed on days when there's a banquet, so this is my first time going!"
"I heard that even people who work in the Imperial Palace can't go there as they please."
Everyone was excited about the fact that they were entering a place that was difficult to get permission to enter, and they followed the staff member.
Meanwhile, Ibi looked at the traces of the war that still remained on the walls of the Imperial Palace and bowed towards the Imperial Palace.
"Thank you. I was able to get through the winter thanks to you."
Of course, she didn't think that the Emperor would see her.
But she wanted to express her gratitude from that time, even in this way.
When Ibi raised her head again.
"Huh...?"
She could see the curtains of a certain window high up in the Imperial Palace fluttering.
