6 - Can I Cry Now?
Episode 6
"Then, I'll be on my way. If anything happens, please ask the dormitory staff on the first floor."
"Yes!"
Melody nodded, seemingly satisfied with the energetic reply.
"Then, unpack your things and get some rest."
"Yes! Thank you so much for today."
As Ibi bowed deeply, Melody chuckled as if finding her cute, then waved her hand and closed the door.
Ibi surveyed the now-quiet Room 305 once more, examining every corner.
Perhaps it was because the children of noble families mainly used it.
Even though it was the same room number, the two rooms were completely separate spaces.
Only the entrance was shared.
Each room had its own toilet and bathroom, so if they staggered their times, it seemed possible to live without encountering the person staying across the hall.
Returning to her room, Ibi opened the bag Melody had left behind and took out the items inside.
A school uniform, notebooks, pens, ink...
As if by magic, items necessary for daily life continuously emerged from the bag.
Ibi carefully took them out one by one, as if handling treasures, and placed them on the desk.
New books, new notebooks, new pens...
She couldn't suppress her joy as things she had never enjoyed before in her life suddenly piled up in front of her.
Ibi picked up a pen first and wrote her name on the inside cover of the book Melody had given her.
Then, she began to organize the items one by one.
Putting them here, then putting them there. In the meantime, the items gradually found their place.
"This is the last one."
When she opened the last bag, the Academy for the Gifted's uniform appeared.
Not only the uniform but also socks, shoes, and a ribbon.
Today was the first day, so everyone was wearing clothes they had brought from home, but from now on, everyone had to wear the Academy for the Gifted's uniform.
It was probably to clearly distinguish them as children of the Academy for the Gifted.
Ibi, who was about to put it on right away, carefully put the clothes down and continued to stroke them with her hands.
Clothes made of clean and soft fabric.
Inside the clothes, there was the name Ibi, which had been embroidered on the spot.
After touching her clothes for a long time, Ibi came to her senses and finished unpacking.
There was still time until dinner.
Ibi sat at her desk and opened the book Melody had given her.
She thought she should read more about the Academy for the Gifted's rules while she had time.
Then, Ibi's gaze stopped at one place.
"Huh? Guardian?"
\ \ *
Clois gazed out the window.
The sky, which had been clear all day, was now bathed in an orange sunset.
It was a beautiful sky that one could simply stare at, but his face was full of annoyance.
The Inner Palace where he resided was far away from the Academy for the Gifted, so he couldn't hear the children's voices.
Nevertheless, he knew that today was the day the children of the Academy for the Gifted were arriving.
It was because of the gazes that subtly placed expectations on him since morning.
'I should decide soon.'
He had loudly proclaimed that he wouldn't choose an adopted child from this year's Academy for the Gifted children, but Clois knew he couldn't postpone it any longer.
As the Emperor, he couldn't ignore the issue of succession.
If he continued to not decide on an heir, chaos would eventually return to the Empire.
He had experienced the terrible war of succession.
The chaos caused by such a meaningless war should never happen again.
Clois recalled the names of the children that were being talked about among the people.
Among them, the names that came to mind first were Arcel and Ruska.
The children of the House of Keilon and the Duchy of Ragselb, who had helped him.
Since he had known the two children since they were young, Clois knew their qualities well.
People valued Arcel more highly, but Clois thought Ruska was also a good child.
If Arcel became Emperor, he would be an Emperor whom everyone would obey and look up to.
But if Ruska became Emperor, he would be an Emperor who would be more intimate with the ministers and care more about the people's hearts than someone with a strict atmosphere.
Both children had sufficient qualities.
Moreover, both children's families were meritorious families that had helped him, and the blood of the Imperial family had been mixed into their families several times, so there would be no major problem with their qualifications.
All that remained was his decision.
And yet...
"Haa..."
A long sigh that he couldn't swallow escaped.
Lately, Clois had been having futile fantasies.
Fantasies of what it would have been like if his wife and daughter had been alive.
'Lilian.'
His wife, who was like a forest fairy he had met while inspecting a local territory away from the desolate Imperial Palace.
She was the daughter of a baron who ruled a small territory, but that was not a problem for Clois.
Clois left the Imperial Palace, where there was no affection between parents and siblings, and went down to the territory where Lilian was.
He had no interest in the throne anyway.
He simply wanted to live a pleasant and happy life with the person he loved for the rest of his life.
But the world ruthlessly trampled on his wish.
When he returned from the battlefield to protect his wife and the child in her womb, he was greeted by the fragmented corpses of the two.
His daughter, whom he had never seen because he was not there when she was born, was rotting alongside her mother.
A vassal who had barely survived said while crying.
The child Lilian had given birth to was a daughter and had been given the name Evevien.
Clois hugged the tragic corpses of his loved ones and wept for a whole day.
And when he buried them, he buried his heart with them.
So he thought that the sadness would fade with time, but he was greatly mistaken.
One day, he began to see hallucinations.
When he turned his head at the sound of laughter that seemed to brush past like the wind, Lilian was there.
And beside Lilian was a little girl holding onto her hem.
"Evevien."
Clois called his daughter's name with anguish.
Lilian's face was clearly visible, but his daughter's face was as blurry as if it were covered in fog.
It was natural since he had never seen her, but Clois was heartbroken by that fact.
I'm her father, but I don't even know your face.
He thought the hallucinations would disappear over time.
But contrary to his expectations, the hallucinations appeared more frequently.
As the years passed, Evevien in the hallucinations also grew little by little.
As if she were really alive.
Clois told the tight-lipped Imperial Physician about the hallucinations he was seeing.
Then, the Imperial Physician told him with a serious face that he had severe depression.
The Imperial Physician said that if he took medicine, his symptoms would improve slightly, and he would no longer see hallucinations.
But Clois refused his advice.
His life was already devoid of any particular joy.
The hallucinations were the only pleasure he had left.
'If Evevien were alive, would she have entered the Academy for the Gifted?'
If she were alive, she would be seven years old this year.
Of course, she might not be that smart.
But in his hallucinations, where he still couldn't see her face, Evevien was quite an intelligent child.
At that moment, he heard a knock on the door, followed by the State Affairs Minister's voice asking if he could come in.
"Enter."
Soon, the State Affairs Minister entered.
As always, he placed the documents that required his signature on Clois's desk.
The State Affairs Minister usually retreated immediately after that, but not today.
"Is there something you want to say?"
Clois noticed the State Affairs Minister's hesitant attitude and asked.
Then, the State Affairs Minister bowed his head as if he were sorry.
"I would like to confirm with Your Majesty regarding the guardian issue."
"Guardian?"
"Yes. Regarding Ibi Elden's guardian..."
"Ibi Elden?"
It was the first time he had heard that name.
Clois murmured the name in his mouth. Ibi Elden. Ibi, Ibi...
Why was it? It was the first time he had heard the name, but his tongue moved more smoothly than he had expected.
As if he had been calling that name until just now.
Then, Clois remembered that the State Affairs Minister had mentioned the word guardian along with the name, and he could guess whose name it was.
"Is that the name of the child I picked during the meeting?"
"Yes, it is."
"But a guardian?"
"All children entering the Academy for the Gifted must have a guardian."
"Didn't I tell you to handle such matters on your own?"
Clois felt a strange feeling at the name that kept lingering in his mouth and answered curtly.
"Of course, I remember. So I was wondering what to do about the guardian..."
"Why? Is there no suitable person?"
"No, it's a problem because everyone is clamoring to do it."
The State Affairs Minister recalled what had happened before he came.
All children entering the Academy for the Gifted must have a guardian.
Ibi Elden was no exception.
So he tried to find a suitable person, but unlike what he had expected, there were many people who said they would do it.
The problem was that anyone could see that their intentions were not very good.
