Ch#67
"Hello!"
"...Huh?"
The post office clerk looked around, wondering who had spoken upon hearing the sudden voice.
"I'm, I'm over here!"
Then a small hand popped up from below.
"Sorry. I didn't see you there."
The clerk smiled and stood up from his seat. Ibi was standing under the reception table.
"Hello, what can I help you with?"
"I heard you can send a package home once a month. But it didn't say how much you can send, so I came to ask!"
"I see. Just a moment."
The clerk turned and brought out a large paper box from inside. She handed it to Ibi.
"Anything that fits inside this box can be sent. Anything bigger requires separate permission."
"Um... do I have to pay for the box?"
"No, this is free too."
At those words, Ibi's face lit up.
"Then can I take this with me?"
"Of course. Pack it well and bring it back. I'll process it for you then."
"Yes!"
Ibi hugged the box to her chest and went outside.
Though it was called a small box, it was big enough for Ibi that she wouldn't be able to see ahead if she held it in front of her.
In the end, she lifted the box over her head and headed to the professor's office. Naturally, it was Professor Sian's office.
Ibi climbed the quiet stairs to room 408 and knocked on the door.
After a moment of silence, Ibi opened the door and said,
"Excuse me!"
Even knowing no one was inside, Ibi always knocked and greeted like this. She did the same when leaving.
Ibi entered, set down the box she had received, and looked around the office.
"You're not here today either...."
Unlike her cheerful greeting at the post office moments ago, her voice was listless.
It had already been two weeks since she went to the seasonal festival with Professor Sian.
After that, Ibi visited this place every day. But as Dean Seraphina had said, he was away on a long trip, and there were no signs he had stopped by.
However, new items arrived every day, perhaps ordered by him in advance.
A plush red sofa, large bear and rabbit dolls, even more books.
So Ibi knocked with anticipation every time before entering.
Though they weren't hers, seeing the items increase one by one made her inexplicably happy.
'Airin couldn't come with me.'
She had considered coming together at first, but remembered she hadn't gotten Professor Sian's permission yet.
Airin had backed off more easily than expected.
"My sister said I'm trying to know too much. I heard that's not good... Anyway, it's not urgent, so I'll meet your guardian slowly."
Besides, being older than Ibi, Airin had signed up for more classes.
Because of that, she had to prepare even harder for midterms than Ibi.
Naturally, Ibi had more time alone.
Thus, this place had become like a secret space Ibi visited by herself.
Ibi sat in front of the bookshelf. It wasn't fully filled with books yet, so the lower shelves were empty.
She placed the box in front of it and took everything out of her bag, putting it all inside the box.
Ibi shook the lidded box.
She thought she had put in quite a lot, but there was still plenty of empty space inside, as a rattling sound came.
Once she filled it so full that no rattling sound came, she would send the entire box.
Ibi smiled, imagining what she would fill it with.
She pushed the rattling box deep into the lower shelf of the bookshelf, then pulled out books from above to cover the front so the box wouldn't be visible.
Thinking she had perfectly hidden the box, Ibi approached the small table next.
There were memo paper and a pen on it.
"To Professor Sian Rosen...."
Ibi moved her small hand and wrote him a letter.
On the way back, she would give it to Dean Seraphina, who would deliver it to Professor Sian.
* * *
The sound of rustling pages turning and the scratching of a pen filled the office.
Clois sat at the desk, busily moving his hand.
Then came a knock, and the chief attendant entered with tea.
"Your Majesty, please rest a bit."
"Where is there time for that."
Knowing it was sincere advice, curt words still slipped from his mouth.
He closed the document he was reading, then rubbed his face with one hand.
"Sorry. I must be irritated."
"A chief attendant receiving an apology from His Majesty the Emperor. What an honor."
The chief attendant smiled understandingly and quietly set down the tea.
The fragrant aroma of tea spread through the room. He lifted the cup and took a quiet sip.
The perfectly warm tea slid down his throat, its flavor and aroma slowly spreading through his body.
Clois slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Perhaps from sitting and working all day, his stiff neck and shoulders creaked like a broken machine.
This pile of work wasn't originally planned.
But two weeks ago, upon returning to his chambers, urgent news arrived.
The border area with the Lumbard Kingdom in the south of the empire.
There was a report of spotting Siren, who had been the confidant of the former First Prince.
Siren was the advisor who had manipulated the First Prince.
Though the son of a baron's family, with his sharp mind and eloquent speech, he quickly gained the First Prince's trust and became his right-hand man.
He constantly egged on the First Prince.
You, as the eldest, are the rightful heir to this empire. Never let the throne be taken by Clois.
But in the end, Clois became Crown Prince.
However, when Clois lost interest in the throne and decided to go down to Lilian's territory to live, the Crown Prince position passed to the First Prince.
Things had gone as Siren wanted, so Clois thought he would have no further dealings with him.
That was a great misconception.
The First Prince became Crown Prince and soon Emperor.
But he believed his younger brothers were still eyeing his position. Following Siren's advice, he ambushed and killed the Second Prince.
The remaining princes immediately fled, gathering forces that supported them to confront their brother the Emperor.
Otherwise, they would be killed.
A war of mutual slaughter continued, and the final victor was Clois.
Clois tried to capture those who had brought about this tragedy, but while everyone else was caught, only Siren successfully escaped.
For the next seven years, Clois continuously ordered the pursuit of Siren.
'That bastard must be killed.'
The empire had become peaceful, and even if Siren lived, no fool would join him in rebellion now.
But Clois had a gut feeling.
That Siren would one day surely pose a major threat to the empire again.
Thus, matters concerning him were always personally verified and handled by Clois, no matter what.
So this time too, he went directly to the border area.
Normally, he would have thought of Siren the entire way there. But this time was different.
'Would the sofa have been better in blue, since kids these days like it?'
'Seraphina must have delivered the hairpins and toys well.'
He had left the capital in such haste that he couldn't even see her face again.
Until arriving at the border, he kept thinking of Ibi.
To no avail, the trip to the border failed to capture Siren.
Instead, they found solid testimony that he was alive and traces where he had stayed.
They discovered several subsidiary documents written in handwriting identical to Siren's past script.
Nothing significant. But one caught Clois's eye.
[Imperial Crest]
Though known to only a very few, Siren had been the First Prince's confidant. Naturally, he would know of its existence.
But why now deliberately write it repeatedly on paper was unknown.
Clois set down his teacup and picked up the pen again.
Because he had gone to track Siren, much work had piled up.
He needed to finish this quickly to go see Ibi....
As he thought that.
"Your Majesty!"
Seraphina's voice came from outside. Clois gripped the pen tightly.
"Your Majesty! It's me!"
Today, there was no time to listen to Seraphina's whining. So tell her to leave immediately....
"I brought a letter from Ibi Alden!"
"Come in."
Clois erased his previous thoughts and greeted her with a bright smile.
