Ch#73
‘I’m full.’
Ibi patted her bulging belly today as well.
When Ruska said he could feed her today, she wondered what he meant.
They went to the cafeteria together, and he sat in the seat next to her that was always Airin's.
Then he kept nonstop feeding her fruits and snacks.
‘Today, I have to study hard alone until dinner.’
Otherwise, her belly would be too full to even sleep.
Most of Ibi's exams were clustered next week. Airin had been terribly envious of that fact.
Because it meant she had that much more time to study.
Should she go to the cafeteria now and grab a sandwich or some other snack if she was going to stay in her room?
As Ibi pondered while heading upstairs, a crowd of students had gathered in front of the bulletin board.
‘What's going on?’
The exam schedule had been posted long ago, so they wouldn't be checking it now.
Sure enough, as she approached, there was a new notice posted.
“Library Temporary Opening Notice?”
The content was simple.
It announced that the library, originally planned to open around summer vacation, would be temporarily opened starting today.
“Great. I was struggling anyway because I couldn't study well in my room.”
“Right. With the bed right next to me, I strangely just want to sleep whenever I get a little tired.”
“Even though we could use classrooms, there were too many noisy students……”
The kids standing there all welcomed the library's opening and hurried upstairs.
Not only could they study concentratedly in a quiet, clean place, but they were also curious about what Yeongjae Academy's library was like.
Ibi hurried to her room as well.
‘I have to tell Airin first!’
But when she entered the room, there was an [Away] sign on Airin's door.
It seemed she had gone somewhere else to study.
Ibi felt briefly dejected but soon clenched her fist tightly.
‘I can't rely on Airin too much.’
When attending advanced school, it was natural to go around alone.
There were no friends from the Orphanage going to school together, and at advanced school, no one approached her at all.
So she had thought being alone at school was natural, but since when had she become anxious without people around her?
‘Airin would feel burdened too.’
That was probably why she said she wanted to study alone.
With that thought, Ibi gave up looking for Airin and headed to the library alone.
* * *
At that moment, Airin was sitting in the cafeteria, not far from the dorm.
On her table, books for the upcoming exam subjects were stacked high.
People who spotted Airin approached, thinking it was a chance to talk.
But seeing her studying with a frightening glare at the books, they quietly backed away.
They could guess that striking up a conversation now would not lead to talk but a cold stare telling them not to be annoying.
Scratch scratch. The pen busily moved over the notebook.
Airin was desperately clinging to her studies, wondering if she had ever worked this hard in her life.
‘My grades have to come out well.’
Because it was the first year and first semester, many classes were assigned haphazardly without considering individual achievement levels.
‘That's why this exam is important.’
Required classes for the second semester would surely be assigned by grade ranking.
‘Ibi's grades are too high!’
She wasn't greatly behind herself. In fact, her grades were high enough for others to envy.
As someone from the Terrins family, she had naturally put in effort with numerous home tutors since childhood.
But Airin couldn't relax.
True to its name Yeongjae Academy, the students gathered from all over the country each had subjects they excelled in.
Even the students who always badmouthed and gossiped about others had at least one subject they boasted high grades in.
Because of that, she, who was evenly excellent across all subjects, ended up in an ambiguous position.
‘At this rate…… I'll end up in a different class from Ibi!’
Not making the top class was a blow to her pride, but being in a different class from Ibi was infuriating.
‘But Arcel Keilun will be fine.’
Grind.
Thinking of Arcel, Airin ground her teeth.
Strangely, lately Arcel had been sticking even closer to Ibi's side.
‘Honestly, at first I thought he'd just hang out moderately and leave.’
If the child the emperor had casually picked quit, it wouldn't be good.
People would surely mock the emperor's authority, and if there were commoners or Orphanage kids among next year's new students, they might quit quickly too amid the jeers.
So she thought once the atmosphere settled, they wouldn't run into each other anymore…….
‘But he's taking even more care of her as time goes by.’
On a day when it rained heavily and was chilly from morning, Arcel had brought warm tea in a cup from the cafeteria.
The cup of tea went very naturally past Ruska and Airin straight to Ibi.
Thanks to that, Ibi, who had been shivering despite being warmly dressed, finally warmed up holding the big cup with both hands.
Beyond that, Arcel answered every single one of Ibi's questions, even those that might be a bit bothersome.
He even asked if there was more she wanted to ask.
‘He's not that kind of person.’
When talk came up that he might become her marriage partner, not only her sister but her parents had investigated what kind of person he was.
The report said Arcel was extremely calculating, cold, and emotionless.
That's why the emperor was likely to choose him as adopted son.
He was definitely that kind of person, and when they passed by, he seemed as rumored, so why was he so good to Ibi?
It wasn't just Arcel being weird. Ruska treated her well too.
Watching the two, it was as if they had been waiting for Ibi all along.
‘It's not my place to say, though.’
Hadn't her sister said the same? What an absurd situation.
“No! No idle thoughts, focus!”
She couldn't end up alone in a different class next semester.
Moreover, being in the same class as just Ruska was even worse!
Ruska Ragselbv had a knack for turning people's insides out. And lately, he seemed to be eyeing Ibi's cheeks that Airin always fiddled with.
‘Ibi's cheeks are mine!’
Airin ground her teeth and focused on studying again.
Until someone came running much later, saying something big had happened.
* * *
“Wow……”
Ibi couldn't help but marvel at the library entrance made of pure white marble.
“This is the library.”
Until now, the only library she had seen was the one at advanced school.
That place was called a library in name only—it was practically a graveyard of old books no one else wanted anymore.
New books did come in occasionally to keep up appearances, but students borrowed them and they rarely returned.
So she had thought libraries were always dusty, neglected places…….
“This must be heaven.”
Ibi couldn't close her mouth, hugging her bag tightly.
First, Yeongjae Academy's library was a tall four-story building.
Passing through the marble archway inside, a high lobby opened up to the fourth floor.
The ceiling had a hemispherical glass dome, and sunlight pouring through it illuminated the white walls of the library.
Entering the corridor to the side led to rooms divided by subject, filled with bookshelves. Between the shelves were desks waiting for students to use.
That alone was a mesmerizing sight, but the bookshelves were even more so.
Along with paintings depicting mythological scenes everywhere were portraits of famous Yeongjae Academy graduates.
Bronze statues of them stood between the shelves too.
It felt less like a library and more like a museum preserving relics.
Was it really okay to study here? Shouldn't one pray to the gods in a place like this?
Unlike Ibi, who was frozen in awe, the Yeongjae Academy students looked impressed but not surprised.
Most had already seen libraries larger than this at academies.
The students who entered the library moved to find seats for studying.
But in the meantime, Ibi was too busy sightseeing the library.
By the time a bit had passed, Ibi realized there were no seats left for her.
Everyone had come to study and quickly claimed the desks.
Only then did Ibi hurriedly search other reading rooms.
It was a vast library built considering the number of Yeongjae Academy students.
The problem was that today was the temporary opening day.
Thus, only a very small part was open.
Latecomers realized there were no seats and turned away regretfully.
‘Should I go back?’
As Ibi turned to leave after circling several times with no empty seats, she spotted a slightly ajar door in the corner.
