Ch#76
"At first, I tried to deny it. I couldn't even believe it myself. You know well how much I despised and guarded against those who dangled their children in front of me with ulterior motives."
"Of course."
There were even those who rented children for money and taught them to say their name was Evbien.
In hopes that the emperor, who had lost his daughter, would blindly cherish their child as his own.
To Clois, they were nothing more than people buying and selling humans.
"I knew well what they wanted. So I mocked them. What more would I do just because I favored one child a bit? I thought I'd just occasionally call the promising ones for tea together... and that would be it. But it wasn't."
"......"
"Having raised children yourself, you understand. When a five- or six-year-old looks at you and says they want something, what do you do?"
"Shamefully, I gave them everything they wanted."
"I ended up the same. No, even if the child said they didn't need it, I insisted on buying and giving it anyway."
Clois recalled the festival.
Ibi hadn't once said she wanted something or felt like eating anything.
Yet he had desperately tried to figure out what caught her eye, what sparked her curiosity, and give it to her.
It felt like he had to. As if the child deserved to be cherished and loved like this......
"Seeing her smile happily at the things I bought made me feel like I could give her the whole world. So she could keep smiling."
"......"
"Listening intently to what she wants, buying her anything she desires. At this rate, I might do something for you all to fear. Suddenly adopting her as my daughter and handing over power and everything......"
Clois swept his face with one hand.
Ibi didn't want any of that. But he did.
As if hoping the child would enjoy everything his daughter should have had in her place.
"It wouldn't be good for the child either."
At first, irritation had surged upon seeing the nobles' arbitrarily discarded documents, and he had simply said to admit her since she qualified.
With that one choice of his, the child's life had changed entirely.
The child had left everyone she lived with behind and come here alone.
Even for an adult, moving like that wasn't easy.
Yet a young child had left the place she lived without a guardian.
Moreover, among peers who looked down on her for her status, she had to endure alone, trusting only a few friends.
And there were still years left until graduation.
"Has the child been happy here?"
"Your Majesty, admission to Yeongjae Academy is a great honor everyone desires."
"I know. But that's only for ordinary children—or rather, noble children. For a child from the Orphanage with no backing, was coming here suddenly truly a good thing? Coming alone to a place that resents her?"
"......"
As the Prime Minister could say no more, Clois dry-washed his face with both hands.
"Since you've worried enough to speak so boldly to me, rumors that the emperor is paying attention to Ibi Alden will spread soon enough."
The Prime Minister, who had been concerned about that very point, answered with silence.
"I'll wrap it up."
He had to.
"Ibi has already gained everything she could. Good teachers, good friends. She's managed safely so far, so she'll do well on her own from now on. If the emperor's attention is added here, it will become poison from then on."
Clois recalled Ibi learning foreign languages from him.
Her learning speed was frighteningly fast.
Wherever she went, she would be called a genius.
But if the emperor intervened......
Her talents would be doubted her whole life.
Even if Ibi earned something through effort, she could never escape the talk that she received it because the emperor favored her.
"Another professor wants the position of her guardian. Handing it over to him should solve it."
Clois made up his mind.
'I'll remain her guardian only until the exams are over.'
After the exams, Professor Sian Rosen would leave on another long trip.
And he wouldn't return.
The items in the professor's office would be sent somewhere, and the professor named Sian at Yeongjae Academy would never appear again.
Ibi would worry and miss him for a while.
But that time wouldn't be long.
To Ibi, Professor Sian was someone she hadn't known long.
The child would meet many more people and have many more experiences, soon forgetting the Yeongjae Academy professor she had only seen a few times.
"It'll be sorted out soon, so don't worry more."
"......"
At his words, the Prime Minister bowed with a deeply complicated expression and withdrew.
Left alone, Clois sat back at his desk.
'I need to tell Seraphina to prepare to erase Professor Sian Rosen.'
Having decided, it was best to finish it as quickly as possible.
Even as he resolved to do so......
Clois looked at the foreign language book on his desk.
He recalled Ibi's voice, worried about the exam since it was her first time learning it. So.
'Just today.'
Wouldn't it be okay to see Ibi just for today?
Before he knew it, Clois had stood, book in hand.
The outside was still bright. Moreover, with exams ongoing, all students were inside Yeongjae Academy.
In other words, there was a high chance of running into students like Arcel or Ruska who had met him before.
Even thinking he shouldn't go, his feet didn't stop.
'At least it's in a secluded corner.'
There were other professors' offices, but they were also frequently away on external trips and had few classes assigned.
So the chance of running into them was low.
Plus, even during exams, with many students glued to one spot studying, there might be fewer encounters than during regular classes.
After entering the Yeongjae Academy grounds, Clois realized his thinking was mostly correct.
Yeongjae Academy was quieter than usual, if not as much as on outing days.
This way, he could go to the professor's office without issue and see only Ibi before leaving.
But the moment he approached the building with his office, he sensed something was wrong.
While other buildings were quiet with studying children, the front of this corner building, which should have been even quieter, was packed with students.
Moreover, they were all excitedly chattering.
'What happened?'
It clearly looked like something was going on inside the building.
'Should I turn back?'
With this many students, it might be better to leave now and come back in the evening.
The moment he turned to go, a student emerged from inside and shouted.
"Someone get the staff! A professor works too!"
The child who shouted spotted Clois and came running over with a relieved face.
"You're a professor, right? Inside the building, there's a fight! They're slapping and kicking...! We have to stop it!"
A fight.
'That's why so many students gathered.'
Yeongjae Academy had strict rules.
Using physical force here would surely lead to severe punishment without special circumstances.
Possibly even expulsion, depending on the situation.
Perhaps someone besides the student grabbing him had gone to report the issue.
Several staff members were quickly approaching from the main building.
"Here come people."
"Ah!"
As Clois pointed to the staff, the flustered students ran toward them.
"What's the situation? Is there anyone who can explain who fought whom?"
Then the student who had grabbed Clois shouted loudly.
"Izriella said she caught a thief. There was a student who lost a bracelet last time, and she said she knew who took it and gathered everyone to find it. So we followed, but she went into a professor's office in this building and yelled at Ibi Alden there, calling her a thief and demanding the bracelet!"
"......!"
At the student's words, Clois's steps halted as he turned to leave.
The student's words continued.
"And at that time, Ibi was holding a box in her arms. When told to hand it over, she said she absolutely couldn't, so Izriella slapped her cheek. Airin came and tried to stop it then, but......"
The next moment, Clois ran straight toward the building.
