16
Once all the students were gathered, the staff began leading the academy's gifted children on the move again.
Evie, as usual, was slipping into the crowd, walking with them in silence.
Remora, the girl she had been clinging to earlier, pretending to be friendly, was no longer there, having suddenly disappeared.
Instead, she was huddled with other students who seemed close to her, whispering excitedly while giving Evie the occasional sneaky glance.
“What are they talking about?”
Evie wondered privately. The words weren't clear, but she was sure they were talking. So, she deliberately hid her body among the crowd, out of sight.
When Remora and her companions noticed Eevee's disappearance, they seemed distressed.
“Ah! She disappeared again. She is so small, if she was out of sight even for a moment, it would be difficult to find her!”
One of them said annoyed.
Then another added in a curious tone: “But, isn’t she the girl you said might be related to His Majesty the Emperor, Remora?”
Remura stammered, and said quickly: “Okay, that’s… Oh, let’s hurry or we’ll be late!”
Then she moved forward with confident steps, past her friends, thinking anxiously: “What should I do now? I thought it was a golden opportunity...”
She bit her lips nervously. Before entering the academy, she heard that the Emperor himself chose a certain child.
This news upset the narrow-minded aristocrats, as the Emperor had never nominated anyone in this way.
Even the famous Arcel and Rusca only met the Emperor when they visited the palace with their parents.
“He couldn't have chosen a child without a connection!” Remora thought.
She may have been the illegitimate daughter of someone close to the emperor.
“Irene Terrence is a tough guy, but this little girl won't be any obstacle.”
In fact, Remora aspired to get close to Irene, but that girl was out of her reach.
The aristocratic students looked at those who tried to approach them with warning glances, as if to say: “Don’t you dare!”
Even Remora, with all her confidence, could not break through this barrier. What made matters more complicated was that Irene seemed uninterested in the aristocrats' attempts to win her favor.
So, Remora decided to start with Evie Alden, who seemed like an easier target. She approached her feigning friendliness, hoping that if she brought up the subject, Evie would reveal secrets about the Emperor.
But Evie said nothing of value.
“Nothing at all!” Remora thought in frustration.
If this continues, she will be ridiculed by her friends for pretending to know she doesn't have.
"What do I do? Do I say she lied?" She asked, lost in confusion.
Meanwhile, everyone arrived at a gate leading into the palace.
Silence fell among the students, who had been chattering moments before, as they saw the guards standing sternly at the gate.
From behind the gate, a huge white building appeared, and someone whispered in astonishment: “This palace is really…”
Evie nodded in agreement. The academy was located within the palace walls, but it was not considered part of the palace itself, but rather a subordinate institution.
The staff counted the number of students, then handed the list of names to the guards.
Every student had to be allowed in after their name was verified. When the students passed through the gate, they shouted out their admiration:
“I'm actually inside the palace!”
“It's stunning up close!”
“We would never normally go into this place!”
The students were flying with joy as they entered the most honorable place in the empire.
But not everyone shared this enthusiasm. Some students laughed at their classmates' amazement, and one said: “Really, this is public interest!”
Another added: “I came with my parents for a New Year’s party.”
“Me too. I entered once with special permission when my father attended the monthly council meeting.”
Members of aristocratic families bragged, shrugging their shoulders as if the palace was a familiar place to them.
In the face of this boast, the students who were expressing their admiration quickly adjusted their expressions, fearing that they would be ridiculed.
The aristocrats continued to brag about the number and details of their visits to the palace.
Evie stood in the crowd, looking at the palace.
It was said to be the most beautiful and grandest building in the empire.
At the academy, she had seen parts of it from afar, but this was the first time she had seen the entire building.
“It's really cool!” I thought.
The building seemed large enough to hold all the residents of the city of Elram where I grew up. But amidst this perfection, I noticed a dark spot on the side of the building.
She wasn't the only one who saw it, as the other students looked surprised as well.
As eyes gathered on the spot, one of the academy staff smiled and said, "The building you see is the main palace. However, there are five other buildings connected to it at the back."
Then he started walking, and the students, especially those who had never visited the palace before, followed him, eager to hear more. Evie was among them.
The employee added: “As for that spot that aroused your curiosity, it is the aftermath of a fire that broke out during the War of Succession. You all know that the palace was severely damaged at that time, right?”
The students nodded, and Evie knew the story well. The fire was said to have engulfed large parts of the palace, but the main palace was only partially damaged, while other places were completely destroyed.
Even the academy was damaged and closed for a period, and underwent many renovations. Freshly painted parts revealed areas that had been repaired after the fire.
Suddenly, a student close to Ibi raised his voice in wonder: “But why does this relic still exist in such a sacred place? The streets of the capital have been completely repaired!”
The employee answered confidently: “By order of His Majesty the Emperor, the restoration of the city was a priority over the palace. Many of you probably saw the repair of bridges and ports first. Even the budget was allocated to external facilities before the palace.”
Yvette remembered this conversation. At the orphanage, the headmistress would sometimes return with a bright smile.
When Evie asked her why, she stroked her hair and said, "His Majesty ordered the princes to allocate a budget for orphanages first. Thanks to him, we were able to buy food without a problem this time as well."
After the war, the empire was in dire straits.
Many things were destroyed, and people lost a lot. In that chaos, no one cared about anyone else, so who would care about the children of an orphanage who had no connection to him?
If it weren't for the Emperor's orders, food supplies for the orphanage would have been the last thing on people's minds.
“Thanks to him, we were able to survive the winter.”
Evie remembered how the prince had come in a harsh winter, carrying extra supplies of food.
Thanks to him, they did not go hungry, and last year they even received new blankets.
One day, while the manager was cooking potatoes, she said in passing: "Indeed, we can only thank His Majesty always. He ended the war quickly, so the number of casualties was reduced, and then he took care of even the weakest of us."
She added that things were much more difficult during the reign of a previous emperor.
But Evie, as she chewed hot potatoes, thought that day: “Even Prince Elram did not repair the bridges and take care of the people until after his palace was restored. The Emperor, most likely, took care of us after his needs were met.”
But now, seeing the palace with her own eyes, she realized that she was wrong.
The academy has been completely repaired, but the main palace, where the Emperor resides, is still being restored.
"Okay, let's get moving again. I'll explain more as we walk. Today, we'll visit the Jewel Hall, and even the Historical Museum that hasn't been officially opened yet!"
The employee clapped his hands and began to lead the students. The students did not want to see the war scars on the walls, but were eager to see the splendor of the palace. They followed him enthusiastically.
“Will we be able to enter those places?”
“They say it's closed on festival days, so this is our first time visiting!”
“Even palace staff don't enter it easily!”
Excitement increased with the idea of entering rarely visited places. At that moment, Evie stood looking at the war relics on the palace walls, then leaned slightly towards the main palace and said in a low voice: “Thank you. Thanks to you, we have endured the winter.”
She did not expect the Emperor to see her, but she wanted, even in this simple way, to express her gratitude. When she raised her head, she noticed something.
“Wait…?” In one of the high windows of the main palace, there was a curtain gently moving.
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