19
The murmurs of the students calmed down after a while, as the time allowed at the main palace entrance had expired, and it was necessary to move again due to the large number of events remaining on the schedule.
There was little difference except that the students who had been on Evie's side were now openly avoiding her.
The matter did not need clarification for the noble students, and even the common students began to look at her with sneaking glances full of suspicion.
In the eyes of the students who did not know the truth, Evie was nothing more than a child seeking attention with lies.
Evie realized that the looks directed at her were becoming more intense, but she did not shrink or be afraid.
"It doesn't matter! I'm here because I was chosen!"
Instead of shrinking, Evie lifted her chest proudly, her eyes shining brighter than they had in the morning.
Compared to what she had gone through in graduate school, this was nothing.
In those days, stones were sometimes thrown at her.
But here, where the rules were strict and the employees of the elite institute did not condone any transgression regardless of identity, there was no such thing as worry.
The institute's staff led the students on a tour through the Imperial Palace.
Even students who claimed to have previously visited the palace with their parents during the celebrations could not help but exclaim when they were allowed to enter places that were previously off-limits to them.
Despite the damage to the palace due to the war, the Imperial Palace, with its thousand-year history, has maintained its splendor and stunning beauty.
In front of the splendor of the main palace, which exceeded the students' expectations, their desire and ambition increased.
The moments when they saw the ministers heading to the meeting room made their eyes shine with excitement.
Working in the palace is not difficult.
But rising to senior positions is another story.
“The family undoubtedly influences, but the individual’s abilities are more important.”
As proof of this, it is enough to look at the Minister of State, currently the Emperor's closest confidant, who was originally from a humble noble family, almost a commoner.
However, after enrolling in an elite institute, he astonished the empire with his exceptional intelligence, then chose to remain in the palace, where he quietly rose through the ranks until Emperor Clouis came to the throne, and his abilities were fully known.
Thus, despite his humble origin, he reached the rank of Minister of State, the highest position among ministers.
This was a great source of inspiration for the common students who joined the institute.
“If I am creative, I will succeed.”
But there were other ideas on the minds of other students.
Remora, who was revealed to be not close to the Emperor, was giving Effie fiery glances as she moved carelessly.
In fact, Remora didn't like Evie from the beginning.
But she hated her so much.
“I thought I would be second!”
When Remora confirmed that she had gotten third place in the basic test, she bit her lip in exasperation.
She didn't hold any grudge against Arcel, the first-place finisher.
On the contrary, she felt attracted to him, and even wished to become his friend.
But Ivy Alden? both.
“And she's just a girl from the orphanage!”
What is the equality between the two? She is not like her, even if she is a commoner like her.
Unlike the sons of noble families, Remora made a strenuous effort.
She studied until she almost died, and her family had high hopes for her.
She did not part with books, neither at school nor at home. The honor of her academic family, which surpassed any noble title, rested on her shoulders.
Ever since she heard about Arcel's enrollment in the elite institute, Remora began dreaming.
Arcel, the nobleman, is in first place, and she, a commoner, is in second place.
So, her shame was great when that girl, Evie, overtook her and took second place, leaving her in third place.
Her anger increased when she learned that Evie received help from Arcel and Ruska on her way to the institute.
“What makes her better than me?”
However, she could not express these thoughts publicly.
If Evie Alden was truly under the Emperor's protection, she should have approached her.
But now she knows the truth: Evie isn't like that.
“So…”
The elite institute gives many prizes to the first and second, but the third rarely gets anything.
Thus, Evie Alden, in her second capacity, will participate alongside Arcel in all the activities of the institute, which will bring her many benefits.
She will become closer to Arcel, and will even make an impression on the palace ministers.
When Remura imagined this scene, she couldn't help but bite her lips hard.
At that moment, the students next to Remura looked at the other group with eyes full of envy.
“People are still gathering around Miss Irene.”
“Indeed. By the way, wasn’t that little girl Irene’s roommate? If the girl leaves the institute, will her place be given to someone else? I heard that the male dormitory rearranged the rooms because many people withdrew.”
Between her friends' conversations, Remora began to think about what would happen if Evie disappeared.
“If I'm lucky, I might become Miss Irene's roommate.”
Perhaps the institute designated a commoner student as Irene's classmate to avoid the nobles gathering too much around her.
If Evie leaves, they will likely choose another commoner student to replace her.
If she was that student...
The more Remura thought, the corner of her mouth subconsciously raised.
You will participate with Arcel in the Institute's activities, and when you return to the dormitory, you will talk to Irene Terrence.
Through this, she may get to know Ruska, and build normal relationships with other noble students.
For her, it was the perfect life at an elite institute.
Remora's fantasies in her mind turned into an increasingly clear image.
The whole time she was walking around the palace, she was thinking:
“If only Ivy Alden had disappeared,”
So that everything becomes possible.
—
Student activities continued.
In the morning, they were amazed by the beauty of the main palace, and after eating in the palace hall, they headed to the palace museum.
This place was also badly damaged during the war.
“This place contained a lot of palace jewels. Fortunately, most of them were recovered unscathed.”
The kids couldn't take their eyes off the famous gems displayed under the glass.
Everything shines here, and there too.
Even for nobles, it was difficult to possess a similar quantity and quality of jewels.
Thus, the students once again realized how enormous wealth the Imperial Palace possessed, and how much power it wielded.
As a result, the envious looks towards Arcel and Ruska increased.
If one became the emperor's adopted son, it would all be his.
The more envious they became, the more female students would rally around Irene.
The jewels on display in the museum, with the exception of the crown and scepter, mostly belonged to the empresses.
Traditionally, women close to the Empress were allowed to borrow palace jewels on important occasions.
People used to infer from this how much the palace trusted the person.
So, the students were thinking: If they approached Irene Terrence, one day they might have a chance to borrow those jewels.
While the students were immersed in their dreams, the three eye-catching people looked indifferent, as if these matters meant nothing to them.
Like them, Evie wasn't looking at the jewels.
But, precisely, she couldn't see it.
The gorgeous gems were surrounded by students, so there was no room for her to stand and watch.
Additionally, because the museum was designed for adults, not children, the viewing platforms were elevated above Evie, who was short even for a seven-year-old.
Even if she stood on her tiptoes, she could only see the jewels from the side, without being able to view them clearly from above.
What was worse was that some of the students, instead of helping her, were laughing and deliberately pushing her with their bodies when she tried to get closer.
In the end, until the students left the museum, Evie couldn't see anything clearly.
Evie walked out of the jewel-filled exhibition hall with her shoulders hunched in disappointment.
“I wanted to see more.”
This was the first time in her life that she had seen such gems up close.
She would have liked to see more sparkling and beautiful things, but she had a greater goal.
“I wanted to describe it in more detail in my letters.”
She promised the orphanage director and her friends that she would write letters describing all the wonderful things she saw at the elite institute.
When she made this promise, how happy her friends were!
Evie was eager to share the beautiful and wonderful things she saw with her friends.
“Now we will head to the Hall of History. Follow us, everyone.”
But upon hearing the clerk's words, Evie was forced to shift her sorrow-laden steps.
From the students' talk,
Eppie heard that this place is not easily accessible to ordinary visitors.
Like the main palace, nobles needed difficult passes or to be qualified to enter.
“When will I come back here again?”
Evie couldn't hide her regret, looking back many times.
—
The next stop the staff took the students to was the museum's History Hall.
Besides the precious antiques of the imperial family, there were portrait paintings of emperors and important historical documents on display.
“The work here is not finished yet, so some places are still without explanations. When the construction is completed and the place is officially opened, you will have the opportunity to return. You can roam freely here.”
As soon as the employee spoke, the students immediately dispersed.
They were walking around here and there, but the atmosphere was not as enthusiastic as it was in the Jewel Hall.
They were tired from constantly walking since the morning, and after the excitement in the Jewel Hall, they felt exhausted.
Moreover, no matter how important the antiques were, they bore traces of burns or were old and faded, so they did not attract the attention of the students.
So, most of the students sat on chairs near the walls chatting with their friends or went out to the balcony to enjoy the view.
In between all this, Evie was wandering around the exhibition hall with eager eyes.
Since she had not seen gems well, she had to see other things to write about in her letters.
Then I entered a room full of portraits.
At the entrance, she saw a sign explaining that this room was dedicated to portraits of emperors throughout history.
Evie started walking, reading the names of the paintings one by one, until her steps suddenly stopped.
[Cloise Arelkyan Harkia]
This was the name of the current emperor.
Evie subconsciously raised her head to look at the portrait above.
“Oh?”
At that moment, a surprised sound came out of her mouth unintentionally.
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