22
The employee raised his hand and looked at the student who stopped him with her call. Staff always try to memorize the names of students as best they can, but the large number makes it difficult to remember everyone.
However, the employee was sure of the name of the student who called him just now. She is so famous that no one can be ignorant of her.
“Miss Irene Terrence, right?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“But you say your roommate didn't show up...”
“As I told you, I thought she joined another team when we split up, but after we all gathered, I didn’t see her, so I told you.”
“Okay, what’s your colleague’s name?”
“Evie Alden. She is seven years old, very short, pale gold hair, green eyes... and she looks very nice.”
The employee listened intently to the detailed description, but at the last sentence, he tilted his head in wonder, then glanced at the gathered students. But the child Irene described was not among them.
“Effie! Effie Alden! Are you here?” the clerk called in a loud voice. The students started looking around, wondering what was happening.
"Evie Alden! Isn't she here?"
Other employees joined the call, chanting Effie's name as they surveyed the place. Moments later, they realize that Evie, as Irene said, is indeed absent.
"What do we do? Where could she have gotten lost?"
“We should go back inside the palace to look for her, but it is too late.”
The concern was evident on the employee's face. If they had known about the student's disappearance sooner, it would have been easier.
The Imperial Palace is not a place where you can walk around freely all day. When it is time for regular personnel to exit, many buildings are closed, and movement is prohibited in areas near the main palace.
Some areas, close to the main palace, are even strictly prohibited from crossing without the permission of the Emperor or the Prime Minister, whatever the reason.
If the student is still in one of those areas, they may not be able to find her until tomorrow morning.
“Let's start sending the students back to the dormitory. It's getting late,” the employee said. Everyone agreed to that. It was late, and the students were whispering. If the situation continues like this, the confusion will worsen.
“Today’s program has ended. Everyone, return to the dormitory,” the staff announced.
Reluctantly, the students, despite their curiosity, began to leave.
“Where could she have gotten lost?”
"We don't know. But if she's in a restricted place without permission, not only will she get penalty points, she might even be expelled. I heard the curfew in the palace is very strict."
“I know. My mother would wait until dawn the next day if she was late for work, because it was not allowed to be out of the buildings at that hour.”
While the students were talking, a slight smile appeared on Lemora's lips as she headed toward the dormitory.
"This is exactly what I wanted. Goodbye, little orphan," she thought privately.
In fact, falling behind the group during the program is not a big crime.
A student who breaks away from the group may bear some of the blame, but the staff, who failed to check on everyone, also bears responsibility.
Perhaps, out of consideration for the student’s fear and anxiety, they ignore the matter.
“But it's different inside the palace,” Lemora said to herself.
Palace rules are very strict, especially regarding the curfew. After the War of Succession, and for fear of any possible attack, these laws became more stringent, and the penalties for violators became more severe.
Even if she was a student from the Genius Institute, it would be difficult for her to get away with it.
“But to avoid that, she needs strong supporters, and she doesn't have any,” Lemora thought.
Today, Evie herself announced that she has nothing to do with the Emperor. In the main palace, while many students met their sponsors to greet them, Evie met no one.
In fact, Lemora, as she overheard the other students' conversations while Evie was being subjected to harsh looks, heard the following:
“I heard that some ministers tried to force people of their choice to enter the institute, and the Emperor chose her in a moment of anger as a warning. Therefore, His Majesty does not need to care about her more.”
The student added that the emperor is usually cold and indifferent.
“Anyway, no one would step in for a girl like her,” Lemora thought, feeling satisfied and humming a light song on her way to the dormitory. Suddenly, she felt eyes watching her.
“…”
Lemora turned, her eyes widening. At the end of the group of students heading to the male dormitory, Loska was standing with his arms crossed, looking at her with a look as if he knew what she had done.
Lemora panicked, and quickly turned around, heading towards the female dormitory as if to escape. Behind her, she heard the voices of her friends wondering why she was acting.
“Losca, what's wrong?” Arcel approached Losca, who was still watching Lemora.
“Nothing, just… something on my mind.”
Arcel's eyes lit up at this response.
"Why? Does he have anything to do with that girl's disappearance? Do you have any suspicions?"
Lusca looked at Arcel in surprise, surprised by his enthusiasm.
"Wow! I've never seen you care about anyone like that before."
Arcel frowned and said:
“A student, a little girl, has disappeared. It’s natural for me to be worried.”
Luska almost muttered sarcastically: “Yes, how worried you are!”, but instead, he said as if he had guessed something:
“Isn't that because she's Evie Alden?”
“…”
Lusca expected a denial, but Arcel, unexpectedly, confirmed the matter with his silence. Faced with Arcel's unusual seriousness, Lusca stopped laughing and approached the staff.
“Can we help you with something?”
Arcel added:
"If you're searching inside the palace, we can be helpful. We both have special permission to move around."
As Arcel said, both of them and Luska had special permission that allowed them to meet the Emperor at any time.
This was to honor their parents' achievements in the War of Succession, and at the same time, to ensure their readiness to serve if the need arose in the future.
The employee hesitated at their offer. The areas where students have wandered today are not few, and to inspect them all would require a great effort.
But after eliminating the staff responsible for running the dormitory, only a few people remained. However, assigning this task to other students is not acceptable.
"She was definitely there until we got to the museum, the History Hall. After the collections were divided, I didn't see her," said Irene, who was still standing there, telling them about her missing colleague.
The employee thought: “I heard from students that she does not like her colleague.” But, contrary to the rumors that reached the staff from other students, complaining about the room layout and demanding that it be changed, Irene seemed genuinely worried about Evie.
She even remembers minute details, as if she was watching her closely.
“So, the last place you were seen was the museum. It must be somewhere between there and the places we visited in the afternoon,” the employee said. But even as the scope narrowed, the place remained vast.
“Maybe we should ask the Palace Guard for help,” the clerk thought, swallowing a sigh.
It seemed to be getting worse than he expected. But he knew they had to look for the child and file a report on the incident.
At that moment, a young woman's voice was heard from behind the gathered employees:
“What's going on?”
The employees turned around, their faces lighting up with joy. There was a woman standing, her long hair tied high in a single knot.
She was wearing dusty clothes, as if she had just returned from a long trip. But her sharp looks and confident stance revealed an extraordinary personality.
“Dean!”
The employees shouted excitedly.
Meanwhile, Arcel and Luska exclaimed:
“Seraphina!”
Seraphina Redum looked at them, adjusting a lock of hair that was creeping over her shoulder, and smiling:
“Well, how are you two? But there seems to be a problem with a student from the Genius Institute. Let’s start looking for her.”
She raised her hand, and a flash of light appeared at her fingertips. Then, as if she remembered something, she murmured:
“Ah, we should ask His Majesty’s permission first.”
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