46
Irene and Izriela exchanged intense glances, and the tension in the air rose.
Evie, who did not know much about the intricacies of aristocratic society, was at least aware that the current situation was not in Irene's favor in any way.
On normal days, everyone would surely be racing to support Irene, and weren't they the ones eager to earn even a passing glance from her?
But today, no one stood by her side.
On the contrary, some began to secretly sneak towards Izriela, adding words of support:
“Is it true, to keep your head down for something like that?”
“Yes, doesn't it seem that Miss Irene has gone too far?”
What began as a simple problem over a gift from a regent, gradually turned into a conflict between aristocrats and commoners.
As the students' support for her increased, Izriela swelled with arrogance, a condescending expression on her face.
The students moved closer to her, even the ones who used to actively pursue Eren.
They knew very well that they had to make an effort to win Irene's favor;
But…
They could not afford to have their most basic pride compromised: their privileges as aristocrats.
Moreover, not all students aspired to win Irene's admiration.
“This daughter of the south…”
The people of the capital, like Ezriela who had lived there all their lives, viewed the south as a backward, rural land.
Therefore, no matter how rich Irene was, they considered her below their level.
But the powerful influence of Terence's family prevented them from expressing these ideas.
And now, for the first time, they had a legitimate reason to attack Eren.
“The behavior of the arrogant southern noblewoman is not to our liking.”
“Maybe we'd better put it in place now.”
Indeed, the idea of forcing a woman from a distinguished family like Azriela to bow down before a humble girl like Eppie was unbearable.
As for the students who wanted to stay away from this conflict, they feigned ignorance and hurried back to their rooms.
In the end, Erin was left alone with Evie.
The scene was clear to everyone: the division was complete.
Evie turned her head slightly to look at Eren.
It was Irene who once told me not to talk to her in front of people during meals.
So, I tried to be careful, but who would have thought that Irene herself would come forward to defend me so boldly?
When the aristocrats approached Ezriela, Ezriela crossed her arms and said confidently:
“Miss Irene? Don't you think you should rethink?
With Ezriela's confident voice, Evie grabbed the hem of Irene's dress, lightly defending her.
Erin looked at Evie, who shook her head no.
She meant that there was no need for all this for her, and that she should reconcile with Izriela, even if only in a moderate way.
But Irene replied:
“Even if you rethink a thousand times, nothing will change. “You don’t have to apologize to anyone who doesn’t distinguish between what should be said and what shouldn’t.”
Irene abandoned any attempt to maintain her gentle tone, and stared at Ezriela with a fiery look.
At that moment, employees approached and noticed that things were getting out of control.
“What's going on here?”
When the staff arrived, the students turned around as if nothing had happened, and the matter ended in apparent division.
—
**Knock.**
As the door closed, Evie collapsed sitting on the floor, holding the magic stone in her lap.
"What is with you? Are you sick? Are you injured? Ezriela, are you really…!”
“No, not that… Why did you do that? Why did you fight with everyone over me?
Evie remembered the looks of the students turning on her and Eren.
From tomorrow, Irene will undoubtedly be treated as she is treated: ignored and ostracized.
“You mean ostracism? "Never mind that."
“But, I'm used to it, but Madam Irene...”
“I told you to just call me Irene. I am not interested in associating with those who steal other people's things and say such words. If they want to ostracize me, let them do so. “Huh!”
Rather, Irene seemed to feel relieved, and continued to say:
“I used to suppress my anger all the time, and now I feel more at ease. Oh, my sister might be upset... but, it doesn't matter!
While Erin was whimpering, she carefully examined Evie, making sure she wasn't injured, even the arm that Ezriela had grabbed.
Here, Evie remembered the manager.
The principal was the first person who cared for her and protected her in her life.
Evie thought that no one would care about her like this after the principal, but…
Evie felt warmth fill her heart, so she hugged the magic stone and lowered her head.
“I made the right decision coming here.”
Maybe Erin will regret it tomorrow. Being ostracized before you get used to it is sad and painful.
But today, Erin stood by my side. That alone made Evie feel happy.
"Thanks."
"millimeter? For what?"
“For helping me. Thanks to you, I was able to keep my gift.”
Evie smiled as she took the magic stone out of her bosom.
“Even if it was fake, this was the first gift I had received. So, I didn’t want it to be taken away from me...”
“What are you saying?”
“This stone. You said it was real to defend me...”
«Mm? "It's really real."
Erin blinked as if she didn't understand what Evie was saying.
Hearing Eren's words, Evie's eyes widened in surprise.
"TRUE?"
"Okay. "I'll say it up front, our family never lies about things no matter what."
Erin then tapped Evie's stone gently.
“This is not a cheap imitation sold in the markets. It is a real magic stone that carries real power. However, since the powerful stones were monopolized in the Imperial Palace, this would not be very powerful. "Maybe it's just emitting light."
“Aren’t magic stones precious?”
“Yes, this type could be sold at auctions for no less than ten million gold.”
Hearing this, Eppie opened her mouth in astonishment.
“It seems your guardian cares enough about you to send you something like this.”
“No, it can't be like that...”
Professor Sian didn't even know who I was.
So, sending him was a surprise gift in itself, so how could he give me something of this value?
“I lent him a handkerchief once, but...”
But that is not enough to justify receiving such a precious magic stone.
This was her first gift, and the first time she had owned something of this value.
Evie's hands trembled as she held the stone.
“What if they call me later to retrieve it?”
If so, it would make sense. They couldn't give me something that valuable to keep. Maybe they sent it by mistake and they will come back to get it back soon.
“Then I must keep it well until then.”
Evie hugged the warm stone carefully. It was a comfortable and joyful feeling.
—
That night, Evie placed the magic stone on the table next to her bed.
As if the stone was meant to be there, it settled into place seamlessly.
Evie placed her hand on it, and the stone lit up as if it had been waiting, and warmth flowed from it.
It was a truly wondrous stone. With a touch, light and heat emanate, and with the separation of the hand, they vanish.
Evie looked for a long time at the stone that illuminated the dark room with a soft, soothing light.
“It really continues to glow...”
She knew that the real stone would retain its power, but she couldn't help but worry.
Not because it was real or fake, but because she was afraid that this beautiful color and delicate warmth would fade.
However, despite touching it many times during the day, the light and warmth of the stone remained the same.
Evie kept looking at him until she crawled into bed. It's really time for bed.
On a normal day, she would cover herself with the blanket up to her head. The darkness was scary to her.
Ever since that night she was locked in the museum, she had feared that the darkness would mean she would be trapped again.
But now, things felt fine.
She remembered her days before she came to the orphanage.
She worked until late hours after sunset.
After work was finally done, she would go to the barn, cover herself with straw and try to sleep.
But the words of the innkeeper and the people during the day came back to her:
“At night, the souls of those killed in war return as ghosts. “If they find someone alive, they drag them with them.”
They laughed sarcastically as she trembled with fear, and they even got upset, saying, “Even that doesn’t make her cry.” Really stubborn.”
Although she tried to convince herself that these things did not exist, she was afraid of the night without light.
Even after coming to the orphanage, this fear did not improve much.
At first, the principal would light a candle and stay by Evie's side, who was afraid of the night.
But this was not possible every day. Candles are expensive, and the manager needs to rest.
So, Evie pretended that she was no longer afraid.
“After I started sleeping with friends, things got a little better...”
But when she came to the academy and started sleeping alone again, the terrifying stories she heard as a child came back to haunt her.
“I'm seven now, I'll be fine.”
She tried to reassure herself, but she always ended up covering her head with the blanket until she fell asleep.
But tonight was different.
In the dim light that did not blind the eyes or leave the room dark, Eppie quietly closed her eyes.
Today, I approached Erin and got...
Gift
Fantastic.
“Really...”
I made the right decision by coming here.
And so, Evie fell asleep quietly and peacefully.
—
At the same time.
“Did she like the gift, eh?”
Cloyce was sitting at the window, whispering to himself.
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