53
“Professor?”
Cloyce woke up from his distraction when a voice called him. He turned to Evie, who was tilting her head curiously.
“Oh, yes. Did you like the gift?”
“Yes! I intended to write you a letter of thanks, as you sent me something very valuable. But I could not formulate the letter properly... so I decided to visit you myself to express my gratitude!”
Evie jumped off the bench and bowed her head politely. Chloe looked at her quietly as she thanked her.
How many nights and days he spent thinking about choosing that gift! When he was told that he had to send something valuable so that the child in his care would not feel inferior, he became angry internally and insisted on sending the magic stone.
He was confident in his decision right up until the moment he sent the gift, challenging himself: “Who would dare to send a magic stone as a gift?”
But his confidence was dashed at a later meeting, when he heard others talking about the importance of choosing gifts that fit children's interests.
He began to wonder with regret: “Is there a child who would be happy with a magic stone?”
Maybe he should have chosen something more appealing to a child's mind, like crayons in countless colors or a pretty dress. But regret came too late.
However, here is Evie thanking him herself! He felt proud, but his anxiety did not go away easily.
“If you want something else, you can tell me honestly.”
When he said those words cautiously, Evie jumped as if the idea itself was impossible.
“No, no! I really like the magic stone! It’s warm and bright, it made me sleep without fear! Even before I came to you, I used to hug it like this...”
Evie made a gesture as if she was holding the stone to her chest. Then, a gentle smile appeared on Cloyce's face.
It was clear from her excitement that she really loved the gift. And that the stone would help her overcome her fear at night? Isn't this what he was hoping for when he sent him?
“If you like it, that's enough for me.”
He smiled as he gently patted her head. Evie seemed pleased by the gesture, and laughed merrily until her eyes lit up.
This laugh had a strange sound, as if it provoked a deep tingling in the depths of his heart.
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, Evie asked:
“By the way, Professor, where is your office? I asked the academy administration, but they said they didn’t know!”
Cloyce froze for a moment, feeling his heart sink.
This question had been raised by Seraphina before.
* * *
“Oh my God, Your Majesty! An magic stone? As a gift for a child? This is unbelievable!”
Seraphina rushed into Cloïs's office almost in tears, ignoring all rules of propriety. Cloyce half-surrendered to the flow of her words.
“You can't imagine what a fuss it caused! Even I, when I heard the report, felt dizzy! A magic stone as an academy admission gift? This is unprecedented...”
Serafina told him how the entire academy was turned upside down by this news.
“Why didn’t you tell me before sending it? I was going to hand it over quietly. Now, everyone is wondering and whispering!”
“Is there a problem?”
“Of course! People are now looking for Professor Xian Ruochen!”
That was expected. A rare magic stone, difficult for even wealthy nobles to obtain, sent as a gift to a child?
Naturally everyone would be curious, not only about the child who received it, but even more about the person who sent it.
“I tried to cover it up temporarily. I said that he is a professor who was appointed for research purposes only, does not teach, and that he has not yet settled in the capital, so his address is unknown. But if nothing concrete appears, suspicions will begin.”
“So, what's the solution?”
"Not a solution in the literal sense, but...we have to make it look like there's something. Maybe we'll set up an office for the professor in a rarely used building. Or...there's an easier option."
“And what is it?”
“Change guardian.”
Cloyce raised his head and looked at Seraphina.
"changing?"
“Yes, we appoint someone else as Evie’s guardian.”
“But we chose a fictitious character because there was no suitable person.”
“At first, yes. But now someone has appeared who can take on this responsibility. Professor Mallis, a mathematician… I mean, someone who has greatly contributed to the development of mathematics in the empire. He is my teacher as well.”
"Malys? The name sounds familiar."
“Of course! He wrote the new advanced mathematics book.”
Clowes recalled having studied from that book in the past. Someone who wrote a book that became an essential authority in the empire? It is difficult to find a better guardian than him.
“Professor Malis sees great potential in Evie.”
"possibilities?"
“She is the student who entered the academy second after Arcel. According to Professor Mallis, she is a student who truly deserves education. Even though my teacher, even though he is my teacher, is a difficult person and doesn’t like people very much... he suddenly decided to write a simpler advanced mathematics book, because Evie had difficulty understanding the current book.”
Seraphina smiled slyly.
“Thanks to her, he stopped talking about retirement, which is great!”
She was happy to see her professor continuing to work.
"Anyway, he's an ideal guardian. He always resides at the academy, and he'll be able to take care of Evie if she needs anything. So, we can change the guardian to Professor Malice…"
“No, I'll think about it.”
“What? I thought you would agree right away!”
Seraphina stammered in disbelief, but Cloise didn't answer. He couldn't. Even he wasn't sure why he refused to change the guardian.
“If we change the guardian...”
Evie will have a strong and reliable guardian. Professor Sian Rushen, whose face she had only seen once, will be forgotten forever.
This is the right thing.
There's no reason for him and Evie to be together, nor should there be.
But, even though he knew this, he couldn't give up Sian Ruochen's name.
* * *
Under Evie's eager gaze, Clois snapped back to reality.
“Ah, the contact address... well...”
He hesitated for a moment, then decided.
“An office will be set up for me soon. If you need anything or want to order something, leave a message there and I will be sure to see it.”
“Really? Then I can see you inside the academy?”
“Yes, but I won't be there much.”
Evie's expression changed from joy to frustration. Cloyce was not supposed to feel sorry to see her disappointment. But, strangely, the thought of her constantly wanting to see him made him smile.
Evie didn't know, but that gentle smile was the first of its kind in years.
* * *
The conversation between Effie and Cloyce continued for a long time, although it was mostly on Effie's side.
“Then, while Mr. Arcel and Ms. Loska were eating, a whole roasted chicken disappeared before my eyes in an instant...”
Eppie sat on the bench excitedly describing the amazing sight she had seen earlier.
Cloyce sat next to her, watching her with a calm look.
When he asked her about her experience at the academy and the fun things that happened, Evie started telling him everything she had been through without stopping.
If there had been other ministers or officials present, they would have rushed to silence her. Cloues, by nature, hates gossip and prefers direct conversation.
In meetings, he would cut off anyone who went beyond unnecessary praise by saying, “Say what you have to say and get out.”
But now he was listening to Evie as if she was telling the most beautiful stories in the world.
He was not just a passive listener.
“What do they serve in academy meals these days?”
He would ask her questions to motivate her to continue. Evie felt his interest, and her excitement increased as she explained.
"...So I tried it for the first time today. It was so delicious! Irene was the one who shared it with me... Ah! Right! Irene!"
Evie suddenly jumped to her feet.
The moment she said Irene's name, she remembered that she had been waiting for someone before she came here.
At that moment, the bell of the clock tower rang in the distance.
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