57
On a Friday evening the dormitory was bustling with children getting ready to go out.
“My mother and father are waiting for me in front of the palace!”
“Today I will go with my family to a famous restaurant!”
Children who had finished their lessons early were rushing to change their clothes and head to the palace entrance. The children were tired of wearing monotonous school uniforms, so they decorated themselves in bright clothes and went out enthusiastically.
“Emily!”
“Kiss!”
As soon as the children appear, parents who have been waiting anxiously rush out, calling their children's names.
They were all proud of them. Just being accepted into the elite institute was enough to fill their hearts with pride, never mind that, unlike those who dropped out for lack of tolerance, they still continued successfully.
Some children were desperately clinging to their parents, while others were crying. As for the older students, they were embarrassed that their parents came to pick them up, but they could not completely hide their joy.
Thus, Friday night passed noisily, and when Saturday morning rose, the elite institute was completely quiet.
“How quiet!”
Evie opened the window and peered outside. On normal days, the sounds of passers-by and children's laughter filled the place, but now there was only the chirping of birds.
This unfamiliar calm in the institute made her feel a little strange.
Evie put on her school uniform as usual, and walked down the dormitory stairs with quick steps. It was normal for there to be no students, and even the number of employees was much smaller than usual.
In fact, this was everyone's first vacation since the institute reopened. After more than a month of living inside the institute, everyone felt upset.
As for the children who lived far away or had no other place in the capital, they stayed in their rooms, a little embarrassed about having nowhere to go while everyone else went out for a walk.
Evie sat on a couch in the common hall, enjoying the quiet.
“It's quiet and beautiful.”
Not that she hated noise, but she felt a little lonely because of the absence of Irene's voice, which she had become accustomed to.
“Irene was very remorseful.”
Irene had left the institute the night before.
"I really wanted us to go out together, but unfortunately, all my relatives from the side branches gathered at the capital's house! And on top of that, there are other people I don't like very much... There's no point in taking you to a house full of people like that. I'll go alone, believe me! Not because I don't want you with me!"
Evie was the one to stay, but it was Irene who almost cried. Then, suddenly, a look of strong determination appeared on her face.
“Next time we go out, I'll arrange everything so we can go together!”
Evie didn't understand exactly what she was going to arrange, and she didn't know whether to encourage her or not. Before leaving, Irene bragged about Terrence's family home in D.C.
“There is a big fountain, and a very large garden. It is a house in the city, but it has a small forest!”
Irene continued to describe in detail the history of the house and each room.
“Next time we go out, we'll go home together, I promise!”
She said as she extended her pinky finger, and Evie nodded enthusiastically, as if she completely understood Irene's heart.
Without lessons and without Irene, Evie had nothing to do. After sitting on the sofa for a while, she returned to her room and took out the mathematics book that Professor Mallis had given her.
“Arcel knew all this, didn't he?”
Evie was the first student, Arcel the second. She thought their knowledge was close, but the gap between them was vast.
“I want to know more, too.”
When she was struggling with a problem she didn't know, Arcel would calmly explain to her how to solve it.
“He explained easily and clearly.”
Professor Mallis was teaching her kindly, but Arcel's explanation was easier to understand.
“The professor sometimes uses difficult words...”
Moreover, Mallis had to teach Irene and Ruska as well, which kept him always busy.
"Ruska, boy! Do you call that a line? I told you the solution should be obvious!"
"Oh, my ears! My ears!"
At such moments when they were arguing, Arcel would sigh and become gentler in his explanations.
“Sorry I brought that idiot up.”
He was muttering that. Evie remembered that moment and laughed secretly, then picked up her pen.
“Ah…”
Hours later, Evie stretched her body and closed the book. She loved studying, but sitting for a long time made her bored. She opened another book, a book about the capital that Irene had lent her.
“Very spacious...”
Eby liked the drawings of the capital in the book. Even the elite institute, where she was staying, was so spacious that it would take an entire day to walk around.
But it's just part of the palace. During her tour of the palace, she realized how spacious it was. The palace was, without a doubt, many times larger than the city of Elram where I grew up. But even this vast palace was only part of the capital.
“To explore the entire capital, it might take a week, even a month!”
Evie continued to leaf through the book. It contained drawings and descriptions of the capital's landmarks: the central street crowded with shops, the Founding Heroes Fountain in its center, the river running south of the capital with its many bridges, and the huge gardens.
The clear drawings and meticulous detail, beyond what she had seen in a graduate school library, kept her immersed in the book for a long time.
But after she finished, the emptiness returned to her.
“Is there somewhere I can go?”
Since going outside was not an option, I thought of walking around the institute. She started wondering about the places she hadn't visited yet. Suddenly, she got up excitedly.
“That's right, Professor Sian!”
She rushed to her drawer and pulled out a memo she had received from the administration staff.
“Building 21, Room 408...”
She confirmed the building's location in the institute's book, then grabbed a small bag and left her room.
***
The building was located in a quiet place, similar to the room Professor Mallis had initially chosen, away from the traffic of people. But he had more elegance and calm.
Since today was a holiday, the doors were open, but there was no employee guarding the entrance.
Evie hesitated a little, then walked up the stairs.
“408...here.”
She found the door panel, took a deep breath, then raised her little hand and knocked.
Knock knock.
As expected, no response came from inside.
She hesitated for a moment, then knocked again, and then opened the door carefully.
“Sorry…”
She glanced into the room, and her face lit up. She was afraid that she had missed the place, or that she would find an empty office, but…
“This looks like the professor's office!”
On the desk, there was a sign that said “Sian Ruochen.” The office was neatly arranged.
The bookshelves were filled with books, and on the antique, dark-colored desk, stationery was neatly arranged.
It is said that a room reflects the personality of its owner, and this office really looked like the elegance and calm of Professor Cian.
Evie stood in front of the bookshelf.
“By the way, what does the professor teach?”
She began examining book titles, and soon realized his specialty.
“Foreign languages!”
The shelves were full of books in different languages. Besides the official imperial language, there were regional languages of the east, west, south, and north, bearing the names of kingdoms such as Leced, Tyrell, Arcese, and Lombard.
“The professor seems to have mastered them all!”
Her eyes quickly wandered between the titles:
She opened her mouth in astonishment.
“I only know the imperial language!”
Suddenly, she felt like a halo of light was shining behind Professor Sian.
“He is truly an amazing person!”
But why is no subject taught at the institute?
“If he had one lesson, I would have signed up for it first.”
She looked at the bookshelf with a sorry look. According to the rules, students are allowed to enter professors' offices freely, but she felt it was inappropriate to stay too long in the office of an absent owner.
Since she confirmed that this was Professor Sian's office, she completed her task.
She was about to leave, but she spotted a pen and paper, which seemed prepared for the students' guest book. She extended her hand and said:
“To Professor Sian...”
She started writing a letter to him.
***
After an hour.
“Wait?”
Cloyce was holding a piece of paper on the table.