67
“Hello!”
"……What?"
The post office clerk looked around in astonishment, wondering where the sudden sound had come from.
“I'm here, here!”
A small hand appeared from below, raised excitedly.
“Sorry, I didn't notice you.”
The employee smiled and got up. Evie was standing under the reception table.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
“I heard that I could send a package home once a month. But I couldn’t find anything that said the allowed size, so I came to ask!”
“Okay, wait a minute.”
The clerk turned around and returned carrying a large paper box inside, which he presented to Evie.
“Anything that can fit inside this box can be sent. If it is larger than that, you will need a special permit.”
“Excuse me... Do I have to pay for this box?”
“No, it's free.”
Upon hearing this, Evie's face lit up with joy.
“So, can I take it?”
“Of course. Wrap it well and return it to me, and I will take care of the sending procedures.”
"Good!"
Eppie hugged the box and went out.
Although relatively small, for Evie the box was large enough to block her view if she held it in front of her.
Finally, she raised it above her head, holding it with both hands, and headed towards the professor's office. It was, of course, Professor Cian's office.
Evie walked up the quiet stairs to room 408 and knocked on the door.
After a moment of silence, she opened the door and said:
“I apologize for the inconvenience!”
Even though she knew the office was empty, Evie always knocked on the door and said hello, whether entering or leaving.
Evie entered, placed the box she had brought on the floor, and then wandered into the office.
“Today didn't come either...”
Her voice, in contrast to her enthusiastic greeting at the post office, was soft and lifeless.
It had been two weeks since Evie had accompanied Professor Cyan to a seasonal event.
Since then, she has been visiting this office daily. But, as Dean Seraphina told her, Sian was away on business, and there was no sign of his visit.
However, it seemed that Sian had ordered some items, as new items arrived daily: a soft red sofa, a large teddy bear and rabbit, and more books.
So, Evie knocked on the door every day with excitement and anticipation.
Even though these items were not hers, seeing the items increasing one by one filled her with joy.
“But Irene couldn’t come with me.”
At first, she thought of taking Irene, but she remembered that she had not yet obtained Professor Sian's permission.
She hesitated, but Irene backed down more easily than she expected.
“My sister said I'm trying to figure out everything, and it's not good. Well, it's not urgent, I'll meet your guardian later.”
Additionally, Irene, thanks to her older age, had signed up for more classes than Evie, making her busier preparing for her midterms.
As a result, Evie is spending more time alone.
Thus, this office turned into her secret haven.
Evie sat in front of the bookshelf. The shelves were not yet full, as the bottom drawers were empty.
She placed the box she had brought in front of her, and took out everything in her bag to put it inside the box.
Eppie closed the lid and shook the box.
Even though she put a lot inside it, there was empty space, as the sound of items moving inside echoed.
“When I fill it so it doesn't make that sound, I'll send this whole box.”
Eppie imagined the things she would put inside it and smiled.
She pushed the box deeper into the bottom shelf, then pulled a book from the top to cover the box and hide it.
After feeling that she had hidden the box completely, she approached the small table.
There was a notebook and a pen.
“To Professor Sian Rushen...”
Evie moved her little hand and began writing a letter to him.
If you hand it over to Dean Seraphina on her way back, she'll make sure to get it to Sian.
* * *
The sound of pages turning and pen scribbling echoed in the work desk.
Cloyce was sitting behind his desk, moving his hand quickly and busily.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door, and then the butler entered carrying tea.
“Your Majesty, won’t you get some rest?”
“Where do I have time for that?”
Even though he knew the servant's sincere intention, dry words came out of his mouth.
Cloyce closed the papers he was reviewing and ran his hand over his face.
“Sorry, I seem a little upset.”
“A butler receiving the Emperor’s apology? It is a great honor.”
The butler smiled understandingly, and quietly put down the tea.
The fragrant scent of tea spread throughout the room. Cloyce raised the cup and took a quiet sip.
The tea was at the perfect temperature, its flavor and fragrance flowing smoothly into his body.
Cloyce slowly closed his eyes and then opened them.
Perhaps because he had been sitting all day, his neck and shoulders felt stiff, as if they were a rusty machine.
Business wasn't supposed to pile up like this.
But two weeks ago, when he returned to his palace, he received an urgent message.
In the border area with the Lombard Kingdom in the south of the empire, Ceren, who was once one of the First Prince's closest confidants, has been spotted.
Siren was a minister manipulating the First Prince.
Despite his origin as a baron's son, his intelligence and tact soon earned him the First Prince's trust and became his right-hand man.
Ceren constantly egged on the prince, saying that he was the rightful heir to the empire, and urging him not to let Clois usurp the throne.
But in the end, Cloyce became crown prince.
However, when Cloïs abandoned his interest in the throne and moved to live in Lillian's territory, the crown passed to the First Prince.
Cloyce thought that there would be no more dealing with Siren after he had achieved what he wanted.
That was a big illusion.
The first prince became crown prince, then emperor soon after.
But he was convinced that his brothers coveted his throne, so he listened to Sirin's advice and attacked and killed the second prince.
The remaining princes immediately fled, and began to gather their supporters to confront their brother the Emperor, fearing for their lives.
The deadly war continued, and Cloyce was the last survivor.
Cloys tried to arrest everyone who caused this tragedy, but while everyone was arrested, only Ceren managed to escape.
For seven years, Cloyce continued to issue orders to track down Cyren.
“I must kill him.”
The Empire has returned to peace, and even if Siren is alive, no one is foolish enough to join him in rebellion.
But Cloyce had a strong intuition.
He was sure that one day Siren would pose a major threat to the Empire again.
Therefore, he personally investigated and dealt with any matter related to Sirin.
This time too, he himself went to the border area.
Normally, he would have been able to think about Seren the whole way. But this time was different.
“Would it have been better to choose a blue sofa, the one that kids love these days?”
“Did the hairpin and toy you gave Seraphina arrive safely?”
He left the capital in a hurry, never being able to see Evie again.
Until he reached the border, he kept thinking about Eppie.
His quest at the border was unsuccessful, as he failed to capture Siren.
But he found certain testimonies that Sirin was still alive. Clowes also found some papers written in a handwriting identical to Sirin's old handwriting.
The contents were not of great interest, but one of them caught Cloyce's attention.
[Royal Family Emblem]
Although very few people knew of its existence, Sirin, as a confidant of the First Prince, certainly knew about it.
But it was not clear why he had written this slogan so many times on paper now.
Cloyce put down the tea cup and picked up the pen again.
Because of his pursuit of Sirin, he has accumulated work.
“If I finish this quickly, I'll be able to visit Evie...”
While he was thinking this, he heard a voice from outside.
“Your Majesty!”
It was Serafina's voice. Cloyce held the pen tightly.
"Your Majesty! It's me!"
He didn't have time to endure Seraphina's nagging today, so he was about to ask her to leave immediately.
“I came with a message from Ivy Alden!”
“Come in.”
Cloyce completely erased his previous thoughts and greeted her with a bright smile.
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