*86**
“What can be said about the love of power?”
In such moments, all she wished for was to cling to that authority to get through the situation easily and smoothly.
“Have I not become loyal and faithful in anticipation of such times?”
Seraphina smiled even brighter as she looked at the Count couple.
“Your words are so wonderful. Perhaps Evie Alden's guardian would very much like to see you both, too. What do you think of a meeting with you to talk?
“Very well!”
The Count, who had only heard of the chaos at the Academy in passing, was not fully aware of the most interesting part of the case.
Therefore, he said with great confidence that he could summon the guardian.
“And what could be the guardian of such a lowly child?”
Whoever this guardian is, he is certainly of lower status and influence than him.
The Count intended to use his noble family name to completely subjugate that regent.
Seraphina approached the desk, quickly wrote something down on a piece of memorandum paper, and then handed it to the Count.
"What is this?"
“What could it be? It's the address of Evie Alden's trustee. I hope you two have a good conversation.”
*If you can go there, of course.*
Seraphina swallowed these words in her throat and got up from her seat.
It was the first time in her life that she had had a parent consultation, and it was more stressful and upsetting than she expected.
She swore to herself that she would set a ten-minute time limit on such meetings in the future, then she grabbed her coat and got up.
“Okay, I'm leaving now. The dean's duties are many and full of responsibilities, which do not allow me a moment of rest. Please contact me after reaching an agreement. If I do not receive any communication, I will act in accordance with academic regulations.”
Serafina said that, and then left the interview room like the wind.
The couple looked at Seraphina as she walked out, eyes filled with astonishment.
In social circles, they were always treated with the utmost respect.
But Seraphina, as if faced with the most annoying thing in the world, quickly fled from them.
They had never been subjected to such treatment before, and their bodies trembled from the insult.
Naturally, their anger turned towards the guardian who they thought was inferior to them.
“I won't let him get away!”
The Count looked at the paper Seraphina had given him, grinding his teeth in anger.
After a few moments, he tilted his head and muttered in confusion:
“It looks like she made a typo?”
The paper Seraphina handed her had a simple title: [Imperial Palace, Main Palace].
The Count got up and went outside.
There was an employee who seemed to be waiting for them to escort them out, but the Count grabbed him and said:
“Wait, it looks like the dean gave us the wrong address.”
“Wrong address? "I don't understand what you mean."
“This address is supposed to belong to the guardian of a lowly little orphan. Is that reasonable?”
The clerk looked at the paper, then at the Count's face, and said:
“Has this issue not been explained to you in detail yet? Dean, really...”
«Explain? What explanation?
The clerk sighed as he looked at the Count's puzzled face.
It seems that he is the one to tell them the most interesting truth.
“Effie Alden’s guardian is His Majesty the Emperor himself.”
Upon hearing these words, the paper fell from the Count's hand.
Moments later, the screams of the Count couple, who could not accept reality, rang out in a corner of the academy.
—
Although the case of Evie and Iserella caused quite a stir in the academy, it did not by any miracle result in the postponement of the exam dates.
The problem was that most of the academy's students were in a state of turmoil.
While Evie, the main party in the case, was quiet, the other students were immersed in talking about the incident, which made them study less than usual, and this was no secret.
Perhaps for this reason, the atmosphere in the dormitory had been heavy since the morning on the day the results were released.
On normal days, the sounds of gentle laughter filled the place, but the faces of the students passing by reflected tension and anxiety.
Of course, there were those with hopes too.
“I think my grades will be good this time.”
Luska was sitting in the hallway waiting for the results to arrive, and when Arcel approached, he smiled happily.
“Wow! "You have never waited for exam results so eagerly."
Before entering the academy, Lusca was studying at the same high school as Arcel.
In those days, on the day the results were released, he would act as if he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.
Now, the pressure on results is much greater than then.
So, Arcel expected Lusca to be in a miserable state, but he was smiling like this?
Anyway, Lusca was Arcel's best friend.
If his friend was in a good mood, there was no reason for Arcel to feel upset.
“I studied hard this time.”
“So, you weren't serious before?”
“Arcel, you really… are only telling the truth.”
Lusca muttered with an expression as if he had received a painful blow, but then he lost his smile.
“Honestly, studying isn't always fun, is it? It's not easy to find someone who explains things we don't understand perfectly. But this time, Evie helped me a lot.”
"… What?"
“Before the Iserella case broke, you and Irene were busy, weren't you? During that time, Evie helped me study mathematics.”
“Yvette?”
"Yes. When I told her about the parts I didn't understand, she explained them beautifully. She said that she used to help her friends a lot before coming to the academy. Thanks to her, I easily understood the unresolved matters… Wait, why are you looking at me like that?”
Lusca was talking excitedly, but he suddenly stopped when he noticed Arcel's cold look, and he stood up in surprise.
*Did I say something wrong?*
But no matter what she thought, all she could find was that she bragged that her grades would be good.
After thinking for a while, Lusca realized why Arcel was upset.
“I know why you're angry”
“What?”
Arcel's body trembled slightly at Lusca's words.
Lusca was right, Arcel was indeed in a bad mood. But to know why?
Arcel hoped Lusca wouldn't notice.
Arcel looked at him nervously, but Lusca, with a confident look, pointed at Arcel with his finger and said:
“Don't try to hide it! "You're afraid I'm going to grade you this time, aren't you?"
“…”
Arcel stopped talking for a moment, then muttered:
“Losca, sometimes I even like this foolish side of you.”
“Of course, of course! I... wait? The foolish side? What do you mean?
As Lusca clung to Arcel demanding an explanation, an employee carrying envelopes entered the lobby.
Academy grades, except for the final exam at the end of the year, were delivered individually.
“We will distribute score cards for this exam. They lined up and received it one by one.”
The students who were waiting in front of the clerk quickly gathered.
They would state their names, and the employee would look through the alphabetical envelopes and give each student his or her card.
It wasn't long before Loska and Arsel received their cards.
“Oh, I'm afraid to open it.”
Luska was holding the envelope of results and shaking as if he was facing the most frightening thing in the world.
“No, I can't. I can't open it here. I will open it after breakfast. Let's go quickly!
Luska put the envelope into his back pants pocket, then quickly left the dormitory and headed to the restaurant.
Arcel had intended to open the envelope at once, but he fiddled with it a little and then carefully put it into his inside jacket pocket and followed Loska.
—
When they entered the restaurant, Arcel and Luska did not have to look for Eppie and Irene.
“Today is also a mess.”
“It seems so.”
It had been two weeks since the Izerella incident.
During this period, Iserella was expelled from the academy according to regulations.
Various punishments were imposed on the five who were with her, prompting three of them to withdraw on their own.
But no one cares about them anymore.
Everyone was now focused on Evie.
The child chosen by the Emperor himself, and over whom he assumed guardianship.
The rumors were not limited to the students, but spread throughout the imperial palace and the social circles of the nobility, turning everything upside down.
The evidence for this is that the tables surrounding Evie and Irene in this spacious restaurant were the only ones crowded.
Everyone was trying to talk to Evie, but Irene would fend off anyone who bothered her with iron-solid protection.
“Evie, Irene.”
"Welcome."
"Hello."
As Arcel and Luska approached, even the students who were hanging around them backed away.
Loska took the scorecard out of his pants pocket and placed it on the table.
“The time has come.”
“Losca, have you seen your results?”
When Evie Loska called her name familiarly, Irene's eyebrows twitched. The face of Arcel, who was next to her, also stiffened.
In their absence, Evie began calling Loska "Loska" instead of "Mr. Loska".
During the exam period, they ignored it, but now they couldn't wait any longer.
*"Lusca Lagasleb, I will not leave you!"*
*"Losca, just?"*
Irene had been called that way since the beginning, but Arcel was still called in a formal manner.
*"Why only me?"*
Arcel sat up, feeling his mood sinking again.
Luska was the only one who smiled happily and answered:
“No, not yet! "So, I thought, why don't we open the scorecards together?"
Then, Irene and Arcel loudly placed their envelopes on the table.
"Good!"
“As you wish.”
Then they looked at Lusca with sharp looks.
“Anyway, I'm the one who's going to get higher grades.”
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