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Signature?
Effie was not a Minister of State, so why was his signature suddenly being asked for?
When Cloyce put her down in amazement, Evie began to rummage through her bag and carefully pull out something. It didn't take long for Cloyce to realize what it was.
“Grade transcript?”
"Yes. According to Elite Academy regulations, the transcript must bear the signature of the guardian before returning from vacation.”
This law already existed. As for Clouis, he never had to receive his grades himself, as his results were sent directly to the emperor.
But his friends in those days, like the Duke of Killern or the Marquis Ragsleb, would sigh with distress whenever they received their grades.
“This time, third in the batch. "It looks like I'm going to be reprimanded."
“Oh, what a pity! “I am ranked 405th in the batch.”
Now that he thought about it, it seemed that his friends' children had completely inherited their character.
Evie looked at the signature box at the bottom of the transcript.
“I thought about sending it to the orphanage director to sign it, but I was afraid that the letter would be lost on the way. Since the Regent can also sign, I wondered if Your Majesty could sign...and also...”
Evie shot a wary look at the butler. It was clear that there was something she was finding difficult to say in front of him.
The butler noticed this, and without Clois even pointing at him, he quickly excused himself, saying that he would bring tea and dessert, and then left the room.
As soon as the butler left, Evie's face turned into a sad expression.
“What's wrong?” Is there a problem?
This was the first time he had seen her so low in spirit, so Clowes asked her in amazement.
“Are her grades bad?”
In fact, the whispers that Evie's grades from a top country school wouldn't enable her to excel here were not unfounded.
Students from distant lands, with high grades there, often stumbled into difficulties at the elite academy and received low grades.
Therefore, it was common for students to come to the capital before applying to the academy, to train with its teachers. But Evie didn't have that chance, probably because she was shocked by her low grades for the first time.
While Cloyce was searching for suitable words of comfort, Evie spoke in a low, hesitant voice:
“I ranked second in the batch...”
«What? The second?
Without realizing it, Cloyce suddenly stood up and shouted loudly.
Second place? A child who was bullied in a rural school, deprived of decent textbooks, and even a proper notebook to write down her notes, achieved this?
Even if the exam only covers the basics to determine the distribution of classes in the second semester, this is an incredible achievement.
“No wonder Seraphina was smiling proudly as she talked about academy affairs.”
Clowes was constantly keeping tabs on Evie's grades, not that he cared whether they were high or low. Whether I ranked first or last didn't matter to him.
“Isn’t her entrance into the elite academy in itself a great achievement?”
Despite the unequal conditions compared to other students, she worked hard on her own and successfully entered the academy.
This alone was enough for Cloyce to continue praising her all his life. But he cared about her grades for fear that she would be disappointed if she got low grades for the first time.
Evie was the youngest of the students, and she had come alone from far away.
Other students who live far away either moved to D.C. with their families, or one of their parents stayed in D.C. to visit them during the move out. But Evie had no one to meet.
On top of that, after joining the academy, she faced disdain from others due to being from an orphanage, and had to wander alone.
Even when she finally made friends, the Ezriela incident happened. How could she study properly in such conditions?
Even if she studied, the traumas she experienced would certainly have affected her concentration in exams.
So, when Serafina visited him, he tried to lure her into telling him something about Evie's grades. He was thinking of preparing a gift or activity to console her if her grades were low.
But Seraphina told him that laws prevented her from revealing grades before informing students, and suggested that he ask Evie directly.
“In this case, the transcript will be sent to the orphanage director.”
Cloïs hesitated, and Seraphina said: “Don't you think that Your Majesty's excessive attention might make her feel pressured?”
Cloyce thought her words were logical, so he didn't say anything after that. But now, with Evie asking him to sign herself, he was more than happy to know her arrangement. The only problem was that Evie herself seemed disappointed.
“Evie, second place is an achievement that deserves admiration and congratulations from everyone. Why are you so sad? Is it because you didn't get first place?
With a voice filled with worry, Evie responded cautiously:
“In the foreign language subject... I made a mistake in one question.”
“…One question?”
Cloyce's voice trembled with surprise. In fact, he had asked Serafina to bring the foreign language exam questions after the exams were over, to check whether the questions included what Evie had taught him, and to know their difficulty level.
When he saw the questions, he found them to be at a suitable basic level.
He also noticed a question that Evie was struggling with, so he didn't expect her to get a high score.
“Isn't this your first time learning this language?”
Even if the questions were basic because of the first semester, they were not easy by any means.
Moreover, foreign language was an optional subject, meaning that only confident students chose it.
For Evie, who had just started learning the language, to get a good score in such a competition seemed impossible. But...just one question?
While Cloyce was immersed in his continued astonishment, Evie lowered her head further and said:
“I'm sorry... you taught me a lot, and yet...”
“No, what is this talk? Sorry about what? Why are you apologizing?
“Because I made a mistake in what you taught me...”
Cloyce wiped his face with his hand. Oh my God, for a child to lower her head as if she had committed a great crime because of something like this?
“Evie, you started learning this language for the first time this year. “To get just one question wrong on the Elite Academy exam...this is a truly amazing achievement.”
“But... despite your busyness, you found time to teach me...”
She probably didn't know how busy he was when he was known as Professor Sian.
But after she learned that he was the Emperor, and started visiting the Imperial Palace, she realized how busy he was.
“This is not something you should worry about. “I did it because I wanted, no matter how busy I was, not to find time to teach even one girl.”
Cloyce spoke in a warm and calm tone, and Evie gradually began to raise her head.
“By the way, the child I’m looking after is ranked second in the elite academy? "That means I'll be able to show off at next Monday's meeting."
“Bragging? with me?"
"Yes. You may not know, but most of the palace ministers take care of students at the academy. “At every meeting, they don’t stop bragging about their achievements… Now, I too will be able to add a word.”
Was it strange for her to become the emperor's pride? The sadness disappeared from her face, and was replaced by a bright smile full of joy.
At that moment, the butler returned with tea and sweets.
"wow…!"
Evie exclaimed in surprise as she saw the cart pushed by the butler. It was filled from top to bottom with all kinds of sweets and treats.
Through the transparent glass covers, sweets of various colors and shapes appeared. It could be said to contain every type of sweet found in the empire.
“It's time for dessert, let's eat some.”
The butler served a light, refreshing tea suitable for children, and Evie began to eat sweets with her tea.
Meanwhile, Cloïs began showing off Eppie to the butler.
“Ebi ranked second in the elite academy. In fact, the first time she learned a foreign language from me, she made a mistake in just one question!
Cloyce proudly emphasized that she learned from him.
"Oh, my God! “I knew she was always hardworking, but this is a really great accomplishment!”
The butler looked at Evie admiringly, and she smiled shyly but couldn't hide her joy.
Seeing Cloyce so happy, and the butler's astonishment, made her feel happy. Rather, she felt pride lifting up her shoulders.
Previously, when I passed the high school exam, the orphanage director was very happy. At that time, her happiness and the happiness of others around her was a source of great joy.
And now, here too, she found people who shared her joy, and she felt extremely happy.
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