CIRN 47

Chapter 47

He recalled the mana stone he had sent.

It was the very same mana stone that had captured his attention for a long time when he had entered the mana stone vault with Seraphina.

After overhearing the ministers’ conversation, Clois spent the whole day agonizing over what kind of gift to send.

Even while working, having tea, reading a book, and even right before falling asleep.

At first, it was merely supposed to be a formality.

After all, she was a child he had chosen to come here.

He couldn’t afford to pamper her and look after her in every detail, but he thought he should at least provide the basics.

He could’ve asked the Minister of Internal Affairs to handle it—just like when choosing a guardian, they would’ve taken care of it on their own.

‘But…’

The image of the small child handing him a handkerchief kept lingering in his mind.

If they had never seen each other face to face, maybe he wouldn’t have felt this way.

But knowing that the child believed he was Sian Roschen, he couldn’t bring himself to send a careless gift.

‘And I do need to return the handkerchief, after all.’

If he simply sent the handkerchief back and nothing else, it felt somehow wrong.

Once he decided to give a gift, the worry wouldn’t leave him.

‘A fountain pen? Everyone gives those.’

Now that he’d decided to give a gift, he wanted it to be something good.

Obtaining a fine item wasn’t a problem.

‘But I don’t want to give something just like everyone else.’

He considered giving clothes or accessories.

But he didn’t know much about such things.

What her clothing size might be, how big her feet were, what colors she liked, what kind of accessories she preferred.

He’d never even seen or bought a child’s belongings in his life.

‘If I send something and she doesn’t like it, that’d be unfortunate too.’

So he thought maybe it was best to go shopping together and pick something out directly.

‘But it’s not like I can go with her.’

He had no intention of meeting Evie Elden again.

No, he couldn’t.

In the spur of the moment, he had lied and said he was a professor.

He couldn’t very well say, “I’m the Emperor, and you’ve wandered into the Empress and Princess’s tombs without permission.”

Even though there wouldn’t have been a problem saying so… Clois didn’t want to scare the child.

Still, the child had seen him. She might have heard about the guardian’s gift and was looking forward to it.

‘At the very least, I hope it becomes a pleasant memory—just like the other children’s happy experiences.’

If she received the gift, maybe she would think the professor she met was a kind person.

That much would be more than enough.

The problem was that he simply couldn’t decide on the gift.

Nothing he considered truly satisfied him.

‘I want to send something at least on par with, if not better than, what the other ministers are sending.’

If he wasn’t going to send anything, that would be one thing—but since this was likely the first and last gift, he wanted it to be useful and of great value.

‘But what would that be?’

With no clear answer, Clois spent the entire day agonizing over it.

Perhaps it showed more than he realized.

“Your Majesty, are you all right? You’ve been absent-minded all day, and I’m worried. If something is wrong, perhaps you should see a physician…”

The Minister of State cautiously addressed him with a very concerned expression.

It was understandable.

Clois was someone who never let even the most exhausting state matters slide during meetings.

But now, it was clear to anyone that he was unfocused, lost in deep thought.

And not just that—he occasionally chuckled to himself, only to suddenly frown and mutter, “No, that’s not it.”

The ministers around him were stunned.

Clois was always expressionless.

The only emotions he sometimes revealed were anger, disdain, or a deep sense of boredom.

And now… he was smiling?

That was why the Minister had hurriedly asked about his health.

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

Only after hearing the minister’s worried question did Clois realize:

He had been thinking about Evie’s gift all day.

Since ascending the throne, he had never once worried about something so trivial.

He had never dwelled on a single issue this long before, either.

This wasn’t normal.

Even though he was aware of that, he still didn’t want to pass this matter off to someone else.

He continued agonizing over the gift for several days, even after returning to his chambers.

Eventually, he turned off the light to sleep. In the pitch-black room, he recalled what Seraphina had reported a few days ago.

That day, Evie had been found in a room with portraits in the museum.

It had been long past sundown. Just how long had the child been trembling alone in that dark, cold place?

‘She must’ve been scared.’

He worried that she might still be troubled by the experience.

What if she struggled every time she tried to sleep?

If only she had something beside her—like a lamp…

At that moment, Clois jumped up and left the room.

The attendant standing outside was startled and followed him in a hurry.

Without hesitation, Clois walked straight to the mana stone vault.

The guards, startled by the sudden appearance of the Emperor, saluted rigidly. He acknowledged them briefly and entered.

As soon as he walked in, he found exactly what he was looking for:

A mana stone that emitted a faint light and warmth—nothing else.

The next morning, he ordered it to be specially processed.

So that a child wouldn’t hurt herself while handling it.

After commanding it to be wrapped and sent, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction.

‘This should be more than sufficient as a guardian’s gift.’

He didn’t realize it wasn’t just sufficient—it was extraordinary enough to shock everyone.

It was a cherished item that reminded him of a brief memory with Lillian, yet he didn’t feel the slightest regret sending it to someone else.

Because instead of sitting quietly forgotten in a vault, if it could soothe a small child’s fear, then it was a far better use. Lillian would’ve thought the same.

The Next Day

The girls’ dormitory had a noticeably different atmosphere.

Every morning, students usually gathered in front of Irene’s room to go to class together.

But today, strangely, no one was there.

Evie, unsure what to do, kept glancing nervously at Irene.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… no one came, so…”

“Isn’t it obvious? That Izriella girl probably ran around all day yesterday telling everyone not to come to me first.”

Irene shrugged as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Evie was honestly relieved by Irene’s reaction.

‘If she had regretted everything and blamed me… I would’ve been so sad.’

Sensing what Evie was thinking, Irene patted her on the shoulder and said,

“Anyway, our first class today is math, right? I switched to Professor Malles too, so let’s go together. But before that—breakfast. I’m starving!”

Maybe it was because she noticed Evie was still worried, but Irene spoke louder than usual and reached out her hand to her.

Evie grasped Irene’s hand and beamed brightly.

“Yes, let’s go!”

Professor Malles was hurrying to his classroom.

He had intentionally chosen a classroom so far away that it took a brisk 10-minute walk from the main building.

‘That damn Seraphina! Said she’d handle it!’

Seraphina had told him that there were no remaining classrooms and that getting a new one would be difficult.

“You’re the dean, and you can’t even get me a classroom?”

“Because I’m the dean, I have to follow the rules!”

He shouted in frustration, but there was no way to conjure a classroom out of thin air.

That’s when she had subtly watched him and said,

“Well… there’s no classroom, but there is a head professor’s office left. Just one. If you apply, you can get it…”

“Head professor? Once you take that, aren’t you stuck for years?”

“You said you were planning to work longer anyway. So why not just apply and get a nice classroom?”

Seraphina had a point.

‘If I stay until Evie graduates…’

He’d be working a few more years anyway, so applying wasn’t a bad idea.

Still, the idea of being tied to the academy like this made him feel like he was falling into Seraphina’s trap.

So he told her he’d think about it more and left.

As he walked down the hallway, he sensed someone inside the classroom.

‘How diligent.’

He was sure Evie had arrived early again.

Malles opened the door. But the voice he heard wasn’t Evie’s—it was another female student.

“This classroom really is too far. Should we switch to a different math class?”