CICN 13

Chapter 13

The dormitory lobby buzzed with students coming downstairs.

But it was obvious that more than half hadn’t come down yet.

“Why is everyone so late? It’s almost 8:30.”

“Why do you think? They’re noble young masters. They’ll probably come down much later.”

Children from wealthy commoner families stood with their arms crossed, gazing up the staircase.

Nobles were always late. They always showed up after the scheduled party time, and the higher their status, the later they arrived.

And today was no exception. The higher the rank, the later they appeared.

“But the staff doesn’t look like they’re going to let it slide.”

“Of course not. My dad went to this academy when he was younger, and he said the rules were super strict.”

“So nobles really might get penalized? Like demerits or even expulsion?”

“Probably.”

Hearing the nearby kids chat like that made Evie anxious.

It was now 8:28. Only two minutes left until 8:30.

Thankfully, she saw Irene coming down the stairs. And behind her, other students rushed after her in a flustered state.

Evie, watching the scene, tilted her head.

‘Did they… fight or something?’

No matter how she looked at it, Irene didn’t seem too pleased with them.

As proof, Irene was turning her head away and not even looking at them.

In contrast, the girls behind her were clearly trying hard to strike up conversation.

At that moment, Irene and Evie made eye contact. Irene hesitated briefly, then took a step toward Evie—

Ding!

A short bell rang out.

“Alright. It’s now 8:30. Students still standing inside, please move outside.”

Staff members stood firmly at the foot of the stairs and began guiding only those students who had arrived in time out of the dormitory.

Evie, along with the others, walked outside. Just then, voices rang out behind them—students who had come down late.

“What is this?! Get out of the way!”

“Demerits? Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“I came down on my own two feet! You think it’s easy getting ready without a maid?”

The late students were loudly protesting the fact that they were receiving demerits.

And despite being late, they were completely shameless.

‘Do you know who we are? How dare you?’

These were kids who had never once needed to humble themselves before anyone.

Just saying their family name or who their parents were made everyone bow their heads.

They didn’t think this elite academy would be any different.

Of course, after one day, that belief had started to change.

‘I can’t believe we really weren’t allowed to bring in our maids…’

Still, they figured it was just temporary.

Not just their own families, but others were already filing complaints with the academy.

Even if this place belonged to the imperial palace, in the end, it still operated under noble influence.

They figured the staff might act strict at first, but would eventually bow to pressure.

And above all…

One student glared at the staff member blocking her and snapped:

“You think you’ll be fine treating House Gridan like this?”

House Gridan was a family that had made its name during the succession wars.

They weren’t the Emperor’s closest allies like House Ragselv, but they’d secured a decent estate by playing their cards right.

Her older brother might even become a royal guard someday.

Outside these walls, just hearing the name Gridan was enough to make people bow.

So she thought the same would happen here—mention her family name, and staff would tread carefully.

“House Gridan?”

The staff member blocking her nodded, seemingly in recognition.

“Then your name must be Ella Gridan.”

But her response wasn’t one of respect, admiration, or awe.

It sounded more like… mockery.

Startled, the girl flinched and stepped back.

Without asking anything more, the staff turned and walked away.

“W-What is with that woman? I’m not letting this go!”

But there wasn’t much the students could do.

“Next student. State your name.”

Even when nobles gave their family names, the staff didn’t budge. One by one, they took names down with no sign of reverence.

The late students received demerits before finally being allowed to leave the dormitory.

Outside, the students moved with far more urgency than before.

They’d realized now—the staff weren’t going to make exceptions for anyone.

The staff guided them to a plaza.

There was no need to march in formation, so students grouped up with those they’d grown friendly with.

Some had made friends even before enrolling, but most stuck with their roommates.

Evie glanced at them with envy, then looked away.

Irene was surrounded by a crowd of students.

Many had visited her room, but even more students clustered around her outside.

The staff member leading their group had to ask repeatedly for students around Irene to lower their voices.

Even then, the girls refused to leave Irene’s side, eager to greet her or start a conversation.

Evie watched for a moment, then looked away, a bit wistful.

Just then, a girl she didn’t recognize appeared beside her.

“Hi! You’re Evie Elden, right? I’m Remora Isell.”

The girl who introduced herself as Remora beamed and held out her hand.

“H-hello!”

Evie hurried to shake her hand—this was the first time someone had approached her so openly.

Remora smiled and said,

“You might not be able to tell, but I’m a commoner just like you. So, it might not be easy, but try to treat me comfortably.”

As she said this, Remora dramatically brushed her brooch.

Under the sunlight, the gem-studded brooch sparkled so much it was almost uncomfortable to look at.

Though she said “be at ease,” that flashiness made Evie tense up again.

“I heard you’re from an orphanage. Which one? Truiden? Probably that one, right? It’s near the capital, so His Majesty’s probably visited a few times.”

“W-What?”

Evie couldn’t follow Remora’s train of thought at all.

It was one thing to casually ask about the orphanage, but why suddenly mention a city near the capital?

And then His Majesty?

“Have you already been chosen for adoption after graduation? Or…”

Remora glanced around, then whispered,

“Are you maybe an illegitimate child from a noble house?”

“Huh?”

Evie’s eyes widened at the word illegitimate.

She knew exactly what it meant—and how people usually avoided even saying it aloud.

But now this girl was suddenly asking that so bluntly?

Evie stood frozen, unsure how to respond, and Remora leaned in close, wrapping her arm around Evie like they were old friends.

“It’s okay. You can tell me everything. We’re friends, right? There’s no need to hide stuff like that. If it’s a good family, you’ll get help later anyway.”

Friends?

They had just met and said hello.

So far, Remora had done all the talking, bombarding Evie with questions.

And now she was suddenly calling them friends?

Evie could only feel baffled.

And more than that…

‘If we were really friends, she wouldn’t be asking these kinds of questions.’

Evie thought of her friends at the orphanage.

There had been a lot of kids there. It was impossible to be close with everyone.

Some she only knew by face, some she didn’t get along with.

But the ones she did call friends—she remembered how they treated her.

They always spoke with care, considering her feelings.

They never said hurtful things or brought up painful topics.

So someone like Remora, who blurted out whatever she was curious about without thinking, couldn’t possibly be a real friend.

After a moment’s hesitation, Evie shook her head.

“Um… none of that is true. I’m from a city called Elam in the eastern part of the Empire. I’ve never met His Majesty, of course. And I don’t know who my parents are—neither of them.”

Evie’s firm answer made Remora flinch and let go of her arm.

“W-What? That can’t be right… but the rumors definitely said…”

She muttered to herself, then wandered off to rejoin the other students she’d been with earlier.

Evie was left standing alone once more, when suddenly, students around her started murmuring.

Curious, Evie turned her head—

And saw a familiar face.

Among the students coming from the boys’ dormitory, at the very front, were Arcel and Luska.