Chapter 133
“Hi! Long time no see! How have you been?”
“Of course! I just visited the villa in the East! The sea there was so beautiful…”
The gifted academy was bustling with life as everyone returned.
Every student who came back had multiple bags from home, and the coachmen and staff were busy unloading all the luggage.
Ivy and Irene were no exception. They had even brought a separate luggage carriage, and the children walking into the dormitory looked at them in surprise.
“I bet Irene bought these for her?”
“Probably. But Ivy… doesn’t she look a bit bigger?”
At those words, everyone nearby silently agreed.
Ivy stood out among the students at the academy. And that was even without considering that she was an orphan under special patronage.
It made sense—though she was seven, she was so small she looked no older than five.
Even now, Ivy was still very small compared to the other children.
But now, she looked like a small seven-year-old, not a five-year-old.
Her expressions had also become much brighter than before. She laughed more audibly, frowned, and expressed herself more fully.
Her richer expressions made her appear lively and vibrant.
As the staff carried Ivy and Irene’s bags upstairs, the students in the dormitory were surprised to see boxes of clothes labeled with Madame Crevel’s name.
“Madame Crevel’s boxes!”
“Then they must be full of clothes from there, right?”
“At this rate, maybe they even include seasonal festival dresses?”
At the mention of the seasonal festival, everyone’s eyes sparkled.
The dormitory was noisy not only because everyone had just returned, but also because the Autumn Seasonal Festival would begin next week.
Who could remain calm at the start of the school year when such an event was about to happen? As soon as everyone returned, all conversations revolved around the festival.
For the students, this was their first official palace event. Naturally, everyone had prepared their outfits with utmost care. Knowing where and from whom each student got their outfit became crucial information.
Of course, the most prestigious place in the capital was Madame Crevel’s store. The problem was…
“I heard Madame Crevel only makes ten seasonal festival outfits a year.”
“Yeah… and even though her apprentices make the rest, I heard it’s really hard to reserve those as well.”
So, who would wear her outfits that year was always a hot topic.
Yet now, two dress boxes were clearly being carried to Ivy and Irene’s room by the staff.
“Ivy is so lucky… Did Irene buy that for her too?”
“Who knows… Maybe His Majesty did.”
Ever since the guardian had been revealed to be the Emperor, the academy had been in utter chaos.
Those most terrified were the ones who had mocked or belittled Ivy, indirectly participating in bullying her.
After Izriella was immediately expelled, when Headmistress Seraphina summoned surrounding students for interviews, how much they had feared being expelled themselves.
Conversely, those who hadn’t cared much before now lingered nearby, hoping to befriend Ivy, albeit belatedly.
But if Irene glared, they had to keep their distance.
Without Irene, Arsel would smile intimidatingly; without Arsel, Lusca would wave them away with a disgusted expression.
Occasionally, the students saw Ivy returning from the palace.
Even without asking, they could tell she had met the Emperor.
Her expression upon returning was incredibly bright.
“By the way, will His Majesty attend this year’s seasonal festival?”
“I think so. My dad’s friend works at the palace, and he said His Majesty’s ceremonial outfit has been ready for a while. Until last year, sometimes he’d skip it or not pay attention, but this year he personally ordered preparations.”
At those words, everyone looked enviously at Ivy and Irene going upstairs.
A child specially cared for by the Emperor—clearly, Ivy would be the highlight of the festival alongside His Majesty.
Ivy and Irene opened the door and stepped inside.
The familiar scent of wood hit them, and they realized they had returned to the dormitory.
“It really feels like we’re back after a long time.”
“Yes, indeed.”
The vacation had only lasted five weeks.
Honestly, it had felt like the five weeks flew by, but returning to the dormitory, it felt as if a long time had passed—the place seemed unfamiliar.
‘That just means it was really fun.’
Irene shrugged and looked at Ivy.
Until just before falling asleep yesterday, Ivy had been talking about the hot air balloon ride.
She had expected Ivy to enjoy it, but seeing her reaction exceed expectations was so rewarding.
‘All the effort was worth it.’
Before vacation, when Ivy mentioned that she had never gone to someone else’s house or gone on trips like this, Irene had felt a lump in her throat.
She had resolved to make the entire experience perfect from the start.
“I don’t want to go back to the dorm…”
Even Ivy, who loved the academy so much, murmured sleepily as she held Irene’s hand and drifted off to sleep. Irene silently celebrated.
‘My plan worked perfectly.’
Ivy had enjoyed the vacation so much that this summer had been fully satisfying.
‘Well, Lusca’s meals were delicious too…’
The stir-fried dishes she made all week were so tasty. Irene even wanted to visit every weekend and nag her to prepare meals.
‘And I need to be careful with Arsel… I might lose Ivy to him.’
At the start of the vacation, Ivy had called him “Sir Arsel,” but after visiting his house, she naturally called him Arsel and held his hand more comfortably than before.
‘And the Duchess even took Ivy with her…’
Involving an adult in their rivalry felt unfair.
Meanwhile, the staff had carried all the bags upstairs.
“That’s everything. It’ll be hard to organize all this.”
The staff clicked their tongues at the number and weight of the bags compared to other children.
“Thank you for carrying them!”
Saying so, Ivy handed out the candies she had brought to the staff.
“These are so cute! Thank you!”
After receiving the adorable tip, they left, and the two of them began organizing their belongings.
“There aren’t enough hangers…”
Ivy frowned in front of the wardrobe.
Before vacation, she only had three outfits in total: the one the principal bought her to wear to the academy, another spare outfit, and casual clothes from the academy.
Other than her uniform, Ivy’s wardrobe was practically empty compared to other children.
But when Irene brought some of her old clothes, the previously empty wardrobe quickly filled up.
Eventually, Ivy even had to use her usually empty drawers to store all her clothes.
After organizing the clothes, she tidied other items: books from Arsel, snacks from Lusca, and so on.
Once everything was organized, the room felt full of possessions.
All of it was hers—it was overwhelming, as she had never had so many things before.
Finally, Ivy took out the bag she had personally carried. Inside were her magic stone and wooden squirrel doll—the first things she always packed wherever she went.
Even visiting a friend’s house was unfamiliar for her. But Ivy was unafraid, and soon she fell into a deep sleep.
‘It’s thanks to this.’
No matter where she slept, the light of the magic stone gave her comfort, warm and cozy, as if held in someone’s arms.
Ivy hugged the stone tightly. It sensed her touch and glowed immediately.
Looking up, she noticed the sky had turned red.
A cool breeze blew, and in the distant forest, leaves collided with a sound like waves.
Watching for a moment, Ivy put down the stone and headed outside.
“Irene, I’m going out for a bit!”
“Ivy? Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back quickly!”
“Ivy!”
Irene called, but Ivy quickly ran out into the hallway and rushed down the stairs.
Leaving the dormitory, Ivy headed for the forest marking the boundary between the academy and the palace.
The forest was dense with summer growth.
The narrow paths that Ivy had used before, likely for animals, should have disappeared by now.
“Ah, there it is.”
A small path appeared, as if waiting for her.
Without hesitation, Ivy crawled into it.
Had it grown even more? Her clothes brushed against more branches than before, yet there were still no thorns, and no branch touched her face.
After crawling through the thickets for a while, she saw…
“Your Majesty!”
“Ivy?”
The person Ivy wanted to see was sitting there.
She immediately got up and ran into his arms.
Chlois, as if it were the most natural thing, opened his arms and embraced her.
“I went in a hot air balloon with my friends! We flew so high…!”
Hugging him, Ivy immediately started boasting.
She chattered about the size of the balloon, the strength of the wind, the view of the capital from above, and how beautiful the sunrise was.
A smile spread across his face as he listened to her excited voice.
Finally, when she finished boasting, Ivy looked at him and asked,
“What were you doing? You went back because you had something to do.”
“That’s all taken care of. But more importantly…”
He set Ivy down on a bench and spoke seriously.
“I wanted to ask you something, and I’m glad we could meet like this.”
“Ask me something?”
“Yes. You see…”
Chlois hesitated for a long moment. A warm breeze gently brushed their hair.
At that moment, Chlois finally said the words he had practiced countless times the previous night, struggling to speak them.
“Ivy, will you be my daughter?”
