CICN Chapter 2
by xxsienna
“……!”
The ministers were taken aback by Clois’s words.
“You can do the rest. I’ll leave you to it.”
As if indicating he wouldn’t pay any more attention, he stood up and turned away. The ministers also rose and bowed to him.
As Clois left, he turned to the chancellor.
“Ensure there are no issues with the child’s admission.”
“Understood.”
Clois promptly left the room. He even got the following attendants to step back.
As he made his way to his quarters, he thought about what he had just done.
Even to himself, it seemed like an unusual decision.
He deliberately admitted a child in whom he had no particular interest.
‘But… what was her name?’
After walking for a while, Clois realized he didn’t even know the name of the child he had chosen.
He stopped momentarily, exhaling a short sigh.
‘I guess it doesn’t matter.’
It was merely a warning gesture against the attitudes of the ministers, not someone he intended to pay much attention to.
Clois turned her head and stared down the long, dark hallway.
‘I’m bored.’
Perhaps it was because he had spent the entire day listening to children’s stories.
He felt even heavier fatigue than usual.
He redirected his steps from heading towards his quarters to the only place in this palace where he could find solace.
The place where his wife and daughter were buried.
Throughout the walk, he pondered.
Is there a reason for me to continue living in this world where I have nothing left to love?
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When the chancellor returned to the conference room, the ministers rushed to him, bombarding him with questions as if interrogating him.
“Who is that child?”
“What did His Majesty say? Did he say anything about adoption?”
They seemed concerned that a commoner child caught the emperor’s eye instead of their own.
The chancellor sighed and replied, swallowing his breath.
“No. He merely told me to handle it.”
“Did he say anything else…….”
“Nothing. He didn’t even ask the child’s name. Let’s continue the meeting.”
Relieved that the emperor showed little interest in the child he had chosen, the attendees breathed a sigh of relief.
As the conference room once again filled with noise, the chancellor looked at the admissions application in his hand.
Seven years old. A girl.
“Let’s see, her name is…”
The chancellor muttered the name, clearly pressing down each and every letter.
“Ivy Alden.”
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“Wow……!”
Ivy gasped as she saw the magnificent view of the grand palace through the carriage window.
“It’s so beautiful…”
She stared at the palace for a while before turning her head to the people on the opposite side, who were laughing at her.
By Ivy’s side, the orphanage director clasped her hand tightly and spoke.
“It’s truly magnificent here. I’m sure you won’t get tired of looking at it all day.”
Ivy’s face lit up at his words.
“Right? It’s so beautiful and amazing. It makes my heart race!”
Excited, Ivy looked back at the palace.
‘It’s even more amazing than what I read in books.’
She recalled the travelogue she had read numerous times.
The book described the capital city of Lancet as:
[The Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace stands as the most revered and stunning location within the millennium-old city of Lancet. The imperial palace is like a huge city in itself. In its deepest corners resides His Majesty, the only royal in Harkia.]
As Ivy gazed at the palace, she couldn’t help but smile, remembering the book’s contents.
The imperial palace.
The imperial palace is where the emperor resides!
‘To think I can enter such a place feels like a dream.’
As Ivy’s lips started to curl up, a man sitting across from the carriage glanced at Ivy and the director, chuckling.
“It looks like you’re from the countryside. Enjoy your sightseeing before heading back. When will you get another chance to see the palace?”
Upon hearing this, the director, still holding Ivy’s hand, straightened her chest and proudly replied,
“Thank you for your concern. However, Ivy will be staying in the palace from today onward. Isn’t that right, Ivy?”
“Yes!”
As Ivy nodded vigorously in response to the director’s words, the man openly laughed.
“Living in the palace? How did that happen? Do you have any idea what the imperial palace is like? If you’ve been tricked by some scam into coming to the place to get a job…?”
“We’re not here for work. My little Ivy has been accepted into the imperial palace’s academy for gifted children starting today.”
The director said with as much dignity as he could muster.
“Wait, the gifted academy?”
The man’s eyes widened at the mention of the academy.
Seeing the director’s enthusiastic response, Ivy couldn’t help but smile.
‘The director seems to be the happiest.’
A week ago, the palace contacted the orphanage where Ivy was staying.
They informed her of her acceptance into the academy and instructed her to come to the palace on the designated day.
“Really? You got into the academy? Unbelievable! What a turn of events! Of course, it’s you, Ivy! I’m sure you’ll be the smartest at the gifted academy!”
The director, who was doing laundry, came running in, not caring if her clothes were dirty or not, and hugged Ivy, holding the letter from the imperial palace.
Seeing the smile on her face made Ivy very happy.
When she was five years old, the director saved her from a terrible place.
It was a source of great joy and pride for Ivy to be able to bring her happiness.
‘And… maybe other kids can have more to eat, just like me.’
Ivy swallowed the words she couldn’t bring herself to say to the director.
Although the orphanage in Elam City received help from the locals, it wasn’t a particularly prosperous place.
The director accepted as many children as possible who had nowhere else to go.
They always had to be frugal, and the backyard of the orphanage was always filled with crops that could be eaten year-round.
Except for school hours, Ivy spent her days with the other children in the backyard, pulling weeds, catching bugs, and tending to the crops.
Still, it was challenging to keep up with the appetites of growing children.
“I want more to eat!”
One morning, as the children at the orphanage fought over an extra potato, Ivy noticed a notice on the wall of the advanced school.
[Notice of Admission to the Imperial Academy for Gifted Children]
It was a notice posted in all advanced schools across the country according to the Emperor’s orders.
Reading through it, Ivy’s eyes sparkled at the small print written at the very end.
[All living expenses will be provided during the stay at the academy.]
‘It would be easier on the director if there were fewer of us.’
Of course, it was also very appealing to learn more difficult subjects than at an advanced school.
‘Plus, they said that graduating from the academy could lead to better job opportunities.’
Most graduates of the Gifted Academy end up working in the imperial palace or, if not, becoming professors at the Academy, the highest educational institution in the empire.
While she wasn’t sure how much they paid, it was likely more than what an orphan in Elam City could earn.
‘If I earn more money, I can help the director more..’
She watched the director enthusiastically boast to the man sitting across from her.
‘I must be of great help.’
But if she said it out loud, the director would surely reassure her that she didn’t need to worry about such things.
So, she simply expressed her desire to study more and promptly submitted her application to the academy.
Although she had hoped to be accepted, she knew the chances were slim.
The news of the academy’s opening had caused quite a stir in the Empire. Rumors spread quickly.
Every noble family and wealthy household in the Empire made every effort to enroll their children.
How could she, a commoner from a small city orphanage, possibly get accepted?
So, on the day she submitted her application, Ivy sat alone by the window at night and made a wish.
‘Mom, Dad. Please let me get into the academy.’
As a shooting star streaked across the sky, Ivy silently prayed in her heart.
Normally, she wouldn’t have sought out her parents. Just thinking about them made her throat tighten.
But because she desperately wanted to be accepted into the academy, she found herself instinctively reaching out to them.
Parents—she didn’t know if they were alive or dead. Perhaps they had abandoned her because they didn’t need her.
Still, Ivy wanted to hold on and plead with them.
Please let me get into the academy.
And please help me help the orphanage.
And when I grow up and become an adult,…… please help me find my mom and dad.
I want to meet my parents.
