Chapter 4
‘Arsel? Ruska?’
Ebi looked at the two boys who had helped her.
She didn’t know it, but both of them were from the most prestigious families in the Empire.
Arsel Kaelen was the third son of Duke Kaelen, the chief contributor to Emperor Clois’s rise to the throne and his most fervent supporter.
Arsel had shown genius in every field since childhood, and with two older brothers ahead of him, there was no issue regarding family succession.
Moreover, having met the Emperor frequently from a young age, people often said the Emperor might adopt him.
Among the new students at the academy for the gifted, Arsel also had the highest entrance scores—an unmatched genius in literature, mathematics, physics, even strategy and swordsmanship.
Then there was Ruska, who was no different. The fourth son of the Marquis of Ragselv, another powerful noble house that supported the Emperor alongside Duke Kaelen.
Unlike the calm and composed Arsel, Ruska was known for his fiery temper and blunt words.
But whenever he got angry, it was always in defense of the weak.
Because of that, the Marquis of Ragselv, known for his upright nature, was proud of his son, who took after him so clearly.
Ruska lagged behind Arsel in academics, but as a knight, he had superior physical abilities.
Among his peers, he already demonstrated outstanding skills and could even spar with knights of the imperial palace.
They were the children most likely to be adopted by the Emperor and belonged to the most powerful families in the Empire.
Naturally, every incoming student at the academy aimed to get close to them.
But for Ebi to get on their bad side from the start?
“What’s going on here?”
A staff member, sensing the commotion, approached from the front.
Arsel quickly turned to the boy who had fallen earlier and spoke.
“It’s nothing. Right?”
The boy nodded vigorously at Arsel’s words.
He had realized that Arsel was trying to let the incident go quietly.
“Y-yes! It’s nothing! I just tripped!”
The staff looked at them with suspicion but had to move quickly to get everyone to the academy, so he soon returned to his position.
Once the staff left, Ruska leaned over and whispered to the boy while patting his shoulder.
“Consider yourself lucky today.”
It was clearly a threatening tone, but the boy just nodded again and fled to where the other children were gathered.
Once he was gone, Ebi bowed to the two boys.
“Thank you for helping me.”
Arsel was about to say something in reply when staff waiting at the academy gates began calling names.
“Ebi! Ebi Elden! Where are you?”
Startled, Ebi looked at the two boys.
Arsel gave her a small nod and said, “Sounds like they’re calling you. You should go.”
Ebi bowed once more in gratitude and hurried off.
Then Ruska turned to Arsel.
“Well, this is something. I actually saw you help someone?”
He was genuinely shocked.
Who was Arsel, after all?
People were easily fooled by his good looks and called him an angel or said he was perfect, but Ruska knew Arsel’s true nature—completely lacking in mercy.
He never showed interest in anything that wasn’t his responsibility.
Words like kindness or compassion had no place in Arsel’s life.
And now this guy suddenly helped a commoner girl he had never even met?
Ruska looked toward the spot where Ebi had gone and slung an arm over Arsel’s shoulder.
“That little girl your type? If the noble ladies who pine for you find out, they’ll start showing up in those clothes.”
“Cut the nonsense.”
Arsel replied coldly and brushed off Ruska’s arm.
“Seriously, then why did you help her?”
“I was curious.”
“Curious about what?”
“…”
Arsel didn’t answer.
The day his admission to the academy had been confirmed, his father, Duke Kaelen, had called him in.
“You got top marks.”
“I see.”
Arsel didn’t seem pleased. He saw it as a given.
Among nobles his age or even several years older, none could surpass Arsel academically.
So entering the academy as the top student was expected.
Then Duke Kaelen continued.
“But you’d better stay on your toes. There’s someone who could have surpassed you if conditions were the same.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s a kid from an orphanage who ranked second.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know the name. I just heard they’re a commoner. The Emperor himself selected them for this year’s entrance.”
“His Majesty did?”
“Yes. I doubt it was out of personal interest. Most likely, he was warning the ministers for their incompetence… but the child is clearly intelligent.”
The Duke smiled faintly at Arsel.
“They seemed younger than you… I think you two will become good friends.”
“You mean you think they’ll be a good rival.”
“Same thing, isn’t it? You get along with Ruska, don’t you?”
“He’s an annoying burden.”
“Oh dear. If the Marquis of Ragselv heard that, he’d be fuming.”
Arsel didn’t respond to his father’s teasing.
He didn’t ask more, but from that day, he couldn’t help being curious about the child chosen by the Emperor.
‘A commoner from an orphanage, and they passed the senior school exam at age seven? With near-perfect marks?’
Arsel also had perfect marks—but his were from the capital’s top school. That child had taken the exam in a rural town.
Even with similar scores, Arsel’s were rated higher, which is why he was granted top admission.
But the more he thought about it, the more curious he became.
If he had grown up in an orphanage, could he have done the same?
He decided he’d look for that student once he entered the academy.
But today, he didn’t even have to look.
He spotted her right away—a small girl clutching a cloth bag, nervously glancing around.
Her clothes were clearly different from everyone else’s, so the other children were keeping a bit of distance from her.
That made it easier for Arsel to approach her.
‘Is she really seven?’
Seven was the youngest age allowed at the academy, but she looked even younger.
Beneath the rough but neatly ironed sleeves of her clothes, her thin wrists showed.
Arsel sighed involuntarily.
So it was true she came from a poor orphanage in a rural town. She must not have had enough to eat.
He had just started to approach her when it all happened.
“Hey, Arsel?”
Ruska called to him, puzzled by his silence.
“You’re really interested in that kid?”
“I just stopped the child personally selected by the Emperor from getting into trouble on her first day.”
Arsel’s stiff reply made Ruska yawn and stretch behind his neck.
“Sure, sure. Loyal subject already, huh?”
Just then, the staff began calling Arsel and Ruska’s names.
“Enough talk. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, yeah. By the way, I heard the dorms at the academy are shared rooms. Think we’ll be roommates?”
Ruska shrugged and ran ahead to the staff, excited.
As Arsel walked after him, he found himself turning his head.
There was Ebi, still standing alone, with no one approaching her.
‘At this rate, she’s going to have a hard time.’
Arsel turned away.
Once people found out the Emperor had chosen her, she’d face jealousy and resentment.
She was young, too. Would she be able to endure the nobles’ scorn?
‘Still…’
Arsel thought to himself that he hoped Ebi could endure and stay at the academy for a long time.
And then, he was surprised by his own thought.
‘Why do I care?’
He’d only just met her. Why was he worrying?
‘If she drops out early, it’ll seem like she disrespected His Majesty’s will. That would be unpleasant. It also goes against the ideals of the academy.’
That was how Arsel justified his thoughts to himself—by appealing to ideals and duty.
Now, she was someone unrelated to him.
Yet the image of the small girl bowing with a bag half her size kept lingering in his mind.
