Chapter 129
Finally, the day had come to attend the “Divine Natural Numbers” gathering.
Ivy and Irene were surrounded by three maids from early in the morning.
“Here! Roll the hair a bit more!”
“Would this hair accessory look better?”
“Use a smaller bag!”
Even though they had spent all day wondering what to wear after Ivy returned, until the very morning of departure, everyone kept arguing about what would look best.
As the maids tied Ivy’s hair into two pigtails, she glanced at the invitation Irene had given her.
She had already received a brooch, but she was still excited for the other three to receive theirs, and especially thrilled at the prospect of meeting Professor Malres and other seniors she could now call her upperclassmen.
“Are you really that excited?”
“Yes!”
Since this was the first batch of students after the gifted academy reopened, there hadn’t been anyone she could call a senior inside the school—so this was quite an unexpected development.
“But, Irene, where exactly is the Ribera Hotel?”
“It’s the largest hotel on the main hotel street right in the capital. It’s gorgeous and beautiful… sometimes when foreign royalty visits, they stay here instead of the palace. It’s built along the river, so the view is stunning too.”
Irene’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Our Terence family even bought the land next door. Within ten years, we plan to build an amazing luxury hotel there, so look forward to it.”
“Yes, yes… but isn’t a hotel like that enormous?”
“Exactly. This hotel alone has four separate buildings.”
“So where should we go once we get off?”
“Hmmm, there must be a designated seminar area inside the hotel. Just go there and ask. They probably rented a small hall or something.”
Irene clenched her fist with excitement.
“Anyway, even from what I checked, quite a few important figures of the empire are here. Once we get the brooch and are officially recognized as their juniors… heh… hehe…”
When she first faced Izriella, she had felt a bit overwhelmed.
The reason she had joined the capital’s gifted academy was precisely to make connections and to prepare for the Terence family’s future expansion.
It had been a good decision, though sometimes she felt a pang of guilt thinking she might have disappointed her parents and older sister.
Thankfully, her sister had come in person to tell her not to worry, but she knew there would still be nobles harboring resentment.
“Quality over quantity, right?”
Upon receiving the Divine Natural Numbers brooch, she received dozens of letters from her family saying, “Our Irene is the best!”
With that, she had achieved her initial goal, and her shoulders naturally straightened with pride.
Just then, the sound of a carriage arriving reached them, and a maid came up to announce:
“Arsel Keylen and Ruska Lagselv have arrived.”
“Hm, I thought they might have forgotten to come since we didn’t get a reply, but it seems that’s not the case. Let’s go, Ivy.”
“Yes!”
Even though it had only been a few days since they parted, Ivy fondly remembered the lively days they had spent together and hurried downstairs with joy.
“Arsel! Ruska!”
“Ivy!”
The two waved warmly at her.
As Ivy approached them, she tilted her head in confusion.
She had assumed that both of them had stayed quietly at home while she and Irene were out. But…
“Why do you both look so tired?”
“Uh? Ah, well…”
Neither could confess that they had been investigating the past of the Aradman Count and Ivy right up until coming here.
“Did you really study like Irene said?”
“Uh? Oh, yeah! Since the second semester starts right after we return and there’s also a seasonal program, we didn’t have enough time, so we studied in advance. Haha!”
Hearing Ruska’s answer, Irene, coming down the stairs, gave her a look that said, You really did, huh.
Meanwhile, Arsel naturally extended his hand to Ivy, and she immediately took it.
“Shall we go then?”
As Irene had described, the Ribera Hotel was located at the heart of the capital, in the busiest and most glamorous area.
Yet behind the main road-facing building were separate guest buildings, so while centrally located, it felt quiet and cozy.
Ivy couldn’t take her eyes off the cityscape outside the carriage window, overwhelmed by the bustling capital after so long.
She spotted a large candy store and made a mental note of its location.
Next time I come with His Majesty, I should suggest visiting there.
Ivy recalled how much Clois enjoyed sweets.
So surely he’d love candy too, right?
Soon, the carriage arrived at the front of the Ribera Hotel.
When the travelers’ names were announced, the hotel staff greeted them warmly and escorted the carriage inside.
Once everyone had entered, the main doors were closed as if no one else was coming.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Irene stared at the closed doors in disbelief.
“Why, Irene?”
“I was just wondering why they closed the doors. This hotel has a restaurant and café in the seminar building, so usually there’d be a lot of people coming and going all day…”
“Uh? Hey, there’s no one here.”
Ruska, looking around the hotel entrance, noticed the same. Normally, the entrance would be bustling with people, but it was strangely quiet.
“What’s happening…?”
Just then, the sound of people rushing out from inside could be heard.
“Oh, my child! You’re here!”
Unsurprisingly, the first to appear was Professor Malres.
He ran forward, scooped up Ivy, and smiled brightly.
“Oh, how much fun did you have to come back so tanned? Did those rascals treat you well?”
“Yes! It was so much fun! And…”
Ivy bit her lip, refraining from talking about His Majesty going out to rest.
“Go on…”
“I wanted to see you too, Professor.”
“Oh, how wonderful! Look at that! My child thinking of her teacher like this.”
Professor Malres, still holding Ivy, turned to the students following him.
Then, as if not to forget, he brought the other three children to his side.
“These are your youngest members.”
Seeing the four children, the crowd that had gathered around Professor Malres erupted in excitement.
“Our youngest! Finally, new youngest members in our group!”
“Wow, four of them! What a miracle!”
The four children froze in shock at the crowd surrounding them.
Professor Malres smiled proudly.
“Everyone wanted to see you, so they gathered here. Honestly, our numbers aren’t huge, but some have become foreign ambassadors, some high officials in the palace. And even the people who designed and built this hall, and decorated it—they’re all my students. Thanks to that, we get to use this hall freely today.”
“All of it…?”
“Yes! Otherwise, too many would cling trying to get close. Come on, let’s go inside! Many people are waiting!”
Professor Malres beamed as he led his new students inside.
Meanwhile, Clois was examining old legal codes along with some documents he had prepared in the past.
These documents were for designating an heir.
Several steps were required to become his successor.
Most importantly, the candidate had to be adopted as Clois’s child.
Even normal adoptions required considerable paperwork, but becoming the imperial heir required dozens of times more.
He had prepared this long ago but had left it aside for a while.
“…Phew.”
Reading the tiny letters in the legal code, he furrowed his brows and rubbed his temples.
Upon returning to the palace and handling urgent matters, he immediately sought these documents.
He couldn’t stop thinking about one thing:
If Ivy becomes my daughter…
The thought alone made his throat tighten.
A child who eats well, laughs heartily, and chatters happily.
Even facing the palace knights, whom other children might fear, Ivy felt no fear at all—as if she fully believed they would protect her.
Clois’s thoughts kept chaining together.
If he raised her properly, she would soon be as tall and capable as children her age.
She would love studying languages and math, and he would whisper promises to buy her favorite candies.
Sometimes she might beg to go out and cling to him.
Even imagining it made Clois’s heart race.
These were the small wishes he had always wanted to share with his daughter.
It’s not Evebien.
He knew that, yet…
If Ivy accepts and acknowledges me…
Clois wanted to be that small child’s father, her solid ground and wide sky, so she could simply live happily and safely.
As Ivy and the others entered the hall, a huge cheer and shout erupted:
“Everyone, finally, our youngest members have arrived!”
Bang! Bang! Small fireworks exploded inside the hall, scattering colorful confetti and glitter overhead.
The four children froze in awe.
A huge banner on the wall of the largest hotel hall read: [Congratulations! New youngest members join Divine Natural Numbers after 26 years!] alongside the four children’s names.
Seeing Professor Malres and the four children enter, Lucy grabbed a megaphone—designed to amplify voice perfectly according to mathematical principles—and shouted:
“Applause for the new youngest members after 26 years! And…”
Lucy, thrilled, raised her voice even higher:
“Thanks to the youngest members, something amazing has happened!”
