Can I cry now? - CICN Chapter 011
The entrance, which had been empty when she left, was now packed with people.
Ivy, momentarily flustered, checked the door number, wondering if she had come to the wrong room.
But it was definitely room 305—her own room.
‘Then who are all these people?’
If they were there, she would have thought it was her roommates, but no matter how she looked at it, there were at least twenty female students standing in the room.
“It looks like Miss Irene’s roommate has arrived.”
“But she seems quite young, doesn’t she?”
Most of the girls standing there appeared to be around ten years old.
While Ivy was pondering how to greet these girls who were taller than her, someone chuckled and said,
“It’s the first time I’ve seen your face. Where did you come from?”
The child looked Ivy up and down and asked a question with a puzzled look on her face.
“My name is Ivy Alden. I’m from Elam City.”
“Oh, I’ve heard about you. You’re the orphanage kid who has just enrolled, right?”
Before Ivy could finish her sentence, someone exclaimed in surprise.
The other students around began to chime in one by one.
“My goodness, did they really accept a commoner into the Academy for the Gifted?”
“It seems they selected her for her excellent grades, but still, how could they admit a commoner?”
“She’s already wearing the school uniform. Does she not have any other clothes? Her appearance is a mess.”
Hearing that her appearance was a mess, Ivy hurriedly inspected her outfit.
Her clothes were a bit wrinkled from going in and out of the woods, but it wasn’t anything major.
However, the looks she was receiving made her feel as if she had just rolled in the dirt.
Ivy looked at the clothes of the students around her; none of them were wearing the academy’s uniform yet. Instead, they were all dressed in extravagant clothes.
Even the children’s clothes had so many ornaments that they were not far behind the nobility’s clothes.
It was clear from their clothes and demeanor that all of the children here came from wealthy, noble families.
At that moment, a person walked out from among the group of girls.
‘Wow…’
Ivy barely managed to swallow the exclamation that almost escaped her lips.
The person who walked out looked about thirteen years old. Naturally, she was much taller than Ivy and stood out with a remarkably mature air.
She had long, curly silver hair that reached her waist, as well as clear, deep violet eyes.
She was the most beautiful person Ivy had ever seen.
Her sharp eyes gave her a slightly fierce appearance, but even that added to her charm with her finely chiseled features.
At that point, one of the students spoke to her.
“Miss Irene, something must be wrong. There’s no way this child could be your roommate.”
Hearing this, the girl called Irene frowned.
Then the other girls started chiming in again.
“What on earth is the Gifted Academy thinking, putting Miss Irene with this child? They said Miss Izrella and Miss Rensi would be roommates!”
“Exactly. We all expected Miss Irene’s roommate to be at least from a count’s family, not a commoner!”
As the murmurs grew louder, Irene’s eyes became even sharper.
“Enough.”
At Irene’s words, everyone fell silent.
In the quiet entrance, Irene walked up to Ivy.
Click, clack.
The luxurious shoes, adorned with beautiful decorations, stopped right in front of Ivy.
Gulp.
Ivy swallowed nervously and met Irene’s gaze.
Meanwhile, the other girls standing next to them were whispering.
“To think they paired a lady from the family known as the Kings of the South with her. Was the dorm really assigned randomly?”
“No way. It’s only natural for the Gifted Academy to pair the roommates according to their status.”
“Then what happened? Could it be that the Academy thought this commoner girl would be suitable as Miss Irene’s roommate?”
“But I heard that girl is the second-highest scorer after Arcel, who just enrolled.”
“Even so, she’s just an orphanage child. This is an insult to Miss Irene!”
Hearing the voices of the students gossiping about her, Ivy shrunk in on herself.
Their sharp gazes cut through her.
Glancing around briefly, Ivy returned her gaze to Irene.
All the while, Irene quietly inspected her from head to toe.
‘Of course… she must be upset.’
It reminded Ivy of her time at the advanced school in Elam.
Almost everyone there was a commoner, except for a few. Even so, when Ivy attended classes, everyone looked at her with distaste.
She had no parents and was poorer than most, but they already classified her as someone who didn’t belong with them.
If they treated her that way, there was no way the daughters of the empire’s top nobles would welcome her.
‘She might ask to change roommates.’
There was a rule that allowed changing roommates after consultation with the academy’s professors if there was a serious issue.
As Ivy and Irene silently looked at each other, the whispers among the students grew louder.
“Still, the Terrence family is so powerful. They say half of the southern wealth belongs to them.”
“By the way, I heard Miss Irene doesn’t get along with her half-sister. They’ve been clashing over the successor position… Could it be that her sister had a hand in this?”
Amidst the murmurs, Irene’s eyes trembled before she finally spoke.
“…Pathetic.”
“Sorry?”
“Your hair, skin, and body. It’s all a mess. Did the orphanage you were at starve the children?”
Was it a southern accent? Her sharp voice carried a unique tone Ivy had never heard before.
Ivy jumped in surprise.
“No! Our director would never do such a thing.”
The people around her gasped at her loud voice.
“Oh my, did this girl just raise her voice at Miss Irene?”
“My goodness, I thought she’d at least have basic manners after being accepted into the academy. How rude.”
Ivy clamped her mouth shut at the scathing remarks.
She realized too late that she had made a mistake.
‘But I can’t stand them badmouthing the director.’
The director genuinely cared for the children. Unlike other directors who embezzled support funds, she used her own money to feed and clothe the children.
If a sick child was turned away from other places, she would travel far to bring them back and treat them.
When neighbors brought food, she would give it all to the children without a thought for herself.
She was a being of no more value than a penny, yet she had used up all her money to bring her to the orphanage and save her life.
Ivy couldn’t bear anyone speaking ill of such a director.
Perhaps startled by Ivy’s loud voice, Irene looked flustered.
But she soon returned to her expressionless face and spoke calmly.
“I’m sorry for assuming. I just…”
At that moment, one of the girls standing by interrupted their conversation.
“Miss Irene! Why are you apologizing to someone like her?”
“Yeah! What are you doing? She should be the one to apologize for her rudeness!
Even though Irene remained silent, the other students were in an uproar.
As the room grew noisy, Irene raised her hand. Instantly, the room fell silent.
“Enough. It’s hard to continue this conversation here. Let’s step outside for a moment.”
“Of course!”
“Miss Irene, did you know there are a total of five cafeterias in the Gifted Academy?”
At Irene’s words, the students quickly changed their expressions and started talking about other things, as if they had never been scolding Ivy.
Irene led the students out of the room.
Just before leaving, she made brief eye contact with Ivy and slightly nodded her head.
“…?”
While Ivy stood there in confusion, the other students hurriedly followed Irene out.
Before leaving, Irene’s gesture lingered in Ivy’s mind. It seemed to be an apologetic gesture, conveying her regret.