I'm Going Through Time to Meet You
Chapter 5

Eleanor didn’t remember the man until he sat down in front of Isabella.

When the man smiled, Eleanor finally realized who he was.

“Oh no,” she muttered before quickly lowering her head in shock.

It was him—the man from the fake ID operation.

What’s he doing here?

What was a man involved in illegal dealings doing with her mother, and in such a private setting?

He’s not my father, is he? Eleanor turned pale at the horrifying thought.

What should I do? Should I just go for it?

She wanted to jump up and pull the man away from her mother, but she knew better than to intervene. If she did, she’d surely be pegged forever as a lunatic.

Who would understand if a girl appeared out of nowhere, shouting, “I’m your daughter from the future! That man is dangerous, stay away”?

The worst part was, the man couldn’t find out that Eleanor was here. After all, it wasn’t him who had done something illegal—Eleanor was the one carrying a fake ID. It wouldn’t end well if he saw her.

Later, I’ll deal with it later.

Eleanor, deciding to wait for the right moment, quietly rose from her seat. She left some money for the tea and a tip, then snuck out of the café. As she slipped away, a pair of eyes followed her slowly.

It was Liam. Despite Eleanor’s efforts to not draw attention to herself, he had noticed her presence from the moment he stepped into the café. His dark eyes followed Eleanor.

Isabella, noticing his gaze, turned her head.

The door chime rang softly as it closed. By the time Isabella looked, all she saw was the door shutting. She stared at it, puzzled, before turning back to Liam.

“Is something wrong?”

Liam smiled and replied as if nothing was amiss. “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw a familiar face. But more importantly, shall we wrap up our conversation? I believe His Highness’ proposal will greatly benefit Antre.”

“I think so, too,” Isabella replied with a soft smile.

“Then, would you tell me why you’ve yet to give a firm answer?”

At his question, Isabella’s lips curved gently.

She was seventeen, the sole heir to the Duchy of Rivellon.

The only reason she had been allowed to spend five years at the Academy was clear.

“I’ve been waiting for the chance to sit down and talk face-to-face like this,” Isabella said. “Antre is very pleased to work with His Highness, and of course, we accept Your Grace’s terms as well. I look forward to working with you for the next five years.”

Isabella hadn’t come to the empire just to attend the Academy. With the rapidly changing power structure of the empire, there weren’t many ways for a small kingdom like Antre to secure its future. Isabella had staked her kingdom’s future on this trip to the empire. The Academy was just a cover. No one questioned her getting her education there.

The empire had long invested heavily in training mages at the Academy, after all.

Five years. That was the price she was willing to pay. As she offered her hand, Liam reached out without hesitation.

“His Highness will be most pleased. As am I.”

They shared a firm, resolute handshake.

Antre placed its bet on the former crown prince of the empire, effectively plunging into the empire’s fierce battle for the throne. In that moment, a deal Eleanor was unaware of had been struck.

***

“Why is reality so cruel?”

The muttered words were soft, but loud enough to be heard from the desk right next to hers.

Cruel reality? A male student, with the number twenty-seven pinned to his chest, glanced at Eleanor with a look of disbelief. Or rather, at the magic stone on desk number twenty-eight. She must be joking.

The entrance exam for the Magic Department was simple yet ruthless. The most important thing in becoming a great wizard was talent. Becoming a mage was impossible no matter the effort if one wasn’t born with sufficient mana. Thus, there wasn’t much to prepare for the entrance exam.

Money, status, and power held no sway here, as the exam required applicants to activate the magic within the stone on each student’s desk.

Everyone had the same magic stone on their desk, of course, and from the moment the exam began, Eleanor’s stone had radiated iridescent colors as if calling out, “Here’s the wizard you’re looking for—come see for yourselves!”

Indeed, all eyes were on Eleanor.

Of the hundred magic stones, only hers shone with a radiant array of colors.

The male student stared dejectedly at his still-black stone. There is no crueler reality than this, he thought.

But Eleanor, preoccupied with her own thoughts, had no idea. She let out a heavy sigh.

“In this cruel world, status is everything,” she continued to mutter to herself, shaking her head with a grim expression.

This time, a female student groaned in disbelief from Eleanor’s left and threw a side eye her way.

The girl’s eyes darted to Eleanor’s ID, which proved her citizenship in the empire, as the girl herself was applying to the Academy to gain imperial citizenship.

Despite the eyes boring holes on her, Eleanor didn’t even notice she was being stared at.

“Hah, nothing in the world comes easy.” Muttering again, Eleanor’s eyes drifted upward.

Up there, a special examination hall had been prepared for the nobility. Isabella would be taking her test there, too.

This brutal reality, divided by status! Eleanor cursed again to herself. Not that grumbling would lead to some miracle granting her entry into that hall, of course.

Still, she couldn’t take her eyes off the tightly shut doors where her mother was most certainly taking her exam.

“Candidate number twenty-eight, you’ve passed.”

Just then, Miss Lilian, who had been moving between the desks to check the results, stopped in front of Eleanor. When no joyful cheer followed, Lilian looked at the student in confusion.

Lilian was exhausted, having been swamped with work since the morning. When she was assigned proctoring duty, she freely cursed the principal without a moment’s hesitation.

Why wasn’t this student excited about passing? Lilian had dragged herself over to personally announce the result!

Thinking she should learn this face she’d be seeing for the next five years, Lilian raised her head to get a good look and frowned deeply.

“Number twenty-eight, Eleanor, correct?”

It wasn’t until her name was called that Eleanor’s gaze fell from the second floor.

She was surprised to see Lilian standing before her but quickly pulled herself together.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Are you a commoner?”

Eleanor noted the suspicion in her tone. Lilian’s narrowed eyes gleamed as Eleanor gave an awkward smile and replied.

“Yes. Is there a problem, Professor?”

“Not exactly a problem…”

Lilian’s eyes lingered on Eleanor’s long, carrot-colored hair, which cascaded down to her waist. The vivid orange of her hair, thick and abundant, had been a source of insecurity for Eleanor when she was young.

Lilian stifled a laugh as Eleanor awkwardly tried to tie her hair back—honestly, it was too wild and too voluminous to tie up—and asked again, “You’re saying you have no connection to the Kerion family?”

“The Kerion family?”

“Yes. You aren’t a distant branch of the Kerion family, or happen to carry any related insignia?”

This time, Eleanor’s brow furrowed. Kerion? She had never heard of it.

Eleanor had once delved deeply into the noble families of the empire. She’d had no choice as Isabella refused to tell her who Eleanor’s father was no matter how much she begged. So Eleanor had practically memorized the imperial nobility’s family trees.

Because of that, she was certain that Kerion was not a major noble family of the empire. She hadn’t seen that name in any of the genealogies she’d studied.

Must be some small baron’s family or something.

Having drawn that conclusion, Eleanor shrugged and shook her head, letting her hair, which she had been trying to gather, spring back into its usual unruly bouquet.

“Not at all.”

“Hmm.”

Lilian still looked at Eleanor with suspicion, her eyes scanning every inch of her. It took quite an effort for Lilian not to let her surprise show. That vivid carrot-colored hair was a unique symbol of the Kerion family. How was she a commoner?

Though she found it intriguing, Lilian decided to drop it. There were still too many students left whose results she needed to check.

If she says she’s not related, she’s not. After all, it’s no secret some nobles have wandering hands.

In any case, there was too much work to be done right now. And eager students were still waiting with expectant faces. Well, the eager faces were the job.

Lilian thought she might be going mad from not sleeping for two days as she scribbled her signature on the paperwork.

“Anyway, congratulations on passing. The matriculation is in three days, so don’t be late. Here’s your acceptance letter. You’ll need it to purchase your uniform, so don’t lose it. Reissuing it is very expensive.”

Only then did Eleanor take a proper look at Lilian. The professor was elegant and beautiful, though she had bags under her eyes.

Eleanor, wanting to leave the exam hall as soon as possible, nodded obediently at Lilian’s words. Fortunately for Eleanor, Lilian didn’t add any further remarks. She simply tore the document along the dotted line and handed it over.

It was an acceptance letter, embossed with a gold seal.

Eleanor accepted it with an oddly nervous expression, and Lilian, smiling, offered a piece of serious advice to the new student.