I Am Loved and Blessed by Time

IN A RESTAURANT NEAR THE ACADEMY STUDENTS' LODGING!

– Miss… here is your fruit cocktail with honey – An elf served the drink to the table where two young human women were seated.

– Thank you! – The young woman with white hair tinged with soft shades of pink replied.

She took her glass and appreciated the local drink that had been recommended to her. Her soft lips touched the goblet with lightness and grace as she savored the refreshing liquid.

– This is delicious! – She murmured while looking at the glass with a small, satisfied smile.

The other girl across from her, with blood-red hair, watched her in silence, her own glass still untouched, not having taken a single sip.

The white-haired girl looked forward, meeting her friend's gaze as they stared at each other for a while. It was not a threatening or hostile look. Her eyes sparkled with… curiosity… perhaps.

The sound of the glass echoed softly as it was placed delicately on the table. Then the young woman who had been happily drinking her cocktail asked:

– Aren't you going to drink yours, Lívia? – She tilted her head.

Lívia, who had been staring at her friend, narrowed her eyes and then sighed.

– Why did you insist so much on coming here, Blanch?

– This isn't like you at all! – Lívia asked, still not touching her drink.

Blanch gave a slightly crooked smile at her friend's bluntness. She hated beating around the bush and had no filter when it came to saying what she thought.

– She reminds me of him! – She murmured while taking another sip of her drink.

Hearing Blanch's murmurs, the redhead asked:

– What did you say?

Blanch simply shook her head in denial.

– It's nothing!

– I called you here just out of curiosity about the place – She said.

But Lívia was once again sharp and direct.

– That's a lie!

– I've known you my whole life. You, like me, hate places with a high concentration of people.

– Especially because of all the stares we receive no matter where we are.

– Whether in the Human Empire or here – Lívia looked around, at those seated and those entering the establishment.

It didn't matter who they were—men, women, children, or the elderly—everyone stared at the two of them constantly, as if they were some kind of rare animal.

They both hated that and always avoided such places, preferring private settings. So her friend's flimsy excuse didn't fool her in the slightest.

Seeing that she was cornered with nowhere to run, Blanch decided to be honest.

– Alright! – She nodded, giving up the pretense.

Seeing that the conversation would finally go somewhere, Lívia relaxed in her seat and decided to enjoy her drink.

– So… – She tasted it, her eyes widening immediately.

– How delicious – She murmured, a little incredulous, but soon set it aside, returning to her stoic expression.

Blanch, watching her friend who couldn't be honest with herself, could only laugh at her rigid behavior.

– So… why did you call me here? – Lívia asked, her hands crossed over her thigh, which rested elegantly over the other as she crossed her legs.

Blanch shifted her gaze to the right, looking at the translucent window that revealed, beyond the glass, the streets crowded with elves moving in large numbers. Despite the massive crowd, the traffic wasn't chaotic like that of humans. Despite the density, everything was calm and orderly, which said a lot about the elves' tranquil and organized nature.

– Lívia… what do you think about Evo? – She asked softly, but loud enough for Lívia to hear.

Lívia raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected question. She had never once discussed Evo with her. It seemed Blanch had been avoiding the topic at all costs—not even with her best friend. They talked about everything, all their secrets, and knew everything about each other. The only unknown between them was what they thought about their classmate, Evo Eylam.

– What do I think about him, huh? – She murmured softly, more to herself than directly to her friend.

Blanch, still looking at the window with her hand supporting her chin, nodded.

Lívia paused for a moment to think. It had been months since they began studying at the academy, where they met Evo. At least, Blanch had never had contact with him before that, and well… when they tried to approach him, he quickly pushed them away.

Of course, back then, they had approached him with ulterior motives. He noticed and immediately put up a barrier that prevented them from getting close, and it remained that way to this day. They soon gave up, realizing he had no interest in associating with them and disliked the way they had tried to involve themselves with him. Thus, Evo spent all those months in complete silence, often not attending classes at all, something that seemed to be permitted by the director herself.

They didn't delve too deeply into the matter, but rumors circulated—such as Director Freya having accepted him as her pupil and teaching him personally. Some claimed to have seen him leaving the academy several times, which was strange, considering students were only allowed to leave freely from the second year onward, when academy missions were unlocked.

Returning to the present, Lívia began to answer.

– Before the academy, I saw Evo twice in my life – She paused, and Blanch turned her attention back to her.

– Both times were when I went to his house in the northern domain of the empire's central region.

– As you know, my mother and Evo's mother are very close friends, and on two of those visits I went along and met him.

– We only exchanged formal greetings, and soon after, he would withdraw.

– His mother always told me that he had always been very reserved. His behavior was mature—it felt like he was much older than he looked.

– He was either training, or when he wasn't, he was reading books.

– His mother said that had always been his routine – Lívia gave an ironic smile.

– And it seems that continues to this day. Just that he's a little more active now… apparently.

She fell silent for a moment.

– Well… as for what I think of him – She closed her eyes.

– Proud. Very proud… but strangely, not arrogant at all – To Lívia, it was odd. It sounded contradictory, yet described him well.

– He also gives me the impression of being very upright. Something rare among nobles, who are a bunch of corrupt vultures.

Blanch smiled and said:

– You're a noble too… did you forget that? – She teased her friend.

Seeing her friend's mischief, Lívia returned an ironic smile.

– Well… I'm including both of us in that game too – She replied mockingly.

Blanch puffed out her cheeks at the comment.

– Are you calling me corrupt? – Blanch asked, narrowing her eyes.

Lívia just shrugged and replied:

– Didn't you try to get close to Evo with the intention of gaining his vote and support in the future? – She tilted her head with a twisted, mischievous smile.

– You approached him for personal gain… just like all those vultures.

Seeing she couldn't refute that, Blanch retreated like a turtle.

– Well, when you put it that way… I guess you're right.

– Hahahahaha!

– I'm not blaming you, my friend… I would've done the same – Lívia rested her chin on her hand and looked toward the street.

– If we want to survive in this competitive world, we need to do everything we can not to be crushed.

Lívia let out a heavy sigh and finished her thoughts.

– I just think that doesn't suit him.

– Evo seems like someone honest—proud and confident, yes, but honest.

Blanch nodded as she finished listening to Lívia's words. Lívia adjusted her posture, leaning toward the table with her arms crossed.

– But why this curiosity about him now?

– From what it looked like, you always tried to keep your distance from him – Lívia knew the truth but played dumb anyway.

Evo had told her the truth a few days ago while traveling here, when he accompanied her on the three-day train journey. She had never told her friend about it, nor did she know if she should. Blanch might get upset.

– It's because he pushed me away on the first day… it's not like I wanted him far away… quite the opposite – Blanch pouted pitifully as she murmured, fiddling with her interlaced fingers in embarrassment.

Seeing her friend look like an abandoned puppy, Lívia struggled hard not to laugh.

– Brrrffffff—

Blanch shot her a murderous glare as Lívia covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stop the laughter from escaping.

– Don't laugh! – She growled adorably.

Lívia bit her lips, trying to compose herself, and finally calmed down.

– Alright, sorry – She raised her hands in surrender.

– So… why? – She stared at the princess.

Now serious, Lívia dropped the teasing.

– I want to start things over with him… this time, the right way – The princess said firmly.

Lívia stared at her for a while.

– Why?

– Are you still interested in his support? – She asked, trying to probe her friend's unclear intentions.

Blanch shook her head.

– That was before… not now.

Lívia played with a strand of her hair in silence for a while, waiting to see if her friend would add anything else. All she got was silence.

Still twirling her hair, she spoke:

– Okay, but… what's the reason? Why now?

– What do you gain from this?

– You were never close… honestly, I don't understand you, Blanch.

Turning her attention fully to the princess, she leaned over the table in a completely inelegant manner and whispered mischievously:

– Could it be that Your Majesty has fallen in love with him?

– Is that why you want to be close to him so badly? Because that's the only reason that comes to mind, considering you don't care about friendships.

– I'm your only friend, and even Alfred, your personal guard who's been with you since childhood and is madly in love with you…

– You see him as nothing more than a slightly closer subordinate among the many you have.

– So answer me, Blanch…

– Have you fallen in love with Evo? – Lívia asked mischievously, her face close to her friend's.

Blanch's face was hidden in shadow, making it hard to see her expression.

Lívia adjusted her position slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of the princess's face. When she found the perfect angle, she saw the light reflecting on Blanch's pale face—her pink eyes faintly shining, and a blush visible on her white cheeks.

Lívia's eyes widened in astonishment.

– ...…

– Are you serious? – She asked more carefully, dropping the teasing tone.

BACK AT THE PALACE, WHERE ILYTRHA, ELIZABETH, AND EVO WERE PRESENT

The two women who listened to Evo's words reacted in various ways. If what he said was true, what Evo held was both a tremendous and dangerous weapon.

– Are you sure about what you're saying, Evo? – Elizabeth asked cautiously.

Evo, calmly sipping his tea, simply nodded.

– Yes, I'm sure.

– Of course, it's not all flowers.

– If the person is stronger than me and tries to hide their attributes and abilities, I might not be able to see everything.

– It also depends greatly on my mastery and on who I'm observing.

– For example… – Evo set the teacup down on the table.

– When I analyze monsters, I receive feedback differently than when I analyze humans or other intelligent races.

– One difference is that I receive monsters' weaknesses. Again, that depends on the monster's level – Evo recalled the sea serpent, from which he hadn't received any information about weaknesses. He might be mistaken, but he relied on that logic.

The two elves nodded.

– That's an excellent ability! – Elizabeth said, her eyes filled with excitement and happiness that Evo had something so useful.

Then it was the Empress's turn to speak.

– Indeed, it is extremely valuable, considering that information is a powerful weapon in this world.

– From the way you described it, your ability is adaptive—it functions according to the situation.

– I advise you to test it in every possible way, to see just how far it can go.

Evo nodded, absorbing the Empress's words with a smile. Her words were wise and accurate… and somehow, Evo felt genuinely happy hearing them.

– Besides the monsters I encountered, I only tested it on humans and elves when I was on the human continent – Evo said casually.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

– Evo, didn't you test this ability when you arrived here?

Evo shook his head.

– Mm-hm.

– I only used it while we were on the human continent. I didn't have time to test it here – He replied as he reached for his teacup.

Elizabeth tilted her head in doubt, watching him focus on savoring the tea.

– You said you tested it on humans and elves… but how did you do that with elves if you didn't use the ability here on the elven continent?

– Did you meet an elf on the human continent? – She tilted her head innocently.

Ilytrha, who had been listening in silence, stared at Evo with narrowed eyes. Something crossed her mind. She was by no means as innocent as her niece—she was almost completely certain which elf Evo had tested the ability on, but chose to remain silent and observe.

Evo froze, his hand gripping the teacup.

– Damn it! – He cursed internally.

– Damn this big mouth of mine – He muttered inwardly.

He looked at Elizabeth, who awaited his answer with a pure, innocent expression. Evo even felt a little bad about having secretly spied on her information.

He gave a crooked smile, looking into the teacup where a bit of tea still remained.

He sighed and answered:

– It was you…

– The elf whose information I saw… was you, Elizabeth – Evo replied with his crooked, apologetic smile.