"What's your name?"
“...This is it?”
“Yes.”
Karina stood in front of the orphanage that the child had guided her to with an anxious expression.
It was a completely different place from the orphanage she had imagined.
An orphanage surrounded by broken wooden fences here and there.
It was embarrassing to even call it a fence.
The walls, which had originally been white, were dirty with watermarks and frost from melted ice.
The main gate, which looked fine at first glance, looked old and ready to break at any moment when seen up close.
Several windows were already broken, and they had been temporarily blocked with wooden boards, rocks, and mud.
Judging by the way they were all plastered, it seemed like they had been done by a child, not an adult.
“Do you call an abandoned house an orphanage these days?”
Mikhail’s words were not exaggerated, as there were no signs of management at all in the orphanage.
“How many people live here together?”
“Fifteen people, including me.”
“Fifteen?”
“In a place like that?”
From the outside, the orphanage building looked so shabby that it would be difficult for even a family to live there.
“Is that possible?”
Mikhail responded to Karina’s surprised muttering.
“I guess it’s possible because they’re children. They won’t be able to live properly.”
At that moment, the door opened with an unpleasant, eardrum-scraping sound as if they sensed the presence of others outside. A small child’s head popped out through the slightly opened door.
“Hey, brother!”
The small child’s expression brightened upon discovering the child.
“Children, come out. Brother is here!”
“Really?”
The old wooden door opened wide and the children with dirty appearances ran out.
“Brother!”
“Brother, did you get us something to eat?”
“We’re so hungry.”
Karina winked at Mikhail.
They had bought snacks like bread and cookies on their way here.
Of course, they didn’t know there would be this many children, so they didn’t buy much.
“If I had known there would be this many children, I would have bought a little more.”
“I’ll go.”
When Mikhail put the food down in front of the children, they exclaimed.
“Wow.”
“There’s food!”
“Can we eat this?”
Karina answered the children who asked with sparkling eyes.
“Let’s go in and eat.”
The little boy gathered all the orphanage children and sat in the largest room.
Even though it was a large room, there was no space for Karina to sit down after the children were seated and the food was spread out.
The children who had gathered were busy putting food in their mouths.
“Eat slowly so you don’t get sick.”
“Hold the cup carefully so you don’t spill the juice.”
“I’ll give you more, so don’t fight with each other.”
The little boy took care of his younger siblings, which was unusual for his age.
In the meantime, Mikhail arrived with a full armful of food.
“You came and went quickly?”
“Well, this is nothing.”
Mikhail looked on with a relaxed expression.
Karina and Mikhail watched the orphanage children eat from afar.
As they watched, they saw that the little boy was taking care of the younger children one by one, so he hadn’t eaten anything.
“You eat too.”
Karina, who was watching from outside the room, said.
“I’ll eat later.”
“Why are you eating now?”
Karina looked at him with a questioning expression, but Mikhail, who was next to her, said as if he understood.
“You’re going to take care of your sick brother, right?”
The boy nodded.
“...!”
Karina was a little surprised.
He had just seemed like a whiny little boy before, but he looked quite mature as he took care of his brothers at the orphanage.
“Your brother?”
Karina asked. The boy answered obediently.
“In the next room.”
The place the boy led Karina and Mikhail to was the smallest room in the orphanage. There were a few wooden boards on the window to block the gaps.
Even so, it couldn’t completely block out the cold wind.
The small room was already cramped with various things on one side, making it look even narrower.
“Can people really live in a place like this?”
Karina asked the pickpocket kid.
"..."
The child frowned and shut his mouth tightly.
"No mouth? What's your name?"
"...A food bug."
"What?"
Karina was surprised.
"Your parents gave you that name?"
"No parents."
"Why?"
"Of course, because I'm an orphan."
The child answered annoyedly, not knowing that.
"Then who gave you that... name?"
"That's what we're called at the orphanage."
"..."
The child who said that didn't seem to be particularly interested.
"Why did you steal the money bag?"
"I was hungry. Why do you keep asking me questions like this?"
Karina was embarrassed when she heard the child's words.
So she asked again.
"Is it true that you starved for four days?"
The child snorted at Karina's words.
"Why? If it's true, you'll buy me some bread?"
"This little brat."
Mikhail ran his hand through the boy’s hair at the boy’s reckless attitude.
“Oh, it’s heavy!”
The boy’s efforts to shake off his hand with his eyes wide open were in vain.
“Is your younger sibling sick?”
“...!”
The boy’s body flinched at the mention of his younger sibling.
‘It really was your younger sibling.’
She could tell right away from the boy’s reaction.
Karina, who was wondering what to do, crossed her arms.
The boy suddenly made an urgent excuse as if he had seen her.
“I stole the money bag by myself! It had nothing to do with my younger siblings!”
“My younger siblings?”
“Oh!”
The boy pursed his lips as if he had made a mistake.
It was something that could have been inferred since he had already mentioned the orphanage.
“You said the orphanage earlier, right? So you mean the younger siblings who are in the orphanage?”
“...”
The boy’s face turned pale and frozen.
“If he's sick, he should get treatment. Didn’t the orphanage director take him to the hospital?”
“They only think about money. They don’t care if we’re sick or starving!”
The child didn’t hide his disgusted expression when the director’s story came up.
“So you stole the money to take your sick brother to the hospital?”
“...”
The child’s eyes gradually turned red, even though he didn’t answer. Karina could see that he was trying not to cry, perhaps because he was thinking of his sick brother.
‘Ha, should I call this good or bad?’
Karina sighed.
“Take me.”
“Huh?”
The child was bewildered by Karina’s unexpected question.
“Take me to the orphanage.”
“Why... Why?”
The child’s eyes trembled anxiously.
It seemed as if Karina was mistaking the child’s pickpocketing incident for the orphanage.
The child suddenly knelt down.
“I was wrong! I won’t do it again. Please forgive me just this once. Yes?”
He begged earnestly, even clasping his hands together.
‘You were so shameless earlier.’
It was proof that the child cherished his younger siblings that much.
“Get up. I’m not telling you to go talk to the orphanage director.”
“Then why...”
The child began to notice.
Normally, the Grand Duchess would be in charge of the relief of the poor in the North, charity work, and volunteer work.
However, now, it was Caroline, not Grand Duchess Karina, who was in charge of everything.
‘I was too complacent. There’s no way Caroline was doing those things properly.’
"..."
The child frowned and shut his mouth tightly.
"No mouth? What's your name?"
"...A food bug."
"What?"
Karina was surprised.
"Your parents gave you that name?"
"No parents."
"Why?"
"Of course, because I'm an orphan."
The child answered annoyedly, not knowing that.
"Then who gave you that... name?"
"That's what we're called at the orphanage."
"..."
The child who said that didn't seem to be particularly interested.
"Why did you steal the money bag?"
"I was hungry. Why do you keep asking me questions like this?"
Karina was embarrassed when she heard the child's words.
So she asked again.
"Is it true that you starved for four days?"
The child snorted at Karina's words.
"Why? If it's true, you'll buy me some bread?"
"This little brat."
Mikhail ran his hand through the boy’s hair at the boy’s reckless attitude.
“Oh, it’s heavy!”
The boy’s efforts to shake off his hand with his eyes wide open were in vain.
“Is your younger sibling sick?”
“...!”
The boy’s body flinched at the mention of his younger sibling.
‘It really was your younger sibling.’
She could tell right away from the boy’s reaction.
Karina, who was wondering what to do, crossed her arms.
The boy suddenly made an urgent excuse as if he had seen her.
“I stole the money bag by myself! It had nothing to do with my younger siblings!”
“My younger siblings?”
“Oh!”
The boy pursed his lips as if he had made a mistake.
It was something that could have been inferred since he had already mentioned the orphanage.
“You said the orphanage earlier, right? So you mean the younger siblings who are in the orphanage?”
“...”
The boy’s face turned pale and frozen.
“If he's sick, he should get treatment. Didn’t the orphanage director take him to the hospital?”
“They only think about money. They don’t care if we’re sick or starving!”
The child didn’t hide his disgusted expression when the director’s story came up.
“So you stole the money to take your sick brother to the hospital?”
“...”
The child’s eyes gradually turned red, even though he didn’t answer. Karina could see that he was trying not to cry, perhaps because he was thinking of his sick brother.
‘Ha, should I call this good or bad?’
Karina sighed.
“Take me.”
“Huh?”
The child was bewildered by Karina’s unexpected question.
“Take me to the orphanage.”
“Why... Why?”
The child’s eyes trembled anxiously.
It seemed as if Karina was mistaking the child’s pickpocketing incident for the orphanage.
The child suddenly knelt down.
“I was wrong! I won’t do it again. Please forgive me just this once. Yes?”
He begged earnestly, even clasping his hands together.
‘You were so shameless earlier.’
It was proof that the child cherished his younger siblings that much.
“Get up. I’m not telling you to go talk to the orphanage director.”
“Then why...”
The child began to notice.
Normally, the Grand Duchess would be in charge of the relief of the poor in the North, charity work, and volunteer work.
However, now, it was Caroline, not Grand Duchess Karina, who was in charge of everything.
‘I was too complacent. There’s no way Caroline was doing those things properly.’
She was so focused on the things in front of her that she didn’t even think about that fact.
Her conscience prickled at the thought that she was partly at fault for the child’s unfair and unjust reality.
‘I don’t want to create trouble, but I can’t help it.’
Her conscience prickled at the thought that she was partly at fault for the child’s unfair and unjust reality.
‘I don’t want to create trouble, but I can’t help it.’
***
“...This is it?”
“Yes.”
Karina stood in front of the orphanage that the child had guided her to with an anxious expression.
It was a completely different place from the orphanage she had imagined.
An orphanage surrounded by broken wooden fences here and there.
It was embarrassing to even call it a fence.
The walls, which had originally been white, were dirty with watermarks and frost from melted ice.
The main gate, which looked fine at first glance, looked old and ready to break at any moment when seen up close.
Several windows were already broken, and they had been temporarily blocked with wooden boards, rocks, and mud.
Judging by the way they were all plastered, it seemed like they had been done by a child, not an adult.
“Do you call an abandoned house an orphanage these days?”
Mikhail’s words were not exaggerated, as there were no signs of management at all in the orphanage.
“How many people live here together?”
“Fifteen people, including me.”
“Fifteen?”
“In a place like that?”
From the outside, the orphanage building looked so shabby that it would be difficult for even a family to live there.
“Is that possible?”
Mikhail responded to Karina’s surprised muttering.
“I guess it’s possible because they’re children. They won’t be able to live properly.”
At that moment, the door opened with an unpleasant, eardrum-scraping sound as if they sensed the presence of others outside. A small child’s head popped out through the slightly opened door.
“Hey, brother!”
The small child’s expression brightened upon discovering the child.
“Children, come out. Brother is here!”
“Really?”
The old wooden door opened wide and the children with dirty appearances ran out.
“Brother!”
“Brother, did you get us something to eat?”
“We’re so hungry.”
Karina winked at Mikhail.
They had bought snacks like bread and cookies on their way here.
Of course, they didn’t know there would be this many children, so they didn’t buy much.
“If I had known there would be this many children, I would have bought a little more.”
“I’ll go.”
When Mikhail put the food down in front of the children, they exclaimed.
“Wow.”
“There’s food!”
“Can we eat this?”
Karina answered the children who asked with sparkling eyes.
“Let’s go in and eat.”
The little boy gathered all the orphanage children and sat in the largest room.
Even though it was a large room, there was no space for Karina to sit down after the children were seated and the food was spread out.
The children who had gathered were busy putting food in their mouths.
“Eat slowly so you don’t get sick.”
“Hold the cup carefully so you don’t spill the juice.”
“I’ll give you more, so don’t fight with each other.”
The little boy took care of his younger siblings, which was unusual for his age.
In the meantime, Mikhail arrived with a full armful of food.
“You came and went quickly?”
“Well, this is nothing.”
Mikhail looked on with a relaxed expression.
Karina and Mikhail watched the orphanage children eat from afar.
As they watched, they saw that the little boy was taking care of the younger children one by one, so he hadn’t eaten anything.
“You eat too.”
Karina, who was watching from outside the room, said.
“I’ll eat later.”
“Why are you eating now?”
Karina looked at him with a questioning expression, but Mikhail, who was next to her, said as if he understood.
“You’re going to take care of your sick brother, right?”
The boy nodded.
“...!”
Karina was a little surprised.
He had just seemed like a whiny little boy before, but he looked quite mature as he took care of his brothers at the orphanage.
“Your brother?”
Karina asked. The boy answered obediently.
“In the next room.”
The place the boy led Karina and Mikhail to was the smallest room in the orphanage. There were a few wooden boards on the window to block the gaps.
Even so, it couldn’t completely block out the cold wind.
The small room was already cramped with various things on one side, making it look even narrower.
“Can people really live in a place like this?”
It was so low and cramped that an adult would have to bend down to get in.
It seemed like it had originally been used as a storage space.
A small child was lying on the floor of one side of the room, covered with several layers of cloth.
Even though there were several layers, they were so thin that it seemed pointless.
Still, it seemed like an attempt to somehow get rid of the cold air from the cold floor.
“You’re leaving a sick child in a place like this?”
Karina frowned and looked around the room.
“It wasn’t like this when the previous director was here. He took great care of us until he passed away from a chronic illness last year.”
“The previous director? So the current director is a new one?”
“Yes. Everything got worse after the new director came. I think the new director took all the useful items from the old orphanage and sold them to pay for alcohol. When I went back to get them, there was almost nothing left.”
“I don’t know if you know, but in the north, there’s something called a relief project for the poor. It’s a project to help those in difficult circumstances.”
It seemed like it had originally been used as a storage space.
A small child was lying on the floor of one side of the room, covered with several layers of cloth.
Even though there were several layers, they were so thin that it seemed pointless.
Still, it seemed like an attempt to somehow get rid of the cold air from the cold floor.
“You’re leaving a sick child in a place like this?”
Karina frowned and looked around the room.
“It wasn’t like this when the previous director was here. He took great care of us until he passed away from a chronic illness last year.”
“The previous director? So the current director is a new one?”
“Yes. Everything got worse after the new director came. I think the new director took all the useful items from the old orphanage and sold them to pay for alcohol. When I went back to get them, there was almost nothing left.”
“I don’t know if you know, but in the north, there’s something called a relief project for the poor. It’s a project to help those in difficult circumstances.”
She was about to ask if this orphanage was included in that project.
She figured that if there were 15 children entrusted to it, they couldn’t possibly not receive support.
Sure enough.
“I know about that. The same person comes and stops by the orphanage every time.”
“Well...”
Karina’s expression brightened for a moment. But the child’s words that followed immediately brought him back to normal.
“That person also changed when the new director came. And even if he receives support, we don’t receive anything from him.”
“...”
“He sells off everything he has, so there’s no way he’ll use the money he receives for us.”
The child, who had his mouth twisted in complaint, continued talking.
“I think the new director is thinking of kicking out all the children from the orphanage. Mitchell too...!”
The child paused for a moment, then told him that the name of the child lying sick was Mitchell, and continued talking.
“Mitchell was almost kicked out of the orphanage too. The director told him to leave because it would be bad luck if he died in the orphanage.”
“What?”
Karina felt disgusted by the orphanage director she had never seen before.
“I said I would get his medicine and food, so he was allowed to stay.”
The child’s voice was calm as she answered.
‘So that’s why he was a pickpocket.’
“...”
Karina couldn’t find the words to say.
“So you worked hard to take care of your younger siblings?”
Mikhail, who was listening from the side, smiled and patted the boy’s head.
“You’re a great big brother.”
The boy’s ears turned bright red upon hearing that.
“That... That’s right because if it’s not me, there’s no one else who can do it...”
Unlike before, the boy didn’t struggle or push away Mikhail’s hand.
“That’s really admirable.”
Seeing the boy who was embarrassed but didn’t push Mikhail’s hand away, her heart became complicated.
“That kid is still young...”
Karina swallowed her bitterness.
Instead of comforting the kid, Karina simply looked around the space where the kid was staying one more time.
Mikhail opened his mouth after seeing her looking around the room.
“Even a healthy person would get tuberculosis if they were in a place like this.”
Mikhail was right.
The air was stale and she could see that there was a lot of dust between the objects.
Looking around again, it was a place that was unhealthy.
“Whew.”
Karina sighed deeply.
'I didn't know I'd be asked to do something like this again.'
Karina called Mikhail with a helpless expression.
"Michael. I think we should go to that bar again. There's something else I'd like them to do in addition to what I asked them to do."
"Yes. I understand."
Mikhail nodded and left, but soon returned.
"You didn't come back already, did you?"
Mikhail smirked at Karina's question and answered.
"Not this time."
"Then why? Did you forget something?"
"No. That's not it..."
Mikhail scratched the back of his head and finally opened his mouth.
"I'm worried about leaving the Grand Duchess alone."
"What?"
"Let's just go together."
"What's there to be worried about? I'll be here with these kids."
"Just like before, you might get caught up in a dangerous situation while I'm away."
Karina thought Mikhail was being overly worried.
It wasn’t the streets like before, and there were only children in the orphanage, so what could possibly be dangerous?
“There’s nothing to worry about, so just hurry up and go.”
“Even if you say that, I can’t do it because I’m anxious.”
“I’m telling you, it’s really okay. What could possibly happen in this place with only children?”
The moment she tried to calm Mikhail down and send him to the bar.
“These rotten things are leaving the doors open. You guys! Stop joking about it being cold and just close the doors!”
A loud, gruff voice was heard shouting from outside the orphanage.
She figured that if there were 15 children entrusted to it, they couldn’t possibly not receive support.
Sure enough.
“I know about that. The same person comes and stops by the orphanage every time.”
“Well...”
Karina’s expression brightened for a moment. But the child’s words that followed immediately brought him back to normal.
“That person also changed when the new director came. And even if he receives support, we don’t receive anything from him.”
“...”
“He sells off everything he has, so there’s no way he’ll use the money he receives for us.”
The child, who had his mouth twisted in complaint, continued talking.
“I think the new director is thinking of kicking out all the children from the orphanage. Mitchell too...!”
The child paused for a moment, then told him that the name of the child lying sick was Mitchell, and continued talking.
“Mitchell was almost kicked out of the orphanage too. The director told him to leave because it would be bad luck if he died in the orphanage.”
“What?”
Karina felt disgusted by the orphanage director she had never seen before.
“I said I would get his medicine and food, so he was allowed to stay.”
The child’s voice was calm as she answered.
‘So that’s why he was a pickpocket.’
“...”
Karina couldn’t find the words to say.
“So you worked hard to take care of your younger siblings?”
Mikhail, who was listening from the side, smiled and patted the boy’s head.
“You’re a great big brother.”
The boy’s ears turned bright red upon hearing that.
“That... That’s right because if it’s not me, there’s no one else who can do it...”
Unlike before, the boy didn’t struggle or push away Mikhail’s hand.
“That’s really admirable.”
Seeing the boy who was embarrassed but didn’t push Mikhail’s hand away, her heart became complicated.
“That kid is still young...”
Karina swallowed her bitterness.
Instead of comforting the kid, Karina simply looked around the space where the kid was staying one more time.
Mikhail opened his mouth after seeing her looking around the room.
“Even a healthy person would get tuberculosis if they were in a place like this.”
Mikhail was right.
The air was stale and she could see that there was a lot of dust between the objects.
Looking around again, it was a place that was unhealthy.
“Whew.”
Karina sighed deeply.
'I didn't know I'd be asked to do something like this again.'
Karina called Mikhail with a helpless expression.
"Michael. I think we should go to that bar again. There's something else I'd like them to do in addition to what I asked them to do."
"Yes. I understand."
Mikhail nodded and left, but soon returned.
"You didn't come back already, did you?"
Mikhail smirked at Karina's question and answered.
"Not this time."
"Then why? Did you forget something?"
"No. That's not it..."
Mikhail scratched the back of his head and finally opened his mouth.
"I'm worried about leaving the Grand Duchess alone."
"What?"
"Let's just go together."
"What's there to be worried about? I'll be here with these kids."
"Just like before, you might get caught up in a dangerous situation while I'm away."
Karina thought Mikhail was being overly worried.
It wasn’t the streets like before, and there were only children in the orphanage, so what could possibly be dangerous?
“There’s nothing to worry about, so just hurry up and go.”
“Even if you say that, I can’t do it because I’m anxious.”
“I’m telling you, it’s really okay. What could possibly happen in this place with only children?”
The moment she tried to calm Mikhail down and send him to the bar.
“These rotten things are leaving the doors open. You guys! Stop joking about it being cold and just close the doors!”
A loud, gruff voice was heard shouting from outside the orphanage.
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