Kik-kik-kik.
The wooden floor creaked under a heavy load.
Soon, a heavy shadow entered the orphanage.
“You little maggots. Someone came and you won’t even look at me?”
The man who entered the orphanage had a flushed face. It seemed like he had been drinking heavily since the middle of the day.
“You idiots. Did you get the money? Damn, you weren’t just playing around all day again, were you?”
“...”
‘Huh, really...?’
Karina turned her head to look at Mikhail with a slightly surprised expression.
Mikhail shrugged his shoulders as if his hunch was right.
“It seems to be the guy the kid was talking about earlier.”
“...That’s right.”
Regardless of their surprise, Karina and Mikhail immediately recognized who he was.
Just by looking at the children’s trembling reactions to the man’s phlegmy voice, it was easy to guess.
“That person seems to be the director of this orphanage.”
Before Karina could finish her monologue, the man’s voice, closer than before, was heard again.
“What are these kids doing inside, lying around in the sun instead of going out to borrow money?”
“...!”
Karina’s brow furrowed at those words.
‘You make the children beg for money?’
A reasonable suspicion suddenly arose.
“Huh? What’s that delicious smell?”
As soon as he entered, the director sniffed and opened his eyes.
“These carnivorous bastards don’t even know the gratitude of being fed to them, and what are they eating among themselves?”
The director looked at the children eating, frowned, and began to question them.
“Where did you get all this food? Did you secretly embezzle the money and hide it?”
The faces of the children who had been happily chewing on a piece of bread and munching on it until just now suddenly turned pale. Some of them were sobbing, unable to make a sound, just holding on to it with tears streaming down their faces.
Then, a little boy suddenly got up and stood in front of the director.
“I never embezzled money. People I met on the street bought it for me today. So just leave the kids eating!”
“Oh, you maggot! There you are!”
The director pointed at the little boy with a finger as if he had caught him at the right moment and scolded him.
“If you have something good, you should bring it to me right away! Do you want to get beaten up like last time?”
The little boy did not show any fear at the director’s threats, but instead, he argued with a pouty expression.
“You said you wouldn’t touch the money I brought you on my own! But you always take it away, which is different from what you said!”
“You are still in the orphanage because of someone you thanked, and you are always talking back!” “
"That’s because you even took Mitchell’s medicine!”
“No, you punk! I thought you were pretty useful, so I let you stay! You ungrateful punk who doesn’t even know this kind of favor!”
The director pushed the little boy aside.
“You begged so much, so I didn’t kick that sick, sick chicken out and let you stay! And you’re talking back to me?”
The director came into the small room, grumbling.
“You unlucky bastards are taking up rooms! I should kick them all out...!”
The director stopped when he saw Karina and Mikhail in the room.
“...What are you guys doing? Who gave you permission to come in here?”
The director reeked of alcohol as if he had been drinking so much.
Karina’s face turned red and disdainful.
Mikhail immediately blocked the director’s path as he approached Karina and asked,
“Are you the director of this orphanage?”
“What...”
The director hesitated at Mikhail’s solemn appearance and stopped in his tracks.
Then, blinking, he began to scan Karina and Mikhail’s behavior.
Their clothes were simple and plain, but the fabric was thick and luxurious. The cuffs were tightly finished, and the collar of the shirt that wrapped around the neck was neatly angled.
And the director, who sensed the aristocratic atmosphere that was secretly given off just by standing there, immediately changed his attitude.
“Yes... Yes. I’m the director here... Excuse me, but who are you?”
“This person here is...”
Karina raised her arm to stop Mikhail, who was trying to proudly reveal her identity.
“I was just walking down the street and the kids looked poor, so I bought them some food. Is that okay?”
The director bowed even more humbly as he protruded his lower body as if it were natural.
“Oh, no. There’s no way it won’t work. Hehe.”
“It seems like the kids have been starving for quite some time... Is the orphanage really that bad?”
“We’re not well off, but we scrape together every penny we have to feed the kids. Those guys, no matter how much you buy them to eat, they just don’t show it. No matter how much you feed them, they always say they’re hungry because they’re so hungry.”
The director’s words flowed out smoothly, even though he was drunk and probably not sober.
Then, perhaps because he thought he smelled money, the director rubbed his palms together and added,
“When you help us, it’s best if you give me donations directly, rather than tangible things like food or items. I know best what the kids need.”
The director smirked, and the gold teeth in his mouth sparkled.
Hearing those words, the little boy suddenly got up and shouted.
“No! If you give him money, he’ll spend it all on alcohol and he won’t do anything for us!”
The little boy seemed worried that Karina, who believed the director’s words, might actually donate money to the director.
“No, that guy is talking when the adults are talking! Don’t talk nonsense and get out of here!”
“That’s right! Last time, you said you wouldn’t have enough money for alcohol and would sell Jena to a noble family!”
One of the children sitting down flinched in response to those words.
Then, she started sobbing with a frightened expression.
It seemed to be the Jena he had just mentioned.
“That was just a joke to scare you because you wouldn’t listen!”
The director dismissed the little boy and made a half-hearted remark. Then he smiled bitterly at Karina.
“They’re still kids, so they can’t tell the difference between serious and joking. Do you understand? Hehe.”
Karina smiled coldly.
“I know this place receives support from the relief fund. They indeed seem to be living quite poorly despite receiving the subsidy.”
“We spend a lot on food for the children, so we do have a bit of a shortage of daily necessities.”
The director lied without even licking his lips.
“The children’s clothes seem too thin in this cold northern region.”
“Oh, that’s because the children complained that it was hot when they ran around, so we made it so they could play...”
“Is the child who is sick receiving proper treatment?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
“What kind of treatment is he receiving?”
“That... That...”
The director was at a loss at the continued questions.
“Are you receiving proper accounting audits?”
“Oh, of course. I receive them faithfully every quarter.”
“You smell like alcohol on your person, but you’re not receiving them faithfully. Did you drink so much because you knew the accounting audit would come?”
“No...That...”
The director, who was answering while sweating profusely, coughed in vain, perhaps feeling offended.
“Hehehe! But, why do you keep asking me that?”
The director’s words became shorter as he raised his eyes.
“It seems like you’re picking a fight. Now you’re starting to feel a little bad. Do you believe what that food bug said earlier?”
“Food bug? Is that what they call the kids they take care of at this orphanage?”
Karina pointed out something that had been bothering her from the beginning.
“That guy eats the most, so it’s no wonder his nickname is Food Bug.”
Now the director, who was openly making a fuss and frowning, spoke up.
“Even though I look like this now, I have a decent amount of supporters! Huh? I’m running the orphanage properly! Did you come to pick a fight with me now? Who the hell are you?”
At that moment, a voice called out to the director from outside.
“Hey, you! Are you still here? Why aren’t you coming when you said you’d bring me the money for drinks?”
“Ah, everyone, come over here! There are some weird guys here causing trouble.”
The director called her group.
“What’s going on?”
“Is something fun happening?”
A group of people, smelling of alcohol like the director, rushed to the entrance of the orphanage.
“This woman here is harassing me, asking if I’m doing my job properly. I think she’ll come to her senses once we give her a hard time.”
As the group gathered, the director’s voice became much louder than before.
“You guys are fearless.”
Soon, a heavy shadow entered the orphanage.
“You little maggots. Someone came and you won’t even look at me?”
The man who entered the orphanage had a flushed face. It seemed like he had been drinking heavily since the middle of the day.
“You idiots. Did you get the money? Damn, you weren’t just playing around all day again, were you?”
“...”
‘Huh, really...?’
Karina turned her head to look at Mikhail with a slightly surprised expression.
Mikhail shrugged his shoulders as if his hunch was right.
“It seems to be the guy the kid was talking about earlier.”
“...That’s right.”
Regardless of their surprise, Karina and Mikhail immediately recognized who he was.
Just by looking at the children’s trembling reactions to the man’s phlegmy voice, it was easy to guess.
“That person seems to be the director of this orphanage.”
Before Karina could finish her monologue, the man’s voice, closer than before, was heard again.
“What are these kids doing inside, lying around in the sun instead of going out to borrow money?”
“...!”
Karina’s brow furrowed at those words.
‘You make the children beg for money?’
A reasonable suspicion suddenly arose.
“Huh? What’s that delicious smell?”
As soon as he entered, the director sniffed and opened his eyes.
“These carnivorous bastards don’t even know the gratitude of being fed to them, and what are they eating among themselves?”
The director looked at the children eating, frowned, and began to question them.
“Where did you get all this food? Did you secretly embezzle the money and hide it?”
The faces of the children who had been happily chewing on a piece of bread and munching on it until just now suddenly turned pale. Some of them were sobbing, unable to make a sound, just holding on to it with tears streaming down their faces.
Then, a little boy suddenly got up and stood in front of the director.
“I never embezzled money. People I met on the street bought it for me today. So just leave the kids eating!”
“Oh, you maggot! There you are!”
The director pointed at the little boy with a finger as if he had caught him at the right moment and scolded him.
“If you have something good, you should bring it to me right away! Do you want to get beaten up like last time?”
The little boy did not show any fear at the director’s threats, but instead, he argued with a pouty expression.
“You said you wouldn’t touch the money I brought you on my own! But you always take it away, which is different from what you said!”
“You are still in the orphanage because of someone you thanked, and you are always talking back!” “
"That’s because you even took Mitchell’s medicine!”
“No, you punk! I thought you were pretty useful, so I let you stay! You ungrateful punk who doesn’t even know this kind of favor!”
The director pushed the little boy aside.
“You begged so much, so I didn’t kick that sick, sick chicken out and let you stay! And you’re talking back to me?”
The director came into the small room, grumbling.
“You unlucky bastards are taking up rooms! I should kick them all out...!”
The director stopped when he saw Karina and Mikhail in the room.
“...What are you guys doing? Who gave you permission to come in here?”
The director reeked of alcohol as if he had been drinking so much.
Karina’s face turned red and disdainful.
Mikhail immediately blocked the director’s path as he approached Karina and asked,
“Are you the director of this orphanage?”
“What...”
The director hesitated at Mikhail’s solemn appearance and stopped in his tracks.
Then, blinking, he began to scan Karina and Mikhail’s behavior.
Their clothes were simple and plain, but the fabric was thick and luxurious. The cuffs were tightly finished, and the collar of the shirt that wrapped around the neck was neatly angled.
And the director, who sensed the aristocratic atmosphere that was secretly given off just by standing there, immediately changed his attitude.
“Yes... Yes. I’m the director here... Excuse me, but who are you?”
“This person here is...”
Karina raised her arm to stop Mikhail, who was trying to proudly reveal her identity.
“I was just walking down the street and the kids looked poor, so I bought them some food. Is that okay?”
The director bowed even more humbly as he protruded his lower body as if it were natural.
“Oh, no. There’s no way it won’t work. Hehe.”
“It seems like the kids have been starving for quite some time... Is the orphanage really that bad?”
“We’re not well off, but we scrape together every penny we have to feed the kids. Those guys, no matter how much you buy them to eat, they just don’t show it. No matter how much you feed them, they always say they’re hungry because they’re so hungry.”
The director’s words flowed out smoothly, even though he was drunk and probably not sober.
Then, perhaps because he thought he smelled money, the director rubbed his palms together and added,
“When you help us, it’s best if you give me donations directly, rather than tangible things like food or items. I know best what the kids need.”
The director smirked, and the gold teeth in his mouth sparkled.
Hearing those words, the little boy suddenly got up and shouted.
“No! If you give him money, he’ll spend it all on alcohol and he won’t do anything for us!”
The little boy seemed worried that Karina, who believed the director’s words, might actually donate money to the director.
“No, that guy is talking when the adults are talking! Don’t talk nonsense and get out of here!”
“That’s right! Last time, you said you wouldn’t have enough money for alcohol and would sell Jena to a noble family!”
One of the children sitting down flinched in response to those words.
Then, she started sobbing with a frightened expression.
It seemed to be the Jena he had just mentioned.
“That was just a joke to scare you because you wouldn’t listen!”
The director dismissed the little boy and made a half-hearted remark. Then he smiled bitterly at Karina.
“They’re still kids, so they can’t tell the difference between serious and joking. Do you understand? Hehe.”
Karina smiled coldly.
“I know this place receives support from the relief fund. They indeed seem to be living quite poorly despite receiving the subsidy.”
“We spend a lot on food for the children, so we do have a bit of a shortage of daily necessities.”
The director lied without even licking his lips.
“The children’s clothes seem too thin in this cold northern region.”
“Oh, that’s because the children complained that it was hot when they ran around, so we made it so they could play...”
“Is the child who is sick receiving proper treatment?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
“What kind of treatment is he receiving?”
“That... That...”
The director was at a loss at the continued questions.
“Are you receiving proper accounting audits?”
“Oh, of course. I receive them faithfully every quarter.”
“You smell like alcohol on your person, but you’re not receiving them faithfully. Did you drink so much because you knew the accounting audit would come?”
“No...That...”
The director, who was answering while sweating profusely, coughed in vain, perhaps feeling offended.
“Hehehe! But, why do you keep asking me that?”
The director’s words became shorter as he raised his eyes.
“It seems like you’re picking a fight. Now you’re starting to feel a little bad. Do you believe what that food bug said earlier?”
“Food bug? Is that what they call the kids they take care of at this orphanage?”
Karina pointed out something that had been bothering her from the beginning.
“That guy eats the most, so it’s no wonder his nickname is Food Bug.”
Now the director, who was openly making a fuss and frowning, spoke up.
“Even though I look like this now, I have a decent amount of supporters! Huh? I’m running the orphanage properly! Did you come to pick a fight with me now? Who the hell are you?”
At that moment, a voice called out to the director from outside.
“Hey, you! Are you still here? Why aren’t you coming when you said you’d bring me the money for drinks?”
“Ah, everyone, come over here! There are some weird guys here causing trouble.”
The director called her group.
“What’s going on?”
“Is something fun happening?”
A group of people, smelling of alcohol like the director, rushed to the entrance of the orphanage.
“This woman here is harassing me, asking if I’m doing my job properly. I think she’ll come to her senses once we give her a hard time.”
As the group gathered, the director’s voice became much louder than before.
“You guys are fearless.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve shown us what you’re capable of.”
“Graham! If you show them what you’ve seen, they’ll fly!”
The group that had been giggling among themselves threatened Mikhail and Karina, telling them to come out.
“I think it’s my turn to come out now.”
Mikhail, who had been standing by with a bored expression, stood up with an excited expression.
“Right?”
With sparkling eyes, Karina answered Mikhail who asked that question.
“What are you talking about? Take care of it right now.”
Mikhail snickered.
“Huh...”
“Euuuu...”
The director and his men groaned after being hit with a stick.
“Hmm... This isn’t even a warm-up..."
Mikhail grumbled as if he was exhausted.
Meanwhile, several of the director and his men still hadn’t come to their senses and were shouting.
“You bastards! Do you know who we are?”
“You messed with the wrong people! Do you think we’re being watched over!”
“Yeah! Do you think you can handle the aftermath?”
“Who’s your supporter?”
The director answered Mikhail’s question triumphantly.
“Don’t be surprised to hear that! The one who’s watching over us is the one and only Princess of the Grand Duchy of Colesberg, the master of the North! Lady Caroline!”
The director grumbled, his bloodshot eyes burning as if the fact were an invincible card.
“You guys are in big trouble! Do you think the Princess will stay still if she finds out about this?”
“Oh, Caroline.”
Karina’s smile deepened.
The crowd felt a chill at her reaction, snorting instead of getting nervous upon hearing Caroline’s name.
Even the director, who was usually very excited, sensed something strange.
Normally, the moment he said something like that, the other person would be startled and fall to the ground, saying he was wrong.
The director blinked his bloodshot eyes, bewildered by the completely different situation from what he had expected.
“...”
“...”
One of the crowd members who were looking at each other and hesitating cautiously asked.
“Uh... Uh... Who are you...?”
“Me?”
Karina answered pretending to be indifferent.
“Grand Duchess.”
“...Yes?”
Karina answered the group with dumbfounded expressions once more.
“I am the Grand Duchess.”
“...!”
“...!”
The director and the group swallowed in vain at the soft words that came out of Karina’s mouth.
Their eyes were wide open and their mouths were wide open as if the alcohol had completely worn off.
One of them started to hiccup and groan.
Soon, their faces turned pale as a look of frustration spread across them.
“Graham! If you show them what you’ve seen, they’ll fly!”
The group that had been giggling among themselves threatened Mikhail and Karina, telling them to come out.
“I think it’s my turn to come out now.”
Mikhail, who had been standing by with a bored expression, stood up with an excited expression.
“Right?”
With sparkling eyes, Karina answered Mikhail who asked that question.
“What are you talking about? Take care of it right now.”
Mikhail snickered.
“Huh...”
“Euuuu...”
The director and his men groaned after being hit with a stick.
“Hmm... This isn’t even a warm-up..."
Mikhail grumbled as if he was exhausted.
Meanwhile, several of the director and his men still hadn’t come to their senses and were shouting.
“You bastards! Do you know who we are?”
“You messed with the wrong people! Do you think we’re being watched over!”
“Yeah! Do you think you can handle the aftermath?”
“Who’s your supporter?”
The director answered Mikhail’s question triumphantly.
“Don’t be surprised to hear that! The one who’s watching over us is the one and only Princess of the Grand Duchy of Colesberg, the master of the North! Lady Caroline!”
The director grumbled, his bloodshot eyes burning as if the fact were an invincible card.
“You guys are in big trouble! Do you think the Princess will stay still if she finds out about this?”
“Oh, Caroline.”
Karina’s smile deepened.
The crowd felt a chill at her reaction, snorting instead of getting nervous upon hearing Caroline’s name.
Even the director, who was usually very excited, sensed something strange.
Normally, the moment he said something like that, the other person would be startled and fall to the ground, saying he was wrong.
The director blinked his bloodshot eyes, bewildered by the completely different situation from what he had expected.
“...”
“...”
One of the crowd members who were looking at each other and hesitating cautiously asked.
“Uh... Uh... Who are you...?”
“Me?”
Karina answered pretending to be indifferent.
“Grand Duchess.”
“...Yes?”
Karina answered the group with dumbfounded expressions once more.
“I am the Grand Duchess.”
“...!”
“...!”
The director and the group swallowed in vain at the soft words that came out of Karina’s mouth.
Their eyes were wide open and their mouths were wide open as if the alcohol had completely worn off.
One of them started to hiccup and groan.
Soon, their faces turned pale as a look of frustration spread across them.
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