"Of course!"
The child willingly took us to the daycare center where he lives.
As I entered the entrance of the daycare center, a middle-aged woman who happened to be outside tending to flowers approached me with a puzzled expression. She seemed to be the director.
“Who are you and why are you here with our child...”
We had no choice but to reveal our identities once again.
I need to ask about this child's older brother, but I can't hide my identity.
“Oh my, such distinguished guests have come. Come in quickly. I will take you inside!”
After learning our identities, she beamed and guided us to the director's office.
She asked cautiously as she placed a cup of tea with a subtle fragrance in front of me.
“Let me formally greet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Ladyship. I am Lobella Sensi, the director of this orphanage. But why have such distinguished guests come to such a shabby place...?”
“I came because I had something to ask you.”
“Oh, I see. Yes, if you have any questions, I will answer them faithfully, Your Highness.”
“I’m looking for this kid’s older brother. I heard his name is Evan.”
“...Are you talking about this child’s older brother?”
“Yes, we have some business to attend to. I heard that he lived here for two years before being adopted. Do you know where he was adopted?”
The director looked momentarily embarrassed at my question, then shook his head firmly.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“You can’t tell me?”
I didn't even ask anything that big of a question, so why did you get such a firm rejection?
The expressions of the Crown Prince and I hardened at the same time.
The director hurriedly waved her hand, seeming embarrassed by the tense atmosphere.
“Oh, I’m not saying that I dare to refuse the Saintess’s orders. I mean, I literally can’t tell you. There was no such child in our orphanage."
“What do you mean, it didn’t exist? This kid clearly said...”
When I asked in a puzzled tone, the director, who had a puzzled expression on his face, whispered.
“I don’t know if I should say this in front of the child, but... the truth is that this child suffers from a mental illness.”
"Yes?"
“He must have been lonely living alone in this harsh world that he believed a non-existent person was his older brother.”
“What is that...? So everything this kid said was a delusion?”
“Yes, it is a sad fact.”
Despite the director's affirmation, I couldn't take her words at face value.
That would be the case because the child's explanation of his brother was very detailed.
'A child who looks less than ten years old can come up with such detailed settings?'
As I looked at her with an expression of disbelief, the director sighed deeply and got up. Then she searched through the cabinet and brought out a thick bundle of paper.
“This is the list we have. It has information on every child who has ever passed through our orphanage. But there is no child named Evan.”
The director handed us a list, telling us to check it, and the Crown Prince and I quickly checked it.
‘...There really isn’t any.’
There were hundreds of children's names on the list, but just as the director had said, there was no one named Evan.
'What on earth is going on?'
It was at that moment that the Crown Prince and I stared blankly at each other.
The director, who had been looking through the list he had given us, said, “Here it is,” and handed us a piece of paper.
“Take a look at this.”
I quickly took the paper she handed me. It was a personal statement with the name 'Marca' written on it.
“These are the records of this child. But there is no record of him having an older brother.”
It certainly was.
The documents contained detailed personal information about the child, but there was no record of him having an older brother.
Rather, the record that 'someone abandoned the child in front of a daycare center on a snowy day' only makes it clear that the child was all alone.
“What is this...”
I looked at the child with a puzzled expression.
But the child who had to answer was already speechless.
But since we can't ask the child, "What's going on? Do you really have a mental illness?", we just have to wait for the child to open his mouth.
How much time has passed like that?
The child, who had been looking through his personal statement with a blank expression, let out a loud noise.
“No! I’m not alone! I’m sure I have an older brother! Didn’t we go on a picnic together in the backyard a few months ago? The director gave us permission to go out!”
The child protested loudly.
But the director just sighed and patted the child's head.
“Oh my, you poor thing. What should I do with you, Marca...”
It was a touch full of pity and affection. But the child roughly shook it off.
“Why are you lying, Director? My brother is real! You told me to grow up quickly and become a great knight like him, so why are you lying? Why?”
The child's eyes were filled with resentment.
Even if all of this were a child's delusion, I desperately wanted to believe it.
I stared into those eyes for a moment, then turned my gaze back to the director.
“I don’t doubt the director, but since the child is feeling so wronged, I want to check again.”
“If you want to confirm...”
“This child said that his older brother stayed at this orphanage for two years. I wonder if we should call in the children who have stayed here since then and ask them.”
“Oh, yes...”
The director's expression became slightly sad.
I said I had no doubts in words, but my actions made it obvious to anyone that she was under investigation, so it made sense.
But since our status was what it was, she couldn't dare to disobey, so she nodded obediently.
“If it is Your Highness’s will... Yes, please do so.”
After obtaining permission semi-forcibly, I asked the child.
“How old is your brother?”
“Twenty years old! There’s a twelve-year age difference between us!”
“Well, you said that your brother entered this orphanage when he was twelve?”
"Yes, that's right!"
“Then I guess we should look for the kids who have been here for the past 8 years.”
The Crown Prince and I searched through the list to find children whose ages matched.
As time passed, most of them were adopted or left the facility due to old age, so now only three remain.
The director had someone call the children over.
Two girls and one boy.
Marca's expression brightened.
“If you guys are like this, you guys can prove what I’m saying! We often talk about him together!”
I gently stroked Marca's head, his eyes sparkling with hope, and then turned my gaze to the three witnesses.
“Would you like to eat this?”
The children's eyes widened when I asked them while handing them the snacks I had brought from the salon as if I sensed the subtle atmosphere and they were all very timid.
“Can I eat it?”
"Of course."
As I smiled and held the box of cookies closer, the children approached me timidly and carefully took the cookies one by one.
However, since I continued to hold the box without taking it back, the kids tilted their heads and took one more snack each while watching me.
‘No, there are so many...’
They saw a box full of snacks and only wanted one, and they were only greedy for two.
I clicked my tongue in pity and gave the entire box of cookies to a girl.
“You can eat it all.”
“Really? All of this?”
A smile appeared on the children's faces.
I laughed bitterly at the sight, which was both pitiful and cute, but soon got back to the main point.
“It says that you were in this orphanage 8 years ago too. Is that correct?”
"Yes, that's right."
“We’ve all been around for 10 years.”
“How old were you at that time?”
“Well, five years old.”
“I am four years old.”
“I’m four years old too.”
The boy was a year older than the other children.
“Yes, can I ask you one thing?”
The children nodded with a slightly nervous expression at my question.
“Do you know the boy named Evan who came in eight years ago? He’s said to be seven or eight years older than you. He’s this boy’s older brother.”
I pulled Marca towards me and asked.
Marca's eyes sparkled with hope.
It seems as if he has no doubt that the three children will prove his innocence.
But.
“No, there was no such person.”
“...There wasn’t any?”
“No, there wasn’t any.”
“It’s not like you don’t remember? You were four or five years old at the time, so you might not remember since you were so young.”
I asked with a hopeful mind, but this time the children just shook their heads again.
“No, there was no such type.”
“Yes, I remember clearly.”
"Me too."
“...”
I was speechless at that firmness and let out a short sigh.
'Are you really crazy?'
I didn't want to believe that this bright-eyed child had such a condition, but at this point, I couldn't help but be suspicious.
'But he looks so much like that assassin...'
Of course, blonde hair and blue eyes were very common in the empire.
So, we couldn't necessarily say that they were brothers just because they had the same hair color and eye color.
'But...'
It was at that moment that I was sweeping back my flowing hair with a frustrated expression.
"Lie!"
The child willingly took us to the daycare center where he lives.
As I entered the entrance of the daycare center, a middle-aged woman who happened to be outside tending to flowers approached me with a puzzled expression. She seemed to be the director.
“Who are you and why are you here with our child...”
We had no choice but to reveal our identities once again.
I need to ask about this child's older brother, but I can't hide my identity.
“Oh my, such distinguished guests have come. Come in quickly. I will take you inside!”
After learning our identities, she beamed and guided us to the director's office.
She asked cautiously as she placed a cup of tea with a subtle fragrance in front of me.
“Let me formally greet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Ladyship. I am Lobella Sensi, the director of this orphanage. But why have such distinguished guests come to such a shabby place...?”
“I came because I had something to ask you.”
“Oh, I see. Yes, if you have any questions, I will answer them faithfully, Your Highness.”
“I’m looking for this kid’s older brother. I heard his name is Evan.”
“...Are you talking about this child’s older brother?”
“Yes, we have some business to attend to. I heard that he lived here for two years before being adopted. Do you know where he was adopted?”
The director looked momentarily embarrassed at my question, then shook his head firmly.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“You can’t tell me?”
I didn't even ask anything that big of a question, so why did you get such a firm rejection?
The expressions of the Crown Prince and I hardened at the same time.
The director hurriedly waved her hand, seeming embarrassed by the tense atmosphere.
“Oh, I’m not saying that I dare to refuse the Saintess’s orders. I mean, I literally can’t tell you. There was no such child in our orphanage."
“What do you mean, it didn’t exist? This kid clearly said...”
When I asked in a puzzled tone, the director, who had a puzzled expression on his face, whispered.
“I don’t know if I should say this in front of the child, but... the truth is that this child suffers from a mental illness.”
"Yes?"
“He must have been lonely living alone in this harsh world that he believed a non-existent person was his older brother.”
“What is that...? So everything this kid said was a delusion?”
“Yes, it is a sad fact.”
Despite the director's affirmation, I couldn't take her words at face value.
That would be the case because the child's explanation of his brother was very detailed.
'A child who looks less than ten years old can come up with such detailed settings?'
As I looked at her with an expression of disbelief, the director sighed deeply and got up. Then she searched through the cabinet and brought out a thick bundle of paper.
“This is the list we have. It has information on every child who has ever passed through our orphanage. But there is no child named Evan.”
The director handed us a list, telling us to check it, and the Crown Prince and I quickly checked it.
‘...There really isn’t any.’
There were hundreds of children's names on the list, but just as the director had said, there was no one named Evan.
'What on earth is going on?'
It was at that moment that the Crown Prince and I stared blankly at each other.
The director, who had been looking through the list he had given us, said, “Here it is,” and handed us a piece of paper.
“Take a look at this.”
I quickly took the paper she handed me. It was a personal statement with the name 'Marca' written on it.
“These are the records of this child. But there is no record of him having an older brother.”
It certainly was.
The documents contained detailed personal information about the child, but there was no record of him having an older brother.
Rather, the record that 'someone abandoned the child in front of a daycare center on a snowy day' only makes it clear that the child was all alone.
“What is this...”
I looked at the child with a puzzled expression.
But the child who had to answer was already speechless.
But since we can't ask the child, "What's going on? Do you really have a mental illness?", we just have to wait for the child to open his mouth.
How much time has passed like that?
The child, who had been looking through his personal statement with a blank expression, let out a loud noise.
“No! I’m not alone! I’m sure I have an older brother! Didn’t we go on a picnic together in the backyard a few months ago? The director gave us permission to go out!”
The child protested loudly.
But the director just sighed and patted the child's head.
“Oh my, you poor thing. What should I do with you, Marca...”
It was a touch full of pity and affection. But the child roughly shook it off.
“Why are you lying, Director? My brother is real! You told me to grow up quickly and become a great knight like him, so why are you lying? Why?”
The child's eyes were filled with resentment.
Even if all of this were a child's delusion, I desperately wanted to believe it.
I stared into those eyes for a moment, then turned my gaze back to the director.
“I don’t doubt the director, but since the child is feeling so wronged, I want to check again.”
“If you want to confirm...”
“This child said that his older brother stayed at this orphanage for two years. I wonder if we should call in the children who have stayed here since then and ask them.”
“Oh, yes...”
The director's expression became slightly sad.
I said I had no doubts in words, but my actions made it obvious to anyone that she was under investigation, so it made sense.
But since our status was what it was, she couldn't dare to disobey, so she nodded obediently.
“If it is Your Highness’s will... Yes, please do so.”
After obtaining permission semi-forcibly, I asked the child.
“How old is your brother?”
“Twenty years old! There’s a twelve-year age difference between us!”
“Well, you said that your brother entered this orphanage when he was twelve?”
"Yes, that's right!"
“Then I guess we should look for the kids who have been here for the past 8 years.”
The Crown Prince and I searched through the list to find children whose ages matched.
As time passed, most of them were adopted or left the facility due to old age, so now only three remain.
The director had someone call the children over.
Two girls and one boy.
Marca's expression brightened.
“If you guys are like this, you guys can prove what I’m saying! We often talk about him together!”
I gently stroked Marca's head, his eyes sparkling with hope, and then turned my gaze to the three witnesses.
“Would you like to eat this?”
The children's eyes widened when I asked them while handing them the snacks I had brought from the salon as if I sensed the subtle atmosphere and they were all very timid.
“Can I eat it?”
"Of course."
As I smiled and held the box of cookies closer, the children approached me timidly and carefully took the cookies one by one.
However, since I continued to hold the box without taking it back, the kids tilted their heads and took one more snack each while watching me.
‘No, there are so many...’
They saw a box full of snacks and only wanted one, and they were only greedy for two.
I clicked my tongue in pity and gave the entire box of cookies to a girl.
“You can eat it all.”
“Really? All of this?”
A smile appeared on the children's faces.
I laughed bitterly at the sight, which was both pitiful and cute, but soon got back to the main point.
“It says that you were in this orphanage 8 years ago too. Is that correct?”
"Yes, that's right."
“We’ve all been around for 10 years.”
“How old were you at that time?”
“Well, five years old.”
“I am four years old.”
“I’m four years old too.”
The boy was a year older than the other children.
“Yes, can I ask you one thing?”
The children nodded with a slightly nervous expression at my question.
“Do you know the boy named Evan who came in eight years ago? He’s said to be seven or eight years older than you. He’s this boy’s older brother.”
I pulled Marca towards me and asked.
Marca's eyes sparkled with hope.
It seems as if he has no doubt that the three children will prove his innocence.
But.
“No, there was no such person.”
“...There wasn’t any?”
“No, there wasn’t any.”
“It’s not like you don’t remember? You were four or five years old at the time, so you might not remember since you were so young.”
I asked with a hopeful mind, but this time the children just shook their heads again.
“No, there was no such type.”
“Yes, I remember clearly.”
"Me too."
“...”
I was speechless at that firmness and let out a short sigh.
'Are you really crazy?'
I didn't want to believe that this bright-eyed child had such a condition, but at this point, I couldn't help but be suspicious.
'But he looks so much like that assassin...'
Of course, blonde hair and blue eyes were very common in the empire.
So, we couldn't necessarily say that they were brothers just because they had the same hair color and eye color.
'But...'
It was at that moment that I was sweeping back my flowing hair with a frustrated expression.
"Lie!"
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