I was crouching by the well, dealing with the mountain of laundry, and I threw the laundry away nervously.
“Why on earth is there so much laundry?”
No matter how much I did with the laundry, it never seemed to shrink.
Of course, I was prepared for this.
This is a daycare center with over seventy children, so the amount of laundry that comes out each day is probably quite a lot.
Yeah, it was all expected.
Still, the reason why I'm so excited is...
“Why should I be washing the director’s clothes! Give me the kids’ clothes instead, of the kids’ clothes! Ha, even the underwear...”
I burst into a hollow laugh as I looked at the bright red underwear that didn't match the director at all.
I've never washed my own clothes in my entire life, so how did I end up doing other people's underwear?
Even though it was for the sake of an investigation, I was so overcome with self-loathing that I was going crazy.
Whether or not she knew how I was feeling, the laundry continued to come in.
“The director said this is also fast.”
This time it was a blanket and curtains.
'This damn director! You've got the day, you've got the day.'
How much do you plan on sucking up for the price of one old fence!
I barely suppressed the urge to just press down on her based on her identity and tried to open my mouth to pretend to be a nice person.
“But it looks like all the laundry is yours? Do you not have to wash the kids’ laundry?”
“Oh, in this daycare, the kids do their own laundry and dishes.”
“Huh? The kids themselves?”
“Yes, that’s the policy of the daycare center. No matter how difficult it is, children should be able to do their own things with their own hands.”
“...”
I was speechless for a moment.
I thought that as a form of discipline, I was only supposed to wash the blankets that the child used after defecating, but it turns out that this also applies to washing clothes and dishes.
'Humanity, really.'
Based on the list I checked yesterday, most of the children in this orphanage were around four or five years old.
How did the idea of having these children do the work themselves come about?
I was naturally tempted to swear, but I couldn't show my true nature from the day I first arrived. I just smiled and rubbed the laundry.
As I was venting my anger like that, the laundry that seemed like it would never end was already finished.
I spread out the clean clothes and hung them on the clothesline, then grabbed them from the waist up.
“Oh my, my back.”
I never thought I'd hear such old-fashioned words coming out of my mouth.
Who would have thought that I, who grew up preciously as the only Princess of the empire, would end up crying while doing someone else's laundry?
If the nanny or servants who raised me with love saw me, they might grab me by the scruff of my neck and collapse.
At that moment, I just let out a deep sigh.
“Are you done with the laundry?”
Two servants came and asked.
One of them was a woman who had brought three witnesses yesterday under the director's instructions.
In a word, a perjured teacher.
But I nodded my head and smiled brightly, pretending not to know anything.
“Yes, it just finished.”
“Thank you for your hard work. We just finished preparing lunch for the kids. We’re eating while the kids are eating.”
“...Lunch?”
I couldn't hide my embarrassment at the word 'lunch'.
'I got here at 6 AM, so it would have been around 12 PM for lunch...'
Wow, that meant I had been doing laundry for a full six hours.
'They didn't even give me breakfast...'
I was being sucked to pieces by an unscrupulous employer who didn't even provide me with meals.
'This lady is like a Crown Prince!'
When I stomped my feet in frustration, the servants flinched and ran away, saying, “Come quickly. If you’re late, the food will get cold.”
Only then did I come to my senses and follow her with brisk strides like an angry gorilla.
'I skipped breakfast, so I can't eat lunch when it's already cold.'
I ran to the kitchen in a hurry, promising myself that I would eat twice as much as I could before breakfast.
But unfortunately, all I was given was a piece of dry bread, a potato, and water from a well.
'Is this all you can do for treating people like that?'
Even that wicked Crown Prince gave me a loaf of bread!
Unlike me, who clenched my fists in frustration, the two servants started eating as if they were used to it.
“How was your day at work? Was it hard?”
“No, it’s hard. Not at all... Yes, it’s actually hard. It’s really hard.”
I tried hard to deny it from the first day, thinking that I couldn't show any signs of complaining, but eventually, I had no choice but to accept it.
I worked for six whole hours without being able to straighten my back, but I couldn't bring myself to say that it wasn't hard.
The two women burst into laughter, wondering if I was funny.
“You must be really upset. Then why did you come here on your own two feet?”
“I heard. You said you turned yourself in because you broke the fence? Anyway, it’s a problem when people are too conscientious.”
“That’s right. We’re hired so we get paid a pittance, but you get to suffer for free under that stingy manager. This place is no joke...”
“How much work did you agree to do?”
“A month.”
“What, what are you talking about?”
A look of shock appeared on the faces of both women.
“A whole month just for breaking a wooden fence!”
“That’s right! The fence, it was shaky and in bad shape! It’s really old!”
Yeah, I know, I know.
At first glance, it was obvious that the fence was in poor condition; it had probably not been oiled for years.
It is simply astonishing that the director charges twenty silver coins for something that even a six-year-old child would not be fooled by.
But now I opened my mouth with a sullen face as if I just realized.
“Really? The director said she had it made by asking the best carpenter in town...”
“Oh my, it’s all a lie. How could someone who doesn’t even care about the food that goes into children’s mouths spend that much money on a daycare fence?”
“Yes, you were fooled.”
“I see. I didn’t even know that and agreed to work for a month without pay...”
They must have felt bad for me because I was blaming myself so much, so they patted my shoulder.
“What can I do, it’s so pitiful. You can’t negotiate the deadline again now.”
“The director’s personality is such that once a contract is made, it will never be passed on.”
Yes, I can tell just by looking at it.
But what does it matter?
Anyway, if I find out the evidence of embezzlement and the secret about the assassin, I'll kick her out.
I didn't care at all, but I pretended to be upset and pursed my lips.
“...I see. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t help but think of it as studying the world. Still, I’m glad I met such great people.”
“Huh? If they’re good people, then us?”
“What did we do for you?”
“Why didn’t you do anything for me? Just being angry with me and comforting me like this gives me great strength. I’m truly grateful.”
“Oh my, what is this?”
“Yes, as a coworker, this is something I can do.”
The servants waved their hands in embarrassment. However, they must have really enjoyed my flattery because there was a smile on their faces.
I thought this was the moment and asked.
“But from what I hear you say, it seems like the director is saving a lot of money on the children.”
“Oh my, what can I say? They spare nothing, from food to clothing, firewood to toys. Even after just eating, when I turn around and see children sucking their thumbs because they are hungry, it brings tears to my eyes.”
“That’s right, there have been more than a few times when I felt like throwing up because I felt bad about having to look after the kids. Oh my, what kind of person is running a daycare center?”
They had a lot of accumulated anger, so they started to curse at the director without hesitation.
'Oh, I guess we can solve this embezzlement case in no time.'
After all, there is no better person to uncover corruption than someone's close associates.
I was smiling happily, but soon I pretended not to know anything and joined the conversation.
“Oh my, but she must have become the director of an orphanage because she loves children so much. But seeing how much she cares for them, I wonder if she doesn’t get much support.”
The servants laughed at my words as if they didn't find them funny.
“What are you talking about? We get a lot of sponsorship. This orphanage is very famous in the neighborhood.”
“Huh? It's famous?”
“Yes, the director’s mother is a well-known person in this industry.”
“If there is someone who understands...”
As I tilted my head, one of the servants raised his index finger as if he was telling me some great secret and said,
“The so-called mother of orphans!”
“She devoted his entire life to orphans. She willingly took in and cared for children who had lost their parents, abused children, and even disabled children whom most orphanages would avoid. The orphanage that she ran was inherited by the current director.”
“So, of course, donations poured in from all over the place. Not only clothes and toys, but also meat, fish, and milk that other orphanages can’t even dream of. There’s probably no orphanage as affluent as this one anywhere in the empire.”
“But all those donations end up in the director’s back pocket...”
“Are you saying that she is embezzling and selling the sponsorship items?”
The servants waved their hands as if to tell me not to listen to what I said.
“Oh my, where are the only donations? Even the kids were sold off... Gasp!”
She realized her slip of the tongue too late and quickly covered her mouth, but it was already too late.
'Yeah, I've already heard it all.'
“Why on earth is there so much laundry?”
No matter how much I did with the laundry, it never seemed to shrink.
Of course, I was prepared for this.
This is a daycare center with over seventy children, so the amount of laundry that comes out each day is probably quite a lot.
Yeah, it was all expected.
Still, the reason why I'm so excited is...
“Why should I be washing the director’s clothes! Give me the kids’ clothes instead, of the kids’ clothes! Ha, even the underwear...”
I burst into a hollow laugh as I looked at the bright red underwear that didn't match the director at all.
I've never washed my own clothes in my entire life, so how did I end up doing other people's underwear?
Even though it was for the sake of an investigation, I was so overcome with self-loathing that I was going crazy.
Whether or not she knew how I was feeling, the laundry continued to come in.
“The director said this is also fast.”
This time it was a blanket and curtains.
'This damn director! You've got the day, you've got the day.'
How much do you plan on sucking up for the price of one old fence!
I barely suppressed the urge to just press down on her based on her identity and tried to open my mouth to pretend to be a nice person.
“But it looks like all the laundry is yours? Do you not have to wash the kids’ laundry?”
“Oh, in this daycare, the kids do their own laundry and dishes.”
“Huh? The kids themselves?”
“Yes, that’s the policy of the daycare center. No matter how difficult it is, children should be able to do their own things with their own hands.”
“...”
I was speechless for a moment.
I thought that as a form of discipline, I was only supposed to wash the blankets that the child used after defecating, but it turns out that this also applies to washing clothes and dishes.
'Humanity, really.'
Based on the list I checked yesterday, most of the children in this orphanage were around four or five years old.
How did the idea of having these children do the work themselves come about?
I was naturally tempted to swear, but I couldn't show my true nature from the day I first arrived. I just smiled and rubbed the laundry.
As I was venting my anger like that, the laundry that seemed like it would never end was already finished.
I spread out the clean clothes and hung them on the clothesline, then grabbed them from the waist up.
“Oh my, my back.”
I never thought I'd hear such old-fashioned words coming out of my mouth.
Who would have thought that I, who grew up preciously as the only Princess of the empire, would end up crying while doing someone else's laundry?
If the nanny or servants who raised me with love saw me, they might grab me by the scruff of my neck and collapse.
At that moment, I just let out a deep sigh.
“Are you done with the laundry?”
Two servants came and asked.
One of them was a woman who had brought three witnesses yesterday under the director's instructions.
In a word, a perjured teacher.
But I nodded my head and smiled brightly, pretending not to know anything.
“Yes, it just finished.”
“Thank you for your hard work. We just finished preparing lunch for the kids. We’re eating while the kids are eating.”
“...Lunch?”
I couldn't hide my embarrassment at the word 'lunch'.
'I got here at 6 AM, so it would have been around 12 PM for lunch...'
Wow, that meant I had been doing laundry for a full six hours.
'They didn't even give me breakfast...'
I was being sucked to pieces by an unscrupulous employer who didn't even provide me with meals.
'This lady is like a Crown Prince!'
When I stomped my feet in frustration, the servants flinched and ran away, saying, “Come quickly. If you’re late, the food will get cold.”
Only then did I come to my senses and follow her with brisk strides like an angry gorilla.
'I skipped breakfast, so I can't eat lunch when it's already cold.'
I ran to the kitchen in a hurry, promising myself that I would eat twice as much as I could before breakfast.
But unfortunately, all I was given was a piece of dry bread, a potato, and water from a well.
'Is this all you can do for treating people like that?'
Even that wicked Crown Prince gave me a loaf of bread!
Unlike me, who clenched my fists in frustration, the two servants started eating as if they were used to it.
“How was your day at work? Was it hard?”
“No, it’s hard. Not at all... Yes, it’s actually hard. It’s really hard.”
I tried hard to deny it from the first day, thinking that I couldn't show any signs of complaining, but eventually, I had no choice but to accept it.
I worked for six whole hours without being able to straighten my back, but I couldn't bring myself to say that it wasn't hard.
The two women burst into laughter, wondering if I was funny.
“You must be really upset. Then why did you come here on your own two feet?”
“I heard. You said you turned yourself in because you broke the fence? Anyway, it’s a problem when people are too conscientious.”
“That’s right. We’re hired so we get paid a pittance, but you get to suffer for free under that stingy manager. This place is no joke...”
“How much work did you agree to do?”
“A month.”
“What, what are you talking about?”
A look of shock appeared on the faces of both women.
“A whole month just for breaking a wooden fence!”
“That’s right! The fence, it was shaky and in bad shape! It’s really old!”
Yeah, I know, I know.
At first glance, it was obvious that the fence was in poor condition; it had probably not been oiled for years.
It is simply astonishing that the director charges twenty silver coins for something that even a six-year-old child would not be fooled by.
But now I opened my mouth with a sullen face as if I just realized.
“Really? The director said she had it made by asking the best carpenter in town...”
“Oh my, it’s all a lie. How could someone who doesn’t even care about the food that goes into children’s mouths spend that much money on a daycare fence?”
“Yes, you were fooled.”
“I see. I didn’t even know that and agreed to work for a month without pay...”
They must have felt bad for me because I was blaming myself so much, so they patted my shoulder.
“What can I do, it’s so pitiful. You can’t negotiate the deadline again now.”
“The director’s personality is such that once a contract is made, it will never be passed on.”
Yes, I can tell just by looking at it.
But what does it matter?
Anyway, if I find out the evidence of embezzlement and the secret about the assassin, I'll kick her out.
I didn't care at all, but I pretended to be upset and pursed my lips.
“...I see. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t help but think of it as studying the world. Still, I’m glad I met such great people.”
“Huh? If they’re good people, then us?”
“What did we do for you?”
“Why didn’t you do anything for me? Just being angry with me and comforting me like this gives me great strength. I’m truly grateful.”
“Oh my, what is this?”
“Yes, as a coworker, this is something I can do.”
The servants waved their hands in embarrassment. However, they must have really enjoyed my flattery because there was a smile on their faces.
I thought this was the moment and asked.
“But from what I hear you say, it seems like the director is saving a lot of money on the children.”
“Oh my, what can I say? They spare nothing, from food to clothing, firewood to toys. Even after just eating, when I turn around and see children sucking their thumbs because they are hungry, it brings tears to my eyes.”
“That’s right, there have been more than a few times when I felt like throwing up because I felt bad about having to look after the kids. Oh my, what kind of person is running a daycare center?”
They had a lot of accumulated anger, so they started to curse at the director without hesitation.
'Oh, I guess we can solve this embezzlement case in no time.'
After all, there is no better person to uncover corruption than someone's close associates.
I was smiling happily, but soon I pretended not to know anything and joined the conversation.
“Oh my, but she must have become the director of an orphanage because she loves children so much. But seeing how much she cares for them, I wonder if she doesn’t get much support.”
The servants laughed at my words as if they didn't find them funny.
“What are you talking about? We get a lot of sponsorship. This orphanage is very famous in the neighborhood.”
“Huh? It's famous?”
“Yes, the director’s mother is a well-known person in this industry.”
“If there is someone who understands...”
As I tilted my head, one of the servants raised his index finger as if he was telling me some great secret and said,
“The so-called mother of orphans!”
“She devoted his entire life to orphans. She willingly took in and cared for children who had lost their parents, abused children, and even disabled children whom most orphanages would avoid. The orphanage that she ran was inherited by the current director.”
“So, of course, donations poured in from all over the place. Not only clothes and toys, but also meat, fish, and milk that other orphanages can’t even dream of. There’s probably no orphanage as affluent as this one anywhere in the empire.”
“But all those donations end up in the director’s back pocket...”
“Are you saying that she is embezzling and selling the sponsorship items?”
The servants waved their hands as if to tell me not to listen to what I said.
“Oh my, where are the only donations? Even the kids were sold off... Gasp!”
She realized her slip of the tongue too late and quickly covered her mouth, but it was already too late.
'Yeah, I've already heard it all.'
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