“I heard it all. What kind of vulgar things are you saying?”
"Th-that's not it. How did you get here?"
"I came to check. Whether this place is worthy of my sponsorship."
The director rolled her eyes. She seemed to be thinking of an excuse.
"This is one of our orphanage's disciplinary methods. You do not need to worry too much about it, Duchess."
"Discipline? I can't give a donation to someone who teaches children like this."
Stella's attitude was firm. The orphanage director desperately clung to her.
"No, it's not. It's all a misunderstanding. Uh, say something. Sia. This is just a joke between us. A joke."
Sia squeezed her eyes shut as if deep in thought, then opened them again.
"Stop it. It looks ugly."
Stella could sense how much she had agonized in that split second. She had even braced herself for Stella to discover her vulnerabilities. Having finished her contemplation, Sia turned to face Stella.
"Lady Stella, this place is simply not working out. No matter how much donation money we receive, the children's lives don't get any better."
The director shouted in anger.
"Sia!"
"There is no need to look around any further. Let's go now."
Sia grabbed Stella's wrist and led her to the door.
"Please stop for a moment before you leave! Duchess, I have something important to tell you."
Stella laughed at the director's voice, which felt like it was piercing her ears.
"Go ahead and give it a try."
"You are being deceived, Duchess. That child named Sia's real name is Lucia."
'Lucia?'
Stella became interested in the name she was hearing for the first time.
"That is the name given by Sia's biological mother, Ruhana. Well, Ruhana wasn't an ordinary woman. She was a barmaid. I know this very well because she entrusted Sia to me before she died."
It was already a well-known fact that Sia was from an orphanage. Therefore, Stella showed no change in expression whatsoever.
"So?"
"The blood of a vulgar woman flows in Sia. She is completely unsuitable for the noble Adrian. So do not listen to the words of such a detestable child."
Seeing that Stella continued to listen to her story without leaving the door, the orphanage director, perhaps believing she had succeeded in persuading her, pulled out a chair and offered her a seat.
"Come over here and have a cup of tea with me. I have some good tea. You will like it."
Then, she reached out to take tea leaves out of the cupboard. Stella asked with her arms crossed.
"So, what's the point?"
"Yes?"
"I asked why I should waste my precious time listening to you."
The director, who was about to take out the tea leaves, froze for a moment. Then, she respectfully clasped her hands together again and spoke to Stella.
"Well... nobles place great importance on status, you know. I am telling you, Sia is by no means of high status. So, if you are going to believe anything, you should believe me more. Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?"
As if feeling anxious, the director hurriedly took a piece of paper from her pocket and thrust it at Stella.
"I am absolutely not a fraudster like that child claims. Look here. This is a list of expenses for the children. It also details exactly how the sponsorship will be used."
Stella handed it to Sia without even looking at it. Then she took a step closer to the director.
"If you like money that much, how about this method?"
"Yes?"
"Go find the reporters and tell them. That I, Stella, am actually an illegitimate child."
A surprised voice was heard from behind.
"Yes?"
This was the sound of Sia flustered. Sia had no idea that Stella harbored such a secret about her birth, either. It was simply because she disliked the fact that Stella had been born into a good social standing and lived a life of being treated well.
"If you let the reporters know that I, the Duchess, am an illegitimate child, you would make quite a bit of money."
Stella gave a relaxed smile and patted the director's head once.
"But that is..."
"Why? Can't you do it?"
"I even have a funny joke. I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
The director initially looked down on Stella. Although her hair color and clothes were quite flashy, it was merely a facade; her face looked innocent. A spoiled fool who readily stepped forward to sponsor her. Or perhaps a hothouse flower unaware of the ways of the world.
"Because you are afraid of retaliation from the Duke's family?"
However, that was the director's misconception. Stella, who was on her second life, possessed a maturity different from others.
"..."
"If you couldn't do that to me, you shouldn't have done it to my secretary either."
Her voice was still gentle, and her eyes were smiling. That made the director even more flustered. The situation she was currently in felt like a dream. An unreal nightmare.
"How dare you threaten me with your identity at my mansion?"
At Stella's words, the director looked at Sia.
'You bitch, you told them everything, didn't you?'
That was the look on her face. Regrettably, Stella didn't care at all about Sia's status. It might have been different for other nobles, but Stella wasn't someone who liked class supremacy in the first place.
"The fact that Sia is not the Viscount's biological daughter."
Rather, she tended to harbor resentment toward this world where superiority is determined solely by social status. This was also why, even before her regression, she knew that Sia was from an orphanage but did not consider it a weakness.
"I've known that for years."
'...?'
Sia's eyes wavered helplessly at Stella's words. Sia thought she was acting very well. She thought she hadn't let anyone discover her flaws.
'How did I get caught?'
Stella pulled the director's hand away from her wrist.
"So don't come here and cause trouble. From now on, you won't be able to come in or out of the Dukes' mansion."
Stella took Sia out of the orphanage. She saw children peeking around, startled by the loud noise. Sia stopped walking. Stella looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"We can't go on like this."
"What?"
"The director is definitely going to harm the children."
Because it was like that even when she was there.
Stella ran her hand through her hair as if in a difficult situation.
"Does the director even resort to physical violence?"
Sia nodded. However, if the children get injured on their faces, it will be difficult to send them for adoption.
"...She only does that for children who seem unlikely to be adopted."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The children people want to adopt are usually similar. Pretty and young children, smart children."
"Are you saying people adopt children based solely on their looks?"
Sia nodded.
"Children with sharp, slanted eyes that make them look fierce, or those with indistinct facial features, don't get adopted easily. Those are the ones who are usually the victims of physical abuse."
Stella was dumbfounded. As if physical violence wasn't enough, they were discriminating based on appearance. This was a tremendous trauma for the children. Stella knew the pain of discrimination better than anyone.
"So if things continue like this, those children will get beaten again."
"If you take the children now, it's kidnapping."
"But...!"
Sia seemed unable to bring herself to move. She looked as if tears were about to flow at any moment. Not wanting to show her tears, she lowered her head, but was startled awake by the loud noise of several people rushing towards her.
'Knights?'
Stella brought several knights from the Duke's household. Since it would be difficult for Sia to evaluate the orphanage alone, she intended to have the knights inspect every corner of the facility to identify any problems and determine which areas needed repair.
"Why are the Duke's knights here...?"
"Originally, I intended to buy this entire orphanage."
Stella looked around the orphanage building. The area near the director's office gleamed, but the other rooms were covered in mold.
'However, seeing how it's rotten from the roots like this, I guess it won't work.'
Upon closer inspection, everything likely to be visited by guests was clean and luxurious, but the upper floor, where the children seemed to spend most of their time, appeared to be completely neglected.
"This place is sealed off. I will thoroughly investigate the situation here and send the findings to the Imperial Household."
"Then what about the children...?"
"It would probably be more convenient for the Duke's family to manage it."
"At the Duke's estate?"
Sia asked in surprise. Stella nodded.
"Since there are guards here, the director won't be able to lay a hand on them. You can go home with peace of mind."
The closure of the orphanage was instantaneous. The knights discovered the orphanage's accounting records, and the director's corruption was fully exposed. She was spending 80 percent of the money meant for the children, including donations. The fact that the Duke's knights had barged in without permission was also not a major issue.
First, it was due to the circumstances that Stella had gone to look into the place to sponsor it, and second, that she had urgently called in reporters after discovering signs of child abuse.
"Aren't you busy with work? The selection of Imperial Writers is just around the corner."
"It's okay. This kind of experience will all help with my writing anyway."
In truth, preparing to become an Imperial Writer alone was indeed a tight schedule. If Stella failed to obtain Hajean's magic stone, she would lose her life. However, she could not turn a blind eye to the abused children either. Stella actually spent her own money to establish an orphanage managed by the Duke's family. As she was the first noble to personally open an orphanage, she was even featured in a newspaper article.
'These children are covered in bruises all over their bodies.'
Stella met the children in person to examine their condition. Some of the children were covered in bluish-green bruises. Sia’s words that she chose which children to hit based on their appearance were true. The majority of the abused children were older and unlikely to be adopted. Among them, there was one child who particularly stood out.
"That wound must hurt a lot. Are you okay?"
"..."
"The doctor will come and apply the medicine."
"..."
"You don't have to be scared. I will find a new teacher who is kind enough to satisfy you."
"..."
It was a child named Lina with a rare appearance in the Empire: black hair and blue eyes. Her eyes were large without double eyelids, and the corners drooped slightly. The blush on her cheeks seemed to indicate that she was a shy child. She did not even open her mouth when Stella spoke to her. Worried that the child might be afraid of her, Stella observed her expression. It seemed she was wary of strangers because it was the first time she had seen Stella. Sia subtly gave Stella a hint.
"The child named Lina cannot speak."
"Yes?"
"She stopped speaking ever since she was returned after being returned from adoption. Even people who were interested in her because of her striking looks withdrew their interest once they found out that Lina couldn't speak. So she probably has a lot of emotional scars. Please don't worry too much, as it isn't because you made a mistake, Lady Stella."
Stella bit her lip.
The child named Lina was deeply embedded in Stella's heart like a sore finger.
Comments
Post a Comment