Chapter 113
After leaving the duke’s residence, they headed to the garden where the engagement ceremony had taken place the day before. However, they went deeper inside than where the ceremony had been held.
“Wow…!”
Even the older kids widened their eyes in amazement at the breathtaking sight before them.
“Welcome to Winston Playground!”
Before them was a playground personally designed by Hestia and Luciard.
The two had put their heads together to figure out how to make the most fun place for the children. After consulting experts, they hired skilled craftsmen to bring their vision to life.
Until now, noble children only played with dolls and toys. Unlike commoner kids, they didn’t run around the streets or turn abandoned houses into hideouts.
‘But in about six years, playgrounds like this will start appearing one by one.’
Hestia hadn’t realized it before, but one of the craftsmen who helped build this playground would go on to create public playgrounds for children six years later.
Noticing his talent early, she had quickly brought him to Byron.
‘Well, that’s a good thing.’
The playground was decorated in bright colors that children loved. A circus troupe had been hired to put on small performances and tricks throughout the area, and next to the playground, there was a pony-riding experience.
Seeing such an amazing place for the first time, the children’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
They couldn’t wait to go inside, shifting restlessly in anticipation.
“Alright, before we start!”
Hestia raised her voice to get the children’s attention.
“There are a few rules to follow.”
Since it was their first time experiencing a playground, there was a chance of small accidents happening. To prevent any trouble, Hestia made sure to set some ground rules.
“First, no cutting in line. If you want to ride something, wait for your turn. Second, don’t stay on one ride for too long. There will be attendants near each ride, so listen to them. Third, don’t fight with your friends. Fourth, be polite to the attendants and circus staff. They are working hard for us, so don’t cause trouble for them. Understood?”
“Yes!”
The children shouted energetically in response.
As soon as Hestia stepped aside, the children rushed inside.
Watching them sprint from the start, she couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
“Don’t run! You might trip and fall!”
“Hahaha!”
“Wow! What is this? It’s so cool!”
“I want to try that too!”
Even though she shouted, the excited children were too busy playing to listen.
“Well… I guess it’s fine. Let me know if any problems come up.”
“Yes, Lady Hestia.”
After leaving instructions with a servant, Hestia walked out of the playground.
Nearby, Luciard stood with her parents and several noble families.
Curious about where their children had gone, they had followed along.
“Oh my, this is quite fascinating.”
“What exactly is this, my lady?”
“We’d love to try it ourselves!”
The nobles were intrigued by the unfamiliar concept of a playground.
“Lord Luciard wanted a fun place for the invited children, so we prepared this playground.”
“A playground?”
“Yes, this is the first one we’ve made, so there may be some trial and error. But if it proves to be safe, we might build one in Chest. That way, all the children in the territory can play there.”
“Oh…”
“That sounds interesting.”
“Can we build one at our estate? We’ll pay whatever it costs.”
“Yes, please! Lately, it’s been difficult to keep the children entertained. If we had this at home, they wouldn’t keep begging us to play with them.”
The nobles quickly started asking if they could buy playgrounds for their own estates.
Hestia’s eyes gleamed.
‘So this can be a business too!’
After making quick calculations in her head, she called over the craftsmen who had designed the playground.
Since she had invited them to the party beforehand, they were already present and eager to see how people would react to their work.
Watching everything unfold so quickly, Luciard was speechless.
“Should I call it impressive or cunning?”
“Taking advantage of opportunities is a skill too.”
“Haha, I don’t know whose daughter you are, but it’s quite impressive how you never miss a chance.”
At Derrick’s comment, both Anna and Luciard gave him a blank stare.
Wasn’t he just praising himself?
“Still, it’s a brilliant idea. Until now, the best thing we could do for children was hang a swing on a tree.”
“If we had something like this when we were young, we would’ve had so much fun.”
Anna and Derrick agreed that the playground was a great innovation.
Luciard silently watched Leonhard, who was playing with children of all ages and statuses.
‘As long as Leon is having fun, that’s what matters.’
With a shared space where everyone could play together, the children seemed to forget about their social standings and just enjoy the moment.
At that moment, a familiar voice spoke from behind.
“Oh, now this is an interesting sight.”
“Jerome, it’s been a while.”
“It’s been a while, Sir Luciard. Have you been well?”
The man who approached them was Jerome.
Thanks to Hestia, Luciard had formed a certain level of acquaintance with him.
Jerome was also one of the few people who knew that Hestia and Luciard’s engagement was fake.
“Why didn’t you come yesterday? We sent you an invitation.”
“Apologies. I had some matters to handle, so I couldn’t attend. But I made sure to come today. Where is the Lady Hestia?”
“She’s over there discussing business. It might take a while.”
“Business? Even on a day like this…”
Jerome chuckled in amusement.
“If you have something to tell Hestia, you can tell me instead. Is it urgent?”
“Well… I suppose it is. Either way, you should hear this too. Do you have a moment?”
Luciard followed Jerome to a quieter spot.
“This is about something the young lady asked me to investigate.”
Jerome handed him a document, and as Luciard skimmed through it, his expression darkened.
“This is about Albert’s…”
“Yes, this is information about the orphanage where Albert grew up.”
Hestia had suspected that Albert might be connected to someone more powerful, so she had asked Jerome to look into his past.
Specifically, she wanted to know more about the orphanage he had attended.
“It’s called the Angel Orphanage. It’s a fairly large institution that receives donations from many noble families.”
Many nobles adopted children from there, and the most talented orphans were sponsored to attend the academy.
“It seems Albert used this sponsorship program to enter the academy.”
“Hmm… Do we know which family sponsored him? Sometimes, nobles personally choose talented children to support.”
“I looked into that, but the orphanage claimed they had no records of Albert since he left a long time ago. However, I compiled a list of noble families that regularly donate to the orphanage.”
Luciard flipped to the last page and examined the names.
‘The Florence Duchy is on here too.’
“And this isn’t something Lady Hestia specifically asked for, but…”
Jerome pulled out another document.
“This person—weren’t they recently hired by the viscount?”
“Yes, that’s right. His name is Raven.”
Hestia had once casually mentioned that Albert and Raven seemed similar, so out of curiosity, they were both investigated.
“Unfortunately, they come from different backgrounds. Raven is from the Sky Orphanage, which is sponsored by the royal family.”
“Hmm…”
“This orphanage is directly funded by the royal family, so it doesn’t receive donations from other nobles.”
“That makes sense. Were there any other similarities between them?”
“Plenty. Both received sponsorships to enter the academy and performed well academically. They were also well-regarded at their respective orphanages. Ah, but there is something unusual…”
“What is it?”
“Normally, when orphans become adults, they leave and receive some financial support. However, it’s not enough to live on, so they usually take on odd jobs. That makes it possible to track their whereabouts. But for both of them, that’s not the case.”
To be precise, there was no record of their activities after leaving the orphanage.
“Albert has a three-year gap, and Raven has a two-year gap.”
“That is suspicious. Any other strange details?”
“Well… we were only able to track them after they found employment. Albert started working at the Winston family, and Raven was hired by the Frost Foundation.”
“So both of their first jobs were at either our house or the Frosts?”
“Exactly. I’ll keep investigating, but I wouldn’t expect too much.”
“No, this information is already very helpful. I know you must be busy with the Tears project too.”
“It’s for Lady Hestia’s benefit, so it’s no trouble at all.”
“I’ll hold onto these documents and pass them to Hestia later.”
“Yes, please do. I have something else Lady Hestia asked me to take care of, so I’ll be off now.”
“Did she ask for more work? Isn’t she overworking you?”
“Haha! No, this time it’s nothing serious—just handing out gifts to the guests.”
Jerome looked excited as he mentioned the new product line that had been turned into a gift set.
“Hmm, this is a good chance to see how people react to it…”
Watching Jerome smirk while calculating potential profits reminded Luciard of Hestia.
By evening, the sky was painted in hues of orange. After spending the whole day playing in the playground, the children were completely exhausted, dozing off in their parents’ arms.
Their parents, however, were all smiling. While the children were playing, Hestia had organized small events to keep the adults entertained as well. Some of the activities became quite competitive since there were prizes involved, but with gift sets from Tears and various other presents, everyone was satisfied.
Hestia personally said goodbye to each guest. Of course, she also bid farewell to the Humphrey family.
“Zephyr! Let’s meet again next time!”
“Yes! Let’s meet again!”
Leonhard, who had grown close to Zephyr while playing, waved both hands enthusiastically. Zephyr, usually shy, beamed and waved back just as eagerly.
Arthur and Laila smiled proudly, while Anna didn’t look too pleased.
“See you next time, Countess Humphrey. And congratulations on winning a prize.”
Hestia spoke warmly to Anna, despite her reluctant expression.
Anna clutched her prize tightly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Ahem. You did well organizing the event. We’ll meet again.”
“Take care on your way back!”
As the Humphrey family walked away, Luciard whispered to Hestia.
“Did something happen?”
“Oh, nothing much. It just turns out that the countess is more competitive than I expected.”
At first, Anna had acted indifferent, but before long, she had become the most enthusiastic participant in the games and had even won a prize.
Hestia could still clearly picture Anna’s triumphant reaction when she claimed her reward.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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