Chapter 06
Amelia was smart enough to know that if her true identity was revealed, she would be in danger. So, she never told anyone that she was the daughter of Marquis Agris. Because of this, the director and staff believed Amelia was just a commoner.
However, Amelia’s noble aura was something she couldn’t hide. The nobles who visited the orphanage for adoption could easily recognize it.
‘That’s probably why the director sat her next to me.’
Beautiful children had a higher chance of getting adopted, and if a child had noble grace like Amelia, even more so.
Since I was also a noble, the director must have assumed I would recognize Amelia’s worth and take an interest in her.
But if the child had criminal parents, and on top of that, if she openly admitted it without hesitation…
‘No one would want to adopt her.’
I chuckled as I watched Amelia carefully chewing her bread.
No wonder she stayed out of sight until mealtime despite her striking appearance. She was deliberately hiding herself.
I already knew from the original story that Amelia was smart, but she was even more impressive than I had expected.
“Really?”
Hiding my surprise, I simply smiled.
The only reason I wasn’t too shocked was that I already knew her parents weren’t actually criminals and that she didn’t want to be adopted.
“Still, just because your parents were criminals, that doesn’t mean you will be the same.”
I knew how kind and intelligent Amelia truly was. I also knew she would grow into an amazing adult.
“You are you after all.”
I kept my words vague since I couldn’t reveal how much I actually knew about her.
“Instead of thinking about such things, you should eat well and grow strong.”
More than anything, I felt a little sad that a child had to think about such complicated things.
I placed another piece of meat on Amelia’s spoon. For some reason, she had frozen in place while looking at me.
“Eat up. It’s getting cold.”
“…Okay.”
After making sure she ate the food, I started paying attention to the other children as well. I couldn’t focus on just one child.
I wiped the bread crumbs off a little one’s face and cleaned up spilled soup from the floor. Before I knew it, lunchtime was over.
The director clapped his hands a few times to gather the children’s attention.
“Now, everyone, go get your blankets and pillows. It’s nap time.”
“Nap time?”
The children tilted their heads in confusion. From their reaction, it seemed like they had never had a nap time before.
“Yes, yes. You’ve eaten well, so now it’s time to sleep.”
I was just as confused as they were.
There were children of different ages in the orphanage—some, like Amelia, were older, while others were so young they couldn’t even walk properly.
‘Isn’t it too soon for them to sleep? Their food hasn’t even digested yet. Even adults feel uncomfortable if they sleep right after eating. And babies need to be burped after meals.’
I was doubtful, but since I had little knowledge about childcare, I couldn’t say for sure. I had never raised a child before. When Lucian was young, his nanny took care of everything.
“Come on, lie down quickly. If you don’t sleep, you won’t grow taller.”
With more encouragement, the children brought their tattered blankets and pillows, spreading them out on the floor.
“Sweet dreams, my little ones.”
The director kissed the forehead of the nearest child before drawing the curtains. The room darkened.
“Now, my lady, shall we continue our conversation in my office?”
“Yes.”
I followed the director, who was rubbing his hands together eagerly, and left the room.
Creak, creak.
The wooden door closed, making an unpleasant sound. The door that Lucella had broken earlier had only been patched up temporarily.
“…”
At the sound, a pair of eyelids slowly lifted. After blinking a few times, bright green eyes, like fresh spring leaves, were revealed.
Amelia rolled her eyes around, checking to see if all the adults had left. Once she was sure, she quickly sat up.
“Where are you going?”
A voice from behind made her stop mid-movement. Turning her head, she saw Edwin patting the back of a younger child.
“I’m going to the director’s office.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“No.”
Amelia firmly stopped Edwin, who was about to get up.
“If you come, we’ll get caught. It’s better if I go alone.”
“…Tch.”
“I’ll bring back a cookie from the kitchen on my way back.”
Seeing Edwin pout, Amelia skillfully soothed him before carefully stepping away.
‘Who did they come to adopt this time?’
Her heart pounded with anxiety as she made her way to the director’s office.
She couldn’t be adopted. She had to find her uncle.
‘I hope it’s not me.’
Because of her striking looks and noble aura, Amelia was always the top candidate for adoption.
Every time, she came up with ridiculous excuses to make people lose interest in her.
“My father is a serial killer.”
Or,
“My mother was a famous thief.”
Technically, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
Her father had sentenced many criminals in his territory to death, and her mother had stolen her grandmother’s jewelry as a child.
Whenever Amelia said such things, people would look at her with disgust.
“A child with criminal parents? That’s terrible! Amelia must be lying!”
Of course, the director, eager to sell Amelia for a high price, would immediately deny it.
But his protests only made things worse.
“A child who can tell such huge lies without even flinching… How creepy.”
No adult wanted to adopt a child who lied so easily.
After the nobles left, the headmistress would scold Amelia harshly, asking why she had said such things. But Amelia didn’t care.
Adults who only wanted to adopt a child based on their appearance weren’t the kind of people she wanted to go with anyway.
‘But that lady…’
Amelia thought about the red-haired woman who had suddenly appeared at the orphanage one day.
Even when Amelia had called herself the child of criminals, the woman hadn’t seemed shocked at all.
‘Still, just because your parents were criminals doesn’t mean you have to be one too. You are you, after all.’
No adult had ever looked at her without disgust before. No adult had ever said something like that to her.
And unlike the others, that woman didn’t only care about the pretty children. She tried to take care of all the kids equally, no matter how they looked—whether they had scars, skin diseases, or anything else. It was completely different from the other adults who had visited the orphanage before.
‘But I can’t assume she’s a good person just yet. Maybe she was only acting nice in front of the headmistress.’
What was she like when she was alone with the headmistress? And which child did she plan to adopt?
Feeling a mix of curiosity and anxiety, Amelia stood outside the window of the headmistress’s office and carefully peeked inside.
“So, is there a child you’re interested in?”
“All of them are as cute as little angels.”
I answered while looking around the headmistress’s office.
Since the building was old, the office wasn’t in the best condition. But compared to the rooms the children lived in, this place might as well have been a luxury hotel.
A thick, soft carpet covered the floor, heavy curtains blocked out the cold air, and a fireplace kept the room warm. Meanwhile, the children had to live in rooms with broken windows and doors barely hanging on their hinges.
The bookshelves were decorated with various awards, and the table was filled with expensive chocolates and cookies.
‘Edwin said he had never tasted chocolate until he came to the duke’s estate.’
But the headmistress clearly ate it whenever she wanted.
It was obvious just from looking at her—her body was round and plump, her belly sticking out, and her chin thick with fat. She had definitely used the orphanage’s money to feed herself rather than the children.
Of course, she had no idea what I was thinking. She kept smiling as she spoke.
“That’s true. But you can’t adopt all of them.”
“I already told you—I’m not here to adopt anyone.”
I took a sip of tea as I spoke, and a small crack formed in her smile.
She must have been hoping for a large donation, and now she was disappointed.
‘She didn’t believe me the first time I said it, huh?’
She probably thought I was just pretending to be polite.
Click.
Annoyed, I set my teacup down on the table loudly on purpose.
It seemed like she wasn’t very good at understanding things unless I said them clearly.
Besides, I didn’t have time to waste.
“You know that I’m currently staying at the Duke of Bellomon’s estate, right?”
“Of course! How could I not know?”
As soon as I mentioned the Duke of Bellomon, the ruler of this land, the headmistress quickly straightened up.
I decided to take full advantage of my connection to the duke.
“My brother-in-law, Duke Bellomon, is very interested in children’s welfare.”
I made sure to emphasize that he was my brother-in-law.
“Ever since my nephew, Lucian Bellomon, was born, he has been paying more attention to children around the same age.”
And I reminded her that Lucian was the duke’s heir.
“Ah, as expected of the Duke! Even though he’s so busy, he still cares about the children in his land…”
As expected, the headmistress immediately became much more polite. She leaned forward like a turtle stretching its neck, nodding eagerly.
But her smile didn’t last long.
“That’s why he’s very curious about how the orphanage is being run. Whether the funds are being used properly… or wasted.”
