Chapter 08
“Take your staff and leave this place immediately.”
I firmly spoke to the director, who stared at me in shock.
“Go home quietly and wait for your punishment.”
To be honest, punishing them wasn’t my authority.
Inspecting the orphanage’s management was the job of the auditors, and the duke was the one who decided the punishment based on their reports. Technically, I was overstepping my authority.
But Duke Bellomon was far too busy to deal with matters like this. These trivial issues were usually handled by his representatives or his butler.
‘But just because I’m afraid of the consequences doesn’t mean I can turn a blind eye to this.’
A director who exploited children, embezzled funds, and even fed them rotten food—any child living here would surely fall sick.
How could any responsible adult simply watch and do nothing?
I did feel a little guilty about using the Duke’s name, but…
‘Don’t be scared, Lucella. I’m just doing what the auditors should have done.’
If the auditors had seen this mess, they would never have let it slide.
Besides, any citizen of the duchy had the right to report corruption within the territory.
And I wasn’t just any citizen—I was a noble. Nobles of the empire had the authority to judge commoners at any time.
In other words, I had every right to arrest the director and his staff on the spot.
Of course, the final decision on their punishment would be made by Duke Bellomon—or more precisely, by his representative.
“P-Please, Lady Rilfrey! Have mercy—”
“Mercy? Are you seriously asking me for mercy?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous request.
There’s a limit to how shameless someone can be.
“Even a healthy adult would get sick from eating this kind of food. And you were going to feed it to children? Yet in front of me, you only served the best food you could find.”
I picked up a rotten tomato, so blackened with mold that it was barely recognizable, and threw it at the director’s feet.
“Eat it.”
“…Excuse me?”
“All of it. Eat every single piece of rotten food here.”
“….”
“If I hadn’t discovered it, all of this would have gone into the children’s mouths, wouldn’t it?”
I grabbed a basket full of decayed vegetables, reeking of rot, and shoved it toward her.
“If you eat all of this, I’ll let it slide. That would prove that this food is still edible, wouldn’t it?”
“L-Lady…”
“Open your mouth. Now.”
At my firm command, the director hesitantly opened her mouth. She picked up a badly spoiled tomato and put it in her mouth, her desperation to avoid punishment was stronger than her disgust.
But I never had any intention of showing her mercy.
“Do you not understand what it means to ‘eat’ something? Don’t just hold it in your mouth—chew and swallow.”
“Ugh….”
As she bit into it, the foul juices of the rotten tomato dripped down her chin. But she didn’t last long.
“Ugh! Uaaagh!”
Unable to suppress her nausea, she began retching violently.
I shook my head as I watched her gag. She couldn’t even swallow a single bite.
“If you can’t eat it yourself, you should never have fed it to the children.”
“Ughhh…”
“There will be no mercy.”
Turning away from the pathetic woman, I left the kitchen and approached the coachman waiting outside the orphanage.
“Go to the city guards immediately. There are serious criminals here.”
As soon as Lucella left the kitchen, Amelia quietly climbed out of the jar.
The director was still there, but she didn’t feel the need to be afraid of her anymore. Neither she nor the other staff members would ever set foot in this place again.
Amelia was about to head back to where Edwin was when she suddenly stopped in front of the director.
Even though Lucella had left a while ago, she was still hunched over, vomiting.
‘Why was I ever so scared of such a weak woman?’
She couldn’t even eat a single rotten tomato.
Amelia pulled out the cookie she had carefully saved in her pocket for Edwin. Then, with a smirk, she tossed it at the director’s feet.
“Enjoy the rat-bitten cookies, Director.”
“You…! Ugh!”
“Oh, wait. You’re not the director anymore, are you?”
Covering her mouth, Amelia giggled as she turned and walked out of the kitchen.
She could hear the director yelling something behind her, but she didn’t bother looking back.
‘It’s all thanks to that lady.’
She recalled the way Lucella had spoken to the director with unwavering confidence. This sense of freedom she now felt—it was because of her.
But Amelia still wasn’t sure if Lucella was someone she could trust. Every adult she had met so far had shown one face in public and another in private.
‘Still… she doesn’t seem like a bad person.’
Maybe, just maybe, she could believe in her.
Amelia glanced toward Lucella, who was speaking with the coachman in the distance, then turned and walked away.
‘This is insane.’
I pressed a hand to my forehead as I looked around at the dozens of eyes staring at me.
The city guards arrived quickly and arrested the director and her staff. Meanwhile, I searched the director’s office and gathered documents proving her embezzlement. If all went well, Sir Gillian, the Duke’s representative, would handle the case.
After that, I summoned the Duke’s servants. They scrubbed the filthy kitchen clean and filled the pantry with fresh ingredients from the nearby market. I also had them repair the broken door and the drafty windows.
The tattered blankets? Thrown out. New bedding was brought in.
I even called a doctor. I had a feeling that some of the children might have gotten sick from eating spoiled food.
And I was right. Several kids were suffering from stomach pain, and some had skin conditions or colds. I made sure they all got checked.
But then came the real problem.
“Sister, where did the teachers go?”
“They were bad people, so they were taken away to be punished. They won’t be coming back.”
“Really…?”
The children hesitated, glancing at each other. Their faces brightened for a moment—but then they were quickly filled with worry again.
“Then… who’s going to take care of us now?”
“That’s…”
I didn’t have an answer. I hadn’t found a replacement for the director yet.
‘I didn’t even plan for this.’
When I came here, I hadn’t expected to fire the director on the spot.
My original plan was to investigate the situation, find a suitable replacement, and then dismiss her.
Even though the director and staff were terrible people, suddenly losing their caretakers would be confusing for the children, too.
But the orphanage was in far worse shape than I had imagined. My anger had gotten the better of me, and I had acted without thinking of the consequences.
“A new teacher will come starting tomorrow. They won’t force you to work, and they won’t starve you either.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
I needed to find a replacement as soon as I got home.
‘They might be reluctant to start immediately, but if I offer extra pay, it should be fine.’
Money solves everything.
And if I still couldn’t find anyone… I’d have to rely on the mansion’s maids to help run the orphanage for now.
‘So how much money will I need…?’
I started calculating in my head.
With the monthly support funds and the money I recovered from the director’s embezzlement, there wouldn’t be any issues running the orphanage.
But the problem was the immediate future.
The orphanage’s director had spent all the support funds and donations, leaving no money for immediate use.
That meant I had to use my own money until the orphanage could stabilize.
‘I have enough money.’
I received a monthly allowance from the duke’s household—something my sister had secured in exchange for staying out of the duke’s private affairs.
There was also the inheritance my sister had left for me. Our parents’ inheritance had been taken by our uncle, but my sister had managed to leave something for me.
‘If I use my sister’s inheritance, I can repair the orphanage properly and find good adoptive families for the children.’
And there would still be plenty left.
But I couldn’t bring myself to use that money. Not because I didn’t want to spend it on the children.
‘…That money is what my sister traded her life for.’
Despite people advising her to leave her inheritance to her son, Lucian, my sister insisted on giving it to me.
“I just want you to live a happy life, Lucella. Money doesn’t guarantee happiness, but having enough of it makes happiness more likely.”
She had said that while holding my hands tightly.
“Lucella, please live a happy life. Promise me.”
Even in her last moments, my sister only wished for my happiness.
Could I really use the money she left behind?
And for Edwin, the son of the man who had made her life miserable?
This was money I had planned to return to Lucian when he became an adult. If I had never existed, that money would have been his.
So, was it right to use my sister’s inheritance—the price of her life—to help the child of our enemy?
‘But… if I don’t use it, there’s no other money available right now.’
Recovering the money stolen by the director would take time. And if the director claimed she had no money left, we might never get it back.
The orphanage’s monthly support funds would eventually resume, but that could take a while too.
‘If I don’t use the money now, the children will be left in the cold, hungry and suffering.’
I looked at the children, their bright eyes filled with both hope and fear.
They seemed to want to believe I was a good person. But at the same time, they were afraid—what if I turned out to be just like the director?
No child, especially one so young, should have to wear such an expression.
As I met each of their eyes, my gaze landed on a pair of clear, innocent red eyes.
This child had no idea about the cruel world of adults.
‘Alright. I’ll use it.’
Innocent children shouldn’t suffer because of the sins of adults.
Ignoring their hunger would be unforgivable.
And I was sure my sister, watching from above, would approve—because I wasn’t using this money for my own benefit, but to help these children.
‘Besides, this is for Lucian too.’
Lucian’s future depended on Edwin and Amelia. Taking care of the orphanage meant helping them, and if they owed me a favor, they might spare Lucian’s life one day.
