Chapter 16
“I want to cut my hair too!”
“What? But you just got a haircut not long ago.”
“No, my hair has grown a lot.”
Lucian pulled at his hair, which barely reached his eyebrows, trying to stretch it longer.
“You ran away last time when Aunt tried to cut it for you.”
“When did I ever?!”
Lucian shouted while glancing at Amelia.
‘So obvious, you little rascal.’
I didn’t even have to ask. He just wanted to hear Amelia say he looked good. He was probably jealous because Edwin got a compliment from her after his haircut.
“Alright, I’ll trim just a little from the front and back.”
“Okay. Make it look nice.”
Lucian whispered the last part so only I could hear.
I chuckled and started trimming his hair. Since there wasn’t much to cut, it didn’t take long.
“Amelia, how is it?”
Lucian’s face was filled with anticipation and nervousness.
He even clenched the hem of his shirt tightly.
“Cute.”
Her answer was different from what she told Edwin, but it was enough to satisfy Lucian.
“Really?”
“Yeah, it suits you well.”
“Hehe.”
Lucian grinned widely.
I had watched him grow up from birth, but I had never seen him make that face before.
He never listened to his aunt, but when it came to a girl he liked, he acted like a well-trained puppy. It was both amusing and a little frustrating.
But my thoughts didn’t last long.
“I want a haircut too!”
“Me too!”
“Please cut mine as well!”
Seeing Edwin and Lucian’s new looks, the other kids all clamored to get their hair cut.
Because of that, my little barbershop didn’t close until the sun had set.
My original plan to cheer up Edwin had turned into something completely different.
Sir Gilbert Gillian, the advisor to Duke Bellomon, returned to the duke’s mansion. He had just finished his business with the duke in the capital and come back to the territory.
“How is His Grace doing?”
“He is well.”
If he was doing so well, couldn’t he spare some attention for Lucian?
I wanted to complain, but I was just a guest here. I wasn’t in a position to question the duke.
“By the way, did you see the report I sent?”
“You mean the case about the orphanage fund embezzlement?”
“Yes, that one.”
As soon as I returned from the orphanage, I had reported the corruption to Sir Gillian. The duke himself was too busy to listen to me, so I went to the person in charge.
The orphanage director had not only stolen the funds meant for the children but had also abused them.
“That woman must be incredibly bold. To think he would dare embezzle the duke’s money. And to top it off, she even received an award by bribing officials.”
“Exactly. She probably thought she wouldn’t get caught.”
After all, the duke never personally visited places like orphanages. And whenever nobles or inspectors came, they always gave advance notice.
It was infuriating.
“She will be punished properly, right?”
“Of course. We plan to punish the director, the staff, and even the officials who took bribes. The crime itself is serious, but we also need to make an example of them so this doesn’t happen again.”
“Good.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
“Since this happened, why don’t we check all the orphanages in the territory? We should make sure they’re being run properly, that no money is being stolen, and that the children aren’t being mistreated.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Now that there’s been a crackdown, they’ll be more careful for a while.”
“This isn’t just about the funds. What if there are still children being abused?”
“You want us to increase work and manpower just to check on some commoner children?”
Sir Gillian’s expression darkened with displeasure.
“These children should be grateful that His Grace provides them with food and shelter. Do you really think it’s necessary to go so far as to check if they’re living comfortably? That seems excessive for mere commoners.”
His words were the typical view of nobles. To them, commoners weren’t important. Their privileged mindset made them believe this was normal.
“I’m not asking for anything major. Just to make sure no children are suffering in the shadows.”
But I couldn’t accept that way of thinking. In my previous life, I had learned that all people, no matter their status, deserved kindness—especially helpless children.
“We’re already overwhelmed with work because of the sudden cold weather. We don’t have enough manpower as it is. Do you really think we should waste time on something so trivial?”
I never expected him to agree.
“I must say, I’m quite surprised. Since when did Lady Rilfrey take an interest in these matters?”
Still, I hadn’t expected him to be so openly annoyed.
“What made you visit the orphanage in the first place?”
His tone and expression were full of contempt. As if he found it ridiculous that I, someone from a disgraced noble family, was meddling in such affairs.
“For Lucian.”
“The young master?”
“Yes. I thought being around other children might help him understand his own feelings better. And maybe he could even make some friends.”
“Commoner friends? Isn’t that too lowly for him?”
Ugh, the way he talks.
I wanted to sew his mouth shut.
‘What will you do when you have to serve Edwin later?’
One day, this same man would bow his head to Edwin—who had grown up in an orphanage.
I swallowed my irritation and calmly replied.
“They may not be nobles, but they all have kind hearts.”
“Well, in that case, I suppose they could at least serve as playmates.”
Sir Gillian loudly stacked his documents together and stood up.
“I hope you make wise decisions that benefit the young master, my lady.”
He didn’t even wait for my response before walking out of the room.
I raised my middle finger at the closed door.
“Say that to your master, not me.”
He never dared to question the duke, yet he acted so high and mighty toward me.
Honestly, I was surprised he had even read my report.
‘If this weren’t about stolen funds, he probably would have ignored me completely. He never listens to a mere guest in this house.’
Sir Gillian was a loyal servant to the Duke of Bellomon. There was no way he would let the duke’s money go into someone else’s pocket.
That was also why he disliked me. To him, I was just the dead duchess’s sister, an unwanted guest taking up space in this mansion.
Not only did I live here, but I even received an allowance from the duke under the pretense of maintaining my dignity. Of course, he would see me as an eyesore.
‘But even if he dislikes me, couldn’t he at least care for Lucian?’
Sir Gillian wasn’t particularly fond of Lucian either. He believed Lucian was too unruly, and he blamed me for it. As if I were the one responsible for raising him.
‘That’s why he adores Edwin so much.’
Unlike Lucian, Edwin was the perfect heir—calm, intelligent, and a spitting image of the duke. To Sir Gillian, Edwin was the ideal successor.
‘I don’t like this.’
But there was nothing I could do about it.
The only silver lining was that my argument with Sir Gillian had given me an idea—an opportunity to bring Edwin into the mansion.
‘But will Edwin agree to it?’
It still felt a little too soon.
Edwin seemed to be quite shy, so maybe it would be better to find adoptive families for the other children first.
I sat on the sofa in my room, lost in thought. My thoughts, which kept leading from one to another, were interrupted by Lucian.
“Auntie, are we going to the orphanage today too?” Lucian asked as he opened the door and walked in.
“I was planning to go next week since we just went two days ago.”
“Oh, come on! Let’s go today too, please?”
At first, I had worried about him, but surprisingly, Lucian seemed to get along well with the orphanage kids. He didn’t bully or make anyone cry. In fact, he even shared his toys and snacks, which was completely unexpected.
“I want to play with my friends!”
“Be honest. You just want to see Amelia, don’t you?”
His strange behavior always got worse when Amelia was around. He wanted to impress her so badly that he acted in ways he normally wouldn’t.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Lucian’s face turned bright red like a tomato. It was so fun to tease him.
But if I kept teasing him too much, he might develop a bad temper.
“Alright, let’s go. Go ask Grace to help you get dressed.”
“Wait a second!”
Lucian ran off to his room and started stuffing his bag with toys.
“Lucian, what are you doing?”
“I told Amelia that we have lots of cool toys at home. I want to take them and show her.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
I smiled as I watched him now putting snacks into his bag too. If Lucian could grow up just like this, I wouldn’t wish for anything more.
