Chapter 36
“Is everyone hidden? I’m coming to find you!”
Lucian’s loud voice echoed through the large garden.
But no one answered. They had all hidden themselves already.
“I’ll find everyone!”
I smiled as I watched Lucian, fully focused on his role as the seeker. The way he ran around so eagerly showed how determined he was to finish the game successfully.
“He’s really competitive.”
“Our Lucian has a strong desire to win,” Claude said with a proud smile.
I gave him an awkward nod.
After an hour in the clinic, it was Claude who woke me up.
“My lady, it’s time to go back.”
“Oh!”
That was when I realized I had fallen asleep.
“I said I’d wake him up, but I ended up sleeping myself…”
And in front of a sick person, no less.
Not only that, but I had even used Claude’s coat as a blanket!
Embarrassed, I rushed back to the playroom as if I were running away.
“Lady Lucella.”
Just as I was still lost in my embarrassment, the mansion’s butler approached me.
“The Duke will be arriving soon.”
That meant it was time to send the children home.
“Alright. As soon as the hide-and-seek game is over, I’ll send them back.”
I nodded and got up from my chair.
Of course, I had no intention of actually sending them back.
“This is the perfect chance to let Edwin meet the Duke.”
My eyes lit up with determination.
I planned to make Edwin and the Duke run into each other naturally—just as Edwin was about to leave and the Duke was arriving.
Whenever the Duke came home, he usually went straight to his room or office and rarely left those spaces.
So the timing was crucial. Since he wouldn’t go out of his way to meet the children, I had to make sure Edwin was near the entrance just as the Duke walked in.
“Found Lua!”
Meanwhile, Lucian was excitedly searching for the kids.
He found Lua hiding under a table, then Rona hidden in a pile of grass, and even Amelia behind a maid’s flowing skirt.
Now, only Edwin was left.
“I’ll find him too!”
Lucian’s eyes sparkled with determination.
At the same time, I estimated when the Duke would arrive.
“It takes about 30 minutes to get from the security office to the mansion, and the butler told me 10 minutes ago…”
It was time to finish the game and get the kids ready.
“He should be easy to find, right?”
I watched as Lucian checked behind a statue.
The kids always hid in similar places, so I thought Edwin would be found soon.
But, unexpectedly, even after searching the entire garden, Lucian couldn’t find him.
“Where is he hiding?”
Lucian put his hands on his hips and huffed in frustration.
“Yeah… where did he go?”
Rona also looked worried.
Even the other kids joined in, but they still couldn’t find Edwin.
“Lucian, if you can’t find him, just give up.”
“But…”
“This will take all night.”
Amelia’s firm tone made Lucian pout, but after a moment, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.
“I give up! Come out, Edwin!”
Lucian, who hated losing, had finally admitted defeat.
But Edwin didn’t come out.
“What? Why isn’t he coming out?”
“Maybe he’s hiding somewhere else?”
The children exchanged worried glances, and I started to feel anxious too.
The Duke would arrive at any moment.
Just then, I saw the Duke’s carriage passing through the mansion gates.
He would be here soon.
“Kids, let’s check inside the house. I think Edwin might have gone in.”
Unable to hide my nervousness, I joined their search.
“I’ll help too. If you find Edwin, bring him straight to me, okay?”
The children nodded.
“Edwin, where are you?”
I grabbed Claude’s hand and started looking through the mansion.
We searched every room on the first floor and even behind the curtains where kids liked to hide.
But Edwin was nowhere to be found.
“This is bad…”
I even asked the servants for help.
“Edwin! Come out!”
“It’s against the rules to leave the garden!”
Lucian’s frustrated voice mixed with our calls.
And then—
“The Duke has arrived.”
Duke Bellomon had entered the mansion.
Meanwhile, Edwin had already left the garden and entered the mansion.
To him, the garden didn’t seem like a great hiding spot.
“Leaving the garden is against the rules.”
His eyes darted between the indoor entrance and the garden.
He wanted to win. If he won, Amelia would praise him.
“I’ll hide inside for a while, then sneak back out.”
It was a bit of a sneaky trick, but if it meant getting Amelia’s attention, he didn’t care.
So Edwin carefully slipped into the mansion.
Since he was small, it was easy to avoid the servants’ eyes.
“Where should I hide?”
He wandered down the first-floor hallway, searching for a good spot.
There were so many places to hide—endless rooms, tall curtains, and even large decorative plants.
But soon, something else caught his attention.
“Wow… so shiny.”
Edwin forgot about hiding.
His eyes were filled with beautiful and sparkling objects he had never seen before.
He knew it wasn’t polite to wander around someone else’s house, but no one had ever taught him that.
He was just a child, drawn by curiosity.
“It’s so pretty…”
He gasped as he looked at a small angel statue sitting on a decorative table.
And that wasn’t the only beautiful thing.
The entire mansion was filled with treasures he had never seen before.
“I wish I had something like this.”
But what he truly wanted wasn’t just fancy objects.
Lucian didn’t even care about these expensive decorations.
If I had such wonderful and amazing things, I would cherish them so much.
“Oh my, who’s this little one?”
While Edwin was admiring the decorations in the hallway, he heard a voice from the opposite side. He turned his gaze away from the ornaments.
A group of maids wearing aprons was walking toward him.
“Is he the young master’s friend? The one Lady Lucella brought today?”
“Oh, I see! He looks so cute.”
The maids whispered to each other before bowing politely to Edwin.
“Hello.”
“Huh?”
Edwin blinked in surprise. It was the first time an adult had spoken to him so politely.
Were they talking to someone else? He quickly glanced behind him.
“Are you having a good time?”
But there was no one else in the hallway.
Edwin then realized the maid was speaking to him.
“Y-Yes! I’m having fun.”
“And did you like the snacks?”
“Yes! The peanut cookies were really delicious.”
“Oh ho ho, is that so?”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
Hearing Edwin’s nervous response, the maids giggled behind their hands. He even heard one of them whisper, “He’s adorable.”
“Then, enjoy the rest of your time here.”
After giving him a short farewell, the maids walked away.
Edwin watched their backs disappear down the hallway before shyly waving his hand.
“They’re so kind…”
The adults Edwin had met before were never this kind.
The ones who visited the orphanage only looked at him like a product, judging his worth. The previous headmaster and teachers were even worse.
The only adult who had ever shown him kindness from the start was Lucella.
‘I thought Lucella was the only one who would ever be nice to me…’
But the teachers she brought were much kinder than the ones he had known before. Even the servants in her mansion were all gentle and caring.
How nice would it be if I could live in a place like this?
Waking up in a soft bed, eating warm meals, and talking to kind people…
Thank you