Chapter 19
As I approached the children, Rose, who had been bouncing in place, came over to me.
“Look at this! Teacher.”
“Wow. What’s all this?”
“Last time, the director said if we all behave well, we’d get presents. I guess today is the day!”
The child proudly showed off the blonde-haired princess doll in her hand. Then she beckoned me closer. I crouched down to her eye level and leaned in, and the child whispered to me.
“The doll looks like you, Teacher! You look like a princess too. You’re pretty.”
“Really? Thank you. Rose, your smiling face is so pretty. That’s why you look like a princess to me.”
Embarrassed by the compliment, Rose twisted her body and smiled shyly. I met her eyes and gently stroked her adorable hair.
It was when I pulled my hand away from her hair.
Rose’s expression hardened. It even looked like she’d been shocked for a moment. Then she started glancing at me nervously. Quickly noticing this, I smiled at her and asked.
“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
Fidgeting with her small hands and anxiously fiddling with the doll, Rose soon asked me in a tiny voice.
“…Didn’t you get anything, Teacher?”
Ah.
Only then did I notice the child’s gaze fixed on my empty hands. This little one seemed more concerned about my empty hands than rejoicing over her own gift.
A lump rose in my throat. I bit my lip to keep my face from crumpling and managed a smile. Pretending to look around to see if anyone was nearby, I carefully whispered in her ear.
“…Actually, this is a secret just for you, Rose, but the director said she’d set something aside specially for me. It must be something really great. I’ll definitely show it to you when I get it.”
Only then did the child’s clouded face brighten up.
“You have to, have to show me when you get it!”
“Of course, I promise.”
As I hooked pinkies with Rose to seal the promise, the other children nearby approached.
“Teacher, Teacher. Are you leaving now?”
“You’ll come again, right! Right!”
“Of course.”
I smiled with crinkled eyes as I answered their questions, and in that moment, my gaze met the boy who had been sitting alone on the bench earlier.
He furrowed his brow deeply, as if displeased with me, then turned his back and slowly walked away.
Instinctively feeling I needed to stop the boy, I said to the children beside me.
“…Just a moment, kids. Teacher will be right back.”
I called out to the boy walking alone in the distance.
“Hey, wait a second…!”
At my call, the boy turned around.
“Edwin… Edwin, right?”
The moment I said the boy’s name, his face twisted fiercely.
“…Who said you could call me by my name?”
“Sorry about that… But it seems like you’re the only one who didn’t get a gift.”
It was because I’d seen Edwin’s empty hands. He showed his displeasure without filter.
“I don’t need stuff like that. Especially not a gift from you.”
He must have figured out that the gifts were from me.
“…Why do you hate me so much?”
At my question, Edwin shot back immediately.
“You’re a noble, aren’t you?”
“Don’t even think about denying it. I can tell just from your face without a single freckle and your soft, white hands without any calluses.”
Edwin gritted his teeth as if chewing on something, speaking in a savage tone.
“I hate people like you the most. Nobles coming to the orphanage on a whim to sponsor it just to boost their worthless reputations. Then laughing and patting each other on the back about how great they are. It’s disgusting to watch.”
As he spoke, his emotions seemed to surge, and just as he was about to shout, Edwin suddenly stopped.
“Because of the thoughtless words you toss out, those kids end up…!”
Then he steadied his ragged breathing. Edwin’s eyes were already red-rimmed as he calmed down. This time, he expressed his anger quietly.
“…A noble like you would never understand the hearts of the kids left behind, no matter what.”
“So don’t make promises you can’t keep. And don’t come back here anymore.”
Having said his piece, Edwin turned away as if he had nothing more to say.
Edwin’s eyes held more hurt than anyone else’s.
It’s a misunderstanding. He thinks that, like the nobles before, I’ll make promises I can’t keep and then leave.
I wanted to clear up this misunderstanding. I wanted to promise Edwin that I wouldn’t do that.
“Wait, just hold on a second!”
As I hurried toward Edwin and unconsciously grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t touch me!”
The instant my hand touched him, he flung it away in a flash, and I stumbled backward from the recoil.
My palm scraped against the rough gravel path as I caught myself, tearing the skin. Along with the stinging sensation, blood began to flow from my hand.
Edwin turned back, and his eyes filled with panic at the sight of the blood. I quickly got up.
“Sorry for grabbing you suddenly. But I really wanted to say this.”
“You’re right. I’m a noble, just like you said. The gifts are from me too. But I’ve never once treated any of you falsely here. Being with you all has been fun and made me happy.”
My voice trembled finely, and it felt like tears might come any second, but I tried my best to convey my genuine feelings to him.
“I know what you’re worried about. That I’ll hurt the kids with promises I can’t keep. That I’ll make them wait in vain.”
His eyes, filled with surprise, turned toward me. I met Edwin’s gaze straight on and spoke in a resolute tone.
“This might sound like a lie to you too. But I promise. I won’t use you all for my reputation. And I won’t leave your side without a word.”
So please, watch over me from beside.
Axel was watching Judith walk away from him when Ms. Cicelot, the director, approached and spoke to him.
“She seems like a very kind person, doesn’t she? The young lady.”
“…You knew she was a duke’s daughter?”
He looked at Ms. Cicelot with surprise in his expression. Because the director treated Judith so casually, he hadn’t thought she knew her status.
And understandably so—usually, if someone knew her rank, they couldn’t treat her casually. Especially not a high-ranking noble like her.
But there was no hint of hesitation in her attitude toward Judith. So he’d assumed she thought they were just wealthy commoners or minor nobles at best.
Ms. Cicelot nodded with a small smile.
“Yes, I’m the only one who knows. When I first learned that the anonymous sponsor was actually the young lady, I was so shocked. Of course, I was even more surprised when I saw Your Grace.”
“…You’re good at managing your expressions.”
Ms. Cicelot looked at him and smiled faintly without a word.
“To me, the young lady is like a benefactor. The previous director was arrested for embezzlement, and the orphanage’s situation was getting worse day by day. I was about to send the children to other orphanages when, just in time, the young lady offered to sponsor us.”
“Actually, at first, I was more scared than happy. I have ears too, so I’d heard a lot of rumors about the young lady. I worried—what if she tries to control the orphanage as she pleases, or uses the children for her own ends.”
When the negative stories about Judith flowed from Ms. Cicelot’s lips, Axel found himself speaking up unconsciously.
“She’s not that kind of person—”
“You’re right. She’s not like that. When the young lady first visited the orphanage, she meticulously checked every bed the children use, all their supplies, and even the playground. She said she needed to know what was required to provide proper help.”
