Chapter 4
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
While I was lost in thought, the carriage had reached its destination.
With the coachman’s help, I stepped down from the carriage.
The first thing I saw was a large sign that read “Busnier Orphanage.”
Beyond the sign was a small dirt yard. There were pebbles and crushed flower petals scattered across the ground, so it seemed to be the children’s playground.
“What kind of playground doesn’t even have a single toy?”
At the very least, they could have bought a small shovel for playing in the dirt.
Clicking my tongue, I walked past the patch of dirt pretending to be a playground.
A small building, not even a quarter of a quarter of a quarter the size of the duke’s mansion, came into view.
“…It’s in even worse condition than I expected.”
Seen from up close, the building looked far more miserable than it had from a distance.
The outer walls were covered in cracks, the broken windows were patched with thick wooden boards, and one corner of the wall had completely lost its paint.
It was gloomy enough that it was hard to believe this was an orphanage.
“I should knock first…”
The wooden door had rotted badly.
If I knocked, it looked like the whole door might fall apart.
“Who are you?”
Fortunately, before I accidentally destroyed the door, someone spoke to me.
I turned toward the voice.
Standing there was a middle-aged woman with an unpleasant face.
“I’ve come to see the children.”
She stared at me with wary eyes for a moment before quickly looking me up and down.
More accurately, she was examining my clothes.
What I was wearing wasn’t flashy, but it was made from excellent materials.
The same went for my shoes and gloves.
Among nobles, it was an ordinary outfit.
For commoners, it was something they would never dare dream of wearing.
“I-I see!”
For a moment, it almost sounded like I could hear an abacus clicking in her head.
Her guard instantly disappeared.
She repeatedly bowed as she hurried toward me.
“I-if you had informed us beforehand, we would have come out to welcome you.”
“I’m not such an important guest. There was no need.”
“The weather is quite cold. If we’d known, we could have prepared some warm tea in advance…”
“More importantly, how long am I supposed to stand outside? As you just said, it’s rather chilly.”
I cut her off.
I knew exactly why she was trying to delay me.
“A-ah! We’ll escort you inside right away! Just… just one minute, please!”
After repeatedly asking me to wait outside, the woman hurried off somewhere.
At the same time, I heard a flurry of noise from inside the building.
They’re in a panic trying to clean up.
I didn’t even need to see it.
The orphanage was normally a complete mess.
The lazy director rarely cleaned anywhere except his own office.
The only time the director and the staff cleaned was before noble guests arrived.
After all, no noble wanted to adopt a child raised in filthy surroundings.
Naturally, they had to make a good impression on wealthy visitors.
But I had absolutely no intention of waiting for them to finish.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the doorknob.
The door swung open with a loud creak.
The moment I stepped inside, I met someone’s eyes.
A child was on the floor, holding a filthy rag while wiping it clean.
His red eyes met mine.
“…”
“…”
Silence settled between us.
Eyes as red as blazing flames were not common.
On top of that, the child looked exactly like Duke Bellomon.
His long hair covered half his face, but the lower half that was visible was identical to the duke’s.
It made me think that if the duke had been a child, he would have looked exactly like this.
Even his slightly curly black hair resembled polished ebony.
There’s no mistake.
It’s Edwin.
I was certain.
Considering everything, this child had to be Edwin—the son of Duke Bellomon and the protagonist of From an Illegitimate Child to the Family Head.
But why is Edwin holding a rag?
Crack!
Something broke, ending the brief silence.
I looked behind me.
The wooden door had fallen onto the floor after the hinges snapped.
“…”
It broke after all.
I had expected this.
I clicked my tongue briefly.
“Y-you were supposed to wait outside!”
At the panicked voice, I turned around.
A man who looked about fifty stood there.
His head was bald on top, and there was a large mole on the left side above his lip.
Just from his appearance, I knew who he was.
The director of this orphanage.
“W-what are you all doing? Hurry and greet our guest.”
At the director’s signal, Edwin put down the rag and stood up.
The other children did the same.
They placed the cardboard boxes and blankets they had been carrying onto the floor before bowing to me.
But I couldn’t respond to their greeting.
“…Were the children… cleaning?”
When I entered, Edwin had been scrubbing the stained floor with a rag.
The other children were no different.
Some carried piles of trash, while others held hastily folded blankets.
From what I saw, it was obvious.
The director had made the children do even the cleaning that adults should have been doing.
The original story mentioned that the director constantly exploited the children.
It never explained exactly how.
I never imagined he’d make children who weren’t even a meter tall clean the orphanage.
“T-that can’t be.”
The director frantically waved his hands.
“It’s simply because the children are so kind.”
“They’re always eager to help whenever it’s cleaning time or time to prepare meals.”
“Isn’t that right, children?”
“Yes…”
“You heard them, didn’t you? Our children are all such little angels! Hahaha!”
Ignoring his laughter, I looked at the children.
It was obvious they had answered unwillingly.
I wanted to call him out for lying.
But now wasn’t the time.
Replacing the corrupt director and staff would have to wait until I had solid evidence.
“These angelic children will surely adapt well after being adopted.”
Apparently, the director thought I had come here to adopt a child.
Well, I do intend to take Edwin.
So he isn’t completely wrong.
But I couldn’t take him immediately.
If I suddenly adopted the duke’s son, people would naturally become suspicious.
“Before deciding on adoption, I’d like to spend some time getting to know the children.”
“I plan to visit often, not just today.”
“Of course. Naturally.”
The director rubbed his hands together eagerly, like a fly buzzing around.
“Since it’s mealtime, I’d like to eat together with the children and get to know them.”
“E-eat with them?”
“Why? Is that difficult?”
“N-no, it’s just… we haven’t prepared food suitable for a young noble lady…”
“I don’t mind what I eat, so don’t worry about it.”
“I-understand. Then please wait here for a moment.”
“Very well. I’ll play with the children while I wait.”
The director and the staff exchanged glances before quickly disappearing.
I awkwardly sat down on the floor.
This is my first time dealing with so many children.
The children were all watching me carefully, unsure of what to do.
At times like this, the adult should make the first move.
Children were naturally shy around strangers.
These children were commoners.
Facing not only an adult but also a noblewoman had to be intimidating.
Thinking about how I used to play with Lucian, I spoke.
“W-who wants to play with toys with me?”
I also deliberately raised my voice a little.
My voice was rather low for a woman, and I didn’t want to frighten them.
“Wow, there’s such a cute doll here.”
I picked up a doll lying on the floor.
“Me!”
“Me! I want to play!”
Several children ran toward me, their eyes sparkling.
At least there are some children who aren’t shy.
They’re little angels.
I sighed in relief and waved the doll around.
“Alright. Let’s play with the doll together.”
I smiled warmly.
Then—
Pop.
The doll’s head fell onto the floor.
“…”
The cheerful atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
The doll’s head and body were completely separated.
To young children, it looked horrifying.
“I-I’ll fix it.”
I desperately tried to put the doll’s head back on.
But once something was broken, restoring it wasn’t easy.
“It’s okay.”
“Let’s just play with the blocks instead.”
Fortunately, the children acted as though they were used to this and brought over another toy.
“Should we?”
That was a relief for me.
But only for a moment.
Not a single toy they brought was in good condition.
“Why are there stains on the doll’s clothes?”
“Oh, a mouse peed on it.”
“Why are all the corners of the blocks worn away?”
“It rained a lot during the summer.”
“They all rotted then.”
“…How about we play something besides toys?”
Seeing the broken toys, I silently decided that replacing them—and the broken front door—would be my first priority.
“How about playing tag?”
It wasn’t exactly a graceful game for a noble lady.
But children this age loved games that involved running around.
“Okay!”
Thankfully, they all nodded enthusiastically.
“I’m so happy such a pretty big sister is playing with us.”
Hearing such sweet words naturally lifted my mood.
But… it feels like I’m only playing with the children who already enjoy playing.
I looked toward the children sitting quietly in the corner.
Edwin was among them.
“Come on, don’t just sit there.”
“Come play with us.”
“…”
“It’ll make lunch taste even better if we have fun first.”
I tried persuading them several times.
None of them moved.
This is a problem.
The biggest reason I had come here was to become friends with Edwin.
If the boy who would one day determine Lucian’s future had no interest in me, that wouldn’t do.
“Big Sister, just leave them alone and play with us.”
“Hm?”
“They like sitting there.”
“If they don’t want to play, why force them?”
“That’s true, but isn’t it more fun if everyone plays together?”
“I guess…”
The brown-haired child who had been talking to me pouted for a moment before walking over to the group sitting in the corner.
“Hey. All of you, get up.”
“…”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“Big Sister said she wants everyone to play together!”
At those words—which sounded more like an order than a request—Edwin and the other children slowly began to stand.
Watching the scene unfold, I felt that something was strangely… off.
