IBDEML 31

Chapter 31

When Lopez tilted her head and looked at Klein, he hesitated for a moment. Then he suddenly laughed brightly like a child.

Now he finally looked like a kid his age.

“No! Nothing like that!”

He leaned on Lopez and muttered softly.

“I should have done this earlier. I should have apologized earlier… I think I dragged it out for too long.”

“This is already early enough.”

You did well, so stop blaming yourself.

Lopez gently pinched Klein’s cheek so it wouldn’t hurt. He nodded his head quickly and spoke as if making a promise.

“I will never do that to Medina again!”

Klein smiled cutely.

Then he hugged Lopez tightly.

As if he didn’t want to leave this warmth.

“Tomorrow we are going to visit the temple! We will all pray together and help the priests. If you do well, you will even receive a small gift!”

“Waaah! A gift!”

“We’re going outside?”

“That’s amazing!”

Everyone jumped with joy at Megan’s words.

When the former director Watson was still here, they couldn’t even leave the area near the orphanage, let alone go to the temple.

But now they were free to go outside, so it was natural for them to be excited.

And Lopez was also very excited.

‘We’re finally going to the temple!’

She wasn’t expecting to gain anything from it, but she had been looking forward to leaving the orphanage itself.

‘While I’m there, I should also find out how to request help from the Magic Guild. And I’ll pray to the gods too.’

If she received a divine message, she wouldn’t even need to look for the Magic Guild.

‘Please let them hear my voice.’

Of course, hearing the voice of a god was not an easy thing.

But Lopez truly wanted to go back, so maybe there was still a chance.

It was said that the more often someone visited, the higher the chance that the gods would respond. If she kept going regularly, maybe it would happen someday.

Giving up and living here forever would only be her choice after she had tried every possible method to return.

Just then, loud noises came from outside.

“Huh? Teacher! There are visitors outside!”

“The carriage is so fancy!”

“I’ve never seen such big horses before! Oh? Someone is getting down!”

All the children rushed to the window.

Lopez also joined them quickly.

Kids, let me see too.

She squeezed between the noisy children and looked outside the window. There was an elegant carriage.

The moment she saw the man stepping out of the carriage, Lopez immediately recognized who he was.

There was no way she wouldn’t.

‘It’s the Emperor.’

He had the same face as Medina and clear pink eyes.

“He looks like Medina.”

“Really.”

It seemed Lopez wasn’t the only one who thought that. Everyone looked at Medina and whispered among themselves.

Medina only stared silently at the man.

“Alright everyone, quiet. Stay calmly in the classroom for a moment, okay?”

“Yes!”

They listened to Megan’s words surprisingly well.

“Medina, do you know who that is?”

Chester asked carefully, but Medina only bit her lip tightly.

She hadn’t been separated from him as a baby, so she still clearly remembered her father’s face.

But she had always misunderstood that the Emperor had abandoned her and her mother, so she didn’t look happy at all.

‘Still, after she learned the truth later, she forgave and understood him.’

Just like a kind heroine.

After going to the Imperial Palace, she would grow up receiving all her father’s love.

Just like in a typical childcare romance fantasy.

Because he had finally found his daughter after so long, the Emperor in the original story cherished her as if he would bring down even the stars for her.

‘But he came earlier than I expected.’

Maybe it was because of Baron Philips and his wife.

That was the only reason Lopez could think of.

In Jolsamak, the Emperor only found the heroine after the orphanage burned down and everyone scattered.

‘If it’s like this, the Duchess of Ortega might also find out that Chester is here…’

The Baron had definitely become suspicious after seeing Chester.

He must have investigated Chester’s background and then made a deal with the Duchess.

I should prepare—

‘No. I already have too many problems myself.’

Even now she had delayed things too much. If the fire accident was the problem, she could just warn Megan beforehand so they could prepare.

‘Even if we move the entire orphanage, it won’t help. They already found Chester’s trail, so they’ll chase him anywhere.’

Lopez made a firm promise to herself so her heart wouldn’t weaken.

“Medina! Is that your dad?”

“Then you weren’t abandoned?”

“Do you know him?”

“He looks just like you!”

Everyone gathered around Medina and made her uncomfortable. Then Rodney suddenly spoke with a serious face.

“Lopez, maybe he came to take you.”

That was complete nonsense.

“Because you’re cute.”

Oh… that reason.

“Hey, there’s a pencil rolling around.”

Sally complained irritably while looking at the pencil rolling on the floor.

She was originally a child with a bad temper. Lopez tried to calm her down.

“You can just throw it away.”

Chester looked at her with an absurd expression.

“…That’s my pencil. Why are you deciding that?”

Was it?

Lopez pretended she didn’t hear and looked away.

Chester chuckled quietly.

Not long after the visitors entered the orphanage, the classroom door slid open.

Megan came back to the classroom and carefully called Medina.

“Medina, will you come with the teacher for a moment?”

So it really was the Emperor.

And he really came to take Medina.

“…Just me?”

“I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

Medina, trembling with anxiety, looked at Klein and Chester.

The two of them immediately stood up.

Megan looked troubled for a moment, but after thinking briefly, she allowed them to come along too.

Medina looked too anxious.

The classroom door closed with a click, and the children started talking loudly again.

“It really is Medina’s dad!”

“Maybe he just likes Medina!”

“Is Medina going to get adopted?”

Yes, kids.

Say goodbye to Medina.

Once she returned to her rightful place, Klein and Chester would definitely cry.

‘Wait… the story changed.’

If that was the case, maybe Klein and Chester wouldn’t have to suffer either.

Medina could take them with her.

It was different from the original story where everyone scattered because of the fire.

‘What? Then there’s actually nothing I need to worry about.’

If they went to the Imperial Palace, Chester wouldn’t be threatened by the Duchess of Ortega anymore.

Finally, Lopez could put down the heavy worry in her heart.

It wasn’t easy to ignore children getting hurt right in front of her.

“I thought they would take Lopez.”

Rodney sounded disappointed.

Why are you disappointed when I’m the one who should care?

“You want me to go?”

“Of course! Then they would take us too!”

“That’s right!”

No.

Why were they so confident? Absolutely not.

No matter how cute you are, I’m leaving you all behind.

Lopez shook her head while looking at the twins who were full of useless confidence.

‘Come to think of it, why were Medina and the Emperor separated in the first place?’

…Ah, the struggle for the throne.

‘Medina’s father was originally the fifth prince and the youngest, far from the line of succession.’

The current Emperor had no interest in power from the beginning, so he left the Imperial Palace and began traveling.

During his journey, he met a woman and fell in love.

The result of that love was Medina.

And the tragedy began because the first prince and the second prince were jealous of the youngest son who was greatly loved by the former Emperor and Empress.

‘They tried to remove a potential rival before the throne could be given to him.’

Sensing danger to his life, the current Emperor hid his wife and daughter and tried to persuade his brothers.

But by that time, they had already sent people to kill his wife.

Medina’s mother sacrificed herself so Medina could escape.

And that was how the father and daughter were separated.

After realizing everything, the Emperor became furious and brutally killed the first and second princes.

Then he searched desperately for Medina.

While Lopez was lost in her thoughts, Klein and Chester returned to the classroom.

Bill looked at them with curiosity.

“Was that man really Medina’s real dad?”

Chester and Klein nodded with gloomy faces.

They seemed very anxious about being separated from Medina.

“What is it like to have real parents, big sister?”

Bill asked while holding Lopez’s hand.

“I’m not sure… I’ve never had them.”

Rodney rested his chin on his palm and muttered sadly.

“I wonder what it’s like for kids who are loved by their real parents. They must be happier than us, right?”

Why did the kids suddenly look so depressed?

Were they jealous that Medina found her real father?

Lopez spoke to lighten their mood even a little.

“You don’t have to be loved by your parents to be happy.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to limit that kind of love only to parents. Happiness isn’t defined by a parent’s love.”

“I don’t understand.”

Rodney looked discouraged.

Lisa and Sally silently hugged Lopez tightly.

It seemed everyone was thinking about their own parents and felt troubled.

I should explain it more simply.

“It’s possible that love from someone else could be even more precious. There are many parents who are worse than strangers.”

…Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say.

Lopez quickly continued.

“Even if you don’t have your parents’ love, I believe you can still be happy. There are probably more people who love you than you think.”

They were only words.

But comforting them was difficult.

After all, Lopez herself had never been loved like that either.