Chapter 6
Smart Amelia knew that the moment her identity was revealed, her own safety would be in danger. Therefore, she never revealed that she was the daughter of Marquis Agris. Because of that, the director and the staff believed Amelia was a commoner.
However, there was a noble air that Amelia could not hide. There was no way that nobles who came here to adopt children would fail to notice it.
‘That must be why the director made Amelia sit next to me.’
Because pretty children had a higher chance of being adopted than ugly ones. And if a child was as elegant and graceful as Amelia, the chances were even higher.
The director must have thought that since I was a noble, I would naturally recognize Amelia’s value, so he intentionally seated me beside her.
But if someone learned that she was the child of criminals, and on top of that, a child who boldly said such things without hesitation…
‘They will completely lose the desire to adopt her.’
I let out a small laugh while watching Amelia chew her bread carefully.
No wonder. Even though she had such a noticeable appearance, I had never seen her before. She must have been hiding herself until mealtime.
I knew from reading the original story that she was smart, but Amelia seemed to be an even more amazing child than I expected.
“Really?”
I hid my surprise and smiled.
The reason I was able to stay somewhat calm was because I already knew that Amelia’s parents were not criminals, and that Amelia did not want to be adopted.
“Still, you don’t have to assume that you will become the same just because your parents are criminals.”
I knew how kind and intelligent Amelia was. I also knew that she would grow into a truly wonderful adult.
However, I could not show that I knew those things, so I simply ended it with a small piece of advice.
“You are you, right?”
“Instead of thinking about things like that, eat a lot and grow quickly.”
More than anything, it was heartbreaking that a child this young was already thinking about such complicated things.
For some reason, I placed another piece of meat on Amelia’s spoon while she stared at me frozen.
“Eat quickly. It will get cold.”
“……Yes.”
After confirming that the meat disappeared into her small mouth, I started taking care of the other children around me.
I couldn’t let my attention stay focused on only one child.
I wiped the face of a child who had bread crumbs around their mouth, and cleaned the soup spilled on the floor.
Before I knew it, lunchtime was over.
The director left the cleaning to the staff and clapped his hands several times to gather the children.
“Everyone, bring your blankets and pillows. It is time for a nap.”
“A nap?”
The children tilted their heads at the director’s words.
Judging by their reactions, it seemed they had never had something like nap time before.
“Yes, yes. After eating until your stomachs are full, you should sleep.”
I was also confused.
There were children here who were as old as Amelia, but there were also babies who were still too young to even run properly.
‘They probably haven’t digested their food yet. Is it really okay to sleep right after eating?’
Even adults are told it is bad for their bodies to sleep immediately after eating. Would it really be okay for children whose digestive systems had not fully developed yet?
Very young babies needed to be burped after eating.
I had doubts, but since I did not know much about childcare, I found it difficult to step forward carelessly.
I had never given birth to a child, and even feeding and putting young Lucian to sleep had always been the nanny’s responsibility, so I had no experience.
“Come on, lie down quickly. If you don’t sleep, you won’t grow taller.”
With the director’s continued urging, the children brought out blankets and pillows that were almost nothing more than rags and spread them on the floor.
“Have good dreams, my children.”
The director kissed the forehead of the nearest child, then walked to the window and closed the curtains.
Soon, the room became dark.
“Then, Young Lady, shall we continue our conversation in the director’s office?”
“Yes.”
I followed the director, who was rubbing his hands together like a fly, toward the director’s office.
Creak. Creak.
The wooden door closed, making an unpleasant sound.
It was the door that Lucella had broken earlier and had been forced back into place.
“……”
The closed eyelids slowly opened at the sound.
Blinking several times, emerald-green eyes resembling fresh leaves were revealed.
Amelia rolled her jewel-like eyes around and confirmed that all the adults had left.
Then she immediately sat up.
“Where are you going?”
At the question coming from behind her shoulder, Amelia’s hand, which was pulling away the blanket, stopped.
She turned her head toward the voice and saw Edwin patting the chest of a child much younger than himself.
“I’m going to the director’s office.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“No.”
Amelia firmly stopped Edwin, who was trying to stand up.
“If you come too, we will get caught. It’s better if I quietly go alone.”
“……Hmph.”
“Instead, I’ll steal a cookie from the kitchen on the way back.”
Amelia skillfully comforted Edwin, who puffed out his lips, and carefully walked away.
‘Who did she come here to adopt this time?’
As Amelia walked toward the director’s office, her heart beat anxiously.
No matter who it was, she absolutely could not be adopted.
Because she had to meet her uncle.
‘I hope it isn’t me.’
Because of her unusually beautiful appearance and the noble feeling she gave off even while standing still, Amelia was always the number one candidate for adoption.
Every time that happened, Amelia created unbelievable reasons to make people lose interest in her.
‘My father is a serial killer.’
Or,
‘My mother was a famous thief.’
The reasons she gave were not completely false.
Her father had sentenced several guilty citizens of his territory to death, and her mother had once been caught stealing her grandmother’s jewels when she was young.
When Amelia told people these facts, they always looked at her with contempt.
‘Your parents are criminals?! That cannot be true! Amelia must be lying!’
Of course, the director denied it because he wanted to sell Amelia at a high price.
But his excuses only damaged Amelia’s reputation further.
‘A child who can tell such a terrible lie without even changing her expression… That is even more frightening.’
There was no adult who liked a child who constantly lied.
After the nobles left, the director would scold Amelia harshly for saying such things.
But Amelia did not care.
Adults who adopted children only because of their appearance were not welcome to Amelia either.
‘But that older sister……’
Amelia thought of the red-haired woman who had suddenly appeared at the orphanage.
The woman who did not become flustered even after hearing that Amelia was the child of criminals.
‘Still, you don’t have to assume that you will become the same just because your parents are criminals. You are you, right?’
An adult who did not look at her with contempt.
An adult who said such words to her.
It was the first time she had ever met someone like that.
Besides, she did not only care about pretty children.
Whether their faces were ugly or their hands had skin diseases, she tried to treat every child equally.
She was completely different from all the adults who had visited the orphanage before.
‘It is too early to decide she is a good person. She might only be pretending because the director was there.’
What kind of person was Lucella when she was alone with the director?
And which child was she trying to adopt?
With curiosity and anxiety mixed together, Amelia stood in front of the window outside the director’s office.
She stood on her tiptoes.
Soon, she could see Lucella talking with the director.
“So, is there a child you like?”
“All the children were as cute as angels.”
I looked around the inside of the director’s office and spoke.
Because the building itself was old, the director’s office was not in very good condition either.
However, compared to the rooms where the children lived, the director’s office could truly be called a hotel.
A fluffy carpet covered the floor, and thick curtains completely blocked the cold air coming from outside.
The children lived trembling in spaces with broken windows and fallen doors, while this place was like this.
Various awards were displayed on the bookshelf, and the table was filled with expensive chocolates and cookies meant for guests.
‘Edwin said he tasted chocolate for the first time after coming to the duke’s residence.’
The director must have eaten chocolate whenever he wanted here.
His fat stomach and double chin were enough proof.
It was obvious that he had used the money he embezzled to fatten himself.
Not knowing what I was thinking, the director continued speaking with a friendly smile.
“That is true. However, you cannot adopt all the children.”
“I already told you earlier. I did not come here for adoption.”
When I said that while drinking tea, the smile on the director’s face cracked slightly.
It seemed he was disappointed about losing the chance to receive a large donation.
‘It seems he did not listen to a single word I said.’
He probably thought I only said that because I wanted to appear modest.
Click.
Annoyed, I deliberately placed my teacup down loudly.
Since the director seemed incapable of understanding properly, I decided it would be better to speak directly.
Besides, this was not a situation where I could waste time.
“You know that I am currently staying with the Belloman Duchy, right?”
“Of course. How could I not know?”
When the Belloman Duchy, the owner of this territory, was mentioned, the director immediately straightened his posture.
I decided to make full use of the power of the duchy.
“My brother-in-law, Duke Belloman, is very interested in child welfare.”
I deliberately emphasized that the duke was my brother-in-law.
“Ever since my nephew, Lucian Belloman, was born, he has started paying attention to children around the same age.”
I reminded him that my nephew was the heir of Belloman.
“As expected of His Grace the Duke! Even while busy, he still cares about the children of his territory……”
As expected, the director became extremely polite.
He lowered his head repeatedly, stretching his neck forward like even a turtle would be embarrassed.
But his smile did not last long.
“Perhaps because of that, he became very curious. About how the orphanage in his territory is being operated, and whether the support funds are being used properly.”
