“Who’s in charge of cleaning the window frames?! Rosalyn, are you slacking off again?! You really can’t do anything right!”
Morning cleaning time.
Emma scolded Rosalyn in a voice full of fury.
The girl, caught off guard, tried to explain herself in a panic.
“…What? I cleaned everything I was supposed to. I was definitely assigned the first-floor bathroom.”
“What? Rosalyn, what are you talking about? You were in charge of the window frames in our room. The first-floor bathroom was my job.”
As Rosalyn explained in a timid voice, Anna jumped in.
It seemed that Anna had falsely filled out the cleaning duty list again today.
Originally, the bathroom had been Anna’s assignment, but she had begged Rosalyn to switch with her.
Naturally, Rosalyn had thought Anna would clean the window frames in return…
But that wasn’t the case.
Rosalyn was instantly branded a liar and looked like she was about to cry.
It was unfair, but there was no one here who would take Rosalyn’s side.
“You again, Rosalyn? Look at Anna. She takes the initiative even with the hard tasks, but you… Ugh, there’s really nothing likable about you.”
Because Rosalyn was treated like she didn’t exist at the orphanage.
And that was all thanks to the director, Emma.
Because of that, the other children didn’t hesitate to bully her.
“Pfft, serves you right. If you got adopted once, you should’ve stayed gone.”
“Stealing other kids’ chances at adoption and all.”
Throb.
Rosalyn’s chest ached.
‘They’re right. I’m a bad kid.’
A freeloader who stole the chance of others.
A worthless child who couldn’t do anything well.
Just like the other kids said, Rosalyn had been returned from adoption several times.
Because of that, she had many names.
Luna, Ash, Camilla… and so on.
The first people who adopted Rosalyn were well-known philanthropists with stellar reputations.
“This is our daughter, Luna. Isn’t she beautiful?”
“My goodness. She’s not even your real child—how did you make such a decision… You’re truly admirable.”
“Hahaha! She’s a child we gave birth to with our hearts. If you have wealth, you must share it, mustn’t you?”
…But it didn’t last long. She was soon returned.
Because the company her adoptive parents ran went bankrupt.
“We’re sorry, Luna. But you got to enjoy so much thanks to us, didn’t you? A child like you—how else would you have had such an undeserved experience?”
The second parents were…
“This kid has no charm at all! Ash, try smiling. Girls should be cute, you know?”
“What’s the use of a pretty face? There has to be something lovable about her!”
“…I-I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Please don’t throw me away, Mom, Dad…!”
Because she was quiet and lacked charm, the second adoptive parents soon chose to return her.
The third and last set of parents were…
A bit violent.
“You! Did you dare push Mina?! She’s bleeding from her knee!”
“…I-I didn’t push her. She just asked me to play hide-and-seek with her…”
“You ungrateful brat! After all we’ve done for you, and you dare hurt my daughter?!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
For various reasons, Rosalyn had to return to the orphanage again and again.
And every time, Emma would say this:
“If you had acted like a real daughter, would they have returned you? Sigh. Enough. Even I’m getting tired of this.”
After the same thing repeated over and over, everything naturally became Rosalyn’s fault.
‘I can’t cry. If I cry here, the director will hate me even more.’
Though her eyes were burning, Rosalyn bit her lip painfully.
She had grown used to holding back tears.
Even though the little girl quietly wiped her reddened eyes, no one comforted her.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
Emma clapped her hands.
The children stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
“A very important guest has come to visit today. So hurry up, get ready, and come downstairs. If you’re late, there won’t be a chance for you!”
A very important guest.
A euphemism Emma used when a noble was visiting.
The children’s eyes widened like they would pop out.
Emma’s lips curled slowly into a smile.
“If you understand what I mean, get ready right now.”
Clack.
The door closed.
Soon, the children began to fight and scramble through the wardrobe for clothes.
“Give it back! That yellow dress came in as my sponsorship gift!”
“Says who? It was sent to the orphanage anyway. First come, first served!”
Rosalyn, who had been watching blankly, timidly stepped forward and reached for an old, shabby dress in the corner of the wardrobe—
Bang! The door flew open again.
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Rosalyn!”
“Yes, Director…”
Rosalyn flinched and turned around reflexively.
“You stay quiet in this room. This is a very important meeting!”
Clack.
The door shut again.
“Serves you right.”
Anna sneered as she slipped into the most extravagant, beautiful dress in the wardrobe and walked out of the room.
Rosalyn clutched the shabby dress she had almost put on and lowered her head.
‘This is actually better.’
Really, it was for the best.
She didn’t need a family anymore.
Happy families like the ones in fairy tales didn’t exist in this world.
And anyway…
‘My turn is never going to come…’
Because Emma had no intention of showing Rosalyn to the important guest.
“Hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm~ What a once-in-a-lifetime chance this is!”
Emma hummed and spun around gleefully.
In all her years running the orphanage, this was the first time someone so powerful had come.
The man who visited discreetly was someone Emma knew by face.
A strong heir candidate to the Duke Arcas family.
It was Deon Arcas!
“Becoming filthy rich is just a matter of time now!”
Emma held up a crisp paper titled “Sponsorship Certificate.”
Her eyes sparkled with greed.
She kissed the sponsorship certificate deeply and recalled what had just happened.
Just a short while ago—
A carriage had pulled up in front of the orphanage.
There was no visible family crest, but Emma was sure.
This is definitely a noble family’s carriage!
Emma rushed out to greet the guest.
“Welcome! May I ask the purpose of your visit to our orphanage?”
“I’d like to adopt a child.”
“…Excuse me? A child?”
Many had expressed interest in sponsoring and adopting from the orphanage.
But if the visitor was a noble, it was an entirely different matter.
Because nobles were special.
They could part seas with one hand and move the earth—wielding mysterious powers.
People called those powers ‘Authority.’
And then…
As he mentioned adoption, the man slightly revealed his face from the carriage.
In that moment, Emma screamed internally.
Golden hair, blue eyes. A stunning appearance.
If her memory was correct, this man was undoubtedly the Young Duke of Arcas!
Emma stammered in shock and blinked rapidly.
Then Deon Arcas smiled gently, handed over an envelope, and asked with a slightly embarrassed expression:
“Would this sponsorship certificate be insufficient to confirm my identity?”
“N-No, not at all!”
Emma quickly shook her head in surprise.
Deon Arcas’s face was proof enough.
Still…
It was very strange.
As far as Emma knew, Deon Arcas was unmarried.
And for a family like the Arcas Duchy, maintaining pure bloodlines would be of utmost importance.
That much was obvious, considering everyone bearing the Arcas name possessed formidable Authority.
Such powerful Authority wouldn’t have been passed down randomly.
Especially since the Arcas family’s Authority was the Dark Authority—a force that dominated battlefields.
So for someone like the Young Duke, who needed to continue such a lineage, to adopt instead of marrying—it was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
“…U-Um, do you have a preference for the type of child? Exceptional looks, intelligence, things like that? Or… is there a specific child you have in mind…?”
“No recommendation is necessary. I’ll just accept the director’s kind intention.”
Deon Arcas politely declined the suggestion.
Emma was starting to burn with curiosity and nervousness.
There was no way a noble would visit, talking of sponsorship and adoption, without a motive.
And for someone of this caliber to come in person…
As Emma’s mind raced, Deon Arcas gave a soft smile, his blue eyes glinting.
“If you keep the adoption confidential, I’ll double the amount written there.”
At those words, Emma’s hands trembled as she opened the envelope.
“Dear heavens! Just how much is this?!”
The moment she saw the amount written on the sponsorship certificate, Emma instinctively glanced around and hurriedly hid the papers.
Then, holding her breath, she tried to stay calm and confirmed the amount again.
[Sponsorship Amount: 1,000,000,000 G.]
Was this a dream or reality?
Emma’s mind went blank.
Unless her eyes deceived her, it was clearly one billion gold.
After seeing that amount, Emma no longer cared what the Young Duke of Arcas’s intentions were.
