Chapter 06
One Day, My Body Was Taken
Sponsor?
During the eight years since the orphanage was established, not a single person had come forward claiming they would sponsor it.
If they were able to provide such an extravagant meal, there must have been significant funding behind it. The sudden news that a sponsor had appeared left me feeling utterly bewildered.
“……”
Suddenly, Roel’s figure from yesterday in the director’s office flashed in my mind.
‘He didn’t look rich enough to sponsor something like this…’
For a noble, he seemed excessively frugal and polite. I couldn’t even imagine that Roel came from a wealthy family.
But, realistically, there was no one else who could have sponsored the orphanage besides Roel. My thoughts were in chaos.
“What are you doing? Let’s eat quickly.”
Eugene’s words chased away my stray thoughts. Reluctantly, I followed him to the dining table.
After finishing the overly lavish breakfast, I left the orphanage. Since I had eaten so much greasy food in the morning, I thought I might go for a walk to aid digestion.
However, my steps immediately stopped.
“Good morning, Rive!”
It was a voice I had grown used to hearing.
Roel was sitting on a bench at the entrance. The moment I opened the door, he looked up and saw me. As always, a bright smile graced his face.
“……”
Coming again the very next day? My prediction yesterday—that he would get tired of this “commoner experience” and stop coming—suddenly seemed laughable.
“……Why are you here?”
“I thought everyone was eating, so I didn’t go in. Oh, I just got here!”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
I let out a long sigh. Roel merely tilted his head innocently.
“I mean, why did you come to the orphanage?”
“Of course, I came to visit! I got the director’s permission yesterday and even set the teleport coordinates. So now, I can come see you by just tearing a scroll in half.”
Roel giggled.
“How was your meal?”
“……”
That’s when I became certain.
The sponsor had to be Roel.
Instead of answering his question, I asked another.
“You sponsored this, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Roel answered simply, showing no intention to hide it from the start.
Hearing his answer, my mood sank instantly.
“Why? Because I looked pitiful?”
Though I knew that wasn’t the reason, the harsh words slipped out.
If Roel had angrily refused to help, I wouldn’t feel this miserable now. Receiving sponsorship from another noble, simply out of their concern, trampled my stubbornly clinging pride.
“……”
Roel didn’t say a word. He seemed flustered.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“……I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable. But I only wanted my friend to sleep in a slightly better place and eat slightly better food. I never did it out of pity.”
There was a touch of melancholy in Roel’s voice as he spoke.
Whether his actions came from pity or not, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. He could have expected thanks and yet reacted with gentle words to clear up any misunderstanding. Seeing him speak calmly melted away my irritation.
I even felt a little foolish for having thought Roel’s behavior was just pretentious all this time.
“No, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable… I’m grateful.”
“……!”
Hearing my words, Roel’s face brightened as if he had never been downcast.
“I asked the director to always prepare a hearty meal! I thought it might be hard for you to handle it alone, so I offered to send a chef—but you refused, so I couldn’t. Did you eat a lot of delicious food?”
Roel chattered on as usual, spilling out a flood of words. I covered one ear and replied casually.
“I ate until I was stuffed.”
“You haven’t had dessert yet, right? Do you want to go buy cake with me?”
“No more than one a week, or the kids will get cavities.”
“Ah……”
I glanced at the suddenly deflated Roel and spoke.
“Forget snacks for now. Let’s go for a walk. You haven’t explored the village yet, have you?”
“……”
Roel looked a little surprised.
Even I hadn’t expected myself to show such kindness. Not hearing my answer, a shy feeling crept up, and I deliberately made a slightly curt expression.
“Oh, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”
“I want to!”
Roel answered quickly and stood up from the bench.
Seeing him smile so brightly at me, I couldn’t help but smile back. It felt like some of my old prejudices against nobles were finally starting to break down.
Roel continued visiting the orphanage frequently after that day. He never forgot to bring plenty of treats suitable for the children.
Since it would be rude to question why someone sponsoring the orphanage kept coming, I simply met him whenever he arrived.
As he visited every day, Roel became quite close to Eugene as well.
That day, too, we were chatting together in the orphanage backyard.
“Wow……”
I gasped in admiration after eating one of the strawberries Roel brought. I’d had strawberries at the orphanage before, but these were different—so much so that I could believe they were a different fruit entirely.
“Yeah, this is what a real strawberry tastes like……”
I used to get sick of them eight years ago, yet now even this small thing made me feel moved.
Roel smiled brightly at me.
“Rive, you really like strawberries, don’t you?”
“He always steals the strawberries off my cakes too.”
Ignoring Eugene’s comment, I grabbed another strawberry.
Roel watched me happily eat. Seeing the warm scene without Eugene’s complaints, Eugene pouted and asked sharply.
“Roel, you’re a noble, right?”
“Yes.”
Eugene had figured it out as well. Given how suspicious he was, it was strange if anyone hadn’t noticed.
“Then you’re the one sponsoring our orphanage?”
“Yes!”
Roel answered innocently. He truly couldn’t tell a lie.
I stared at him in disbelief.
“If you’re going to reveal everything, why did you do it anonymously?”
“I’ll keep my family a secret.”
I couldn’t understand why he would hide his family while revealing everything else. As a former noble myself, it bothered me. A noble should proudly announce their family name.
“Why hide it? If it were me, I’d brag about it everywhere.”
“For personal reasons……”
Roel smiled awkwardly. It wasn’t necessary to hide this much unless he was from the royal family. Most commoners wouldn’t know the noble families anyway.
But Roel wasn’t only hiding his family. Something else was more bothersome.
“Why do you keep wearing that hood? Can’t you show your face to us?”
“Well, that’s a bit……”
“You know, seeing your face wouldn’t reveal which family you’re from anyway.”
“Still……”
Roel hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Isn’t it more mysterious and nice this way, wearing the hood?”
“……”
Both Eugene and I were speechless, stunned by his reasoning.
I frowned.
“Why is he really like this?”
“He’s at that age… You’ve got to understand.”
Eugene defended him patiently.
Roel pouted.
“You, Eugene, always wear gloves too, right? So just think of me wearing this hood as a way to decorate myself like you.”
“Oh.”
Eugene looked away. His hands were always covered by black gloves.
“This isn’t for decoration.”
“Really?”
“I have some ugly scars on my hands… That’s why I cover them.”
“……”
Hearing that, I lowered my head slightly, my expression turning sour.
Roel didn’t notice, continuing to talk to Eugene.
“Both hands?”
“Yeah. I fell into a bonfire when I was little. Luckily, only my hands were burned.”
Roel nodded in sympathy, listening politely.
“Everyone seems to have had serious injuries as a child. I once bumped into my sister’s elbow and fainted briefly.”
“You have a sister?”
Roel’s expression froze. He had just been talking about his mysteriousness, yet now he revealed personal details.
“……”
He clamped his mouth shut and forced a small smile.
“Oh, I forgot to give the strawberries to the director. I’ll go now!”
Roel said that and dashed off. I couldn’t help marveling at how clumsy he could be.
Eugene laughed at Roel’s retreating back.
“He’s really funny. I thought all nobles would be annoying.”
“……”
I didn’t say a word. Eugene looked at me, puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“……The scars… still bother me?”
Eugene seemed to finally understand why I’d gone quiet. He smiled gently.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past.”
“Want me to buy you new gloves?”
“No, these are the most comfortable. If you want to buy something, get me food instead.”
Eugene laughed and patted my shoulder before leaving.
“Be right back with the tea.”
Alone, I fell into thought. Eugene always said not to worry, but I couldn’t ignore it. His scars were caused by me. When I pushed him into the bonfire as a child, I hadn’t realized the harm I caused.
I looked up at the sky and sighed. Memories of the past made me uneasy again.
‘Today.’
The date matched exactly. The day I first lost my body. It had been nine years living in this body.
‘Now I have more memories living as a commoner than as a noble.’
A bitter smile appeared on my face. Perhaps it was time to let go of my attachment to being a noble.
Even in this situation, I had always been proud. I was a noblewoman, a proud member of the Allenhart family, the noble Miss Rive.
I had carried my pride for nine years, but realizing I had spent more time as a commoner made me feel resigned.
‘I’ll have to live in this body for the rest of my life.’
I could never return to my old body. I had known this from the first day I lost it, yet I had ignored it for nine years.
Now, I had to adapt. Abandon dignity and pride, find ways to survive, and start climbing from the bottom.
I was a commoner now.
The real Miss Rive existed elsewhere, wielding a greater influence and receiving everyone’s love.
Who the real Rive was no longer mattered. People cherished the saintly Rive, and the arrogant Rive was forgotten.
I stood up after my thoughts. Accepting reality cleared my mind.
I had to live as a commoner. I couldn’t stay at the orphanage forever. I didn’t want to leech off it as an adult.
Leaving the orphanage, I walked toward the village.
I worried Eugene and Roel might be startled by my sudden disappearance, but I wanted to get it done quickly. Delaying might make me cling to my pride again.
I arrived at a shabby teahouse. It was so rundown that I would normally have ignored it.
‘So this is where they recommended…’
I remembered the director mentioning the teahouse was hiring cleaning help. I had refused before, but now I couldn’t be picky.
Sighing, I opened the door, wearing a forced smile I rarely showed.
“I heard you’re looking for someone to clean here, so I came.”
The owner looked at me. I awkwardly fidgeted with my hair, still forcing a smile.
I wanted to endure unpleasant and hard work and adapt to life as a commoner. I no longer wanted to cling to my noble memories.
I had to move forward, no matter what.
