MCQN 03

Chapter 3 

I’m five years old now.

When I turn six, Count Tortó will adopt me. At seven, my hair will start to darken.

Which means, if I run into Count Tortó within the next two years, this blonde hair of mine will likely lead to adoption.

“At least there’s a low chance he’ll find me sooner than last time.”

Back then, the Count wasn’t even sure if his illegitimate child—or Rayleigh—was alive until he found us.

“Do you have any memories of your mother?”
“No…”
“I see. I’m just glad you’re alive.”

That’s what he said.

No one would scour every orphanage in the country looking for a child whose life or death is uncertain.

“Then what should I do until the Count shows up?”

I can’t just run into the streets in the body of a penniless orphan from a broke-down orphanage.

After considering a few options, I came to one solution:

└ [Should we just meet him and kill him?]

Why is this fairy so obsessed with violence…?

No, I’m not talking about some unrealistic idea of slicing through guards and assassinating a noble at the age of five.

“I need to catch the eye of a different noble before the Count finds me.”

The countries of this continent have waged endless wars, and the Debelloa Empire, where I live, has been pushing its conquest wars to the brink as if trying to end its long history of warfare.

The empire won—but not without consequences.

“That means there are a lot of war orphans.”

As kids roamed the streets, the Emperor himself declared:

“We must actively support institutions that protect children.”

With the imperial family taking the lead, nobles followed suit—donating to orphanages to gain favor.

And sometimes, nobles who lost their heirs in war and had no worthy relatives came to adopt children from orphanages…

└ [Ugh, I hate long worldbuilding dumps. This is so boring. Dropping this.]

Why does the drop-fairy keep hopping on and off the story?

└ [If you’re gonna drop it, do it quietly ^^]
└ [They keep saying they’re dropping it, but never actually leave. Classic troll.]

To sum it up for the impatient fairies: orphans can meet nobles.

└ [1-line summary, thanks]
└ [If it’s a childcare story, the MC better get adopted by a duke at least]

“No. Adoption isn’t what I’m aiming for.”

That’s not something I can control.

There’s a much easier way to build a connection with an adult noble.

Through the guardianship system.

“If I get a guardian, they’ll need to give consent before anyone else can adopt me.”

No one wants to invest in a child’s training only for some random biological parent to swoop in and take them.

Count Tortó also occasionally took in kids with sword talent under his guardianship, so I knew this well.

“Adoption already takes forever due to checks for biological family. If there’s a guardian involved too…”

I could easily buy myself several months. All I need is a guardian—not even financial support.

That way, even if Count Tortó finds me, I’ll have time to act.

└ [But isn’t she gonna find her real family?]
└ [Feels like there’s a secret royal birth here]

I did try to secretly look into that, just in case I get kicked out of the count’s house someday.

But there’s no detailed information on some random commoner’s kid. Of course I found nothing.

└ [Is this a hidden clue?]
└ [She’s totally a secret noble or princess]
└ [LMAO, so many heroines just flashed through my head]

…

Fairies often sound like they really know what’s going on in my life. But then they’ll go off on the wildest, most ridiculous tangents.

“What kind of country do these ‘heroines’ they keep talking about even live in?”

Even I, who used to collect gossip for the count, haven’t heard of stuff like this. These fairies must be from a very distant land.

“B-Because the flower was so pretty, I wanted to show it to you, ma’am—hic…”

└ [Ah, here comes the baby-talking heroine]
└ [She’s five, probably almost six. Kids that age usually speak pretty clearly]
└ [My niece was still baby-talking at six!]
└ [Can childcare story heroines please speak properly]

“Is it really such a crime to bite my tongue a little?”

I just haven’t fully adjusted to this tiny body yet. Slipping up now and then is only natural.

But every time I slur a word, the fairies scold me like I’ve broken some sacred law.

Not even the strict etiquette lessons at the count’s house were this harsh.

“So unforgiving…”

As I offered the flower I’d picked from the backyard, my expression stiffened. The noblewoman in front of me looked down with concern.

“Are you alright, dear?”

“I-it’s just that you’re so much prettier than the flower, my heart went thump-thump and I got the hiccups. Hehe.”

“Oh my…”

The noblewoman’s cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment.

“Phew. Another good impression!”

If I keep this up, maybe she’ll become my guardian!

Lately, I’ve made it my daily routine to keep watch for approaching noble carriages. If one stopped in front of the orphanage, I’d be the first to run out and greet them.

Even the penny-pinching director started smiling more because of me.

“This orphanage must take great care in managing the children.”

“Of course, of course.”

“This ribbon was a gift from the director!”

“Donations from kind supporters should be used for the children, naturally. I don’t do this for the money.”

Even the stingy director could smile sweetly when money was involved.

By constantly praising him and charming nobles, I earned their favor—and the director kept me by his side more often.

Thanks to that, I became the default spokesperson for the kids whenever nobles visited.

Hehe…

I played the role of a sweet, grateful child. He used me to present himself as a kind, caring director.

A perfectly symbiotic relationship—though he didn’t realize it.

└ [#SchemingHeroine]

Scheming? Please. No one’s getting hurt. I’d say I’m more of a “pure-minded strategist.”

But while I welcomed anyone with guardian potential, the fairies remained picky.

└ [Baroness? Kinda underwhelming tbh]
└ [Obviously she’s gonna get adopted by a duke, right?]

“It’s not obvious at all. Dukes rarely show up here themselves.”

Even if nobles visited the orphanage fairly often, high-ranking ones like dukes usually sent representatives.

But the fairies just couldn’t let go of the idea of a duke.

└ [Daddy, come quick! Our baby’s about to get snatched by Tart!]

It’s Tortó, not Tart…

Calling some unknown duke “Daddy” even though they’ve never appeared on-screen.

I shook my head at their logic, but focused on my own task.

“This is the playroom! We have picture books and dolls.”

I chattered away next to a noblewoman, acting like a cheerful little tour guide.

└ [Child labor, smh 😭]
└ [Our girl is a pro. More work, please!]

Are you sad or just demanding more?

“Thank you for showing me around.”

“No problem! I had fun. Goodbye!”

Whew, mission accomplished for the day.

As I came back in after escorting the elegant baroness to the door, the fairies turned their attention to other kids.

Especially whenever I talked to a boy.

└ [So you’re the male lead, huh?]

I’m the heroine. That makes him the male lead, I guess.

So… a male protagonist.

“Does that mean he can hear the fairies too?”

I asked the boy in front of me:

“Eddin, have you ever heard the word ‘male lead’ before?”

“Huh? Nope.”

Guess he can’t hear them either.

As I was still wondering about it, Eddin pulled something from his hands and held it out to me.

It was a roll of bread wrapped in paper.

└ [Bread courier?]

I’ve never heard that term, but the tone says it’s not a compliment.

Still, Eddin’s gesture came from a kind place.

“This was today’s snack. You didn’t get to eat, right?”

“You saved it for me?”

“Yeah. You looked busy with the adults.”

“I’m fine. You eat it.”

“But still…”

“You need to eat more.”

Eddin was so small I thought he was younger, but turns out we’re the same age.

They say boys grow later, but still, good nutrition matters early on.

Count Tortó’s son—and once my older brother—Gerald was also—

└ [Wait, is his name Getrolled?]

No! It’s Gerald…