Chapter 58: The Grand Duchess’s Visit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: The Grand Duchess’s Visit
It was the child whose nose I had wiped back at Marie’s Inn.
As the boy tried to rush toward me, a young man standing behind him hurriedly caught him.
“Atis, stay still.”
“No! I want to go!”
The boy struggled, his arms firmly held.
“It’s alright. Come here.”
I lowered my waist and beckoned to him. The child immediately broke free and ran into my arms.
“Goddess!”
“I told you last time, I’m the Grand Duchess, not a goddess.”
I lightly tapped his nose—which, unlike before, was clean and dry—and smiled.
“It’s been a while, hasn't it?”
Seeing the child clinging to me, the other children rushed over without hesitation, grabbing at the hem of my skirt.
“Me too! I want a hug too!”
“I want to touch it!”
“Whoa! This is so sparkly!”
Perhaps it was because the orphanage was operated solely through the Grand Duke’s patronage. Since the children rarely encountered nobility, they were surprisingly unreserved in their behavior toward me.
“You rascals! You mustn't! How dare you… to Her Highness…!”
Seeing the orphanage director rushing over, practically foaming at the mouth with anxiety, I gave a hand signal for him to stand back.
“It is fine.”
Though the director was clearly on pins and needles, I enjoyed the children’s candid approach, so I made sure to pat every head and give them all hugs.
“I brought lots of fun things for you all today. Are you curious?”
When I pointed toward the carriage, the children squealed and cheered with delight.
“Shall we go inside and take a look? Cecilia.”
The quick-witted Cecilia immediately gave instructions to the director. Soon, workers began unloading the supplies one by one. The teachers and the older children helped the workers move the items. I even saw the knights lending a hand without being asked.
Seeing the director greet Tiern so warmly, it seemed the rumors that he visited the orphanage often were true.
I had some of the smaller packages brought into the playroom so the children could open them themselves.
“Go ahead and open them. See if there’s anything you like.”
The children began tearing into the wrapped bundles. The storybooks and colorful toys I had carefully selected began to reveal themselves.
“Wow! Look at this!”
“It’s a toy! There’s a doll too!”
“This one’s mine!”
While the children were excitedly pulling out toys, I took a look around the room. It felt a bit bleak for a playroom, as a few hand-carved wooden toys were all they had, but the interior was quite clean, suggesting it was well-maintained.
“What do you usually do during the day?” I asked, looking at the children.
A chorus of innocent voices answered.
“We eat snacks!”
“Auntie Marie gives us pudding!”
“What else? Don’t you read storybooks or play ball?”
At my question, one child pursed their lips, seemingly unable to think of anything else. Then, a girl with pigtails standing nearby spoke up shyly.
“We read books.”
“Jerome reads to us every night,” another child chimed in, poking his head forward.
“He’s so smart, he can make up stories even without a book!”
“He makes toys for us too!”
“Is Jerome your teacher?”
“No! But he’s the oldest one here!”
From the children’s stories, it seemed one of the older orphans was doing a fine job of looking after the younger ones.
“Where is Jerome?”
A child pointed out the window toward a tall silhouette carrying luggage. It was the young man who had held Atis back earlier.
“I see. You’re lucky to have Jerome. Shall we open this one too?”
The children soon became engrossed in playing with their new toys.
“But Your Highness, I have done my absolute best for the children…”
“I am not saying you haven't done your best.”
I swallowed a sigh as I looked at the director, who had been repeating the same defense for a while now.
“I simply mean that the budget seems a bit lopsided. Children need emotional and creative education as well.”
Certainly, the children were dressed neatly and seemed well-fed. As an orphanage sponsored by the Grand Duke, the facilities were very clean. However, the problem was that they seemed to be left to their own devices for long stretches of time.
“There should be proper time for play—drawing, reading stories, things like that.”
The director clamped his mouth shut like a clam at my suggestion that children needed more than just food, clothing, and shelter. His gaze suggested he thought I was a sheltered noblewoman who knew nothing of the real world.
Wait, is this even the same person who sent me that letter?
I suppressed my frustration. He had likely worked hard in his own way to keep the children fed and clothed. If a Grand Duchess suddenly appeared and started nagging him about neglecting the children, he would naturally feel quite wronged. I could understand that sentiment.
“For now, I’ve brought all the educational supplies you requested, so make sure to put them to good use.”
Instead of arguing further, I brought the conversation to a close.
“Then I shall call for Your Highness’s carriage!”
The director, seemingly eager to see me off as quickly as possible, hurried out to call the carriage himself.
As I stepped outside with Cecilia, I heard the sound of children laughing from somewhere. Walking toward the backyard of the orphanage, I was surprised to see the knights playing with the children.
“Take this!”
The children were attacking the knights with the toy swords and shields I had gifted them.
I suppose the knights are playing the role of monsters?
“Graaaargh!”
The knights were performing with an almost embarrassing level of sincerity. Tiern was even roaming the backyard with children hanging off his shoulders and legs.
Seeing them play with children like that…
They seemed quite human.
I was watching the scene with a sense of warmth when I felt a tug from below. Looking down, I saw the girl with pigtails pulling at my skirt.
“What is it, dear?”
“This.”
The girl shyly held out a small, white pebble.
“It’s a pretty stone.”
“Oh, thank you.”
As I took the stone carefully, the girl blushed and began searching the ground for more pretty stones.
“Now that I think about it, there are no trees.”
The backyard of the orphanage was a stone floor—not even grass or dirt. I stared blankly at the small pebble in my palm. Usually, in a scene like this, a child would pick a pretty flower for a noble lady.
The North really is uniquely desolate. A stone, of all things.
I didn't know whether to be impressed by how 'Northern' even the orphanage was or to just laugh.
“Your Highness, the carriage is ready.”
A soft voice reached my ears. I turned to see the young man the children had mentioned—Jerome. Up close, he was quite handsome. He didn't have the breathtaking, overwhelming beauty of the Grand Duke, but his features were soft and his skin was fair, giving him the kind of face that easily earned people’s favor.
“You must be Jerome.”
When I acknowledged him, the young man’s cheeks flushed red.
“H-How do you know my name…?”
“You seem quite popular with the children.”
At my answer, Jerome gave a bashful smile.
“It is an honor that Your Highness would know my name.”
He has a way with words, too.
“Shall I inform the knights?” Cecilia asked, looking toward where the knights were. She was asking if she should tell them to prepare for departure.
“Let them be for a moment. The children are having so much fun.”
For some reason, I didn't want to break that harmonious scene just yet. As I remained standing there, Jerome also stayed in place, looking a bit awkward.
Wait.
A thought flashed through my mind.
“The list of supplies sent to me…”
I turned back to Jerome with a smile.
“Did you organize it?”
Jerome’s eyelashes fluttered as if he were flustered.
“It was you, wasn't it?”
Even though I clearly suspected the truth, Jerome hesitated, his lips trembling. He seemed worried that the director might be reprimanded because of him.
“It’s alright. I’m not asking so I can blame the director. I asked because the list seemed to be written by someone who knows the children very well. I heard you look after them often?”
At those words, Jerome lowered his guard slightly and spoke.
“I only help the teachers occasionally.”
“Where did you learn? How to draft documents, I mean.”
“I didn't learn it anywhere specifically… I just tried to imitate what I’ve seen here and there.”
My eyebrows shot up involuntarily at his words.
“You have quite a talent for it.”
I had simply asked if the children needed anything, but he had organized a list that even considered priorities by age group. His professional intuition was remarkable. The document had been structured with exactly the kind of information a decision-maker would need.
I think I’d have a much better time communicating with him than with the director.
“Do the children usually play here?” I asked, looking down at the rather rough courtyard. It was the kind of floor where you’d easily break something if you tripped.
“They spend time here, but…”
Just then, a child running nearby almost tripped, and Jerome caught him as he continued.
“They spend more time wandering outside the orphanage. There are more things to interest them near the shopping district.”
He had a very gentle way of pointing out that there was nothing to do inside the orphanage.
“It seems there’s nowhere nearby for them to play.”
“There is a mountain past the village back there, but it’s a bit far.”
Jerome added that the path there was rugged and grew dark quickly, so the shopping district, which stayed bright even in the evening, was actually less dangerous for the children.
I stared at Jerome’s face as he spoke calmly. I had thought he was older because of his tall stature, but looking closely, his face still held the traces of a boy.
“How old are you?”
“…I am seventeen this year.”
When our eyes met, Jerome rubbed the back of his neck shyly. He looked youthful and fresh. Cecilia seemed to feel the same way, as her cheeks were lifted in a wide grin while she watched him.