Chapter 50
Ren looked at me with a sorrowful face and said,
“Director, we know all too well the pain of being abandoned. But we can’t just ignore Seid.”
“But still…”
“Ren is right. I don’t like that guy either, but we can’t just turn our backs on him. If it weren’t for you, Director, we would’ve been no different from Seid—wandering around with nowhere to go.”
Chloan sided with Ren, and even Idie, who had stayed silent, nodded in agreement.
“I respect you, Director, and I believe we should listen to you… but this time, I think Ren and Chloan are right. I’m sorry…”
Watching them lower their heads and glance at me cautiously, I felt as though I’d become the villain.
“Director…”
Finally, Roddy looked at me with teary eyes.
“Ha.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the children’s feelings.
They, too, had been abandoned by their parents and wandered the streets. Who could empathize with Seid’s sorrow better than they?
To the children, who knew nothing of the circumstances, I must have looked cruel for trying to drive Seid away.
But I couldn’t tell them the truth—because that would mean revealing that Jack was royalty and that the Emperor wanted him dead.
‘Above all, I can’t say that in front of Jack.’
I forced an excuse.
“But if anyone finds out that Seid is coming in and out of the orphanage, we could all be in danger.”
“Is that because I’m royalty?”
Seid asked me at that.
The children, who didn’t know what “royalty” meant, simply tilted their heads in confusion. Only Jack stared at Seid with a frozen expression.
“In that case, you don’t need to worry. I have this!”
Seid declared confidently and pulled out a vial from his clothes.
“Good thing I brought it, just in case.”
He popped the stopper and downed the liquid in one gulp.
Startled, I jumped to my feet.
What happened next was truly astonishing.
“Wow…”
One of the children gasped.
And no wonder—Seid’s golden hair was slowly turning red. His blue eyes soon shifted as well, glowing with a crimson hue.
“W-what did you just do?”
Chloan stammered.
I recognized it immediately.
‘A magical item.’
“It’s called magic.”
Sure enough, Seid answered.
There are wizards in this world. Though rare, they created ingenious artifacts with their magic.
Such items were so astronomically valuable that even nobles struggled to obtain them.
Even I, who had only read about them in books, was shocked. To the children, who knew nothing of magic, this was a miracle.
Even Jack couldn’t hide his astonishment.
Seid, now with altered appearance, looked at me and said in a pleading tone,
“This way, no one will ever recognize me. I’ll change my appearance every time I visit the orphanage…”
Please accept me.
I sighed. The children, too, were staring at me with desperate eyes. I felt utterly cornered.
Just then, my eyes met Jack’s.
“Jack, what do you think?”
I was certain Jack would reject Seid. If he did, the children wouldn’t be able to argue further.
But—
“I think it’s better to accept Seid. The children seem to like him, and his knowledge could be a great help.”
His answer struck me like a blow.
Meanwhile, the children’s faces lit up, and Seid beamed, turning quickly toward me.
Those sparkling red eyes left me no choice.
“…Fine. We’ll do it that way.”
“Ciela! Thank you so much!”
“Hey! Don’t cling to our Director like that!”
Seid, overcome with gratitude, hugged me tightly, but Chloan rushed in to pry him off.
Next, Seid stood before Jack. Jack regarded him with a cold, indifferent stare.
“I have a feeling you and I will be good friends. My name is Seid! You can just call me Seid. What’s your name?”
“…Jack.”
“Jack! That’s a wonderful name!”
Seid grabbed Jack’s hand with shining eyes, while Jack’s face remained stiff and unreadable.
Witnessing a scene I thought I’d never see, I truly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
I set some conditions for Seid:
First, he must never go up to the second floor.
Second, to avoid suspicion from the imperial palace, he could only visit once a week, and must always change his appearance.
Third, he must never speak of the orphanage to anyone—not even the Emperor.
The second and third conditions felt somewhat meaningless, but I laid them down for formality’s sake.
As I saw Seid off, reluctant to leave, Hoyeon came to my side.
“How was it?”
“There was a shadow following him, but they didn’t approach within a certain distance.”
“Good. I’ll leave it to you if anything happens.”
“Understood.”
After Hoyeon left, I turned to Jack, who had also come out to see Seid off.
“Jack, are you really okay with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about Seid.”
At my words, Jack fell silent. He looked up at me, trying to probe my true thoughts.
But when he found nothing, he lowered his gaze and replied,
“Seid’s knowledge and curious items will broaden the children’s horizons. There’s nothing wrong with being close to him.”
“…And you’re fine with it?”
When I cautiously asked again, Jack looked at me, then gave a faint smile.
“This is a decision for the children. I’ll be fine.”
But why, then, did he not look fine at all?
Suppressing his own feelings while thinking only of the children—that sight lingered painfully in my mind.
“I’ll go in now.”
Maybe it was because I pitied him.
I quickly stopped Jack as he turned to leave.
“Wait a moment!”
“…?”
“About the lessons I mentioned before.”
“Ah…”
Jack seemed to understand instantly and nodded.
‘I wasn’t going to bring it up until it was certain…’
But seeing him sacrifice himself for the children made me want to give him some happiness.
“I’m looking for a tutor for you right now. We should find one soon.”
Jack’s eyes widened. He asked again,
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
His face filled with mixed emotions—joy, worry, even anticipation.
“Thank you very much.”
Jack bowed to me, his gratitude sincere. I shook my head.
I sent him back inside.
Watching his light steps retreat, I sank into thought.
‘It’s about time I heard from them.’
And two days later, a welcome guest arrived.
Leonard Blast was full of complaints.
—“I hear the director of <Ciela Orphanage>, who recently helped with the duke’s important business, is looking for a tutor for one of her children. Would you take a look? You don’t have an heir to teach these days anyway.”
“The nerve of you, saying that just because I’m resting a little.”
But since it was true, he had no way to argue.
‘Me, who once educated the heirs of House Crayman, being asked to teach an orphan? Unthinkable.’
Even if there were no heirs left to teach, it was still absurd.
‘But since she helped with an important business matter, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to at least show my face.’
Rick hadn’t insisted he take the job, only to have a look.
So Leonard decided he would just go and see.
As he prepared to leave immediately, his eyes drifted to the duke’s office.
His black eyes, heavy with years, sank deeply.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I last saw His Grace.”
Leonard, once a scholar, had spent many years at House Crayman, educating its heirs. Every duke in the line had been under his guidance—except one.
Duke Dietrich Crayman.
He had never been educated as an heir. Nobody expected him to inherit the dukedom—not even himself.
The duke had never ordered heir lessons, and Leonard had not taken it upon himself to teach.
Leonard was certain Dietrich would die on the battlefield.
But defying all expectations, he returned alive and became duke.
Dietrich never sought Leonard out, and Leonard, out of guilt, never dared approach him.
Though they lived in the same estate, they had not seen each other for years.
‘Perhaps I should go pay my respects.’
