Chapter 56
I looked around and picked up a cat-ear headband.
Then I stared at it for a while.
“Director, are you going to wear that too?”
Rodi, who was wearing a cute sheep-horn headband, came over and asked.
At her question, I laughed awkwardly and asked back.
“It’ll look weird, right?”
“No! I think it’ll look really pretty!”
Rodi’s eyes sparkled as she answered.
Since Rodi always said everything looked pretty, it wasn’t the most reliable praise, but I closed my eyes tight and put on the headband.
After a moment, I cautiously opened my eyes and looked in the mirror.
‘…It suits me better than I thought.’
It felt strange since it was my first time wearing something like this, but once it was on, it wasn’t bad at all.
My sharp eyes even made it suit me more.
“Director, you look so pretty.”
“Well… it’s not bad.”
“Heeey, Cloen. You say that, but inside you were thinking it looks pretty, weren’t you?”
“How did you kn— Ah, no, I wasn’t!”
The children suddenly crowded around me with a flood of compliments. I scratched my head awkwardly, smiling stiffly.
Then my eyes met Jack’s.
I carefully asked,
“What do you think, Jack?”
Jack stared at me for a while, then quietly replied.
“It suits you well.”
“Thank you. You’re really cute too, Jack.”
“…”
Jack’s face instantly turned red.
Anyway, since even Jack said it suited me, I started to feel more confident.
I walked over toward Hoyeon, who had been watching from a little distance. She looked at me curiously.
“Hoyeon, isn’t that scarf uncomfortable?”
At my question, Hoyeon flinched.
Of course it was—beastkin had very sensitive ears, and hers were covered up. Even if she didn’t say anything, it had to be stifling.
After hesitating for a moment, she replied softly.
“It’s fine. Among humans, beastkin stand out too much, so it can’t be helped.”
I nodded.
“But today is different.”
Hoyeon looked at me questioningly.
I pointed at my cat-ear headband.
Her gaze followed.
“Today, lots of people are wearing headbands like this, so your ears won’t stand out much either.”
Her eyes widened at my words. But soon after, she spoke carefully.
“I might cause unnecessary trouble.”
“It’s fine. That’s why I put on the same cat-ear headband as you.”
Of course, it couldn’t compare to the real thing, but if we all walked around wearing animal-ear headbands together, Hoyeon would blend right in.
“If it seems like someone notices, you can always cover them again.”
“…Will it really be okay?”
She asked cautiously, and I nodded.
Even then, she hesitated for quite a while before slowly removing her scarf.
Her ears perked up. With her ears uncovered, her expression brightened noticeably.
I smiled at the sight, and together we left the shop.
At first, Hoyeon still looked uneasy, but since people didn’t pay her as much attention as she feared, she soon regained her confidence.
Occasionally, some humans looked at her, but not because they noticed she was a beastkin—rather, it was because of her beauty.
‘She really does draw people’s eyes.’
Her snow-white hair, matching pale skin, silvery-gray eyes, and long eyelashes…
Hoyeon was without a doubt more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen. But it was an otherworldly kind of beauty.
Almost like she wasn’t human at all. In a way, the fact that some people dared to approach her was impressive. Normally, most would never dream of it, only staring at her from afar.
Once we left the shop, we fully dove into the festival.
We wandered around so much that before I realized, the sun was already setting. Finally, each of us held a cotton candy in hand as we made our way home.
The children were so tired that the moment they got into the carriage, they all passed out.
As I stroked Rodi’s hair, who was sleeping with her head on my lap, I gently tucked stray strands behind her ear.
“Mm…”
Maybe my touch tickled her, because Rodi mumbled in her sleep and snuggled closer into me.
The other children were asleep leaning on Hoyeon or slumped against the wall.
What was surprising was that Hoyeon, too, had fallen asleep, exhausted.
I thought she’d be fine since beastkin had far more stamina than humans.
‘Well, she was running around excitedly too.’
By the end, you couldn’t even tell whether she was the adult or one of the kids—she had been that giddy.
‘It must’ve been her first time feeling so free among people.’
It made sense.
Then I felt Rodi stir against me. She squirmed at the carriage’s jolt and sleepily opened her eyes.
“Director…”
“Yes, Rodi? You’re awake?”
“Yes.”
Her drowsy face looked up at me as she hugged my waist tightly and murmured,
“I had a dream.”
“What kind of dream?”
“A dream where I was playing again with Director, my sisters, brothers, and Teacher Hoyeon.”
“You dreamed a happy dream.”
“Yes, it was so happy, but…”
Rodi lifted her head to look at me.
Because she was smaller than her peers, she had an especially babyish impression. But now, somehow…
“I’m happier right now. So I’m not sad at all.”
The setting sun painted her blonde hair with gold. Her green eyes glowed with a gentle light, looking more mature than me.
Rodi rested her head against me again. Her small whisper reached my ears.
“I want to keep living happily like this with my sisters, brothers, Teacher Hoyeon, and Director forever…”
Her voice trailed off, and she fell back into sleep.
I softly brushed her hair, listening to her steady breathing.
“Yes.”
I whispered quietly.
“Let’s always live happily together.”
Still stroking her hair, I looked out the window.
The sun was slowly setting.
The carriage stopped, and one by one, the children woke up groggily.
As I helped them down, Jack was carrying Rodi.
I said to him,
“Jack, you must be sleepy too after napping. I’ll carry Rodi.”
At that, Jack’s shoulders twitched.
I gave him a puzzled look—something seemed off.
After a pause, Jack spoke quietly, then walked quickly into the orphanage.
“I didn’t sleep.”
His answer caught me completely off guard.
‘He wasn’t sleeping?’
Which meant—
‘He heard everything Rodi and I talked about…’
Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.
After sending the carriage away once all the children were inside, I turned to go in too—when someone stopped me.
“Excuse me. Are you Lady Ciela Feirunt?”
“Who are you?”
I asked, puzzled. The man answered politely.
“I was sent by His Grace, Duke Dietrich Kreiman. He ordered me to deliver this to you.”
“This is…”
It was a large box, beautifully wrapped.
I accepted it with a dazed look. The man added,
“And His Grace also said he will come to escort you at ten tonight. Now then, I shall take my leave.”
He bowed and left.
‘What is this?’
It was heavy.
I carried it inside. Hoyeon came over and took it from me.
“I’ll hold it for you.”
“It’s fine… but thank you. Where are the children?”
“They went upstairs to wash.”
“I see. You must be tired too, Hoyeon. Go rest.”
“I’m fine.”
She answered as if it were nothing, but I had seen her pass out in the carriage earlier, so I knew otherwise.
Smiling softly, I asked her to set the box on the desk, then changed into comfortable clothes.
There were still about three hours left until the ten o’clock the man mentioned.
‘If I feed the children and get ready, the timing should be about right.’
Calculating the time, I untied the ribbon and opened the lid. A gasp escaped my mouth.
“Wow…”
My goodness.
The first thing I saw was a white mermaid dress, studded with silver pearls.
‘This looks… incredibly expensive.’
From the feel of the fabric to the details, it was clear at a glance that it cost a fortune.
Next, I pulled out a jacket meant to go over the dress. Probably for warmth, given the cold weather.
It too looked very expensive.
After neatly folding the jacket and dress together, I took out white shoes and a deep-blue sapphire necklace.
And at the bottom lay a mask.
‘Is this… a butterfly?’
A mask shaped like a blue butterfly.
‘Of course—he included a mask since it’s a masquerade ball.’
“It’s beautiful…”
I whispered.
When I went to the capital, I had worn a mask too, but that was a hastily bought, shabby one.
This butterfly mask, with jewels embedded in it, looked luxurious beyond comparison.
‘I can’t believe there are even gemstones on the mask…’
I could only stare in wonder. At the same time, I worried whether I should even accept such an extravagant gift.
‘For now… I’ll keep it safe.’
Carefully, I put everything back as it had been packed and closed the lid.
Then I headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the children.
Tonight’s meal was delicious chicken stew. Thanks to having the recipe prepared, it wasn’t hard to make.
Before long, the dining hall was filled with the savory aroma of chicken stew.
“Hoyeon, could you call the children down?”
“Yes.”
I asked her before setting the table.
Just as I finished, I heard the sound of footsteps and the door opened. I turned to greet them cheerfully.
“For dinner tonight we have—”
“Tada!”
But I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Cloan stepped forward, holding out a large box.
Startled, I asked,
“What’s this?”
“A present! We all prepared it together!”
