Chapter 41
“It’s about to begin. But I mustn’t show any sign of pain.”
I am receiving a blessing.
I am being absolved of my sins.
So… I have to endure.
Endure, and endure again.
“Today, we shall begin the blessing that will lead you to eternal happiness.”
Swish.
The saint’s hand lightly touched his head, feather-like.
“Please, in return for God’s choice, become an exemplary Holy Knight, Theodore. That is the only way to repay the divine grace that has granted you this opportunity.”
Thump, thump.
I could feel my heart and veins accelerating to an abnormal rate.
Soon, every sensation in his body would be consumed by sharp pain.
Theodore placed both hands neatly over his chest.
“In the name of the blessing of Flula.”
Rosignol, following Ivin to the laundry stream, was dipping his precious feet in the water.
It was a completely unfamiliar experience, something he had never done in his life.
“To think I’d ever put my feet in such dirty stream water…”
“Dirty stream water? This water is even used as drinking water for the villagers.”
“What?”
Rosignol looked utterly shocked.
“Are you trying to deceive me?”
“Pardon?”
“How could you drink water that’s used for laundry?”
Ivin doubted her own ears. Was he serious?
But seeing Rosignol’s grave expression, she realized he wasn’t joking.
‘This is just like some queen I heard about—when the peasants didn’t have bread, she asked why they didn’t just eat meat. Exactly the same mindset.’
“The water flows.”
“What?”
“Look. The stream water flows downstream, right? So the laundry water isn’t what they drink; after the gray water flows away, the clean water comes down…”
“Enough. Just keep washing.”
…Should she just shove him into the stream?
Ivin hesitated for a moment.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?”
“…Yes.”
Plop! Plop!
Ivin, vigorously beating the laundry in anger, suddenly looked at Rosignol, who was still dipping only his toes in the cold water.
“Uh… Your Majesty?”
“What?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“You already are. What is it?”
“You didn’t help with the laundry, but… why did you take off your shoes?”
“…”
Rosignol fell silent at her sharp question.
Her words were factual, without a hint of exaggeration.
He had chased after Ivin, who had run ahead with the laundry, and finally arrived at the stream, the final destination.
Then, following Ivin, he took off his shoes.
After that… he simply watched Ivin, who was dipping her feet in the cold water and scrubbing clothes…
…He just watched.
Humph.
Rosignol cleared his throat unnecessarily.
“You took off your shoes first.”
“And?”
“So I took mine off too.”
“…Yes?”
“That’s how it is.”
“….”
Sigh. Better not to talk.
Ivin gave up trying to converse with the emperor.
There was no point. No matter what she said, she couldn’t understand what that madman was thinking. Besides, snack time for the children was approaching. She had to finish the chores as quickly as possible and get that lunatic to the hall.
“But what about your twin brothers? Why let the noble daughter get her feet wet in the cold stream?”
It wasn’t a question someone who was doing nothing but watching could reasonably ask.
But Ivin, having given up on him, explained politely.
“They are in charge of meal preparation.”
“Meal preparation?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why must the work be separate? I mean, why not just help here?”
“Oh… just because.”
“By the way, your attitude towards me is very insolent. Are you annoyed?”
“No. I’m just tired. Of course, not because of Your Majesty, but because of the laundry.”
“….”
Slap! Slap!
“Oh, this laundry never ends, never ends!”
Meanwhile, while Ivin and the emperor were quietly (?) soaking their feet in the stream…
“Faster, faster!”
“Careful, the bacon’s burning!”
The orphanage kitchen was a bustling battlefield, with chefs and staff preparing meals for hundreds of mouths.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sharp chopping of knives echoed everywhere.
Sizzle.
The sound of food frying in oil.
Flame.
The roaring flames from each stove made the kitchen feel like a war zone.
“P-please… explain… what are you doing to me…”
The head chef was being dragged somewhere.
The kitchen staff watched in shock, but no one intervened.
The culprits? None other than the infamous triple brothers of the Kinzelro family.
The chef was dragged to the kitchen’s food storage.
Crash!
As soon as they entered the storage, Don grabbed the chef by the collar.
“W-what, why, why are you doing this…?”
“Why are we doing this? Do I need to spell it out?”
“N-no, but you should at least give a reason…”
“Let’s start with a punch.”
Wham!
A precise strike to the pit of his stomach sent the chef collapsing forward.
“We sent food expenses last month! Where did it all go?!”
“Huh! Huff! Guh! Kgh! Ack! Uggh!”
They said they’d start with one punch…
‘Why over ten?!’
The chef was outraged.
Yet with their numbers, status, and skill, he could not compete. He could only wipe the blood from his lips with his hand and rise.
“Food expenses…?”
“Yes. Our Ivin was participating in the orphanage event this month, so we anonymously donated food to the kitchen.”
“But when I saw the incoming supplies this morning, it didn’t add up.”
“So we checked the ledgers ourselves.”
The triple brothers pressed on, and the chef froze, unable to continue.
It seemed he genuinely didn’t know why this was happening.
“I really didn’t know! I only cook! I’m not in charge of the ledgers!”
“Then who is?”
“I… if I request ingredients, the director passes it to the purchasing team… so the ledgers are handled by them…”
John nodded as he realized they might have been hasty in confronting the chef.
“I see… I understand…”
Bam!
“Ugh…!”
“Same excuse again! Do you think we’re fools?!”
“The purchasing team? The damn purchasing team!”
“Then the signature at the bottom of the ledger—was it fake?”
The chef suddenly remembered that one of the brothers had taken his signature earlier.
—“I’ve been assigned to the kitchen staff, but I want to switch to cleaning. Could you sign here at the bottom?”
—“Yes, my lord.”
“Ah, the same signature was on the food order and delivery confirmation form.”
Now there was no way out.
“So where did the embezzled money go?”
Clang, clang.
The saint’s bell rang across the orphanage, signaling the end of the blessing.
“From now on, I’m in charge of the laundry, so please go in, Miss Kinzelro.”
The volunteers approaching the stream for duty suddenly stopped.
“Y-Your Majesty…?”
“Towels.”
“Pardon?”
“The ones in your hands. Towels, aren’t they?”
“Yes, Your M-Majesty…”
The woman at the front of the group, holding a pile of dry towels taken from the line, hesitated, then slowly approached the emperor.
Snap.
Rosignol snatched a towel from the pile and, without hesitation, wiped the water from his feet.
“I’ll put it in the laundry basket for you to wash again.”
He then seemed to remember something and spoke to the woman who was still standing frozen.
“Oh, one more towel here.”
“….”
At that moment, a young lady was stepping out of the water, startled, looking at the other volunteers.
‘Oh, that young lady is…’
Ivin’s eyes widened.
She recalled that this noble girl, Lorena from the Huntington family, had approached her and introduced herself earlier.
—“It’s an honor to meet Miss Kinzelro in person. I’ve heard of your heroic handling of the Cory village incident. By the way, next week there’s a tea party at our townhouse for young ladies your age. Would you like to attend?”
A tea party with noble girls.
It was exactly the kind of thing only seen in novels.
Since coming to this world, Ivin had never met a friend her own age outside her family. She accepted the invitation with a thrilled heart.
—“I’ll ask my father for permission. Thank you for the invitation. I hope to see you there.”
Just as she thought she had laid the foundation for a budding friendship with someone her own age…
‘That lunatic interfered again.’
Ivin raised her hands and politely refused Lorena.
“Hahaha… I’m fine. I can just go inside and dry them…”
“Ah, noisy.”
“…!”
Ivin widened her already large eyes and glared at Rosignol.
She wondered if he was truly insane.
“Are you deaf? I just told you to bring one more towel.”
“Ah, yes, Your Majesty…”
“Put it in front of her.”
“Yes…”
“And dry her feet.”
“…?”
