Chapter 4
“Where have you been, Sienna? The family is so busy these days.”
On my way back to the Vuitri ducal estate after checking that the donations had properly reached the orphanage, Uncle Marshal greeted me with a sly smile.
‘There he is. The tumor of our family.’
Marshal Vuitri.
My father’s older brother. A dull man who had failed to inherit the title after losing to my father.
I smiled at him.
“It’s been a while, Uncle.”
“Wasn’t it just yesterday? I even visited you while you were ill.”
“Did you? I’m not very good at remembering unimportant things.”
“Yes, Sienna. You must have forgotten because you’re having a hard time. After all, your whole family died…”
Under imperial law, I was still a minor. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a child who had lost her family and lost her mind.
During this period in my previous life, he had aimed to become my legal guardian while slowly selling off the ducal family’s assets piece by piece.
“I care about you so much. You should rely on your remaining family. For example, a guardian.”
Uncle Marshal patted my shoulder.
He really thought I had no idea what he was plotting.
‘Oh, but you die by my hand.’
Deciding to do good deeds and dealing with bad people are separate matters, aren’t they?
I brushed his hand off my shoulder with a smile.
“Thank you for your concern, Uncle. By the way, where are you coming from today?”
“I’ve just returned from Harbor Bridge.”
“Oh? Why?”
“My dear Sienna, you may not understand, but trade through Harbor is very important. Our Vuitri merchant guild is in charge of the bridge project, so I went to supervise.”
“Yes, I know that. I was asking why you went.”
“I don’t understand—what?”
In my previous life, he gained the elders’ trust by successfully completing the Harbor Bridge project.
Using that success as a starting point, he gradually took control of the family under the excuse of being my future guardian.
I won’t let that happen this time, Uncle.
“Since it’s a project carried out under the Vuitri name, I should be the one overseeing it as the acting head of the family. A legal guardian hasn’t even been appointed yet.”
“Hahaha, Sienna. Leave troublesome matters to your uncle. You must be tired. Get some rest.”
“You seem to be getting older yourself, Uncle. Perhaps your eyesight isn’t what it used to be. You should rest.”
I needed to find a better guardian than him.
And that guardian…
‘…must be someone trustworthy.’
A few days later, a white bird tapped at my bedroom window. A bundle of letters was tied to its leg.
‘It looks like it’s from Elpis Orphanage. What is it?’
Worried that something had gone wrong, I quickly sent the maid away and opened the letter.
What I saw was—
“Nyunya, hello. I learned how to rite a letter.”
“What is this? Some foreign language?”
I stared blankly for three seconds before realizing.
The boy in the yellow raincoat had sent it.
“I am doin a play at the orphanage.
I got the role of ‘Ppuppu’ Leaf 13
I want to show you
Can you come?
It is tomorrow.
I will wait for your letter.”
Leaf 13. Ppuppu.
After deciphering the terrible spelling, the message was surprisingly simple.
‘He’s still a child after all. He just wants attention and affection.’
I crumpled the letter in my hand.
“I can’t go.”
I whispered softly, as if speaking directly to him.
“I’m busy right now. I have to keep Uncle Marshal in check…”
And I need to find a guardian. There’s too much to do in the estate. So I can’t go.
But…
‘…Maybe I’ll send a reply.’
Since he said he would wait. That much is fine.
And it seemed like he needed one more thing as well.
“Goodness, why did we receive so many spelling books?”
“Our sponsor sent them. One for each child.”
“Wow! And for tomorrow’s play, they even sent lots of gifts and snacks!”
“We should be very grateful.”
At Jenny’s words, all the children cheered.
But among them, the most excited of all—
Was the boy in the yellow raincoat.
A light flickered in his eyes.
The first book he had ever owned.
The first gift he had ever received.
Sitting at his desk, heart pounding, he opened both the Imperial Language textbook and the Ancient Language textbook.
The first word written in the textbook was:
“Aldehyde.”
Aldehyde—meaning “the salvation of my life.”
The boy thought carefully.
About the day he first met the ghost.
In other words—
The day he met his “salvation.”
The day he first met the girl in the gray robe—
It marked exactly three years since his mother had abandoned him.
Even after living at the orphanage for three years, the boy still had no name. The director had tried to give him one, but he refused. He didn’t want anyone to call his name.
He had planned to die anyway.
Just as his mother had told him.
Because of you, our whole family became miserable. So die quietly.
‘Mother was right.’
The boy had lived in a remote mountain village with his family when one day, Authority descended upon him.
The name of that overwhelming power was Instant Death.
The ability to kill anyone he came into contact with.
The tragedy began when he failed to control that immense power.
Beaten daily by his drunken father, the boy tried to block a blow—
And accidentally killed him.
It had been self-defense.
But his mother, who had always found him disgusting, eventually abandoned him on a rainy day.
“You monster who takes after your father. Don’t touch anyone. Just live like that and die.”
The one who picked up the abandoned boy was the orphanage director, Jenny.
The boy decided to obey his mother’s words perfectly.
He always stayed alone at the orphanage. On rainy days, he wandered nearby wearing his raincoat.
‘They say if you stay in the rain, you’ll get sick. And if you get sick, you die.’
That single belief sustained him.
Then one day, he met the ghost in the gray robe.
The moment he held the ghost’s hand, he realized—
The splitting headaches pushed him toward rampage.
The hallucinations of his mother calling him a monster.
The pounding heartbeat that sometimes felt like it would burst—
All of it grew quiet.
For the first time in his life.
For the first time, someone touched him—
And they didn’t get hurt.
They didn’t die.
Instead, it felt like he was the one being healed.
Even a single moment of contact can leave an overwhelming memory.
The whole world had been filled with ghosts.
‘She was like sunlight peeking out after all the rain cleared.’
At that moment, a small light flickered around his wrist before disappearing.
A light like sunlight.
For now, no one knew what that mysterious mark meant.
The boy rubbed his flushed wrist and looked at the book she had given him again.
‘Maybe it’s fate that the first word in this gifted book is something like that.’
The precocious boy pondered fate for a long time.
“Did you hear? Our sponsor sent a letter too.”
Jenny handed him a bundle of letters.
His eyes widened.
That letter must be entirely his!
Sure enough, Jenny winked.
“Read it secretly.”
He hurried to a corner and opened the letter.
“I’m sorry. I can’t come see the play.”
“Hng…”
It was shocking, but he didn’t lose hope and read the next line.
“Kid.
Study your spelling.”
“Hnggg…”
Another stab to the heart.
But there were more words below.
He quickly read the neat handwriting.
“But your terrible spelling is kind of cute. And the word ‘Ppuppu’ too.”
His eyes widened at the word cute.
‘Does she like cute things? Even the word Ppuppu?’
Fortunately, he was still small and tiny.
‘Maybe I’m a little cute.’
Was it some kind of magic?
Recently, he had been eating well, and his cheeks had grown rounder. They flushed red.
Jenny was kind, but she was always busy. She couldn’t pay attention to each child individually.
The word “cute” from the sponsor—
It was the first exclusive praise he had ever received.
So…
“I am… cute.”
In other words, it didn’t take long for “cuteness” to become part of his identity.
“And she said Ppuppu is cute, so I have to work hard!”
He decided to do his absolute best as Leaf 13, “Ppuppu.”
Even though she said she couldn’t come to the play—
Maybe the little ghost who had reached out her hand to him would appear again.
‘I’ll be Ppuppu forever!’
