Chapter 9
“W-who did you say you were? The Marchioness of House Pluto?”
Orphanage director Eva was about to faint.
I, too, was gaping from a distance.
The children inside the orphanage building were just as astonished.
…Wow. Look at that carriage. It’s blinding…
Who would’ve thought a carriage could be smothered in gold?
Behind the carriage, coachmen and attendants lined up in perfect order—it looked like a painting.
And it wasn’t just the carriage.
The Marchioness of Learwin herself seemed to shine.
Not just sparkling.
Blazing!
Her brilliance was on a different level entirely. Where else had I ever seen such a woman?
Her elegantly styled silver hair radiated warmth, and her low-saturated violet eyes seemed endlessly compassionate.
She looked like someone who had been born perfectly beautiful.
If a goddess of beauty truly existed, surely she would look like this.
To think that in my previous life I had spent all my time experimenting in a storage room and missed such a spectacular sight.
Now that I think about it, her son Meteor was incredible too…
The memory of meeting Meteor for the first time resurfaced. It had been the first time I’d ever seen someone as dazzlingly handsome as my father.
Well, that’s just how male leads are supposed to be…!
My wandering thoughts didn’t last long, as Learwin’s voice drew my attention back.
“I didn’t know there was an orphanage here. You see, I’ve been touring every well-known orphanage I could find.”
“What? You’ve been visiting orphanages?”
Even her voice was like silk. She nodded gracefully and continued.
“Yes. I’m searching for a child to sponsor. It must be a girl. I’ve visited so many orphanages, but I haven’t found her yet. If it isn’t too much trouble, may I look around Ebony Orphanage as well?”
“O-of course! To have the Marchioness of Pluto visit us will be an unforgettable honor for our children!”
“Thank you.”
Learwin gave a faint smile.
I silently watched her enter the orphanage building.
The time hadn’t come yet for me to catch her eye.
Sigh.
Learwin stifled a weary breath.
Why couldn’t I have had a daughter?
She had three sons: her eldest, Meteor, and the twin brothers Bernard and Kent.
But no more children after that. In the end, she was diagnosed as infertile.
I wanted… so badly… to have a daughter!
She had dreamed of giving birth to ten daughters, each one a goddess who resembled her.
How beautiful would little girls be if they all looked like her?
But fate had denied her a daughter.
After three years of heartache, she finally decided to become a guardian to another girl.
She even wished to adopt one, but Duke Pluto had absolutely forbidden it.
Unless the child carried Pluto blood, there could be no registering her as a direct descendant.
Since she could not defy her father-in-law’s will, the only option left was to become a guardian.
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to sponsor just any girl.
I want her to resemble me. Even just a little. How wonderful would it be if a girl like that existed?
But how could there possibly be such a child?
Everyone around her who knew her circumstances shook their heads.
Learwin was hailed as the greatest beauty of the Sientri Empire. No one could compare.
Her mysterious, elegant aura was something no other beauty could mimic.
So, of course, even after touring orphanage after orphanage, she found no child that resembled her.
I just want… to be seen as the mother of a girl who looks like me.
She wanted to share happy afternoons aboard a ship like other noble mothers and daughters.
She longed to hear the warm words: “Oh my, your daughter looks just like you!”
Learwin hadn’t lost hope.
May I discover her today, at last…
…As I thought, none.
After touring the orphanage and even sharing tea with the director, Learwin donated a staggering hundred million sien. And yet her heart felt empty.
Once again, no girl resembled her.
It’s not as if I’m being greedy. Even just a similar atmosphere… or the curve of the eyes, or a nostril… anything would do…
Was even that too much to ask?
Every child she met had been adorable, regardless of gender.
But none resembled her even a tiny speck.
Perhaps her husband had been right after all.
Her husband, Marquess Miles Pluto, had once spoken coldly—and his words still echoed in her mind.
“You think you’ll find a girl who looks like you to sponsor? …Do you really think that’s possible?”
“…I suppose I’ve been too greedy.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Replying softly to the servant at her side, Learwin left the orphanage. Eva and the staff followed to see her off.
As she turned to leave beneath the scorching sunlight—
“Hm?”
Something caught her eye.
In the lush, green forest, a small, round, white thing bobbed up and down.
What’s that?
Curious, she stepped closer. Others noticed her reaction and tilted their heads as well.
What could it be?
The closer she came, the clearer it became.
It looked like the plump backside of a fluffy winter sparrow. Or perhaps the chubby rump of a chick?
The sight was so ridiculously cute she almost stopped breathing.
The tiny backside was busily bobbing up and down, as though digging.
How could a crouching back view be this adorable…!
And then—perhaps sensing something—the child peeked over her shoulder.
“!”
Their eyes met.
It was a little girl in a pure white dress.
Her eyes shone pink, dazzling like jewels—could such a gaze truly exist?
Her golden hair, soft, thick, and lustrous, looked as if it belonged to a doll.
And most of all—!
Most of all…!
The angelic look on her face as she tilted her head in curiosity was seared into Learwin’s vision.
Her heart thudded violently as she covered her mouth with one hand.
“W-what are you doing here?”
I blinked rapidly a couple of times.
The Marchioness of Pluto was simply too radiant to face up close.
Awestruck by her aura, I quickly hid the small trowel behind my back and stood up straight, gazing at her with bright eyes.
“I was digging the ground. To plant seeds.”
“Seeds? What kind of seeds…?”
Learwin pressed a hand gently to her chest, as if to calm her startled heart.
<‘Dragon Slayer Sylvester’ is pleased, saying Lady Learwin already seems smitten with you!>
Really? Could that be true?
I still felt like I was being swept away by her beauty.
No wonder the male lead was so handsome—look at his mother.
“Apple seeds! Once the trees grow, I want to wash the fruit clean and give them as gifts to my friends and teachers. Hehe.”
“Oh my…”
Learwin clasped her hands together.
She looked deeply moved by my words.
<‘Lily Druid Gabriella’ marvels at your realistic acting as Crescent!>
What?
I bristled at Gabriella’s comment.
Acting? I’ve always been Crescent, thank you very much!
I was born Crescent and lived twelve years without even knowing about my past life. Calling this acting?!
Everyone keeps treating me like a possessor, and yes, technically I am… but I am Crescent.
Calling it acting feels… way too unfair.
