-Chapter 10-
“…Yes, yes. You did well,” the director finally said through clenched teeth. “Thanks to you, those children trapped in the shed were rescued. You did a good thing.”
“Really?” I asked with big eyes. “Then—can I ask for a favor?”
“A favor?”
“When you get praised, you’re supposed to get something you want!” I said cheerfully.
Her face twitched, showing clear irritation. So, of course, I made my smile even wider and my voice even sweeter.
Finally, after realizing I wouldn’t drop it, she sighed and spoke.
“…What is it? What could you possibly want right now?”
“I want to take care of the children!” I said brightly. “Saintess Melodia already said yes, but I still need your permission too!”
“You? Take care of them?”
“They like me so much already!”
I smiled like the most innocent child in the world and squeezed the twins’ hands tightly. Rohen flinched slightly, but I didn’t let go.
“Well?” I tilted my head cutely. “You’ll say yes, right? You’re not mad, are you?”
I didn’t even give her time to think—pressuring her with words before she could find an excuse.
“…”
Melodia, who’d been watching quietly, nodded in support. “That seems reasonable. If the children are staying here, it’s best that Aisha watches over them.”
The director clearly realized she had no choice. Grinding her teeth, she nodded stiffly.
“Fine. Do as you like. Wash them, feed them—do it all yourself. I won’t help. If anything happens, you’ll take responsibility.”
Whether she had given up or was planning something else, I didn’t care.
‘She’s not someone who’ll just accept this quietly… but at least she can’t lay a hand on them now,’ I thought.
With Melodia’s inspection and the temple’s involvement, things would be stable—at least for a while.
“Yes! I can do it!” I said brightly.
“…Good. Then go on and take care of them. If it’s too hard, you can always ask the teachers for help,” Melodia said kindly, smiling as if to calm me down.
Then, as her eyes shifted from me to the twins, her expression changed—almost as if something clicked in her memory.
“Strange… Their appearance reminds me of someone. That silver hair, and those blue eyes…”
“Is that unusual?” I asked innocently.
“Oh, no. I’m sure it’s just coincidence,” she said quickly. “Let’s go.”
And with that, she led the way outside, the paladins glancing nervously between us the whole time.
***
We returned to the orphanage courtyard.
The other saintesses were handing out gifts and talking with the children, laughter echoing all around.
But the moment Melodia, the twins, and I appeared, everyone turned to stare.
“Wow… Who are they?”
“New kids?”
“Where did they come from?”
“Aisha, who are they?”
Even the other saintesses stopped what they were doing, eyes widening as they rushed over. The teachers, too, came running, pale-faced.
The twins immediately shrank back, clutching at my clothes and hiding behind me.
Melodia stepped in front of us at once. “Please, everyone, take a step back.”
“But, Saintess, the children—”
“It’s all right. They’re frightened of adults. Give them some space.”
At her firm tone, the crowd reluctantly stepped away.
But then, the other children began to approach instead.
“Can we go near them? We’re kids too!”
“Yeah, we’re not scary!”
Melodia shook her head again. “No, not even the other children. For now, only Aisha can approach them. It seems they trust her alone.”
Hearing that, the kids pouted but backed away obediently.
Only then did the twins peek out from behind me—just a little.
Melodia surveyed the area, her expression thoughtful.
“Have all the gifts been distributed?” she asked the other saintesses.
“Yes, Saintess Melodia.”
“You’ve all worked hard. We should head back soon.”
That shocked everyone. Melodia never left early. She usually stayed until nightfall, playing with the kids.
“Already?” one of the nuns asked.
“Yes. There’s an investigation that must be done. And the director will temporarily step down from her duties. The teachers will handle her responsibilities for now. The temple will send formal documents soon.”
The teachers’ faces turned grim.
“W-what…?”
“To put it simply,” Melodia continued, “you’ll hear the details later—from the director herself, or from the temple’s inspectors when they arrive. There will also be official papers sent.”
Her gaze swept over them one by one before finally settling back on me.
“Aisha,” she said gently, “I’ll come back soon. Take good care of the children until then.”
“Yes!” I nodded eagerly.
“The next time I visit, I want to hear what happened here—from their mouths. Do you think you can make that happen?”
“Yes! Don’t worry, Saintess Melodia!”
I jumped up and down happily, acting like a proud, excited child.
Melodia smiled faintly, then turned toward the teachers. “Let’s go.”
They hurried to gather the other kids and follow her.
I quickly raised my hand. “Teacher! Can I take them to my room? They’re really dirty—I want to wash them up.”
“Of course,” one replied. “El, go fetch some clean clothes for them.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
With permission granted, I led the twins inside.
Rohen hesitated, trying to pull his hand away, but I gripped it tighter.
When we reached my room, I finally let go.
“See? The orphanage isn’t all bad. This room even has its own shower,” I said cheerfully.
“Wow!” Lariz exclaimed, hugging her blanket tighter as she looked around. “This is your room, unni?”
“Yup! I don’t have a roommate right now, so it worked out perfectly.”
“…”
Lariz’s eyes sparkled, amazed by how different the room was from the filthy shed.
Rohen, on the other hand, looked uneasy, scanning every corner suspiciously.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like it? This is one of the best rooms in the whole orphanage,” I said lightly.
He ignored my tone and kept staring out the window.
“Why? Do you see something?” I asked.
“Is this place really safe?” he muttered.
“Of course. If we lock the door, no one can come in.”
“…I don’t trust it.”
“Then that’s perfect,” I said with a grin. “You can stay here and guard the room while I wash Lariz.”
His expression froze immediately.
“Lariz, want to take a bath with me?”
“Um… but I look ugly…”
“It’s okay.”
“What if you hate me when you see me?” she whispered, fidgeting nervously.
I smiled and patted her soft hair.
Even if she had some kind of special healing power, the scars from constant abuse wouldn’t just vanish overnight.
She didn’t want me to see the marks—and I understood.
“It’s okay, Lariz,” I said softly. “No matter what you look like, I’ll never hate you or Rohen.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “Oppa! See? Unni said she won’t hate us!”
“…You actually believe that?” Rohen asked skeptically.
“Of course! I told you, oppa—unni’s different! She’s been special since the day she crawled through that hole to meet us!”
Her voice was bright and pure, full of faith.
Rohen still looked doubtful, but I just smiled and stroked Lariz’s shoulder gently before she could sense the tension.
“All right then, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Okay! I’m gonna smell nice and clean! Oppa can stay stinky!” Lariz giggled, clutching my hand.
How could anyone not love her? It wasn’t because she was the daughter of a noble—it was because she was just that precious.
‘She’s this sweet… and in the original story, she grows up to be a villainess?’ I clenched my teeth. ‘Not if I can help it.’
“I won’t let that happen,” I thought fiercely. “I’ll make sure she grows up happy.”
“Unni… you look scary,” Lariz said softly.
“Huh? Oh! No, I’m not scary! Don’t worry!” I waved my hands quickly, forcing a bright smile.
“Hmm…” she hummed, still unsure.
“Listen, Lariz,” I said gently, meeting her eyes. “I’m going to save you.”
“You already did,” she said simply.
“No,” I whispered. “I’m going to save your childhood—so you can grow up like any other normal child.”
“Unni…”
Lariz’s small eyes shimmered with tears—and for the first time, I felt certain.
I was really going to change their fate.
