Chapter 63
“Hmm?”
“Even in Your Grace’s eyes, it doesn’t look like something that just hurts during the growing process—it seems like there’s a problem, right?”
“Well, I don’t really know.”
“You definitely said so just now. You said you hoped the pain would get better quickly.”
For a moment, her pupils wavered. Ah, this isn’t it—expressions like that flickered across her face. Of course, she quickly erased them.
“So we should definitely investigate properly. All the physicians say there’s nothing wrong, but from what we can see, there is a problem. And since Your Grace said that as well…”
“I’m not a physician, so what would I know? The physicians’ words must be right.”
“Is that so?”
“Th-then…”
“But even Your Grace, who has raised children before, doesn’t think it looks like something normal that appears during growth, right?”
At my persistent words, she gave an awkward smile.
“I’ll tell His Grace the Grand Duke as well. He’ll surely be pleased. If he knows that Your Grace is paying this much attention to our Lari.”
“Th… that’s true.”
I casually brought up the Grand Duke, and the Grand Duchess’s reaction was slightly unusual. A person who had not loved the Grand Duke, but had only coveted the position of Grand Duchess. That was why she tried not to offend him, and wanted to somehow create weaknesses of his and increase her own influence within the ducal house.
Seeing her reaction now, it seemed she still did not want to displease the Grand Duke.
It must be while the Grand Duke’s power is still strong.
Well, that’s why she can’t do anything to me right now.
“Shouldn’t everyone who reported to His Grace be punished? They said there was nothing wrong at all…”
“We don’t know yet. Fine, shall I send Lari a new physician? Someone who can judge things more clearly?”
“Yes! When will they come?”
“Tomorrow will be difficult, so I’ll have them come in three days.”
“Yes!”
Then I would go to the temple to coincide with the day the physician arrived. So that the physician could come directly to the temple and examine Lari. By continuing to provoke the Grand Duchess like this, making her reveal herself here and there. I… am still just a child with no power at all.
A child with no one fully on her side. And so, someone who can only watch and hope that the adults realize things themselves. It’s really hard. If I were an adult, if I had power, there would be no need to run around in circles like this.
“So, is there anything else?”
“Yes!”
“Alright. If there’s ever anything special, feel free to tell me. I’m always ready to listen to what you have to say.”
“Yes! Thank you for the chocolate milk.”
And I sprang up from my seat.
“Aisha.”
“Yes?”
“Where are you going now?”
“I have to go to the twins. I’ve left them alone for too long. The children will be looking for me.”
“The children seem to follow you very well. Was it like that even at the orphanage?”
The Grand Duchess stopped me as I turned to leave. There was a strangely thorny feeling to her words.
“Yes!”
“As the mother of those two children, I’m curious about how they lived there. And also… just who it was that abused our children.”
“You seem to know well that they were abused?”
“I heard.”
I couldn’t tell what she wanted to say or what she wanted to hear. I responded to her words with the expression of a child who knew nothing.
“I see. That’s right. They were abused there. The orphanage director abused the children terribly. When I first met them, their condition was just horrific.”
“Did you tell him that as well?”
“No.”
“It would be better not to. If he finds out what they went through, he won’t stay still. If you talk about what happened there, he will… I can’t stop him either.”
Trailing off, she wore a very serious expression.
“But he already knows they were abused, doesn’t he?”
“Even so. I’m saying it’s better not to bring up any deeper stories anymore. It’s advice for your own sake. You’re… a smart and special child, so you’ll understand what I’m saying, right?”
In short, it was the same as telling me to keep my mouth shut about the orphanage. Since she didn’t know what I knew, she was probably trying to block things like this.
The fact that she’s suddenly saying this means… someone must have told her something.
That I had been with the children longer than expected, and that I knew more about the orphanage than expected.
If she hadn’t heard it from someone, there’s no way she would say something like this.
She would have asked me instead—probing, pretending, to see how much I knew. Afraid that I might know about her connection with the orphanage director, and that I might tell the Grand Duke. The fact that she isn’t doing that means… she also knows that I don’t know that much.
Instead, since the Grand Duke might use information he heard through me to look into the connection between the Grand Duchess and the orphanage director, she was trying to silence me. At that moment, the orphanage director came to mind.
The Grand Duke spoke as if he had killed her. But she might still be alive.
She… was alive in the past.
Her face had been horribly twisted, but she was definitely alive. So even now… she might still be alive, staying in contact with the Grand Duchess.
“I really like special people. But being special is always dangerous. Please… I hope you’ll be a child who understands my words well.”
“Yes!”
“Let me ask you just one more thing. How did you find the children?”
“Ah! That is…”
If I said the orphanage children told me—said they heard the cries of beasts from there—then the orphanage children the Grand Duke had spared might be put in danger. The Grand Duchess… at this moment, would eliminate everyone who had even the slightest contact with the children at that orphanage.
“I just happened to find out. There were sounds coming from the warehouse. The sound of beasts crying.”
“Just from that, you realized there were people there? How interesting.”
“I know, right? Fate must have… led me there!”
I brushed it off vaguely.
“Fate… such a nice word. Alright. You may go now.”
“Yes!”
Before she could ask more questions, I quickly turned my body. As if he had noticed our conversation was over, Rex waved his hand, signaling that he was here.
I ran quickly toward him.
“Did the conversation go well?”
“Yes!”
The Grand Duchess, who glanced around as if pretending to check the surroundings, still couldn’t take her eyes off me.
“You weren’t treated unfairly, were you?”
“No. Her Grace gave me chocolate milk!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
“Then shall we head back?”
Rex asked nothing. He simply held out his hand toward me. I took it, and we quickly left the Grand Duchess’s garden.
“Rex.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not asking anything?”
“Yes. Because I am not one who asks, but one who protects.”
Seeing him smile put my mind at ease.
“But Rex. Is there anyone following us?”
He tilted his head.
“Someone following us?”
“Yes! I suddenly had a strong feeling that someone from Her Grace would follow us.”
“Ah. There is one person coming.”
That was a welcome sound indeed. Holding his hand tightly, I shook it enthusiastically.
“I see. Then there’s somewhere we need to go before returning to my room.”
“Where?”
“The Grand Duke’s room!”
“Ah! Yes. I will take you there right away. But there is someone following us—are you alright with that?”
“Yes! There needs to be someone following us.”
Rex looked at me with confusion, as if he didn’t understand a single word I was saying. But I had to show it.
We deliberately headed toward the Grand Duke’s room. Rex kept informing me that someone was still following, and I confidently knocked on the Grand Duke’s door.
“What brings you here…?”
Perhaps because it was an unexpected visit, the Grand Duke opened the door upon hearing that I had come, but immediately voiced his confusion when he saw me.
“Just because!”
“Just because?”
“I actually have something to say! May I sit down?”
As if letting someone hear, I raised my voice before the door closed, and only after it shut did I bow my head toward him.
“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly.”
“What is this sudden change?”
“I tried… acting a little close.”
It was also a move to show the Grand Duchess. To show that I had some degree of closeness with the Grand Duke. And that I could say anything to him. My recent goal was to make her more impatient than ever.
“Well, there must be a reason you’re acting like this all of a sudden. Sit.”
“Yes.”
“So, what is it you wanted to say?”
“Ah, well… it’s not that I have something to say… actually, I came because I had something to ask. It’s just that… do you remember the orphanage?”
In an instant, his expression hardened. As the Grand Duchess had said, the atmosphere became fierce, as if the topic should not be brought up.
“Yes. But why?”
But I had to know. The truth about the orphanage director. If she was alive, then through her it would be possible to infer what had happened in the past.
“I was wondering if the orphanage director might still be alive.”
“That’s quite an abrupt question. What reason do you have for asking me that now? Have you suddenly started missing the woman who raised you?”
