I Only Raised Men for Revenge - Chapter 17

Out of the five orphans, the director had arranged adoptions for three out of pity, leaving two unadopted. In the past, Sesenia would never have encountered these children from that orphanage.

These children would undoubtedly be of great help to Sesenia.

“The most dilapidated, you say…”

“I heard it only has five orphans.”

“How does Milady know about such a place?”

“Oh. Did Rohan mention it?”

I changed the subject, feeling awkward.

“Well, if it’s Oppa he’s nosy enough to do that.”

Surprisingly, Lizbeth didn’t question it further, accepting that Rohan had told me.

“If it’s the most dilapidated and only has five orphans, I think I know it. It’s the Felice Orphanage. I heard it’s closing soon… Why there?”

“Oh. I’m going to volunteer at the orphanage so they can have a comfortable winter.”

It wasn’t volunteering at all, but Sesenia didn’t have anything else to say. I’m just going to talk to those kids for a bit. Such words wouldn’t be helpful. That’s why she said it, and Ted’s eyes sparkled.

“Volunteering, you say.”

“As expected of Master.”

“Not ‘as expected of Master.’ You. Slave. No, Tedel. Nim. Milady never even considered volunteering before.”

“People can always change, Lizbeth. You shouldn’t look at people with such prejudiced eyes.”

“…But it’s suspicious.”

As expected, Lizbeth knew Sesenia too well. Sesenia also felt embarrassed. She had never been to an orphanage. From a young age, even when Lizbeth or the nanny suggested going together, she always refused.

It wasn’t because she felt bad. It was because she didn’t have the mental space. She was too busy taking care of herself. That’s why she had never gone, and Lizbeth spoke with a firm voice and expression.

“That’s true. But today, my heart is truly pure.”

“Yes. Since Milady says so, it must be a truly pure heart. Then, please head to the Felice Orphanage. It’s on the outskirts, heading east. Right before the entrance to the mountains. It’s about a 30-minute ride from here.”

Lizbeth explained the location in detail to the coachman and then returned to her seat. Meanwhile, the carriage smoothly picked up speed.

“But Milady, may I ask you something I’m curious about?”

“Yeah. What do you want to ask?”

“Why did you suddenly move the supplies?”

“Ah, that. You never know. In this dry weather, someone might shoot a flaming arrow and set the supply warehouse on fire.”

“Ah…?”

“I wanted to eliminate that risk. Cotton is very flammable, after all.”

Only then did Lizbeth seem to realize something, tilting her head.

“Wouldn’t increasing security be enough if you’re worried?”

“Fire is instantaneous. It’s not something you can stop. If you think you can stop it and fail, you lose everything. So, you evacuate the important things early.”

“Ah, I see.”

She nodded as if she finally understood. Of course, she didn’t seem to understand at all.

She didn’t seem to realize why Sesenia was so insistent on moving the cotton and increasing security. It was a story she would eventually learn, so Sesenia didn’t bother adding more.

“It’s good to prepare for anything in advance. Given the current situation, you never know how things might change.”

If Elzer or my sister hadn’t returned, there would have been no need to prepare like this. But she had returned in time and was genuinely trying to fight Sesenia. So, Sesenia couldn’t relax and be carefree.

“Yes. Please tell me if you need anything.”

“Rohan, Lizbeth, and Teddy are all helpful just by being by my side. So, you don’t have to try to do anything.”

At those words, Lizbeth squirmed as if she felt embarrassed.

After that, Sesenia quietly looked out the window.

‘Will I be able to see a complete ending this time?’

Not dying in such an absurd way like in my past life, but really being able to live. Such thoughts filled Sesenia’s mind.

**

As Lizbeth said, the Felice Orphanage came into view after exactly 30 minutes by carriage. A small orphanage that would be mistaken for a regular house if it didn’t have the sign “Orphanage.” Sesenia got out and looked around.

“Shall I knock on the door?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as Sesenia gave the order, Lizbeth knocked on the orphanage door. After the knocking sound, a woman walked out.

“Who are you?”

She was a woman who gave off an odd feeling. She looked tired but was dressed unusually neatly. Long nails, neatly styled hair, and a fancy dress that seemed unsuitable for someone who takes care of children.

“I’m here to donate.”

“Yes…? To our orphanage…? How did you know about our orphanage…?”

“There was a sign in front, wasn’t there?”

“Ah…”

The woman, who seemed somewhat absent-minded, belatedly nodded.

Even with the sign, it was strange to know that such an orphanage existed here, but she didn’t seem to find it particularly suspicious.

‘Or rather, she can’t afford to be suspicious.’

She looked so tired that she seemed about to die from overwork.

“I heard there are only five orphans?”

“Ah… yes.”

“Please accept this first. It will be good for getting through the winter.”

Teddy, with his good sense, brought the cotton and placed it next to her.

“This is…”

“It’s cotton. If you make blankets, you’ll have a warm winter.”

“Th, thank you. But what about the donation?”

“Aren’t there twins here? I’d like to talk to them.”

“Yes? Ah. There are twins, but I don’t know if they’ll talk.”

“It’s okay. Could you show me the way?”

Even so, she didn’t easily back down. Although she had come without an appointment, orphanages usually lived off donations. The temple and the imperial family provided some support, but that was only for orphanages with many children.

Orphanages with fewer than five people were excluded. Most weren’t even recognized as orphanages and couldn’t receive separate donations. Donations were mostly a way for nobles to show off. Donating to a small orphanage wouldn’t get their good deeds noticed, so nobles didn’t bother with them at all.

That’s why these small orphanages usually welcomed donations more than anyone else, but this woman didn’t.

‘I expected it to some extent, but…’

It was more serious than expected. Not only was she not welcoming, but she was wary.

Perhaps thinking that the reason the woman wasn’t welcoming them was because their identities weren’t clear, Lizbeth spoke up.

“This is Sesenia Bestel, the young lady of the Bestel Marquis family. She is also the owner of the Iar Merchant Guild. Her identity has been verified, so you don’t have to worry.”

As Lizbeth spoke confidently, the woman awkwardly stepped back.

“Ah… I understand. But the children are already scheduled to be taken by the temple…”

“Is that so? Even so, I’d like to see them.”

“…”

“There’s no law that says you can’t see children who are scheduled to be taken by the temple, is there? Besides, if you’ve received donation items, I believe it’s basic etiquette to treat guests well?”

The moment donation items enter an orphanage, the orphanage must welcome the donor and allow them to see the children. That applied to all places with the name “orphanage,” whether small or large.

It was clearly stated in the imperial law. In the past, there were cases where orphanages would receive donations and then close down or disappear.

There were even cases where orphanages were established by lying about having children, so this law was created.

Because orphanages were easy to exploit, it was a small protection for donors.

Orphanages that received support from the temple and the imperial family could accept any children, regardless of where they came from, without clear documents about their identities. There were advantages to simplifying the numerous documents that had to be created when adopting a child or using them as servants in a normal household.

Also, they didn’t have to clearly state how the donations and donation items were used, making it the best place to evade taxes. That’s why Sesenia looked at the woman with a haughty expression.

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know after already receiving them?”

That’s why Sesenia had put down the cotton as soon as she arrived.

Usually, donors didn’t want to see the children this much.

The meeting with the children was stipulated in the imperial law. However, for nobles, donations were only used to show off their wealth, so it wasn’t strictly enforced. That’s why the woman looked quite flustered.

“I understand.”

There were often cases where orphanages didn’t welcome donors for various reasons, but she was definitely strange.

She seemed very unwelcome to anyone’s visit, not just donors. Nevertheless, since the imperial law said so, the woman had no choice but to lead the way.

‘It’s dilapidated.’

It was hard to believe it was an orphanage. An orphanage should have a group room where many children can live together or activity facilities, but this place felt like a ruined noble family.

Even though there were only five children, it was unusually quiet. There wasn’t even the sound of voices.

Only the sound of clicking heels. The window frames and corners were full of dust, and it wasn’t even cleaned. The flickering lights added to the eerie atmosphere. The strange thing was that the floor was unusually clean.

The strange thing was that the woman from the orphanage didn’t seem to care about how unusually dilapidated the orphanage was.

Meanwhile, the woman stopped in front of a room in the corner.

“This is it.”

“I’ll go in. Please step aside so I can talk to the children alone.”

As she opened the door, she was about to come inside as well. Sesenia shook her head at her.

“That won’t do.”

She was quite firm.

“Why not?”

“How can I trust you with the children?”

“It’s not like I’m an untrustworthy person, and my identity has been verified. I don’t understand why you’re stopping me.”

Even so, she was firm.

“I can show you the children. But I must always be present.”

“A donor has the status of an investigator who can investigate the orphanage as well as being a donor. It’s a law that was made because the imperial family and the temple can’t manage all the orphanages. Are you still going to say no?”

“…”

She became quiet.

It was a very old law. A law that ordinary people wouldn’t know well. In reality, it was intended to monitor through nobles because it was difficult for the imperial family and the temple to check everything one by one.

In recent years, even nobles were too lazy to see the children, so it was natural that they didn’t know.

“If you’re an imperial citizen belonging to the empire, or even if you’re running an orphanage in the imperial territory, even if you’re from another country, you must follow the law. If you don’t follow the law, I’ll take you to His Majesty the Emperor right away.”

Support I Only Raised Men for Revenge