It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 50

“Your Highness?”

Louis peeked through the door and called out. He was holding a tray of fruit in one hand.

“I knocked, but there was no response. You looked quite serious—are you alright?”

There was no sound. I had been too absorbed in ominous thoughts. I relaxed my expression.

“I’m fine. But I’d like to get some fresh air. Could you put the fruit in a basket so I can take it outside?”

“Of course. Just a moment, please.”

While Louis prepared to go out, I stared at the reddish metal plate on the table. If the blue plate resembled Erich’s eyes, the red one reminded me of Giscal’s. I wanted to send my wishes of good fortune to Giscal rather than Erich—hoping he could avoid the danger ahead.

Louis and I headed to the small courtyard between the main house and the mansion. He brought the fruit to a table under the shade of a tree. Just as I was about to bite into a slice of apple, someone ran up to me.

“Miss! Miss!”

A young boy appeared out of nowhere, panting heavily. Upon closer look, he was the same boy who had been caught pickpocketing by Martenal in the market.

“Huh? How did you get here?”

Louis, who had been drying the fruit with a clean towel, spoke quickly.

“Ah, I should’ve told you earlier… It turns out that pickpocket was forcing a group of children to steal.”

“Really? What happened then?”

“The man was imprisoned, and the children were sent to orphanages across the region. But this boy—he’s been assigned to work as a servant in this mansion, per Lord Giscal’s instructions.”

“It was resolved in just one day?”

“Lord Giscal personally requested the city guard’s help. They must’ve prioritized the case.”

Well, how many incidents could occur in the capital? It was unlikely for things to be resolved so quickly.

But power always worked wonders. Though I had mixed feelings, I decided to be grateful that the matter was resolved swiftly thanks to Giscal.

“I’m glad you’re here. Do you like it here?”

“Yes! Compared to where I used to be, this place is heaven. I greeted a knight today, and he said if I train hard in swordsmanship, I might become a knight someday. I’ll work really hard. I didn’t steal because I wanted to. Please believe me.”

The boy looked up at me with earnest eyes, not even blinking. I gently stroked his honey-colored hair.

“Alright, I believe you. Work hard on your swordsmanship and become a great knight.”

“Yes, I’ll really do my best. Um, but…”

He twisted his hands nervously, clearly wanting to say something. I spoke as gently as I could.

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“I’m really sorry, but could you do me a favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

“There’s a boy named Philip who was also forced to steal. He has a sick younger sister named Lisa. They’re siblings, so they should be together, but they were sent to different orphanages. Could you help reunite them?”

His explanation was a bit jumbled, as expected from a child. I asked slowly to clarify.

“So your friend Philip has a younger sister named Lisa, and they’ve been sent to separate orphanages?”

“Yes, that’s right. Lisa is very young and sick. She can’t sleep alone. Philip has to be with her for her to fall asleep. If he’s not there, she’ll cry every night.”

“I see. Calm down for now.”

I handed him a piece of fruit on a fork. He was hungry and swallowed it in one bite.

“Louis, is there any way we can help?”

“The city guard probably didn’t consider each child’s circumstances. But if Lord Giscal speaks to them again, the orphanage assignments can be changed. Still, we can’t be sure the new orphanage will treat them well…”

That was my concern too. If Philip was the older brother, he couldn’t be more than six or seven. His sister must be even younger.

“How old is Lisa?”

“Lisa? She’s about five.”

“And you and Philip?”

“I’m already eight! The old orphanage director said eight is grown-up enough to work all day. I used to fetch water and clean chimneys.”

“…Which orphanage director said that?”

“Rockfeld Orphanage. Philip and I are both from there. We became close because of that. The orphanage shut down, and we were scattered, but I met Philip again in the market. That’s when we got caught by that pickpocket man.”

I didn’t know much about that orphanage, but I was glad it had closed. The name felt oddly familiar.

Rockfeld Orphanage…

“No way…”

Among Arne’s many misdeeds, there was one involving an orphanage. It stood out because it was so unusual compared to his usual drunken rampages at banquets.

Arne had once declared he would sponsor an orphanage, but then claimed it was beneath his dignity. He burned all the furniture and had the building demolished on the spot.

After that, he never returned. The cleanup was left to his subordinates. With the walls destroyed and furniture burned, the children couldn’t stay. The orphanage was dissolved, and the children were relocated. Orteland provided financial aid as part of the cleanup, but Arne had still obliterated the orphanage. That orphanage was Rockfeld.

“After Rockfeld closed, didn’t you go to another orphanage? How did you end up meeting Philip in the market?”

“The new orphanage director didn’t make me work, but he didn’t give me bread either. So I ran away. Stealing in the market seemed better. That’s where I met Philip. He said he ran away for the same reason.”

“I see.”

It was easy to imagine. The new orphanage directors probably took the subsidies happily but didn’t care for the children. Still, Arne was the real culprit.

If not for him, the children wouldn’t have been scattered. The unexpected problem gave me a headache.

Why had Arne suddenly gone to an orphanage and caused such chaos? He normally wouldn’t even glance at one. What possessed him?

I went straight to Steward Orteland and explained the situation. He sighed deeply.

“That’s what happened. We provided generous subsidies based on the number of children, but we failed to follow up. That was my oversight.”

“No, you couldn’t have managed everything. The ones who took the money and neglected their duties are to blame. But I want to help Philip and Lisa continuously. Is there a way?”

Orteland looked at me for a moment, his eyes growing misty.

“Forgive me. Age makes one tearful. Ahem, I’ll arrange for the siblings to be placed in the same orphanage. We’ll also send someone regularly to check on them. If people know our house is watching, they won’t be mistreated. Or…”

He hesitated, lips pressed together. Clearly, there was another option.

“What is it? Is there another way?”

“Well, I’m not sure if I should say this without the Marquis’s permission… But our house does sponsor an orphanage directly.”

I widened my eyes. This was news to me. I hadn’t known the Edelheit family sponsored an orphanage.

According to Louis, orphanages in the capital were either run by the Imperial Office or sponsored by noble families.

Eight out of ten were Imperial-run, funded by the state. A few noble houses interested in social welfare sponsored their own. But I hadn’t known Edelheit was among them.

“Really? Since when?”

“Not long ago. The current Marquis began the sponsorship.”

So Giscal had initiated the family’s welfare efforts himself.

It was surprising, but also made perfect sense. He was someone who valued the lives of soldiers on the battlefield.

“If we have a sponsored orphanage, wouldn’t it be better to send the children there? It’s more reliable than checking on them at another place.”

“Certainly. But we must consider the orphanage’s current capacity. I’ll look into it.”

Orteland answered cautiously.

“If funding is the issue, I’ll provide more support for the additional children.”

Orteland looked startled and shook his head vigorously.

“No, it’s not about funding. Absolutely not. It’s not a budget issue.”

He denied it repeatedly. So what was the problem?

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