It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 55

I suppressed my pounding heart and led the children back to the common lounge.

The children rejoined the cake party, and I secretly hid the wooden box among the luggage. My heart thumped wildly, filled with the urge to open that box as soon as possible.

The children’s noisy chatter gradually faded. Fortunately, the cake was soon gone. With nothing left to eat, the children began rubbing their sleepy eyes.

“The children need their nap, so we should take our leave now.”

I spoke first, and everyone agreed. While the porters cleaned up the empty boxes and the escort knights checked the carriages, I impatiently tapped my foot.

“Your Highness. Did you find the documents the children mentioned?”

Iblem approached cautiously and asked.

I was so distracted I hadn’t even thought about it. I tapped my forehead and shook my head. I knew Iblem had every reason to be concerned, yet I had only thought about checking the box myself.

“Yes, I found them. But it’s locked, so I’ll check the contents and let you know if there’s anything important. It probably isn’t much.”

“Thank you. And…”

Iblem’s gaze shifted toward someone. At the end of that gaze stood Loki. While everyone else was preparing to leave, Loki looked downcast, scuffing his toes against the ground.

“He seems sad to part with his friends. So, if Your Highness permits, I’d like to help Loki stay here with them. What do you think?”

I reflected on my selfishness. I’d been so focused on the box’s contents that I hadn’t considered how hard it must be for Loki to say goodbye to his friends.

I approached Loki and knelt down. Loki lifted his gaze to the hem of my dress fluttering before him.

“Lady Arne. We’re going back now, right?”

“Yes, it’s time to go. But it’s hard to leave, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes. It’s sad to part with my friends again.”

His honest answer made me smile gently.

“Then would you like to stay here with them?”

Loki’s eyes widened.

“If you want to stay with your friends, you can. Director Iblem said it’s okay. I invited you to the estate because I thought you had nowhere else to go. Whether it’s the estate or here, you should be where you want to be.”

“Um, I…”

Loki stammered, surprised by the sudden offer. Training as a knight’s squire at the estate was a good path, but spending time with friends was also important for a child like Loki.

Whatever decision he made, I intended to respect it. Loki stared at the ground for a long time before cautiously looking up at me.

“You don’t hate me, do you?”

“No, of course not. Never.”

My emphatic denial made Loki sigh in relief.

“If Lady Arne doesn’t hate me, then I’ll go back to the estate. I have horses to care for and errands for the knight who took me in. I want to work hard and become a knight. A knight who protects Lady Arne.”

Loki brought his clenched fist to his chest in a gesture knights often made when accepting a mission—a vow to carry it out faithfully.

“Loki…”

His small fist held a resolve as strong as any knight’s.

“I’ve been seeing Loki as just a child. But he’ll become a fine knight,” Iblem said admiringly. Behind him, Rosa and Philip peeked out.

“Loki, are you really leaving? You’re not staying with us?”

Rosa clung to Loki, whining. Just moments ago, they’d been bickering over Philip, but that was likely a sign of their closeness. Philip didn’t speak, but his eyes betrayed his sadness. Seeing their faces, Loki’s eyes drooped. One more push and the children’s tears would surely flow.

Then Iblem gently suggested:

“How about Loki stays here just a few more days? Spend time with your friends, make new ones. Then return to the estate and train hard. Even knights need rest, don’t they?”

Loki looked up at me. His eyes asked for permission, and I nodded. How could I refuse a proposal that made the children so happy?

I barely remembered the journey back to the estate. Between entrusting Loki to Iblem and explaining the situation to the knight responsible for him, I was distracted. But mostly, it was the wooden box in the luggage that kept nagging at me.

As soon as I arrived, I rushed to my room. I told Louis, who offered to help me change, to rest instead, and locked the door.

With a solemn air, I placed the wooden box on the table. The rusty lock opened easily after a few shakes. I was able to check the contents without much trouble. Inside were an old notebook and a file of documents. I opened the file first.

“…Not many pages.”

There were fewer than twenty documents. I read each one carefully. The mix of standardized forms and handwritten notes made it hard to understand at first. But slowly, after rereading, the truth became clear.

They were adoption papers. Falsified ones.

The official documents claimed the children from Rockfeld Orphanage had been adopted into good homes in border regions or foreign countries. But that wasn’t true.

Thanks to a scribbled note from Director Kessiam behind the official papers, I learned the truth. The note listed entirely different regions and families. There was no reason to write down meaningless names—these were the real destinations. Sometimes, the scribbled notes held more truth than the official records.

I stared at the cold, dry papers that treated children as mere numbers.

Thinking of what kind of person Director Kessiam must have been, the meaning became clear. Loki, who had never tasted even a slice of cake at the orphanage. The disturbing rumors Iblem had shared. If Kessiam truly saw the children only as a means of profit, then this was all too plausible.

Even in my original world, there were people who committed unspeakable acts behind human faces. The countless news stories I’d seen.

This world was no different. Nothing was impossible.

A chilling premonition swept over me. I swallowed hard and turned the pages until I found a familiar name.

The Edelheit Marquisate.

Kesiam’s sharp handwriting clearly marked the Edelheit family. The official papers claimed a girl named “Barnette” had been adopted abroad. She had black hair and red eyes.

The same hair and eye color as Arne. My hands trembled.

No, no, no…

The suspicion grew.

Eighteen documents detailed the fates of eighteen children—false and true destinations side by side.

With trembling fingers, I picked up the old notebook. It was dirty and thin, filled with tiny writing. Kesiam’s sharp script clawed at my chest. I didn’t want to read it, but I had no choice.

It was a kind of registry. A list of secret requests for children, each with its own reason.

With each page I turned, my hands paled and my fingers stiffened. The stories were desperate and repulsive. Especially the pages marked with red circles—they made my heart drop.

The details matched perfectly with one of the children in the file. That red circle meant the request had been fulfilled.

My chest tightened with dread. My fingers froze—not just from fear for the children’s grim futures, but from the terror of seeing the Edelheit name.

I set the notebook down. My whole body was tense, and I could barely breathe. My shoulders felt like they were weighed down by stones, and my neck stiffened as if someone were gripping it tightly. I tried to breathe deeply and move my shoulders and neck. But no matter how much air I took in, the pressure in my chest wouldn’t ease. Not until I faced the truth.

I glared at the notebook. It was as black as my burning insides. What was Kessiam thinking when he wrote those vile requests? Did he feel no shame? No guilt as he sent the children away?

In protest, I raised the black notebook.

And turned the page. The Edelheit Marquisate hadn’t appeared yet. I turned again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again.

…There it was.

Let me know if you’d like a summary or analysis of this chapter. It’s intense and emotionally charged, and there’s a lot to unpack.

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