Chapter 78
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Chapter 78
I couldn't say who fell for whom at first sight, but that's what the headline claimed.
[The two of us cannot endure without marriage. Both she and I wished to proceed with this union as quickly as possible, and I simply made it happen.]
Well, it wasn't exactly wrong, but the nuance felt distinctly different.
Those words made it sound as though the two of us had fallen into a passionate love, as if we couldn't possibly wait even a moment longer to marry.
Most of all, that "love at first sight" bothered me.
'Even if it's just a daily newspaper, publishing a lie sits uneasily with me....'
Why did he give such an interview? For what reason.... As if to show off, no less.
'Ah! Could there be some reason this needed to appear this way?'
Once I thought of it that way, it somehow began to make sense....
In any case, thanks to that interview article, Grace Oellin had become the hottest woman in the Capital.
Well, with a passionate love like wildfire, she'd even moved up the wedding to within a month—it couldn't help but be scorching.
"Tell me, ma'am. Is he a good person?"
At Kelly's question, Grace Oellin smiled without hesitation.
That was enough. The director nodded as if she understood everything.
Suddenly, Kelly's eyes glistened with moisture.
"Oh, Director? What's wrong? Are you unwell?"
"No, it's not that. I'm just so happy."
"Yes? About what?"
"That you've found such a good person. I'm so delighted about that. Ma'am, you are our benefactor. You know that, don't you?"
Kelly gently took Grace's hand.
She could never forget the day Grace had first come to this orphanage.
It had been a year when finances were particularly dire.
That precarious year when they'd barely managed to prevent closure.
Grace Oellin had arrived with her hands full of food.
Though her attire was shabby for a young lady of a marquess's house, the image of her approaching cautiously over that hill remained etched deeply in Kelly's memory.
'If it wouldn't be presumptuous, might I be permitted to offer some sponsorship to this place?'
She had presented several dresses she'd worn as a child, worn toys, and quite a substantial sum of money.
The bundle of food she'd smuggled from the Estate had already been seized by the children's hands and thoroughly rummaged through.
Hills Orphanage was not a place "respectable" enough for noble young ladies to volunteer their patronage.
It wasn't a large orphanage grand enough to boast of sponsorship, nor did it have many children.
Within the Capital, there were countless institutions waiting for noble patronage.
Hills was pushed aside by them all, a very small and shabby orphanage that couldn't even receive Royal Palace subsidies.
So it had been strange when she suddenly appeared and offered such a bundle.
'I met a child a few days ago. She came asking me to buy her just one flower, but I couldn't. It's been weighing on my mind ever since.'
Grace had smiled like an evening primrose as she said this.
The child she'd pointed to was Christine, who had stayed at the orphanage the longest.
She was dignified and clever, but when she was young, she'd accidentally touched a hot kettle, leaving burn scars on her chin, neck, and shoulder.
Because of that, the child's parents had abandoned her.
There are so many mouths to feed, and she said it was too difficult to raise a child who had become unfortunate.
'So much money....'
'This is emergency funds I've been secretly saving since I was young. I had set it aside, telling myself I would use it for something truly worthwhile someday, and now I've found such a wonderful opportunity. Please, I hope this will help you all endure this winter.'
Grace Oellin smiled as though it were nothing and extended the envelope.
White bandages were wrapped around her hands as she offered the envelope.
She was someone so warm-hearted—Grace Oellin.
Even in the orphanage's harsh conditions, the days spent experimenting with and documenting Conea had never been easy.
There was even a time when a few nobles had visited the orphanage deliberately to mock her.
'My goodness, so filthy.... There are many other children to sponsor elsewhere, so why must you care for such dirty children, Miss Grace Oellin? Your brother was quite concerned.... I would also feel uneasy if my younger sibling frequented such a place. I worry disease might spread.'
Their words wounded both the director and the children.
But what the orphanage children feared more than those words was that Grace Oellin, their only patron, might leave because of them.
'Don't worry. If they keep this up once or twice, they'll grow tired of it. That group doesn't have the persistence for it.'
Yet Grace Oellin, who had heard all manner of mockery, simply smiled as though it meant nothing and finished her work.
Though her brother tormented her relentlessly at home while pretending to be virtuous in public, she never wavered.
That was truly remarkable.
Perhaps that was why Norman Oellin had grown even more unhinged, I thought.
"Director...."
"I trust your judgment, Teacher. Since you said she is a good person, then she must be good even without my seeing her. Please, be happy."
"Thank you."
"You are someone special, Teacher."
The director smiled warmly and brushed the back of Grace Oellin's hand.
Between the ring finger and middle finger of her left hand lay a thin, long scar.
It was a mark from the day she first came to the orphanage.
Norman Oellin had knocked her down as she was leaving, then struggled to snatch what she had hidden.
Grace Oellin resisted to keep the money concealed in her bosom from being taken, and ultimately the heel of Norman Oellin's shoe tore open the back of her hand.
It was a strange thing.
Could one truly hate so deeply, even between siblings at odds?
Had it not been for him, Grace Oellin would not have had to live so painfully as the daughter of a marquess.
"I suspect Norman Oellin was the first to recognize your special nature, Teacher."
"What? What do you mean...."
"Inferiority can sometimes turn a person into a monster. When someone of inherently brutal nature harbors inferiority, it becomes all the more terrifying."
Inferiority.
Why had Norman Oellin come to feel inferior to her?
That was the part Grace Oellin could not understand.
"I'm grateful you were able to leave that place. Not all blood relations are warm. Running this orphanage, I've seen many relatives colder than ice. The children here are no exception."
The director gazed out the window at the children playing.
"But I hope such things won't influence whether these children grow up kind and righteous."
Various regrets flickered across her weathered eyes.
"To brush such things aside with a shrug, and to make them love themselves—that is my dream and my goal in every moment. Ah, though of course I waver at every step."
The director added playfully and laughed.
"That's quite the magnificent dream, Director."
Grace Oellin spoke with genuine admiration.
"It's a dream I could never have dreamed without you, Grace Oellin."
"Me?"
"Because of you, my dream has become unwavering. That too is something I'm grateful for."
"But... I haven't done anything."
"Haven't you? Growing up resilient beneath a cruel older brother, refusing to break, and... coming to find us with that indomitable spirit."
The director reached out and embraced Grace Oellin.
"I'm so grateful for all of it, Miss Grace Oellin. I pray that only blessings await your future."
Kelly prayed earnestly to the God she had called upon countless times before.
That someday, she might contribute even her meager strength to this small, lovely young lady.
That she might protect the happiness this girl was so painstakingly building.
* * *
Grace Oellin, Julie, and Rüfel who had followed them caused quite the commotion at the Orphanage.
Grace Oellin helped the children with their homework after a long time, and Julie prepared lunch with them.
Rüfel was led by the director's hand to help repair the fence.
By the time they finished, it was already the hour of the afternoon appointment.
Before leaving the Orphanage, Grace Oellin gifted the children with invitations she had prepared in advance.
"Um, are we really allowed to go there?"
Anna spoke with barely concealed excitement, though tinged with a hint of apprehension.
Grace Oellin nodded firmly to assure the children they had nothing to fear.
"Of course. Naturally. This is my wedding, and you are my long-time friends. You're welcome to enter with confidence. I've prepared special seating just for you."
The impossible was happening.
The children were commoners.
It was already nearly miraculous to be so close with the noble Grace Oellin, and now to receive a formal invitation to her wedding.
And the man she was marrying was none other than the "Black Duke"—the one who wielded the greatest power in this entire nation!
The children clutched the invitation bearing Grace Oellin's seal with trembling hands.
"I thought my cherished guests might be confused about what to wear, so I've had your clothes specially made... Is that alright? I hope you don't mind that I chose them myself."
"Oh, no! No! No! That's completely fine, Miss Grace Oellin!"
"New clothes!"
"Wow! Wow! We really get to go there?"
The children erupted in cheers and excited chatter.
Grace Oellin barely managed to slip away from the children's jubilant clamor.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org