Chapter 10
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Chapter 10
* * *
"Ugh... so noisy."
The sharp wail pierced through the darkness, jolting Amelia awake. Her sleep had always been light, easily disturbed by sound.
She lifted her head, turning toward the source of the cry.
"Oh no..."
The faint stench drifting through the air and Lucella's expression of resigned acceptance made it abundantly clear—Cherry had had quite the accident. A thorough one, at that.
Spectacularly thorough.
'Under normal circumstances, Ritz would have handled this.'
At nine years old, Ritz was the eldest among the children at Büsnie Orphanage.
Because of this, the Orphanage Director piled every menial task upon her shoulders. With her age and unremarkable appearance, Ritz's chances of being adopted were virtually nonexistent.
From putting the children to bed to changing diapers for babies who woke in the night, Ritz cared for them all while the Orphanage Director and staff slumbered without lifting a finger.
"Nngh..."
But now Ritz was still struggling to wake, far too exhausted to tend to Cherry. She had endured far too much in a single day.
The other children were in the same state. Perhaps from the tension that had gripped them all day long, none of them stirred at Cherry's cries.
'Should I get up?'
Lucella was a sheltered noblewoman, utterly ignorant of the world's harsh realities. There was no way someone like her would move to change a filthy diaper.
Feces were repulsive and reeking, yes—but that didn't mean I could simply leave Cherry as she was.
Just as I resolved to rise from my bed—
"I'll take care of it right away. Just hold on a moment, okay?"
A gentle voice reached my ears. Lucella, fresh diapers and clean clothes in hand, was already heading toward the washroom.
'She's going to do it herself?'
The Orphanage Director never soiled his own hands. All menial labor fell to the staff.
Yet the staff performed their duties poorly at best. They decided who would handle the tedious and filthy tasks—washing diapers, bathing infants—through rock-paper-scissors.
Even when assigned, they often did sloppy work. Many diapers weren't properly cleaned, and the babies weren't thoroughly washed. In the end, it fell to the older children like Ritz and myself to redo everything properly.
But a noble lady was not only bathing a baby—she was changing diapers?
'She must be doing it half-heartedly.'
I continued watching Lucella. Yet for her, there was no such thing as half-hearted.
She washed Cherry with meticulous care, moving her hands diligently the entire time, worried the child might catch a cold.
"My goodness, she really went all out, didn't she? The floodgates opened." She grimaced at the stench, but managed a reluctant smile nonetheless. Her demeanor was starkly different from that of the Orphanage Director and staff.
And that wasn't all—she even soothed the other children who had woken, without a hint of anger.
'She really is... different from the Orphanage Director.'
I watched Lucella through drowsy eyes.
She cradled two children in her arms simultaneously. Given her small frame, the sight looked almost overwhelmingly burdensome.
And that image of Lucella stirred something within me.
"Let me take her."
"Amelia, you're awake?"
"Give Cherry to me."
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
Amelia scooped up Cherry, leaving me standing there in bewilderment. She carried the child to a corner, expertly laid her down, and removed her soiled clothes.
"Fortunately, it's not too bad. I can just change her diaper without a full wash."
"Is that so?"
"I'll handle it. You attend to something else."
"What?"
I had been wearing a dazed expression all along, but now something finally clicked into place.
"You're going to change her diaper?"
"Yes."
Before I could protest, Amelia had already swiftly replaced Cherry's diaper with a fresh one and was now dressing the child.
"Usually, the children don't wake up this often. She probably ate an unusually large dinner tonight. Days when they can eat this much are rare, after all."
Amelia continued her explanation hurriedly, perhaps worried I might cut off support to the orphanage out of annoyance. Even as she spoke, her hands moved with practiced efficiency.
At this, I found myself at a loss for words, my mouth opening in surprise.
"I see. But Amelia, you don't need to take on such difficult tasks yourself."
"Why not?"
"Because this isn't work for children to do."
"It's not work for a noble lady to do either, is it?"
"...."
I was momentarily speechless.
When I thought about it, Amelia was right. If not for my memories of my past life, I wouldn't have stepped forward to care for these children either.
Still,
"If one of us two must do this task, it should be me. You're still young, and it's nighttime."
I took Cherry from Amelia's arms. Then I turned to Amelia, who wore a somewhat dazed expression, and spoke.
"I truly appreciate your willingness to help."
I didn't want her to feel hurt by having her kindness rejected.
"But I can manage on my own, so Amelia, you should go back and get some sleep——"
I hadn't even finished speaking.
"Waaah!"
This cry came from somewhere else. Another child had begun to cry—not Cherry.
At this, Amelia tilted her head and spoke.
"Are you sure you don't need help?"
"...."
"To care for all the crying children, you'd need four arms."
"Sigh...."
I gazed up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath.
I didn't want to become a terrible adult who relied on a child for childcare, but there was no other way forward at this moment.
"Then I'm counting on you just for tonight, Amelia."
* * *
Amelia tended to the crying child with remarkable skill. After stopping the tears, she even patted the child's chest until they fell asleep.
But that wasn't all.
"I'm sle...."
"The restroom is that way, not this way."
I couldn't say when it had happened, but even Edwin had stepped forward to help me.
"I'll hold your hand, so follow me. Try not to step on the sleeping children."
"Mm..."
Thanks to Edwin's efforts, the children were able to sleep peacefully without being trampled. The child who had been hopping around urgently, saying he'd wet himself soon, was able to return from the restroom quickly.
"Thank you. Your name is Edwin, right?"
I thanked him while pretending not to know his name.
Until now, Edwin had never spoken a single word to me, nor had we ever made eye contact as he stayed tucked away in the corner—so my gratitude felt all the more genuine.
"You must be exhausted, but thank you so much for helping."
"No, I was just following Amelia..."
Edwin's cheeks flushed as he spoke in a rambling manner. It seemed he had followed along after seeing Amelia helping me.
'So it's Amelia who moves Edwin.'
And he's still so young.
I found myself newly curious. What kind of child was Amelia, someone Edwin trusted so unconditionally?
"Ria, it hurts here. Sion stepped on me earlier."
"I know, I'll make it better for you. Doesn't it feel better now?"
"Yeah. Hehe."
She cared for her younger siblings with tenderness.
"Ria, I can't sleep. Pat me to sleep."
"Are you a baby, big brother?"
"S-sorry..."
She ruled the older ones with charisma.
'Impressive.'
She truly embodied the qualities of an original heroine.
"Hmm..."
While I was thinking such thoughts, the restless children began to drift back to sleep. Peace had finally returned exactly two hours after this chaos had begun.
Now only Cherry remained in my arms.
'I can put one child to sleep on my own.'
With the urgent crisis averted, I needed to let Amelia and Edwin rest.
"Amelia, Edwin, you can stop now... huh?"
Just moments ago, they had been patting a crying child's chest. But now Amelia and Edwin were already asleep, their heads leaning against each other's shoulders.
"They must have been very tired."
It was the time they should have been dreaming, so exhaustion was only natural.
Yet they had insisted on helping me, fighting back their drowsiness. I wasn't sure what to do about these pitiful yet admirable children.
"Hup."
I carefully lifted each sleeping child into my arms and laid them down on the blankets. Then I tucked the quilts snugly around them to keep them from catching a cold.
"Thank you so much today."
I smiled warmly as I looked at the two children sleeping with angelic faces.
In this moment, they didn't feel like the future protagonists who would harm my niece, but simply like adorable little ones.
* * *
The new caretakers arrived before the morning sun had even risen.
I, who had remained awake with eyes wide open until that moment, rushed out to greet them like a person discovering an oasis in the desert. Five saviors stood before the door.
"Goodness, you haven't slept yet?"
"There was quite a bit of work last night... But you all came much earlier than expected."
"Riley asked us to come quickly."
Riley was the name of my personal maid. The reason I could secure caretakers so quickly was thanks to her extensive connections.
"Thank you."
"Not at all."
"No, I really mean it. Truly, sincerely..."
I grasped the hand of the caretaker standing before me tightly. The events of last night flashed through my mind like a lantern show, and I felt tears welling up.
"Miss Lucella..."
Compassion filled the eyes of the caretakers as they gazed at me.
"Look at those dark circles under your eyes. This won't do. Please go back to the mansion and rest at once."
"I wanted to see the children wake up before I left."
Wouldn't the children be startled if someone who was with them until last night suddenly disappeared?
"It seems you've been awake all night. You'll collapse if you continue like this."
"That's right. Besides, you cared for twenty children all by yourself. Please go rest."
Urged by the maids, my resolve to stay began to waver.
'Honestly, it was quite exhausting.'
I was, after all, a noblewoman raised without knowing hardship.
"Very well. Then... please tell the children on my behalf that I'm leaving for now, but next time I'll play with them so much more."
Worried the children might feel disappointed, I repeated my request several times.
"Oh, and give this to Edwin and Amelia. Without the other children knowing."
"Without them knowing?"
"Yes. I received help from those two children last night."
I had intended to tell them face to face when they woke, but I was simply too exhausted.
There would be other opportunities, and I could always return later.
"Then I'll be on my way. Send the orphanage operations plan to Riley."
"Understood, Miss."
I carefully made my way out so as not to wake the children, then immediately climbed into the carriage. The moment I settled into my seat, I fell into a sleep as deep as unconsciousness.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org