259 - Dupre Orphanage 3
Now that everyone was gathered, it was time to receive the gifts. At Jude's lead, the children gathered in the dining hall and the baked sweets were distributed equally. Since there were baked sweets this time, Jude said they would save the candy for another time and put the jar full of candy back in the cupboard, which drew complaints from the boys.
...One, two, three... twenty-three? Not four, not six either.
And for that matter, not the twenty-five the boys had claimed either. The number of children currently being cared for at the Dupre Orphanage was twenty-three in total.
"...That's fewer than I thought."
"Thanks to a certain kind gentleman, perhaps?"
I couldn't really tell whether the number of orphans was high or low, but it seemed few to Leonardo. Either way, I thought having fewer orphans was a good thing. It meant there weren't that many children who had lost their parents.
Prioritizing food over romance was only natural for growing children, I supposed. The baked sweets Leonardo had brought as a gift vanished into the children's stomachs in no time, and once their bellies were settled, the children were seized by a thirst for knowledge.
Put simply, a scene almost exactly the same as before was unfolding before my eyes.
Children who recognized Leonardo as a knight, children who had heard from others who Leonardo really was, children who got excited at the fact that he was their big brother. The commotion was far greater than before.
...Even a few of them had been noisy enough, but having over twenty children swarm Leonyaldo-san all at once? I couldn't endure it.
Earlier it had felt more like jealousy, but now I just found it irritating, plain and simple. There were some quiet children watching the situation develop from the corner of the room, but even they looked like they were troubled by the noise.
...This was really too much to bear!
Deciding I couldn't stand the noise, I stood up from my seat. I wasn't sure if he could hear me over the children swarming him, but I called out to Leonardo just in case.
"I'm tired, so I'll be waiting in the carriage first!"
I wasn't tired at all in the physical sense, but the children's loud voices were steadily grinding down my mental strength. It was more accurate to call it mental fatigue.
With Giselle accompanying me, I left the building and joined up with Aaron, who had been standing guard at the entrance. As I asked Aaron to prepare for departure and arrange the carriage, I noticed a middle-aged man approaching from the main gate.
"Oh, a child I've never seen before. Has there been such an adorable little orphan here?"
"...I'm just here to inspect the orphanage with my brother."
And for that matter, if this middle-aged man thought an orphan would be wearing a brand-new dress made with such generous amounts of fabric, his eyes were useless. I don't think it could be helped that my intuition made me wary, feeling that something was off, something unpleasant. Giselle stepped between us to guard against the man approaching me, so I was relieved to have his gaze blocked. This was that kind of thing. The kind of look that even a little girl would think "something feels weird about this?" The kind of look that an adult woman would recognize as a hidden ulterior motive toward her. The man before me had sexual eyes for an eleven-year-old child.
...Don't underestimate little girls. We're actually sensitive to that sort of thing, you know!
I wasn't some oblivious protagonist from a shoujo manga, nor a naive heroine convenient only for the men in an erotic manga. I could recognize the eyes of a male who needed to be watched out for.
"Having a guard with you... are you some nobleman's daughter? Which house are you from?"
"I won't tell people I don't know."
I turned my gaze toward where Aaron had gone to prepare the carriage, hoping he would come back soon. At least Giselle was between me and the man, so there was no need to flee immediately.
"I don't know your face, young lady, but I do recognize that blockhead over here. You're the third generation of the fallen Flower Peerage, aren't you? If I recall, the name was..."
"Young lady, I apologize for keeping you waiting."
It was Aaron who cut off the man who had begun directing rude looks at Giselle. Looking behind Aaron, I could see the driver moving the carriage this way. As for the man, he seemed taken aback by the fact that I had two guards. And for that matter, Aaron was a Silver-White Knight, and also a man. He shouldn't be dismissed as easily as Giselle.
"H-how rude. Interrupting a conversation between nobles... this is why commoners are..."
"Oh my, you were a noble? My apologies. I simply didn't imagine there would be a noble walking through the lower town on foot."
As if to drive the point home, Aaron laughed, remarking that there were nobles who couldn't even tell a Silver-White Knight from a White Knight. I felt like this was the first time I'd ever seen Aaron's smile, but it was an obvious business smile. He plastered a cheerful grin on his face and added the sarcastic remark, "There's no way a noble would walk through the lower town on foot."
...Come to think of it, that's right. Nobles walking through the lower town on foot really isn't normal, is it?
Until Aaron pointed it out, I had been too preoccupied with the unpleasant feeling of the man's lustful gaze, but the man was indeed strange. His clothes were nice, but somewhat worn-looking. Looking at his feet, the hems of his trousers were wrinkled and didn't seem to fit him properly. His black hair seemed neatly styled with product, but from my low angle looking up, I could see stubble he had missed while shaving.
...At first glance a neat gentleman, but cutting corners on the parts that don't show... does that mean he's not actually the class he appears to be?
This was getting more and more suspicious, I thought, observing the man from behind Giselle. The fact that he looked down on a commoner (Aaron) suggested that if the man really was a noble, he would be Flower Peerage, or maybe Loyalty Peerage on the verge of falling to Flower Peerage. Either way, he wasn't someone I could have a pleasant chat with.
...Aaron doesn't make small talk, but when he does speak, he really says a lot, huh.
I doubted there was any man to whom the word "polite insolence" suited more. Against the middle-aged man who claimed to be a noble, Aaron drove him off by unleashing a barrage of scathing sarcasm while maintaining his decorum. I wished the man, who claimed to be a noble, could have come up with a slightly more interesting parting shot, but he simply said to Aaron, "Don't think you'll get away with making me angry!" and left. Since he never mentioned his rank until the end, even if he really was a noble as he claimed, he was probably Flower Peerage at best. Either way, he wasn't someone whose harassment would trouble Aaron or me.
As we watched the man flee, Leonardo, who seemed to have finally been freed from the children, and Jude, who had come to see Leonardo off, emerged at the entrance. Thinking I should at least confirm things, I asked Jude about the middle-aged man.
"Jude-san, what was that kind gentleman who takes in discerning children and educates them like?"
If the man just now happened to match the description, I would be too worried about the orphans who had been taken in. At the very least, that was a man I wouldn't want anywhere near female children.
"He's a man called Godwin Gibbs-sama of the Staff Peerage."
"Godwin-sama, you say?"
I was surprised to hear a name I'd heard before, unexpectedly. Godwin was a gentle, cheerful old man I had met twice through Felicia's introduction. The kind of person who made me think, "If only I had a grandfather like this."
"May I ask what he looks like, just to be sure?"
"Huh? Well, let's see... he's a bit on the short side, with neatly styled black hair. I think his eyes were black, same as Leo's."
"...Is that what Godwin-sama looks like?"
"Yeah, that's right. A kind, child-loving, middle-aged gentleman."
...Yep, that's a different person.
The elderly man named Godwin Gibbs I had been introduced to at the detached palace was an old gentleman with white hair and green eyes. Compared to the middle-aged man from just now, not a single detail matched, not age, not hair color, not eye color.
...Well, what should I do?
Even if I said "That man wasn't Godwin Gibbs" right here, I didn't know if I'd be believed. From Jude's perspective, the man calling himself Godwin Gibbs was a kind gentleman who was good to the children, while I was a child Leonardo had brought that he'd never seen before. If he considered which of us might be lying, he would probably suspect me.
...And besides, if it was all a lie, I'd be worried about the whereabouts of the children who had been taken in so far, you know?
I wondered who I should inform about this. Thinking about it, I put on a polite smile for now.
"You left the dining hall pretty quickly, Tina, but did you make any friends?"
Once the carriage started moving on the way back, Leonardo began to say things like this.
"...Did you plan today's outing to make me find friends?"
Many things I wanted to comment on came to mind, but I swallowed them for now. Thinking he had dragged me, who had been holed up in the detached palace since coming to the capital, out to the inner city, it seemed Leonardo had wanted me to make friends. Honestly, compared to nine-year-old me who used to walk to the Menhishumi Church and eleven-year-old me who now used a carriage to get around, even my mannerisms should have become more refined. Nine-year-old me, who still had a strong village upbringing, could become friends with Mirshe, but I didn't think eleven-year-old me, raised in the city by Leonardo for a few years, could become friends with the children at the orphanage. There was too much of a gap between us, and it would take effort to build an equal friendship. And besides, since I felt like the children at the orphanage had "taken (my) brother (Leonardo) away from me," I didn't want to go out of my way to get close to them. Furthermore, I absolutely hated noisy boys. Demanding that I make friends here (at the orphanage) was just unrealistic.
"Even though you plan to return to Grenore City someday, what would I do making friends in the capital?"
When I pointed out that it would make it harder to leave, Leonardo furrowed his brow in a troubled way. Normally I loved that troubled expression of his, but this time it just looked silly.
"Well, that's true, but... you have at least a few, right? Friends."
His words were oddly evasive, so I thought about what might be making Leonardo so hesitant. The reason he wanted me to make friends was probably because he thought I would be lonely on my own. As for me, I thought I was the type who didn't mind spending time alone much, so Leonardo's worry was unfounded. If anything, I could go visit Basilia's mansion, since she seemed to be in the capital for a while. In terms of safety, if I was going to visit someone, Basilia's mansion in the noble district would be better than the orphanage in the inner city.
...Something seems off? Basilia-chan and I aren't that close, but Leonyaldo-san knows I'm shy with strangers, so why is he telling me to make new friends now...?
Actually, rather than spending time with children my own age in this life, it was easier and more relaxing to spend time with people a bit older or with adults. As I recalled the faces of adults I was already used to and didn't feel tense around, a concerning thought came to mind.
...Could it be that Leonyaldo-san wants to leave me in the capital and go back to Grenore?
Once I realized that possibility, I just asked him directly. I didn't want him to evade the question or hint at it indirectly.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, do you intend to leave the capital alone?"
If I thought about it calmly, there would probably be problems with a knight being away from the fortress for months on such a loose pretext as accompanying his little sister. Especially since Leonardo wasn't just any knight. He was the master of the fortress. And just recently, he had won the Silver-White Knights' martial arts tournament. Keeping him idling as his little sister's chaperone could be considered a significant loss to the country.
...And also, Alfred-sama told me things were looking uncertain with the neighboring country.
I didn't know how serious the "delicate atmosphere" Alfred mentioned with the neighboring country was, but even if nothing happened, they would likely want Leonardo back at the fortress near the border. At least, if I were the king, that's what I would think. I would make my sister, who was old enough to understand, endure being alone, and have an excellent knight guard the fortress.
"You wanted me to make friends so I could manage being alone, didn't you."
"...That about sums it up."
Seeing Leonardo's face, which somehow looked relieved, I could tell this had been in the works for a while. Because I was a clingy, shy child, he had probably just been putting off bringing it up.
...So that's why Mikaela-sama invited me to tea, and Felicia-sama introduced me to so many people to help me expand my acquaintances.
All of that was so I would get used to life in the capital quickly and release my brother. If I had more friends and acquaintances, my dependence on my brother would naturally diminish.
"Tina's brother wants to go guard the fortress for the autumn, but..."
"For the autumn? Does that mean you'll come back in winter?"
"There are few idiots who wage war in winter."
Leonardo told me that he wouldn't say none at all, but the costs of stationing an army, fuel for heating and food supplies, would skyrocket. Even if a famine year led someone to start a war over food, it would be at the end of autumn, before winter, he said.
"...Following that logic, in spring there's planting, and in autumn there's harvesting, so war doesn't seem feasible then either."
"Right. In that sense, summer is the most dangerous."
Summer had its own farm work, but it wasn't as critical as spring or autumn. If you didn't plant seeds in spring, there would be no summer work or autumn harvest, and if you didn't harvest in autumn, there was no point in planting seeds in spring. The main fighting force of this country were the Black Knights, but once war began, townsmen and farmers would be conscripted as soldiers. Knights weren't the only ones on the battlefield, so every country had to consider the farming seasons.
"Was it really okay for you to stay in the capital during the most dangerous season, summer?"
"It's not like anything's going to happen right this instant, and I couldn't just leave Tina alone in an unfamiliar capital."
Leonardo said that now that over a month had passed living in the capital, I seemed to have gotten used to it, and he thought it might be about time. That perhaps it would be fine for him to be away for the autumn at least.
"...You can go. I'm a good little sister who doesn't get in the way of her brother's work."
In such a serious situation where war might break out, I couldn't stop Leonardo by telling him not to leave me alone. I was aware of being a spoiled child, but I could choose my timing and circumstances, and depending on the reason, I could endure.
...But I'll still worry, you know.
Once Leonardo decided to head to the fortress alone, summer would end while he was preparing for departure. He visited the Silver-White Knights' station he had mentioned before to greet them, and I was told to make acquaintances. However, he made sure to note that what he wanted were friends and acquaintances, and any man who wanted to become my future husband would have to defeat Leonardo first.
As for the man calling himself Godwin Gibbs who had appeared at the orphanage, after consulting with Hermine and Valerier, and confirming through Rebecca, who was practically a living noble registry, I sent a warning to Godwin himself through Felicia. Since Rebecca said there was no one else with the same name, it was still unclear whether this was done with the intention of damaging Godwin's reputation or whether it was simply someone impersonating a noble. I didn't know, but either way, I was worried about the whereabouts of the orphans who had been entrusted to the man calling himself Godwin Gibbs.
And so, Leonardo is about to return to work. Tina is a rational child even when lonely, so she sends Leonardo off.
Will fix typos and errors at a later date. I'll be taking a break from tomorrow's update. Found and fixed the typos and errors.