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It was already an hour later than usual when I arrived at the orphanage.

As I turned back unnoticed and took a deep breath.

Fortunately, the director and Lily’s outdoor shoes were not there yet.

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

Then I carefully closed the door and went into the kitchen without making a single sound of footsteps.

‘It’s time for the kids to play, so no one would think that I was late.’

From the basket I placed the vegetables on the table, took the meat out and put it in cold water.

In this generation without refrigerators, magic stones play a similar role, and there would be no such luxury goods in an orphanage.

Before, when I cooked for the first time in the orphanage, the meat went bad and I got scolded.

As a result, I wasn’t allowed to eat dinner since the director said I ruined an expensive piece of meat, so I was kicked out and had to spend the night outside.

I’m so upset and sad.

I went up and cried, but I couldn’t even complain because I was an orphan and no parents would defend or comfort me in the end.

I’ll get out of here as soon as I become an adult.

“…Heh, I’ll have to cook some stew.”

There was meat, but it was in a limited supply, so making a stew was the only option.

Fortunately, I have experience, so cooking wasn’t too difficult.

Due to the nature of this fantasy world, I didn’t even think about food going bad being a child in an orphanage with a poor standard cooking facility.

First, I washed the vegetables I had gathered. After cutting all the onions, I also cut the meat into small pieces.

‘Because the director told me to cut it into as small pieces as possible.’

The orphanage has more than ten children, so I had to cut the meat to at least twenty pieces so all of us could eat.

After putting all the ingredients in, as I saw the smoke from simmering, it looked mouth-watering.

“Meat in two weeks!!”

The stew, which was red from some leftover tomatoes, smelled amazing.

‘Please, no one should have seen me late!’

It was unfair to have to pay attention to this kind of thing, but I refused to listen to the director’s glare and his cracking voice.

Then, it became noisy outside the kitchen.

“Director, you’re here!”

“Wow! New clothes!”

As I hurried out to the door, I saw the director and Lily in their brand new clothes.

“Was the dinner ready?”

“…Yes, I’m almost done.”

Fortunately, he didn’t question me for being late. After all, I already finished preparing dinner.

“Who’s the visitor tomorrow?”

“The director said he was a great person. I’m looking forward to it!”

The children teased each other with brooms and mops in their hands.

It was because the director told us to wipe the floor and make it shiny enough because an important person was coming tomorrow.

‘I’ll have to stay in the attic all day tomorrow.’

For the other children it was good news, because someone important was visiting the orphanage tomorrow, but it wasn’t for me.

‘I just wish I could get older soon.’

It was then.

“You’re not happy, aren’t you?”

Lily approached me while I was mopping with a sigh.

She must have come to me to show off her new clothes again.

“There’s no reason for me to be happy.”

Swallowing my annoyance inwardly, I answered.

Lily snorted at my answer and was busy saying what she had to say.

“Tomorrow, a nobleman will visit. The director said he would definitely come and pick me up. But…”

“But?”

“No one’s going to adopt a black hair like you, so you’re going to live here forever.”

Unsurprisingly, I bit my lip at those cruel words.

I know she’s just immature and a little mean, but what does she even know for saying such words?

My body stiffened hearing her evil words.

“What should I do? I feel sorry for you. So at least clean up properly. You know, if I become a noble lady, I’ll give you a penny.”

Lilly’s menacing laugh stuck in my ear as I walked blankly.

The most miserable thing was that I couldn’t deny Lily’s sarcastic remarks that I would live here for the rest of my life.

I made countless promises to leave when I became an adult, but I don’t know if that’s really possible.

Because I wasn’t sure either if I’d be welcome anywhere.

✿

“Sniff…”

Inside my thin blanket, I cried quietly trying to suppress my own helpless situation.

If they caught me crying, they would only make fun of me.

I’ve been an orphan for years, but this feeling of loneliness that suddenly hit me was immeasurable.

I couldn’t sleep…

‘I’m going to have a mom and a dad, too!’

‘Really?’

‘Yes! They said they’d pick me up soon, they patted my head and gave me a pretty pencil case;’

‘Wow! You’re so lucky!’

That loneliness grew stronger every time one of my orphanage’s friends left, holding the hand of their new parents.

When I was a kid, I was so sad that I didn’t have a mom or a dad.

My eyes were swollen but I still wept bitterly.

One day, I fell asleep with an excited heart when the director told me that I would finally have parents.

But my excitement was shattered by the words of the couple who came to meet me.

‘Oh, the kid was a little different from what I saw in the painting.’

‘Somehow, she looks a little… gloomy, I don’t think it’s going to work for us.’

The director said it was because I was ugly. There’s no one who would love a child like me.

As a child, I lost hope.

“…Sometimes, I just wanted to die.”

But the life I was given, for a second chance, was an orphan.

It was like a curse that you couldn’t have a family for the rest of my life.

“Ugh…”

If there was really a God,

If there was really a God that exists who sent me here…

I don’t want to be alone anymore… I’ve longed for such a thing.

✿

“Guys, Wash up and get ready!”

“Yes!”

“Lily! Come quickly. Wear these shoes on and the dress I bought yesterday, and the braids… this would be great!”

The day at the orphanage, which started early in the morning, was quite different from usual.

The director moved busily and checked every child.

‘Probably because of the nobleman who said would come today.’

The other children took out the prettiest clothes they had and wore them.

Maybe it’s because of the expectations that they might be adopted.

The orphanage was far from the capital, because there were few nobles who would want to adopt.

“We’re almost there! Come to the director’s office first, if you all finished preparing!”

“Me! Me!!”

“I’m done, too!”

Lily, who was so busy yesterday, was also dressed up in a fresh yellow dress and light green shoes.

I looked down at my clothes.

Rough ragged cloth, old dress full of dirt.

It couldn’t even be compared with Lily’s gorgeous dress, but it didn’t matter.

‘What about me? Director, am I going to wear this?’

‘What? Huh! You’re talking nonsense. Who would take a kid with black hair like you? Don’t get caught roaming around and hide in the attic when the guests come.’

There were a few people who visited the orphanage planning to adopt for a year, but each time I had to hide like I was trapped in an attic.

It hasn’t changed today either. I closed the attic door and hid inside.

“…It’s not fair.”

The fact that black hair was cursed, and that I had black hair.

It was all full of injustice.

They say a person won’t get disappointed if they don’t have any expectations.

However, under any circumstances, ‘just in case’, I still have high expectations.

So I always sat in front of the window for hours when the guests came.

Just in case someone sees me…

‘…Because I was expecting that person to become my family.’

“Oh, it’s a carriage.”

Even though I was repeatedly disappointed, a glimmer of hope remained.

My eyes turned to the carriage heading for the orphanage from afar, beyond the window.

“Guys! There’s a carriage coming! Let’s go out!”

“I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited.”

“Me too! I really hope it’s me this time.”

The voice of the director, who was very busy, was heard, and then the voices of the other children full of excitement were heard under the window.

It was the only time when the attic window was visible from the main entrance of the orphanage.

“Wow, it’s a carriage!”

“Wow! Much bigger than Theo’s carriage last time!”

The carriage, which stole the eyes of the children, caught my eyes as well.

The carriage pulled by four horses was the largest and most gorgeous carriage I had ever seen since I came here.

“That’s the saddle carriage you see in the novels…”

Blurting out excited remarks as much as usual, I understood the director’s reaction.

Well, I don’t know if he’s a noble with a high rank enough to ride such a gorgeous carriage, but he seems wealthy.

If such an aristocratic family adopts a child from the Lysen Orphanage, the corner of the director’s mouth would rise as high as the clouds without realizing it.

“Whoa! Wow!!”

The carriage, which was approaching slowly, stopped.

While the horseman soothed the horses, the carriage door opened.

“What kind of nobleman was he?”

“I wish he was a prince!”

“Me too!”

There was a faint sound of children chatting with each other.

What kind of person was he?

I also wondered who was riding that carriage.

It could be a character from the ‘Lovely Isla’!

The fact that I would be able to see someone so close from the original novel for the first time, my calm heart began to pound again.

Staring at the open carriage door without time to blink.

✿

A blue-haired man came out of the open carriage door.

He was about to walk out of the carriage door, but he stayed inside the carriage for a while.

He went inside again and muttered something.

The man who had finished talking to the person inside smiled and greeted the director.

“It’s Fern, who visited yesterday. Hey, the count was inside.”