Among the five, three were adopted by the orphanage director out of pity, and two were not adopted. In the past, Sesenia would never have encountered these orphanage children.

Those children will surely be of great help to Sesenia.

“The most run-down…”

“I heard it’s a place with only five orphans.”

“Young lady, how do you know about such a place?”

“Oh. Did Rohan tell you?”

I casually changed the subject.

“Well, if it’s elder brother… He’s so nosy, it makes sense.”

Surprisingly, Lizbeth didn’t ask anything further about Rohan’s words and moved on.

“I do know about the most run-down place with only five orphans. It’s Felice Orphanage. I heard it’s about to close… Why there?”

“Well. So I can go volunteer at the orphanage comfortably even in winter.”

It wasn’t volunteering at all, but Sesenia had nothing else to say. She was going to talk to those children for a while. Such words wouldn’t be helpful. So that’s what she said, but Tedel’s eyes sparkled.

“Volunteering, you say.”

“As expected of the mistress…”

“Not ‘as expected of the mistress’. It’s… slave. No, Tedel. The young lady usually doesn’t even know the word ‘volunteer’…”

“People can always change, Lizbeth. You shouldn’t look at people with such colored glasses.”

“…But it’s suspicious.”

As expected, Lizbeth knew Sesenia too well. Sesenia also felt embarrassed. She had never been to an orphanage even once. Even when she was young, if Lizbeth or the nanny asked her to go volunteer together, she never went.

It wasn’t because she had a bad heart. It was because she didn’t have the peace of mind. She was too busy surviving herself. So because she had never gone, Lizbeth spoke with a firm voice and expression.

“That’s true. But today, it’s really with a pure heart.”

“Yes. If the young lady says so, it must be with a pure heart. Then please go to Felice Orphanage. It’s on the outskirts leading to the east. Right before the entrance to the mountain. It’s about a 30-minute ride from here.”

Lizbeth, who had explained the location in detail to the coachman, came back and sat in her seat. Meanwhile, the carriage smoothly increased its speed.

“By the way, young lady. May I ask you something I’m curious about?”

“Sure. What do you want to ask?”

“Why did you suddenly move the goods?”

“Ah, that. You never know. In this dry weather, someone might shoot a flaming arrow somewhere and set fire to the warehouse.”

“Ah…?”

“To eliminate such risks. Cotton is highly flammable due to its material.”

Only then did Lizbeth seem to realize something and tilted her head.

“If you’re worried, wouldn’t it be enough to just increase security?”

“Fire spreads in an instant. It’s not something you can stop. If you think you can stop it and fail, you lose everything. So you evacuate the important things early.”

“Ah, I see.”

She nodded as if she finally understood. Of course, she didn’t seem to understand much.

Lizbeth didn’t seem to have realized at all why Sesenia had moved the cotton and increased security. Since it was a story they would all know in time, Sesenia didn’t add any more words unnecessarily.

“It’s good to prepare for anything in advance. Given the current situation… You never know what might change.”

If Elzere, her elder sister, hadn’t returned, there would have been no need to prepare like this. But she had come back in time and was sincerely trying to fight with Sesenia. So Sesenia couldn’t be carefree and happy about the situation.

“Yes. If you need anything, please let me know.”

“Rohan, Lizbeth, and Teddy are people who are helpful just by being around. So you don’t have to try to do anything.”

At those words, Lizbeth seemed embarrassed and squirmed her body.

And then Sesenia quietly looked out the window.

‘Will I be able to see a complete ending this time?’

Not like dying absurdly as in her past life, but can she really survive? Such thoughts filled Sesenia’s mind.

**

As Lizbeth had said, after exactly 30 minutes of carriage ride, Felice Orphanage came into view. An orphanage so small it could be mistaken for a regular house if not for the nameplate. Sesenia got off there and looked around.

“Shall I knock on the door?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Sesenia’s order fell, Lizbeth knocked on the orphanage door. After the knocking sound, not long after, a woman walked out.

“Who… are you?”

She was a woman who gave an odd feeling. Seeming tired yet unusually neat in appearance. Long nails, well-groomed hair, and wearing a dress too fancy for someone who takes care of children.

“I’m here to… donate.”

“Pardon…? To our orphanage…? How did you know about our orphanage…”

“There’s a nameplate in front, isn’t there?”

“Ah…”

Like someone who had lost their spirit, the woman belatedly nodded.

Even with a nameplate, it was surprising to know that such an orphanage existed here, but she didn’t seem particularly curious about that.

‘Or rather, she can’t be curious…’

She looked so tired as if she might die from overwork soon.

“I heard there are only five orphans?”

“Ah… yes.”

“First, take this. It’ll be good for getting through the winter.”

Tedel, reading the atmosphere well, brought cotton and placed it beside her.

“This is…”

“It’s cotton. If you make quilts, you’ll be able to spend the winter warmly.”

“Th-thank you… But about the donation…”

“Aren’t there twins here? I’d like to talk to those children.”

“What? Ah. There are twins, but… whether they’ll talk…”

“It’s alright. Would you guide me?”

Even so, she didn’t easily back down. Although she came without an appointment, orphanages usually lived on donations. There was some support from temples and the imperial family, but that was only for orphanages with many children.

Orphanages with 5 or fewer children were out of the question. Most weren’t even recognized as orphanages and couldn’t receive separate donations. Donations were usually for show by nobles. Small orphanages wouldn’t get their good deeds known, so nobles didn’t even bother.

That’s why smaller orphanages usually welcomed donations more than anyone, but this woman wasn’t like that.

‘I came expecting this to some extent, but…’

It was more serious than expected. Not only not welcoming, but wary.

Thinking that the reason this woman wasn’t welcoming them might be because their status wasn’t clear, Lizbeth opened her mouth.

“This is Lady Sesenia Bestel of the Bestel Marquis family. She’s also currently the owner of Iar Trading Company. Her status has been proven, so you don’t need to worry.”

When Lizbeth spoke properly, the woman awkwardly stepped back.

“I… I see. But… the children are already set to be taken by the temple…”

“Is that so? Still, I’d like to see them.”

“…”

“There’s no law against seeing children who are set to be taken by the temple, is there? And if you’ve received donation items, isn’t it basic etiquette to treat guests?”

The moment donation items enter an orphanage, the orphanage must welcome the donor and allow them to see the orphan children. This applied to all places bearing the name of an orphanage, big or small.

It was clearly stated in the imperial laws. In the past, there were cases where orphanages would only receive donation items from donors and then close down or disappear.

There were even cases where orphanages were established claiming to have children when there were none, which is why this law was created.

Because orphanages were quite easy to exploit, it was a small protection measure for donors.

An orphanage receiving support from both the temple and the imperial family. When running an orphanage, regardless of where the children came from, they could be accepted without clear documentation of their status. There was an advantage of simplifying the numerous documents that normal households would have to produce to adopt a child or use them as servants.

Also, because they didn’t have to clearly state the use of incoming donation funds and items, it was the best place for tax evasion. So Sesenia looked at the woman haughtily.

“Are you going to pretend not to know after already receiving it?”

That’s why Sesenia put down the cotton as soon as she arrived.

Usually, donors didn’t want to see the children this badly.

Meeting with children as stated in imperial law. But for nobles who only used donations to show off their wealth, it wasn’t carried out so thoroughly. So the woman looked quite flustered.

“I understand.”

There were cases where orphanages didn’t welcome donors for various reasons, but she was certainly peculiar.

She seemed very unwelcoming not only to donors but to anyone’s visit. Nevertheless, as the imperial law stated, the woman reluctantly led the way.

‘It’s shabby.’

It was really hard to see this as an orphanage. An orphanage should have group rooms where several children can stay together, or activity facilities, but this place just felt like a declining noble family’s house.

Even though there were only five children, it was unusually quiet. A place without even voices.

A place with only the sound of clicking heels. Dust was all over the windowsills and corners, and it wasn’t even cleaned. The lights flickered, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Strangely, the floor was unusually clean.

What’s odd is that the orphanage woman didn’t seem to care much about how unusually shabby the orphanage was.

Meanwhile, the woman stopped in front of a room in the corner.

“It’s here.”

“I’ll go in. Could you step aside so I can talk to the children alone?”

She was trying to come in herself as she opened the door. Sesenia shook her head at her.

“No.”

Quite firmly.

“Why not?”

“How can you with the children…”

“I don’t understand why you’re stopping me when I’m not an untrustworthy person and my identity has been fully proven.”

Still, she was adamant.

“I can show you the children. But I must always be present.”

“A donor is not only a donor but also has the status of an investigator who can inspect the orphanage. It’s a decree made because the imperial family and temples can’t manage all orphanages. Are you still going to say no?”

“…”

She fell silent.

It was a very old law. A law that ordinary people wouldn’t know well. In reality, it was aimed at monitoring through nobles because it was difficult for the imperial family and temples to check each and every one.

In recent times, even nobles often don’t see the children because it’s troublesome, so it’s natural not to know.

“If you’re an imperial citizen, or even if you’re from another country running an orphanage on imperial land, you should follow the law. If you don’t follow the law, I’ll go out right now and bring you before His Majesty the Emperor.”