“My word…”

The nursery director’s eyes widened.

Just when I awkwardly tilted my head.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a scrawny baby!”

“Uh, uhm…?”

The housemaids had purposely dressed me shabbily for the gypsy village… I looked down at my stained underwear and dirty coat and sighed.

“My goodness, you look like a maltreated Maltese. You must have been abandoned; come here!”

I was mistaken by this gypsy grandma for some stupid runt.

Furthermore, I was easily lifted and taken into the nursery.

I quickly signaled to Ted and Acid that I was okay and let out a deep sigh.

But since I’d gotten inside the nursery, I had to think of it as a good thing.

(This is a time marker.)

“So… you’re looking for someone?”

Ted and Acid, along with the muscular housemaids, followed me quickly. It seems the misunderstanding that I’m a scrawny Maltese was cleared up.

This nursery director… shows no signs of letting me go.

“Well, first… ahem! I have to do this.”

“Arrgh!”

But this director seemed experienced.

She sat me on her lap, wiped my nose, and even washed my face. She was definitely a pro in childcare.

I nearly dozed off under her touch, like a real Maltese.

If I were an ordinary fiveyearold, I would have dozed off and fallen asleep, but luckily, I was not ordinary.

“Uh…”

“The person you’re looking for, is he a gypsy?”

“Yes. Um… I want to have my fortune told. It’s an important matter.”

I used the same excuse as Melodia from the original work.

“Fortune telling…”

The nursery director’s warm face turned stern as she looked down at me. She didn’t look like an ordinary woman with curly hair and around her eyes, she looked mystical.

“Old folks say, gypsies are born under the star of prophecy.”

This director already seems mystical.

I met her gaze with a confident look and blinked.

“People who can prophesize are, actually, not common. No, they’re almost nonexistent.”

“…”

“It won’t be easy to find one.”

If a gypsy says it’s ‘hard to find,’ it must really be hard to find.

“But if the hint is this, this…”

I made my eyes sparkle, looking as pitiable as a scrawny Maltese.

Finally, the director wiped the grime from my face and left me a clue.

“Yes… Hmm, they are ordinary gypsies, so they’ll be where gypsies gather.”
I nodded silently.

Well, if it’s where the gypsies gather…

(This is a time separator.)

I thought it would be easier to gather information from within the orphanage rather than scouring the alleys for gypsies.

Turning to the orphanage director who was patting me like a scruffy Maltese, I said I wanted to volunteer since I was here.

Originally being an alley boss myself, I want to play with the kids!

The director wiped off the black grime on my chubby cheeks and nodded.

‘What would gypsies like?’

Pondering, I tried to look for someone who would know most about gypsies. Of course, inside the orphanage!

“If you volunteer, play with our Maltese… no, the children. For knights, mow the lawn outside, and maids, sort the equipment.”

Following the excellent allocation by the director, we dispersed in pieces.

Since Ted couldn’t let me go alone, musclebound Dedri stepped forward.

“Good to have extra hands.”

Hearing the director’s proud voice, I headed to room 201 as she directed.

The orphanage had two floors, and room 201 housed children aged between 10 and 15. The director warned not to be too shocked by whatever I see there. Gypsy children are naturally aggressive.

I tiptoed down the hallway with Dedri, as if playing hide and seek. It was fun. I was about to cheerfully enter room 201.

If they’re gypsy children, they should listen to me…

“Hey, you find this funny?”

I halted.

“Huh? I asked if it’s funny.”

As I approached room 201, sounds of bickering and fighting filled the air.

The atmosphere inside the orphanage felt off.

“Little one? Why—”

“Shush. Go away.”

I warned Dedri and pushed her away from the door. She yielded easily to my small hands.

Confirming she was a bit away, I cautiously peered through the crack. About seven children were inside room 201.

They had circled around a child in the center, whose face was hard to see.

“Say it again, huh?”

“…”

“Ah, say it again with that stupid mouth.”

A voice like a thug’s. A threatening clenched fist too.

“Boss, hold back. The director might come—”

“Ah, fuck it. I don’t care. Either that bastard dies, or I do. We need to finish this today.”

I widened my eyes. The boy called ‘Boss’ tensed his toes.

‘That posture, he’s about to kick!’

The ‘Boss’s’ foot was already in a kicking stance.

Unable to bear it, I impulsively opened the door.

Then one of the gypsy children with keen ears saw me.

“Boss, there’s some girl outside!”

All eyes were on me.

The child who was almost beaten up seemed to see me too.

I clenched my fist firmly and looked at them.

“Violence is forbidden!”

The one who looked like the Boss, a scruffy boy, approached me.

“What’s this fluffy little girl doing here?”

Blue hair and golden eyes.

Dark blue eyebrows already scarred, and a mark on his cheek.

Obviously a gangster.

Yet, even that looked dreamily beautiful.

“Hey, if it’s not your business, get lost.”

I clenched my fist. I intended to correct this guy’s attitude.
At that moment, a voice filled with intense fury echoed from behind me.

“You son of a…”

It was Deadri, enormous as a mountain, who appeared.

Her expression was utterly ominous, even using local dialect as she clenched her teeth.

Bearing everyone’s gaze upon her, Deadri snapped her joints, and spoke.

“What did you say to my brother Hertian?”

Thunk, thunk.

The sound of her cracking joints reverberated in the quiet room.