Duke, Is This Your First Time? -R15 - Chapter 51

Although there was a faint smile on the director’s face, his eyes were filled with a gleam of impatience.

“I’m sorry, but the circumstances are not favorable for him to stay with you. I’ll send Har to the marquisate if that would do.”

When he said he would send Har, Lulien thought it was the typical director and clicked her tongue inwardly. Unfortunately, she felt as if she had to give up the expectation to take a break comfortably today.

However, it wasn’t the Marquis of Camellia who responded to the director’s offer.

“I’m fine. I want to visit the place where my friends live and eat together with them. Mom, can I do that?”

The girl’s pleading voice, which she used to ask her mother, was undoubtedly filled with strong determination to spend time in this place.

Marquis Camellia, who was smiling softly while looking at her cute daughter, raised her hand and stroked her daughter’s hair.

“That would do. I’ll pick you up after I get off work.”

“M-My Lady. If anything, the meals here won’t suit your taste.”

The panicking headmaster came out with an excuse that would make the little girl back off, but it was in vain.

“Don’t worry. The people from the marquisate will send you the ingredients. My daughter won’t be a bother to you.”

“But…….”

“Or is there a problem with my daughter staying here? I don’t think she would do anything other than spending time with the kids.”

Contrary to the smile that spread across her mouth, Marquess Camellia’s eyes that were directed at the headmaster were cold.

The headmaster, who was pressured by her gaze, could bring herself to speak no more. It was understandable that he couldn’t say no because by that, he couldn’t make the kids work.

Marquess Camellia, who beat the headmaster in a calm yet elegant way, finished her remarks with a smile.

“Please take care of my daughter while I’m at the palace, headmaster.”

***

“Wow, there are such days in my life.”

As he came out of the front yard after lunch, Lulien smiled pleasantly. It was the first time for him to have such a delicious and nutritious meal.

After Marquess Camellia went to the palace, a couple of wagons arrived by lunchtime.

The front of the carriage was occupied by kitchen staff, including chefs, and the back of the carriage was filled with fresh and luxurious ingredients.

Taking over the kitchen, they quickly cooked food. There were a few dishes that kids usually ate, and there were also the dishes they had never seen before.

They were certainly nutritious foods.

While eating the food, Lulien realized one thing.

Even food with the same name could be food or plain garbage depending on who made it.

Lulien’s eyes turned to the girl who was together with Har.

Elysia Camellia. It was the name that the girl told. Har must have already known it.

Based on what Har when she asked about it, he said that he met Elysia by chance around four days ago while out on the street to run some errand given by the headmaster.

He said that he helped her, who lost her companion and wandered around helplessly.

Har said that he asked for her name and where she lived, but she had no idea how she ended up here.

‘How am I supposed to know? She would have told you to spread her name and appearance around so that someone can come get her.’

It wasn’t an ordinary noble family, but a high-ranking noble family. The amount of information she wanted could be obtained quickly by using someone.

‘Anyway, you should have stayed a little longer.’

Lulien glared at Har, who listened to Elysia without saying anything.

Why if they act brusquely and are clumsy? What if she gets bored and goes home quickly?

Thinking that she should also take care of her until the Marquess was done with her work, Lulien walked up to where they were. It might be boring, but she thought she could at least try to deal with her as well.

But soon enough, Lulien realized that she was mistaken.

Elysia, who seemed innocent, was surprisingly knowledgeable. On top of that, she knew the answer for things that Lulien had spent time about for a long time.

It was after she came to talk to Elysia and was immediately drawn in a conversation with her.

Lulien constantly asked questions and Elysia answered, leaving Har like a fish out of water.

Lulien, who was thankful when Elysia said that she would ask her teacher or mother about the things she didn’t know and would tell her later, and she asked her what she wanted to do here. She tried to comply to it if possible.

Elysia said she wanted to look around the orphanage, so Lulien and Har took the girl and showed her around.

She definitely couldn’t enter the place where they worked or the punishment room, but when evening came, they were able to look around most parts of the orphanage.

Dinner was also quickly prepared by the staff of the marquisate.

Lulien, who had eaten more than enough that her stomach even had a bump, wondered.

It must not be every day, she just hoped Elysia comes every once in a while.

Did heaven grant her wish? From the next day, Elysia began to visit the orphanage as if she was going to work.

***

“Lulien, Har, I’m here!”

By the end of the breakfast, the director’s face became darker day by day because Elysia kept coming there.

The deadline was approaching, but he couldn’t get the children to work, so he was getting anxious. But he just couldn’t tell Elysia not to come.

Even common noble children are treated with care to not offend them, and Elysia was the only daughter and heir of the Marquess.

The headmaster had no choice but to be concerned with every word she said.

She, who thought this couldn’t keep happening, tried to suggest to Elysia to take Lulien and Har to the marquisate to play with them, but it didn’t work out.

The heir of Marquess of Camellia replied with an innocent look on his face each time while smiling brightly.

“It’s more fun to play here because there are a lot of friends.”

The headmaster eventually realized that the only way was to wait for Elysia’s interest in the orphanage to disappear as soon as possible.

Unlike the headmaster, who continued to be depressed, the children at the orphanage were simply happy.

When Elysia comes, they don’t have to work, eat deliciously, they’re just given a talk if they make a mistake, and they aren’t even dragged to the punishment room.

The faces of the children who played together were bright and all smiles filled with a lot of laughter.

Such changes were happening in just four days.

But as time went on, Lulien vaguely felt something was off.

At first, she thought a noble child like Elysia just kept coming out of curiosity, but it didn’t seem to be just that.

On the evening of the fifth day, after Elysia returned and left Lulien with Har, she asked.

“Har, didn’t you feel there’s something off?”

“……?”

Lulien let out a deep sigh as she looked at Har with eyes as if asking what did she mean by that.

“It’s foolish of me to ask you.”

From then on, Lulien began to carefully watch Elysia’s behavior. And she was able to notice several things.

Coming into the dining room every morning at the end of the breakfast time of the orphanage might have been her trick to check how the orphanage serves children breakfast.

Otherwise, Elysia’s gaze wouldn’t have been directed to the table first. It’s like that every time.

She also seemed to have an intention for leaving the orphanage after dinner time.

In all honesty, Elysia didn’t do anything particular in the orphanage. She just sat somewhere in the front yard and played, chatted, or read books.

Some days, she didn’t play because she had a lot of homework and kept doing her homework.

If she’s just doing her homework, she should do that at home. When asked why she’s here, she would smile and say that she wanted to do it with friends by her side, and such an answer didn’t sound very valid.

As if she knew the headmaster wouldn’t feed the kids properly and make them work if she wasn’t there.

At first, she thought it was reasonable, but she thought it wasn’t really that impossible.

If people had researched about the orphanage in advance, they would have had a rough idea of what kind of situation the children were experiencing.

When she thought that, she figured out things that seemed strange in Elysia’s words and behaviors.

For example, it was this.

After they got close, they talked about various things, and when the topic about the day Elysia dan Har met for the first time came up, Lulien told about what happened.

“Har was scolded a lot that day and he didn’t even eat dinner. They even scold him without a reason……”

Har, who was beside her, hit her side so she wouldn’t bring it up, but Lulien thought Elysia should know about it.

Although it could be considered as backstabbing, it was based on her prediction that if Elysia felt sorry, she would come to the orphanage even more.

Elysia was furious when she heard Lulien. Her kitten eyes were wide open and her forehead wrinkled cutely.

“How could they scold him without a reason? That’s too much.”

Looking at Elysia, who was more furious than expected, Lulien thought she should appease her. She and Har would be in trouble if she were to go to the headmaster and confront her. But there was no need for that. The angry-looking Elysia began to take a deep breath.

The girl took a deep breath several times and stared at Lulien and Har again. Despite still having an angry look, she already looked kind of calm.

“So, how does the headmaster scold him?”

“Huh?”

“Does she scold him with words? Or hit him?”

“…….”

Such a question was difficult to answer, so when Lulien seemed unwilling to answer, Elysia murmured with narrowed eyes, her hands attached on each waist.

“As expected, she hit him.”

Lulien thought about her words. Isn’t the term ‘as expected’ something that people usually use when their assumption is confirmed?

She thought she (Elysia) might have used it wrong, but it wasn’t weird at all upon assuming that Elysia knew about the circumstances in the orphanage.

Lulien was finally able to draw a final conclusion after gathering up various things.

Elysia might have visited this orphanage with a plan in mind.

Therefore on the eighth day, Lulien called out to Elysia quietly while Har climbed up the tree to pick fruit.