"May I know what's happening here?" I inquired, approaching one of the spectators.

"That kid stole from us again!" he fumed, his anger evident. "Last time, he was caught red-handed stealing from one of our shops. We showed mercy because his widowed mother had recently passed away. But here he is, brazenly stealing again in broad daylight!"

My heart sank as I heard their words. These people seemed to lack any sense of compassion for a poor child left alone in the streets. In a normal case, a family might volunteer to adopt such orphans or at least provide them with some means of survival. Yet, not a single person here seemed willing to help.

Either they collectively lacked kindness, or there were just too many orphans in this area for anyone to take them in.

"We've seen many kids like you, boy…" a woman shouted from the crowd. "You know what we do with such kids? We hand them over to the guards."

The boy trembled, clearly frightened by the threat.

"That's right," the burly man holding the boy's hand declared. "You better pay up, or else-"

"I told you, I didn't steal it! Did you see me stealing?" the boy pleaded through tears.

"Then tell me, why do you have that hot loaf in your hand?" the man retorted. "If not you, who stole it?"

The boy faltered, unable to provide a convincing answer.

"Please, let me try to help," I interjected, approaching the man.

The man glared at me and scoffed, "We don't need no rich missy here!"

Undeterred, I persisted, "If the boy is proven guilty, I will pay for what he stole, thrice the amount. Moreover, I'll take him under my care and ensure he lives a good life. But if he's innocent..." I cast a cold gaze at the crowd. "I'll report all of you to the guards for harassing and trying to harm a poor orphan kid."

The crowd fell silent, clearly taken aback by my words.

"Fine!" the man finally relented, violently releasing his grip on the boy's hand, causing the child to stumble forward.

As the tension eased, I turned to the boy and said, "It's alright now. You don't need to worry."

The boy looked up at me with tear-filled eyes, his fear gradually subsiding. He nodded timidly, still unsure of what was happening.

"May I know the exact details of what happened here?" I inquired, turning to the man who seemed aggrieved.

"Some twenty minutes ago, I momentarily left the shop to check on some noise in the backyard. Seeing that it was only a cat, I returned, only to find two of my loaves missing. Shortly after, I spotted this kid in front of my shop with one of the loaves," the man explained, his frustration evident.

"I only wanted to give it back!" the boy sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The man snorted dismissively. "Stop with your excuses! If you wanted to give it back, then where is the other loaf of bread?"

"That..." the boy faltered, unable to come up with a response.

"So you already ate it, huh?" the man accused.

I intervened, turning to the boy and asking, "Is it true that you stole the loaves of bread?"

With a frantic shake of his head, the boy pleaded, "No, I didn't steal them!"

"Then who did?" I probed further.

The boy's face twisted with guilt, and he hesitated to answer.

"Listen, boy, if you can't be honest with me, I won't be able to help you," I warned him.

"It... it was my... younger sister," the boy admitted, clutching the remaining loaf of bread.

"So, you both were in it together?" the burly man fumed, irritated by the revelation.

Raising a hand to silence the man, I focused on the boy. "What about the other loaf of bread?"

His tears flowed even more profusely as he confided, "We hadn't eaten for two days... I promised my sister I'd get something, but nobody here wanted to give me a job, saying I was too young... My sister got tired of waiting. By the time I found her, she had already eaten half of the bread, and I... I..."

"You ate the other half?" I asked.

The boy nodded, sniffling.

"Please, don't give us to the guards. We'll do anything, we'll be your servants, just please don't give us to the guards," he pleaded with desperation.

Sighing softly, I reached into the pouch hidden in my sleeves. Retrieving two silver coins, I handed them to the burly man, an amount more than thrice the value of the stolen bread.

"We are settled now," I declared, putting an end to the tense situation.

The man grunted as he accepted the coins. With that, the crowd dispersed, leaving only the boy and me standing there.

"Where's your sister?" I asked the boy.

The boy pointed behind me, and as I turned around, I saw Butler Leandro holding a little girl's hand in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other.

"Leo," I acknowledged him.

"At your service, Miss," Leandro replied with a warm smile. Seeing my questioning look, he continued, "I was on my way home after buying some groceries. I happened to see a commotion here and was shocked to see you in the middle of it. As I was listening in, I noticed this little one hiding behind a shop, watching the commotion with a worried face. I approached her, and she told me that the one the shopkeepers had caught was her brother."

"I see," I responded.

"You handled the situation very well, Miss," Leandro complimented me, his voice gentle.

I didn't reply and instead approached the little girl. "Are you two siblings?" I asked her.

The little girl nodded shyly, still holding tightly onto Leo's hand.

"We won't harm you, I promise," I reassured them both. "Would you like to come with me? I can provide you both with a safe place to stay and some work."

The siblings exchanged glances, and after a moment, the boy nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Miss."

Butler Leandro then offered an alternative suggestion, saying, "If I may, can I suggest a better alternative? There is an orphanage in Rutherford. It's not well-known around these parts, but it has good facilities, provides children with three full meals a day, and even offers basic education. I think it will be a better place for the kids. They'll have other children their age to befriend, too. Besides, you're here for a temporary stay, and it won't be easy to take them back to the capital with you."

He made a valid point, and I had to agree. The earl's presence made it difficult to take the children back to the manor with me.

After a moment of thought, I nodded at Leandro. He turned to the children and explained, his voice gentle and soothing, "I'm sorry, kids, but the miss here can't take you back with her. However, there is an even better place for you than her house. You will meet many friends your age, and you won't go hungry. You won't even have to work!"

Leandro was undoubtedly good at handling kids.

The little boy's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Is that true?"

"It is!" Leandro confirmed. "Would you like to go there?"

The boy responded eagerly, "Yes!"

I turned to Leandro and inquired, "Why isn't the orphanage well-known here?"

"I suppose it's because it's quite far from this town. It's also the first orphanage in Rutherford, having started only five years ago," he replied.

"Rutherford doesn't have any other orphanages?" I questioned, surprised.

"There have been attempts to establish others before, but they quickly ran out of funding because the Baron lost interest. However, this particular orphanage has many benefactors, and Baron Rutherford is just one of them," Leandro explained.

"In that case, take the children to the orphanage by carriage," I decided, gesturing toward the carriage parked nearby.

Leandro hesitated, concerned about my safety. "But how will you...?"

"Don't worry about me," I assured him.

We approached the carriage, and saw Gemma standing nearby. “Gemma,” I instructed, “Go with Butler Leandro and make sure that these kids are safely dropped off at the orphanage.”

“But what about you, Miss?” Gemma voiced her concern. “How will you make it back?”

“I’ll ride back on a horse. I’m good with directions, and I know the way back to the manor from here.”

"Even so..."

"Just do as I say," I insisted, my patience wearing thin.

Gemma and the two kids boarded the carriage with Leandro's help. Leandro spoke to the coachman, and soon the carriage set off, slowly disappearing from view.

Drained, I turned to the left and sat down on the steps of the bank building.

Back then, I had no idea that I had personally sent those kids to hell.