Chapter 4

The grand duke sighed to himself.

Every year, a significant amount of funding and donations went to the orphanage, but it was clear that it was never used in full to take care of the children. Of course, they were children who would attend the military academy, or if they were lucky become beneficiaries of aristocratic families, so they probably weren’t being abused, but still...

Most matrons and principals of orphanages maintained the management philosophy that providing only minimal care was enough. The Kendall bastard appeared to be much more attached to that philosophy than most. That’s what the grand duke assumed anyway.

“I find you unqualified to carry out this work, and I hereby order your immediate suspension. You shall remain on probation as you await your official sentencing,” the grand duke commanded.

“W-Wait! Your Grace! This simply isn’t fair, I—”

“Take him away.”

“You can’t do this to me! This orphanage is my property! Even if you are the grand du— Mmph!” A benevolent-looking guard covered the principal’s mouth deftly.

As the duke looked at the flailing Kendall, he said in a tone of warning, “If you continue to speak, your property won’t be all that’s in danger. Your life will be too.”

Principal Kendall flinched. He was not the only one, even Miss Lisa, the teacher who was holding Sienna, shuddered after hearing the open threat. It was the perfect time for the unconscious girl to open her eyes. She had been quietly waiting for it to come.

“Ugh...”

“Oh, Sienna! Are you awake?”

Her eyelids fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes. It wasn’t an act, she truly wanted to avoid seeing the grand duke there as much as possible. But if she continued to pretend she was unconscious, she could be dragged off without so much as a chance to protest.

“Mhm...” She finally opened her green eyes and was immediately met with the grand duke’s red ones looking directly at her. The grand duke frowned for a split second as though he had been poked with a needle.

Oh. Sienna felt quite a wave of relief. The grand duke didn’t seem to like her very much. Maybe… She tried to carefully think of a plan. The grand duke thought of orphaned magicians as a military resource. I don’t know what made him suddenly declare that he would be taking me with him, but he must be regretting his decision after seeing how weak I am, right?

That was her chance. She had never acted like that before in her past life, but at that moment, she wasn’t in a position to be picky. She tugged at Lisa’s sleeve from between the teacher’s arms while continuing to tremble.

“I-I...”

“What is it, Sienna?”

“I’m... scared.”

Sienna’s acting was incredibly convincing. In truth, it wasn’t exactly an act. It was almost entirely a product of her true emotions. Her small body shook at the thought of being dragged down to hell, and her young self was still inexperienced at controlling her emotions. She began to cry. She felt as though she might faint again, but she held on tightly to consciousness as the tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

“Sienna...” The kind Miss Lisa felt a pain in her chest as she watched the child cry soundlessly after fainting once already. Even so, she couldn’t allow her to continue crying like that since it might irritate the grand duke. “Sienna, it’s not good to cry like this.”

“Miss Lisa, can’t I stay here?”

The teacher tried to soothe the girl, but Sienna only clung to her with more desperation as if the woman had become her only lifeline.

“I-I’ll be a good girl. I’ll only eat a little and I’ll take good care of the little ones. Okay?”

Lisa held the inconsolable child closer to her, then decided to appeal to the adults who she imagined would understand her better. “Sh-she’s still a child, Your Grace. She’s scared because she’s being made to leave a place she’s become fond of. If we coax her with words she’ll be able to understand...”

However, Sienna began to bawl. She bawled loudly as if to say that she refused to listen to anyone. At first, she had just clenched her eyes shut while making loud noises, but soon her sobs began to flow far more naturally than she had expected. She cried so woefully that even she forgot that she was acting. Then her face turned bright red.

“N-no, Miss Lisa! P-P-Please save me! Please?”

“Sienna, if you keep crying like this...” Lisa’s eyes also began to well up with tears as she soothed the girl.

The grand duke sighed and his attendant jumped into action. “Miss, if you cry, then the child will become even more scared. His Grace would never force a little girl who says she doesn’t want to go to leave with him. Isn’t that right?” It sounded like he was speaking to Lisa, but he was actually saying it for the child to hear.

Sienna sniffled. Her sobs actually did become quieter.

The attendant quickly glanced back at the grand duke, as if to say Hurry up and tell her you won’t take her!

The duke remained silent. He was so silent that he made the small space feel stifling.

Tears once again welled up in Sienna’s green eyes. She was crying so much that she wondered if her eyes would start to swell.

With his unhappiness visibly written on his face, the grand duke finally said, “Very well. I shall leave for today.”

Sienna hiccuped as her tears magically stopped.

Hmph. Even if he was the grand duke, he couldn’t help but feel speechless upon seeing that.

Sienna said nothing, but she felt a bit guilty, so surreptitiously pretended to cry again while burying her face in Lisa’s chest. To her relief, the grand duke didn’t say anything more to her on the matter.

After a few moments, he walked away until both his and his attendant’s footsteps were just echoes in the distance. Sienna sat there still feeling shaken as she listened to Lisa send the grand duke off. She had succeeded in not going to the underworld.

That was easy, she thought silently.

Although she had succeeded, she didn’t quite feel filled with joy. That wretched life... That foolish end... What had they all been for? I could have avoided all of that just by doing this from the start… She felt empty. So what will happen to me now?

She was eleven years old and an orphan. She was no longer under the protection of House Nacht either. She no longer had the sister she had loved with every fiber of her being. For the first time in her life, she felt as if all she had was her life and nothing else.

“Are you all right?” Lisa said, noticing Sienna’s blank stare.

I made such a fuss, and yet... The teacher didn’t seem upset with her at all. She simply gazed at the child with a look of pure worry and pity in her eyes.

“Miss Lisa...”

“It’s all right, His Grace is gone now. No need to cry anymore. Your pretty face must be aching.”

Sienna suddenly realized something again as she listened to the woman’s warm, crooning words. Compared to Lisa, Lorena hadn’t really treated her that kindly in her past life. Her sister’s words were sweet and her smile was friendly, but there were countless times where she never went any further than that. What Sienna had considered to be comforting words were often actually sly tricks meant to back her into a corner. That was precisely what Lorena’s offer to share her mana had been. That sly trickster.

She thought back to her last conversation with Lorena before she died and how her sister had come to look down on her even in her final moments.

“You’re right. I drank that poison and then framed you because I wanted to kill you.”

It was a reply she had expected. Of course, that didn’t stop it from hurting.

“There’s nothing I could do. You tried to leave me.”

That was true. Sienna no longer wished to be a burden to House Nacht or Lorena, so she had decided to set out on her own, even if that meant she would have to be a maid or a governess.

“Sienna, you committed a taboo with me that summer. If you try to leave me while knowing that, then how can I trust you?”

“Since you brought that up, I’d like to ask you one more thing.” Sienna had remained calm as she asked, “That summer at your vacation home... Was I truly the one who received your mana?”

Lorena’s mouth had widened into a grin. Her stunning, verdant eyes sparkled like those of a snake.“So you’ve finally figured it out, my stupid sister.”

So I was right. Sienna let out a forced laugh. The truth was that she couldn’t say anything when Lorena called her stupid since she had indeed been foolish.

“So you stole my mana, Lorena?”

“I can’t say it wasn’t any fun deceiving you, but you fell for it so well right until the end! It was almost so easy that it was boring.”

“Then one more thing.” It might have been pathetic of her to ask, but Sienna had to make sure one last time. “Lorena… Did you blame me to hide what you did?”

“That wasn’t the only reason,” she said with a smile. It was the smile of an angel—the smile Sienna loved. “I loathe you so much I want to kill you, Sienna.”