Chapter 4

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: I'll Raise the Villain Properly - Chapter 4

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"Miss, we've arrived."

While I was lost in thought, the carriage had already reached its destination.

I stepped down with the coachman's assistance.

The first thing that caught my eye was the large sign reading Vusnie Orphanage.

Beyond the sign lay a small dirt yard. With stones and crushed petals scattered on the ground, it looked like the children's play area.

"Not even a single toy in this playground?"

They could at least provide a shovel for building sandcastles.

I clicked my tongue as I passed the dirt yard masquerading as a playground. What greeted me was a building not even a fraction of the size of the ducal residence.

"...It's in worse shape than I thought."

Up close, the building looked far more dilapidated than it had from afar.

Cracks riddled the outer walls, thick boxes covered the broken windows, and one corner of the wall had all its paint peeled away.

It was a dreary space that hardly seemed like an orphanage.

"I suppose I should knock first..."

The wooden door was badly rotted. One knock might shatter it.

"Who might that be?"

Thankfully, before I could risk breaking the door, someone called out to me.

I turned toward the voice. Standing there was a middle-aged woman with a sour face.

"I've come to see the children."

She eyed me warily for a moment, then quickly scanned my outfit.

To be precise, my clothes.

My attire wasn't overly flashy, but the quality was top-notch. The same went for my shoes and gloves.

Common among nobles, but something a commoner could never dream of affording.

"I-is that so!"

I could almost hear the abacus clacking as calculations ran through her head. Dropping her guarded stance, the woman approached me with a stream of bows.

"Y-you should have sent word ahead. I would have come out to greet you properly."

"No need for such fuss. I'm not that important a guest."

"It's quite chilly out, isn't it? If you'd given notice, I could have prepared some warm tea..."

"More importantly, how long do I have to stand out here? As I said, it's cold."

I cut her off. I knew exactly why she was dragging this out.

"O-oh, right away! Just a moment—no, one minute, please wait!"

After insisting I stay put, she scurried off somewhere. At the same moment, a commotion erupted from behind the door.

'They're frantically cleaning up.'

It was obvious without looking.

The orphanage's interior was usually a mess. The lazy director rarely cleaned anywhere but her own office.

The only time she and the staff cleaned was right before a noble visitor arrived.

No noble would want to adopt a child raised in filth, after all. They had to impress the big spenders.

But I had no intention of waiting for them to finish.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the doorknob.

With a loud bang, the door swung open.

The moment I stepped inside, my eyes met those of a child wiping the floor with a filthy rag.

"......"

"......"

A brief silence hung between me and the child.

Those burning crimson eyes weren't common. Moreover, the child resembled the Bellomon Duke perfectly.

Though long hair covered half his face, the visible jawline matched the duke's exactly.

He'd look just like that if the duke were a child, I thought.

Even the slight curls in his jet-black hair, like polished ebony, sealed it.

'No doubt about it. It's Edwin.'

I was certain. Given all the circumstances, this child was the Bellomon Duke's son—the protagonist of From Illegitimate Child to Family Head, Edwin.

But why was Edwin holding a rag?

Crack!

The silence shattered with the sound of something breaking.

I turned to see the wooden door, its hinges snapped, lying on the floor.

"......"

It had broken after all.

I'd expected as much and clicked my tongue briefly.

"Y-you were supposed to wait outside!"

A frantic voice made me turn again.

Mid-fifties face, bald pate, large mole on the left side of his philtrum.

His appearance gave him away. He was the orphanage director.

"W-what are you all doing? Greet the guest properly."

At the director's glance, the child set down the rag and stood.

The other children followed suit, placing their paper boxes and blankets on the floor and bowing to me.

But I couldn't return their greeting.

"Were you having the children... clean just now?"

When I'd entered, Edwin had been scrubbing a stained floor with a rag.

The other kids were the same. In their haste, they clutched piles of trash or hastily folded blankets.

The situation was clear. The director had made the children do the adults' cleaning.

In the original story, the director exploited the kids whenever she could, but the specifics weren't detailed. I hadn't imagined she'd make children not even a meter tall clean.

"N-no, of course not."

But the director waved it off in denial.

"It's because the children are so good-hearted. They always beg to help during cleaning time or mealtimes. Right, kids?"

"Yes."

"See? Our children are such angels, haha!"

I shifted my gaze from the laughing director to the children. Their reluctant tones were obvious.

Part of me wanted to call out the lie, but it wasn't the time yet. Replacing the corrupt director and staff required solid evidence first.

"Such angelic children will adapt well even after adoption."

Evidently, he thought I'd come to adopt a child.

'Of course, I do plan to take Edwin, so it's not entirely wrong...'

But I couldn't take him right away. Adopting the duke's child out of nowhere would raise suspicions.

"Before deciding on adoption, I'd like some time to bond with them. Not just today—I plan to visit often."

"Of course, you should."

The director rubbed his hands like a fly possessed.

"It's mealtime anyway, so how about joining them for a meal to get acquainted?"

"M-mealtime?"

"Is that a problem?"

"N-no, but we don't have food fit for a young lady like yourself..."

"I don't mind what I eat, so don't worry."

"U-understood. Please wait here just a moment."

"Sure. I'll play with the children."

The director and staff exchanged glances before vanishing quickly.

I sat on the floor, feeling a bit awkward.

'Dealing with so many kids at once is a first for me.'

And they were all watching me warily, too frozen to do anything.

'In times like this, the adult has to make the first move.'

Kids were shy around strangers anyway. And these weren't nobles—they were commoners. Facing an adult noble must be intimidating.

Recalling how I played with Lucian, I spoke up.

"Who wants to play toys with me?"

I raised my voice a tone higher. My voice was on the low side for a woman, so it might scare them.

"Ooh, look at this cute doll!"

I'd just picked up a doll rolling on the floor.

"Me!"

"Me! I'll do it!"

A few children approached, eyes sparkling.

'Thank goodness some aren't shy.'

They were like little angels.

I sighed in relief and shook the doll.

"Alright, let's play with the doll together, Auntie."

As I shook it with a friendly smile,

Thud, the doll's head fell to the floor.

"......"

The warm atmosphere chilled instantly. The decapitated doll looked grotesque to young eyes.

"A-Auntie will fix it."

I desperately tried to reattach the head. But restoring a broken toy wasn't easy.

"It's okay."

"Let's play with blocks instead."

Thankfully, the children fetched other toys as if it were routine.

"Shall we?"

It was a relief for me.

But that relief was short-lived. Not a single toy they brought was intact.

"Why are there stains on the doll's clothes?"

"Oh, the rats peed on it."

"Why are the block edges all worn down?"

"It rained a lot last summer. They all rusted."

"......How about we skip toys and play something else?"

Vowing to replace the broken door and toys, I made another suggestion.

"How about tag?"

It was a bit undignified for a noblewoman, but kids this age loved physical play.

"Okay!"

The children nodded eagerly.

"It's so fun having a pretty big sister play with us."

Even cheering me up like that—it was perfect for me.

'But it feels like I'm only playing with the outgoing ones.'

I glanced at the children huddled in the corner. Edwin was among the group squatting silently.

"Come on, don't just sit there. Play with us."

"......"

"It'll make dinner taste even better if we have fun first."

I tried persuading them, but they didn't budge.

'This is a problem.'

My main reason for coming here was to get close to Edwin. The boy who'd shape Lucian's future couldn't ignore me...

"Sis, leave them be and play with us."

"Huh?"

"They like sitting there. No need to play with kids who don't want to, right?"

"True, but isn't it more fun with everyone?"

"Well, if you say so..."

The brown-haired girl who'd spoken to me pouted briefly before approaching the corner group.

"Hey, get up already."

"......"

"Didn't you hear? Sis wants to play with everyone!"

At her near-command, Edwin and the others slowly stood.

Watching the scene, an inexplicable unease settled over me.