Chapter 5

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: I'll Raise the Villain Properly - Chapter 5

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'Why does it look like there's a hierarchy here?'

I alternated my gaze between the children standing near me and the group huddled way off in the corner.

The kids playing with me all looked neat and tidy. Their clothes and hair were relatively clean, too. They seemed like they could pass for children from noble families if just a little more care was put into them.

But not the ones in the corner. Some had faces covered in freckles, others had skin marred by rashes. And most of them hid their eyes under shaggy, unkempt hair.

Their clothes were the same story. Unlike the relatively clean outfits on the others, the corner kids were dressed in little more than rags.

'What in the world...?'

That's when I recalled the description from the original story.

[The director only put effort into the pretty children. The cuter and more handsome they were, the higher their chances of adoption.]

Liking pretty and cute things is human nature. It made far more sense to showcase adorable, charming kids to boost adoption rates rather than ones with no hope at all.

'The director must have dolled up the pretty ones and paraded them in front of nobles. The kids with no adoption prospects naturally got pushed to the corner.'

Children are smarter and more cunning than you'd think.

The director's favorites would have seized the advantage right away, lording over the others.

And the ones who knew no one would ever pick them had no choice but to shrink back.

'Wow, that's really messed up.'

The fact that even this tiny space had its own pecking order was shocking.

But what infuriated me most was the director, who had caused the whole thing.

None of this would have happened if she hadn't discriminated against the children from the start.

'I can't blame these kids. It's just how they acted to get out of here somehow.'

I let out a deep sigh.

I'd known the orphanage was a mess before coming, but I hadn't realized it was rotting from the inside out like this. My heart grew even heavier.

"Alright, meal's all set!"

Right on cue, the director and staff wheeled in a cart loaded with food.

"Yay! Time for a yummy meal, kids?"

I deliberately raised my voice to draw the children's attention.

But there was no need for the fuss. Unlike their hesitant stares earlier, they jumped up from their seats like puppies spotting a treat at the sight of snacks.

"Looks like everyone's pretty hungry."

"Haha, they're at that age where they're growing like weeds."

A long low table was placed in the center, and the children sat down as if they'd been waiting. Soon, steaming mushroom soup and bread covered the table.

"If we'd known a guest was coming, we'd have put more care into it, but this was so sudden—it's really nothing much—"

"Wow! So much food!"

"The bread's not even hard!"

The moment the director humbly downplayed it, cheers erupted from all around. From their reactions, it seemed they usually got even worse fare.

"That time with the cold soup, my tummy hurt so bad—"

"Ahem, May."

"......"

The director cleared her throat, and the chattering child's mouth snapped shut. The others fell silent too.

"It got cold fast because the weather was chilly that day. You understand, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"That's my good kids."

She patted the child's back, and the little body swayed unsteadily.

'I was aiming for the seat next to Edwin. Guess sitting by the director's better.'

With me right there, she probably wouldn't shoot the kids those scary glares. They had to have some sense, at least.

I was just about to step toward the seat beside her when—

"Ah, Lady Lilfrey, please take that seat over there."

One of the staff set a large plate down among the children as she spoke. Judging by the size, it had to be mine.

"The children seem to take to you so well."

I couldn't bluntly refuse after that.

I sat where the staff directed. Across from me was the brown-haired girl who'd been friendly earlier, and to my left, a boy with big eyes.

And to my right...

'Wow, this kid's really pretty.'

There was a girl with an especially striking appearance.

Her golden blond hair, like melted gold, stood out vibrantly against the drab tones of this place. Her round eyes held fresh green irises that sparkled like new leaves, and long lashes the same color as her hair cast gentle shadows around them.

'Can you even call a person "poetic"?'

She perfectly fit the word usually reserved for beautiful landscapes. She looked about Lucian's age, but even at such a young age, she had an incredibly atmospheric presence.

And as far as I knew, there was only one girl in this orphanage with looks that stood out like that.

"What's your name?"

"Me?"

I nodded as she pointed a chubby finger at her chest.

She rolled her emerald-like eyes before finally speaking.

"Amelia."

"......Pretty name."

Just as I thought.

I nodded casually and spooned up some soup. But my heart was pounding fiercely.

Amelia was the heroine of From Illegitimate Child to Family Head.

Amelia doted on the unusually shy Edwin like a big sister. In turn, Edwin opened the tightly shut door of his heart only to her.

But their time together ended when Amelia's uncle, Claude Agris the marquis, came to claim her.

Claude Agris hadn't been the head of the Agris Marquis Family originally.

The original head was Amelia's father, Ian Agris. But after the marquis and his wife died in a carriage accident, Ian's younger brother Claude inherited the title.

'He was the one who raised Amelia into a kind adult.'

Amelia had been in that fateful carriage too.

But only two bodies were found—no trace of the little girl.

The accident was so massive that survival odds were slim. Yet Claude never gave up hope that Amelia was alive.

Because no body was found.

She was too small to be spotted, or maybe flung from the carriage in the crash. People all said the same, but Claude refused to quit.

To him, who had lost his parents early, his brother had been like a father. To find his beloved brother's child, he searched the empire day and night.

And in the end, he succeeded. Three whole years after Amelia's disappearance.

'Come to think of it, our situations are pretty similar.'

We'd both lost our parents young, lost the sibling who was like a parent, and struggled to protect our one remaining blood relative.

'But the futures we face are different.'

Claude had always intended to pass the title to Amelia from the start.

Back at the marquis's estate, Amelia trained as heir, building her strength. Later, she greatly helped Edwin become head of the ducal family. Once her orphanage days ended, her path was paved with roses.

Not me, though.

I had no fortune or title to leave Lucian, nor the power to protect him.

And the road laid out for Lucian was one of villainy and gruesome death.

'Might as well rack up some points with Amelia too while I'm at it.'

Maybe for my sake, she'd show mercy to my Lucian.

"How old are you, Amelia?"

I fished a chunk of meat from my soup and placed it on her spoon.

Amelia glanced between the meat and me before speaking.

"......Seven."

Claude Agris comes to the orphanage in the summer when Amelia turns nine.

Meaning her uncle would arrive in about a year and a half.

"I thought you were the same age as my nephew. You're a year older, huh?"

"......Really?"

For some reason, Amelia's face soured at my words.

'Did I mess up?'

Saying she looked the same age as a younger kid might have bruised her pride. Children are sensitive about height.

Especially these orphanage kids, stunted by malnutrition compared to their peers.

"I meant you're so cute. Because my nephew is..."

I was groveling with excuses to cheer her up when—clink—she set down her spoon.

"Sis."

"Y-Yeah?"

"My dad's a murderer."

"Huh...?"

"Not just one or two—he killed a lot of people. Scary, right?"

"......"

"Mom's a thief."

"......"

Amelia declared her family's shame so boldly that I was speechless.

She fixed me with a warning look as I blinked dumbly.

"So be careful."

"......"

"Blood runs thick, you know. Who knows—I might steal something of yours."

She glanced at my pocket, then turned back to her meal. It was hard to believe she'd just dropped that bomb—her face was utterly calm.

'What? What just happened?'

Thoroughly flustered, I glanced around. The director and staff were too far to have overheard. The kids nearby ate on as if nothing happened.

Like it was routine.

'Your parents were high nobles! Heads of the prestigious Agris family!'

Murderer and thief? What?

'......Hold on.'

Digging through memories for this unfamiliar detail, I soon recalled something.

[Amelia never doubted her uncle would find her. But for that, she couldn't be adopted. She couldn't miss crossing paths with him. So Amelia used every trick to sabotage her own adoptions.]

The original story only briefly covered her past, so her methods weren't detailed.

'And this was her way of blocking adoptions?'