One.
An elegant carriage with the Marques duchy’s emblem engraved on it was driving through a dense birch forest.
At the end of the road, with sunlight shining through the trees, I saw a small, cozy building. Soon, an old sign saying “Temple Orphanage” would appear in front of us.
The director of the orphanage was lost in thought when the noble family’s carriage appeared without warning. Because it is located in a remote forest, it will still take some time to reach the entrance along the single path, but everyone at the orphanage suddenly starts to get busy.
“Bring all the children! “Make it as neat as possible!”
The director frantically scolded the children, while his eyes began to flutter and his head began to roll.
‘I could catch a big gun!’
If you’re lucky, you might be able to bite a nobleman who wants to adopt you. If that happens, you will receive a large amount of donations.
Even if it wasn’t, it was definitely a good thing since at least one less thing would be saved. His eyes sparkled with greed.
＊＊＊
“Ronnie! Are you pooping again!?”
The speech of children who had never seen or learned anything was very rough. Ronnie was constantly teased by his friends for being a poop today. How many times a day do you poop?
“… … .”
It’s not like that… … .
I had misunderstood it when I saw him crouching beyond the bushes, but I kept my mouth shut because I felt like I would get caught if I refuted it.
It’s already been two years since he lived here, and seven-year-old Ronnie has a vague feeling that he might be a girl.
Even if you didn’t know anything when you were young, you couldn’t help but feel strange as you grew older.
But everyone around her thought she was a boy. She said that when her mother left her child in her care, she said it was a boy.
Fortunately, we haven’t been caught yet. He was thankful that at the orphanage he had to do everything himself.
In other words, there is no need to show your body to others when changing clothes or washing. No, to be exact, it was close to almost no need to change clothes or wash.
My clothes were always the same rags, and the only time I bathed was to wash myself in a stream before Holy Days.
Thanks to that, the gender was never known, but as Ronnie grew older, he realized something was strange.
All boys urinate while standing. But he sits down naturally. Out of curiosity, I tried to imitate other kids, but I ended up just throwing away my pants.
Children often made fun of me when they saw me crouching in the grass.
‘Ronnie is pooping again~ Choleri Choleri!’
When I shouted no, the boys made an incomprehensible look on their faces. ‘Why are you squatting when you’re not even pooping?’
From then on, I felt something strange. Ronnie, who had observed her surroundings well, had an idea that she might be a woman. She said, no, she seemed like she was a woman.
From then on, I did my best to hide alone so as not to be caught.
Only seven years old. Fortunately, no one suspected her.
“hey! Everyone, jump out!”
Someone came running and told us to gather in the hall on the first floor immediately. The boys who were teasing Ronnie ran away first, and she quickly gathered up her clothes and quickly ran after her.
If you’re late, you’ll get kicked in the stomach again. If nothing else, it really hurts.
When I entered the hall, there was a row of mischievous children standing in a row. Ronnie was in last place. Ronnie quietly stood at the end of the line, observing the director’s notice.
“Why are you coming now!”
I felt the director’s harsh gaze. Normally, there would have been a lot of hand-wringing, but fortunately nothing happened, perhaps because there were guests in the inner room.
I sighed in relief and glanced around, suddenly realizing that I couldn’t see any girls.
Oh, it’s only for boys.
The director also did not know Ronnie’s real gender.
Ronnie, who had vaguely realized his gender, once wondered whether he should speak first. But without much thought, she decided that it would be better to keep her secret.
The path the girls took was obvious. Being an adopted daughter and being treated like a plaything.
This was the case in most cases of adoption as a foster daughter. Unless you have no choice but to choose adoption because you need a boy to carry on the family line, there is no reason to take in a girl who was an orphan as an adoptive daughter.
The nobles take in orphaned girls under the name of ‘adoptive girls’, play with them appropriately, and then give them up. She is an adopted daughter in name only, but in reality she lives a life no different from a nobleman’s toy. It was obvious what would happen next.
Not only that, but the director himself was someone who could not be reassured. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t touch her.
Ronnie didn’t know the details about that side of things yet, but everyone knew that the director had bad hand habits. When the girls started to show even the slightest signs of maturity, he never left them alone.
In that case, it would have been much better for him to be treated roughly as a boy. Getting kicked hurt a lot, but it wasn’t that miserable.
Sweet.
As I was tense, the door opened and someone came in. I lifted my head slightly and saw a gentleman and a lady who looked very young.
“… … !”
Ronnie’s eyes widened as he saw the nobleman for the first time in his life.
If there were an angel, would it look like this? They were so beautiful that it was too dazzling to look at them. People who are white, clear and shiny.
Why did people like that come to this shabby orphanage? If you want to take someone with you… … ?
‘What does it feel like to be chosen by nobles?’
The director began to talk to them with excessive obsequiousness. However, the content of the conversation did not enter Ronnie’s dazed mind properly.
“These are the kids. I hope you like it… … .”
They were a couple who wanted a boy to find a playmate for their son. Just like the Duke of Marques and his wife. These people are famous for their great power, fearsome prestige, and, ironically, even greater character. It was rather strange that the director’s head did not touch the floor.
‘Playmate?’
It was a word that stuck in my hazy mind.
Ronnie, as a playmate, had also glanced over his shoulder.
The nobles’ playmates were not just people they played with, but were closer to a friend they grew up with. In order to be close to each other and have conversations at the right level, they need to receive similar education, so they become people who study, practice swordsmanship, and play together.
Since they are such creatures, they are usually selected from the children of a butler or aide, but if there is no suitable peer, they are taken from an orphanage and educated from an early age. When they are young, they grow up together as playmates, and when they become adults, they become attendants and continue to serve by their side.
There is no way other children could not have heard what Ronnie heard. Even though he was not adopted, he was not just a servant, but if he was a play partner, he was like a child sent down from heaven.
Sometimes, if you are unlucky, you may become the target of the anger of misbehaving masters or even become a beaten child, but no matter what, you will join a noble family. It’s like a dream for everyone.
Everyone’s eyes lit up and they started trying to impress the director and the noble couple. Ronnie was the only one with his head down.
Ronnie’s only goal is to stay here for as long as possible without being detected. If she goes to a noble family for no reason, her gender will be discovered. That much should be avoided.
Meanwhile, the Duchess began to look at each person closely. At the soft voice and graceful gestures of the noble lady of her class, even though she was all nervous, her mouth opened wide as if she had melted.
Stand tall.
Finally, she stood in front of Ronnie.
“Son, will you raise your head?”
Ronnie calmly raised his head at the voice coming from right above him.
“… … .”
Ronnie looked blankly at the angel.
There could be such a beautiful person in the world.
The noble lady in front of me looked literally noble.
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
When Ronnie was so nervous that his hands were shaking slightly, she spoke in a soft, reassuring voice.
“S-sorry.”
The Duchess smiled softly as she watched the child answer in a crawling voice.
She liked Ronnie the moment she saw him.
He was an impressive child with kind-looking bright eyes, a sallow-looking mouth, and cream-colored short hair that almost reached his shoulders. It was messy, but if I trimmed it well, it would turn into dazzling white blonde hair.
A clear soul could be felt in the transparent eyes. The eyes, which I thought were gray, turned out to be light purple upon closer inspection. It goes perfectly with pale cream-colored hair.
The child’s face was red, as if he had just run over. She was a little haggard, but her plump cheeks were adorable. I had a feeling that if she was fed and clothed well, she would definitely be a lovely child.
She is a duchess whose lifelong wish was to have a daughter. Even though she had a boy, and she wasn’t adopting, she wanted to take a cute child with her if possible.
After asking a few questions about the child, the Duchess made her decision right away.
“Honey, I’ll take this kid.”
The duke, who intended to completely respect his wife’s opinion, nodded without a word. He trusted his wife’s insight, and he also liked the child.
There was a mixture of joy and sadness at her declaration. The children who weren’t chosen couldn’t hide their disappointment, and Ronnie’s face became truly contemplative.
‘What should I do?’
Now I couldn’t say that I was actually a girl. After the noble family passed away, it seemed unlikely that the enraged director would spare him. Or he might sell it somewhere right away.
“Hehehe. “What a great choice!”
In comparison, the director was just a flower. It doesn’t matter who it is, just the fact that there is a child chosen by the nobles is a source of joy.
“What is your name?”
“… … “Ronnie.”
“Ronnie?”
“yes.”
“That’s a cute name.”
“… … .”
Ronnie couldn’t shake it off, so he just hung his head restlessly.
