Chapter 18
“W-when did I say I wouldn’t follow the law? I was just a bit flustered by the situation…”
“There are so few people in this orphanage. It seems suspicious, don’t you think? And the facilities are in terrible condition. I’d like to talk to the children. If that’s not possible, I’ll go outside and talk to them there. If His Majesty the Emperor knew that the future of the empire was growing up in such a poor place, he would be deeply saddened.”
Saddened? The emperor wouldn’t care about something like this. He would die soon anyway.
The crown prince’s marriage was rushed because of the emperor’s worsening health. Even if someone told him about the orphanage, he wouldn’t be concerned or send an investigation team.
Still, Cecenia pressed the woman as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Lisbet, standing next to her, looked at her with a stiff expression.
‘Our lady… she must be possessed by a demon!’
It was obvious what she was thinking. Even Cecenia herself knew she had changed from before. In the past, she wanted to be a good person.
She had lived that way, never speaking harshly or causing harm to others.
But now, she didn’t hesitate to threaten those who harmed her or stood in the way of her goals, including Elzer.
Ted watched her with bright eyes, but Lisbet felt differently.
Even so, Cecenia remained confident.
“Well, it seems we’re not allowed, so let’s go back.”
The woman, who had been nervously biting her nails, forced an awkward smile.
“The children… they’re not in a good condition.”
“It won’t take long.”
She had no choice but to agree. There was no way to refuse any further. The woman let out a deep sigh.
“Well… nothing bad will happen, right? You have a clear status… right? Nothing will happen?”
As if she couldn’t afford to let this place be discovered, she kept asking Cecenia again and again, warning her not to cause trouble.
“Don’t worry.”
“…Alright. I’ll trust you.”
“Then, Lisbet and Teddy, please wait outside.”
“Yes, understood.”
Lisbet watched Cecenia carefully, her expression unreadable. It seemed that both of them could sense something was off. Lisbet knew Cecenia better than anyone—after all, they had spent every moment together. From the slave traders to this orphanage situation, Cecenia had been moving forward without any prior information.
It was one thing with Hepria Som, but as time went on, Lisbet would surely find this strange.
‘If she hadn’t experienced this time before… she wouldn’t think it was odd…’
Cecenia smiled slightly.
‘Besides, this is the place Lisbet told me about.’
This orphanage, Felice Orphanage, became well-known not long after Cecenia became empress. She had once met the children here during her time as empress, but not for good reasons.
“Then, hurry and go in before the director arrives. Quickly…”
At that moment, a teacher from the orphanage urged Cecenia inside. Putting aside her thoughts about Lisbet for now, Cecenia turned her eyes to the door.
“Alright.”
As expected, the woman was not the director. This was the orphanage that claimed to have only five children, with three already adopted. But no children’s voices could be heard anywhere.
Just then, Lisbet opened the door, and Cecenia looked inside the dimly lit room.
“Close the door.”
Following Cecenia’s command, Lisbet shut the door. The orphanage woman still looked uncomfortable, but since she had already agreed, she remained silent.
As the door closed, the darkness inside grew deeper. There was no light. Cecenia picked up a lamp she had seen by the entrance earlier. Instead of lighting it, she carried it as she approached the children.
“Hello. You might not be able to see me, but I can see you.”
There were twins here.
“I’m from the empire, and I’ve come to save you. You might not believe me, but I’ll take you to the temple.”
The woman from earlier had lied about sending them to the temple.
In the original timeline, Cecenia had met these twins before. They were royal twins who had escaped from Salmond, the kingdom of mages. To protect his younger sister, Pepe, the older brother, Silian, had brought her alone to the empire. However, he had been caught by the people of Salmond and ended up in this orphanage.
This orphanage was a fake, secretly set up by the people of Salmond to infiltrate the empire.
The Salmond agents who tried to smuggle the twins out had failed, and the children had eventually been sent to the temple.
That was the so-called “glorious event.” Mages were rare in the empire, and royal children from the Kingdom of Salmond were incredibly powerful. Naturally, both the imperial family and the people took notice of them.
The temple was meant to protect them, but with no one backing them, there was no reason for the temple to hide them from the imperial court’s attention.
‘A dazzling debut…’
But for the children, it was a nightmare. Without protection, their lives in the temple would be no different from before.
‘That’s why I won’t let it happen this time.’
Perhaps this was just the hypocrisy of a wealthy noble, but these children were necessary. Eventually, they would reclaim their royal status in Salmond. And for Ted, money alone wasn’t enough to secure a strong foundation.
They needed power. Strength. And these twins had both. Not to mention, their magic could protect Cecenia herself.
Before learning of Elzer’s return, this wasn’t important. But now that she knew, things were different. Elzer would do anything to kill Cecenia, who was now standing above her.
So Cecenia decided to protect these children—not for a grand debut, but for survival. Besides, she was once measured to have a higher divine power than most and had even been considered as a candidate for sainthood. Asking the temple for protection wouldn’t be difficult. In this country, the temple was the most righteous institution, and they would surely help.
“…”
“If you stay here, you’ll be taken back to Salmond. Even if that doesn’t happen, you won’t be able to protect your sister in a place where no one will stand up for you.”
“…”
“That’s all I have to say.”
Though she couldn’t see them, she could hear their breathing change.
‘In the end, they’ll choose me.’
“I came here with an offer, but the choice is yours. I’m going to set a fire now. If you accept my offer, escape and head two blocks down to the carriage. Carry your sister and get in. If you don’t, then run out the back door. That’s all I can do for you.”
“…Why are you helping us?”
A young voice asked.
“Because I need you.”
“Are you planning to experiment on us?”
“No. I can’t even use magic. Why would I experiment on you? I just want you by my side. My life is always in danger, and I need guards. That’s all. Anyway, I’m leaving now.”
She stepped outside, still holding the lamp.
She didn’t need to hear their answer. Cecenia was confident they would choose her.
