EPILOGUE – That Kid (Part 1)

Cedric was about six years old when he first saw her.

The war was still raging on the battlefields, but far from the capital, and it was all the rage for noblewomen to adopt an orphan girl and portray themselves as compassionate and virtuous mothers of the poor.

This was the case with the Lily of the Valley Ladies’ Society, led by the Duchess Edelgard. The noblewomen would stroll through the charity homes under the jurisdiction of the Holy Empire, choosing pretty and kind girls to adopt as their own daughters.

Cedric, then and now, had no interest in a pretty little sister. Nor was he interested in honoring the Edelgard family name. He found activities like horseback riding, archery, and hunting competitions with his brothers much more interesting.

But Cedric, the youngest of the three brothers, was always dragged by his mother’s hand to visit the orphanages because he was the youngest.

And there, for the first time, he saw her.

“Hey, Cedric, what do you think of that child? Imagine if she were your little sister.”

His mother quietly pointed to a bundle of old rags.

She seemed terribly small to be called a person, barely moving, and extremely dirty.

When that bundle of rags, seemingly slumped in a dust pit, rustled and lifted its scruffy face, Cedric finally realized it was a person.

It was a child, with glassy eyes and impressively long, dark lashes that stretched skyward.

What’s more, she’s a girl.

Her long, thin hair was all tangled up and somehow brown. From a distance, she looked like a clump of dust rolling on the floor.

At least her face resembled a person’s.

Her small nose and plump lips made her cheeks puff up like a plush doll. Her exposed hands were like dry bones, all the flesh seemingly gone, leaving just puffy cheeks…

The way her narrow eyes rolled around made her look like some sort of doll. She didn’t even seem to notice all the dirt smudged on her face… like a fool.

Younger than his age. Cedric stared in shock, never having seen a girl so miserable in his life.

“She was found abandoned under the city walls as soon as she was born, poor thing……. She’s four years old, but doesn’t she look much younger than that?”

‘Four years old? That’s four years old?’

He almost blurted out. The girl who looked barely two or three years old was actually four. Cedric was taken aback by the fact that she was just two years younger than himself.

At four years old, he was bravely riding horses and wielding wooden swords.

However, that kid seemed small and uneasy, as if she couldn’t even run properly, let alone ride horses.

With extremely cautious eyes, she glanced around, noticing the scrutinizing gazes, then swiftly darted back into the bathroom like a mouse.

She didn’t come out again until the entire group had left the orphanage. It seemed she was quite startled by the visit of the unfamiliar noblewomen.

That day, Cedric’s mother didn’t adopt any child. The Duchess was picky and had high standards. After seeing such a child, no other caught her eye.

A shelter for the destitute, where beggars sought refuge.

The dirty, haggard girl he saw there.

For young Cedric, it was an experience so shocking that he could never forget it. Even while attending lessons with his tutor, the girl’s round eyes and thick eyelashes would unexpectedly come to mind.

Cedric didn’t want to go to that orphanage again, but he went with his mother once more. Somehow, he had a feeling that if he didn’t intervene, his mother with her refined tastes might impulsively pick up that girl.

‘What if she brought that little rolling ball of dust home to be my sister?’

In the meantime, his brothers in the household were already constantly fighting over who would inherit titles, who was better, and who was stronger. In this household resembling a wild jungle, how could such a girl fit in…

Even on their second encounter, somehow that girl easily caught Cedric’s eye. She was wearing the same clothes as before, and she was still in the same place.

Behind the pillar next to the ration shop. That seemed to be the spot the wary girl had chosen. She would hide behind the pillar and, if someone unfamiliar approached and showed interest, she would quickly dart back into the bathroom.

The bathroom emitted a strong odor, deterring outsiders from daring to approach. From her ability to protect herself like this, it was clear she was quite clever.

Cedric spotted her even before his mother did but he deliberately didn’t point her out. He was afraid that if his mother noticed, she might take her home today.

If such a girl suddenly became his sister, his rough brothers would never leave her alone. The eldest was a lion, the second a tiger. They would probably fight each other fiercely, each trying to assert dominance and drag the timid girl along for rabbit hunts, making her cry out in fear.

Cedric quietly led his mother away. Then he came back to the front of the ration shop and asked the manager.

“About that kid hiding behind the pillar. The little one…”

“Yes, Master Cedric. I know who you’re referring to. Please, go on.”

“What’s her name?”

Puzzled by the question, the manager looked around the room for other staff.

The manager came running back, sweating profusely, with an unbelievable answer.

“That child doesn’t have a name yet, as she’s still very young.”

‘No name? Some people don’t have names? But she’s four years old?’

Reading Cedric’s astonishment, the manager hastened to add.

“When they call her, everyone refers to her as ‘Ragged Gray Eyes.'”

Raggedy gray eyes! Cedric knew at once how the nickname came about. Wrapped up in a blanket of rags like a patchwork doll, she truly had eyes that shone. The sparkling irises and impressively long eyelashes, almost artificially curled, remained vividly in his memory.

For some reason, Cedric felt a strong attraction to the girl, but he didn’t think it was right for someone to be called ‘Ragged Gray Eyes.’

“It doesn’t make sense for her to have no name.”

“Then how about giving her one yourself? It would be a great honor for her if you bestowed a name upon her.”

After a moment of contemplation, Cedric came up with a name that seemed fitting for the girl.

“……Lillian.”

It was a name he had come across in the imperial theological text he had studied that morning.

Lilith. A beautiful woman who seduced wise men into sin.

However, since he couldn’t give her a name associated with heresy, he changed it to Lillian. It had a slightly demure but graceful feel to it, which suited her well. Especially with those fluttering eyelashes.

“Lillian! What a lovely name. Ragged Gray Eyes… No, Lillian would like it.”

“Her eyes are gray?”

“Yes, why don’t you get closer and check for yourself.”

Her eyes appeared transparent, so the exact color couldn’t be determined. As Cedric took a few steps closer, as suggested by the manager, to get a better look, the girl swiftly read the unfamiliar gesture and darted back into the bathroom.

The child, whom the Edelgard family showed interest in, dared to escape. The manager hastily called for other staff. It seemed like they were trying to drag the child out, but Cedric shook his head.

“No, just leave her be.”

Whether out of pity for the frightened child or maybe she didn’t want to go back into the bathroom, but she seemed to agree with Cedric’s sentiment regarding letting the child be.

“You probably won’t be able to talk to her anyway. She’s very shy and still can’t speak.”

Hearing this explanation, Cedric was surprised by an unexpected fact.

“She’s four years old and can’t speak?”

“Yes, it seems that… “

The noble young master finally realized that this was the largest orphanage in the capital.

Established for the relief of the poor, this place housed thousands of children in situations similar to the girl’s. There were no volunteers to teach them to speak, and even if there were, they couldn’t afford to learn anything. They’re lucky if they get a meal.

Lillian. Lillian…….

For some reason, Cedric took off a few buttons from his clothes and handed them to the friar.

“Teach her to speak. Now that she has a name, she should know mine too.”

“Yes, Master Cedric. Lillian will surely appreciate it.”

With that, the friar bowed and hurried off to the bathroom. Cedric looked back at the manager with stern eyes.

“Don’t tell anyone what you just saw. Not even to my mother.”

“Yes, Master Cedric.”

“Let’s see how tight-lipped the manager of the Toulouse Charity Home is.

Cedric also handed over the remaining buttons from his coat to the manager.

Although he didn’t say it aloud, it was a gesture indicating that he wanted Lillian to be well taken care of and kept out of any trouble at the orphanage.

Cedric took off his coat, now with no buttons left. 

‘Why did I just do that?’