Chapter 18 – Part 2

“Lady Kristin, why haven’t you departed yet? Is there a problem…?”

Just as Marquis was speaking to Kristin, Raphael noticed the letter that had fallen at her feet. The red envelope and the black ink on the letter.

The ink hadn’t fully dried, causing the writing to smudge. The handwriting was so hurried and scrawled that it was impossible to tell who had written it.

“What is this letter and envelope, Kristin?”

As he picked up the letter and read its contents, Raphael couldn’t help but be enraged.

The words telling her to live quietly as if she were dead, not to stir things up, and to struggle to survive pierced Kristin’s heart like a sharp needle.

Raphael felt certain that the person who sent this letter was the same one who had tried to kill him. With this in mind, he turned to the servants who were managing the carriage.

“Did anyone approach Lady Kristin Edith’s carriage during the meeting?”

Raphael usually traveled with many knights, but today was an exception. He had only brought one attendant to this gathering, so he couldn’t ask the usual guards.

Moreover, the knights stationed at the Winston Marquis estate were training at the time, and the only people guarding the nobles’ carriages were the coachmen.

In other words, the security around the nobles’ carriages was effectively breached.

“What on earth is going on?”

Selena Scarlet, greeting all the nobles at the meeting, noticed that Kristin’s carriage still hadn’t departed and sensed something was wrong. She walked over cautiously and asked, prompting Winston to respond.

“A letter like this was left in Kristin’s carriage.”

“Marquis Winston, why didn’t you ensure the estate was secure, especially with so many nobles present?”

Raphael spoke to him with a disdainful expression, and Selena Scarlet stepped in, seemingly to defend the Marquis.

“Some of the nobles don’t want that. There are plenty of nobles who dislike our charity group. If we surrounded ourselves with guards and enforced tight security, they might think we’re plotting something against His Majesty.

Although I am His Majesty’s niece, I intend to correct him if he tries to go down the wrong path. That’s the purpose of our group.”

“Is that supposed to be an excuse?”

“It’s not an excuse… I’m just saying that other nobles might not have well-received our charity group. It would be better if it seemed more like a free-spirited party so they wouldn’t be suspicious.”

Raphael couldn’t fully accept Selena Scarlet’s explanation.

If the security was so lax that someone could leave a letter like this in a carriage, it was no different from a gathering of servants, not nobles.

He found it hard to understand the logic of not having knights on guard at a charity event supposedly attended by numerous nobles, just to make it look like a party, so he could only sneer in response.

“Then, Lady Selena Scarlet,”

Raphael sighed as he looked at Kristin and continued, 

“Was inviting Kristin to this charity gathering a scheme to get her into that Vincent Orphanage?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? It’s not that I have ill feelings toward Lady Kristin Edith or think little of her. As for the Vincent Orphanage matter, if no one else was willing to step up, I would have tried to resolve it myself.”

Selena Scarlet felt wronged as she spoke to Raphael.

She had merely liked Kristin and invited her to join the charity group, hoping that Kristin, alone without parents or siblings, would spend time with the group rather than be isolated.

But now, Raphael’s eyes were filled with a terrifying intensity, and his voice was so cold that it sent chills down her spine. Selena Scarlet, sensing his mood, spoke cautiously.

“That’s not the case. And if you’re so concerned about the Vincent Orphanage matter, it’s perfectly fine for Lady Kristin not to take on the task. If she received a letter like this, it means her life is already at risk, so I don’t want her to do it.”

As Selena Scarlet looked at Kristin, sitting silently in the carriage, Kristin raised her head and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Don’t worry. I decided to take on the orphanage matter for the children’s sake, and I want to see it through.”

“Lady Kristin.”

“Kristin! You don’t have to push yourself like this.”

Raphael spoke to Kristin, but she clenched her fists and spoke once more to everyone, barely catching her breath. 

“I won’t be scared off by a mere letter. I don’t know who sent this to me, but I will investigate the Vincent Orphanage issue and find out who sent this letter simultaneously.”

Kristin knew she had to resolve the situation that had befallen her.

Realizing once again that she couldn’t fully escape death made her anxious.

If she didn’t address it now, she would end up dying again anyway.

If that happened, there would be no meaning to her return to this life. After pressing her lips together, she spoke to everyone.

“Receiving this letter means someone is keeping an eye on me, but even so, they won’t be able to stop me.”

At Kristin’s words, Selena Scarlet, Raphael, and Winston couldn’t help but be surprised.

Among them, Raphael silently made a vow to her in his heart.

‘Kristin, I will protect you. I will find out who sent this letter.’

—

Kristin slowly pondered over the events that had occurred the previous day at Winston’s estate.

Less than an hour had passed from when she got off the carriage to the end of the meeting.

Nobles disliked sitting and talking for extended periods, so Selena Scarlet deliberately kept the meeting short.

Even during academy classes, young ladies would yawn if lessons exceeded forty minutes, complaining of boredom, and some would even raise their hands to ask when the class would end.

Despite it being natural for nobles to enhance their intellectual level, they preferred casual chats and parties over attending classes.

Therefore, no matter how noble the purpose of the gathering was, and with several elderly nobles present, the meeting couldn’t last long.

Kristin knew this because Selena Scarlet had discreetly informed her before the meeting began.

Knowing that the meeting would be brief, Kristin now found it odd that, in such a short time, someone had identified her carriage among the many parked in front of Winston’s residence and left the letter.

It was as if the person knew her very well, being able to find the Edith family’s carriage among so many in less than an hour without attracting the attention or suspicion of the coachmen.

She wanted to identify the culprit who had tried to kill her based on these circumstances.

Why did someone hate her enough to want her dead?

“Lady Kristin.”

“My Lady, please try this. We went to great lengths to get these apples and brought them, especially for you.”

It was Lenci and Cindy.

With rosy cheeks and cheerful smiles, Lenci and Cindy always looked delighted whenever they saw Kristin.

They showed her the fresh and beautiful apples they had brought.

Noticing Kristin deep in thought, they spoke with concern.

“My Lady, is something troubling you? You’ve seemed upset since you returned from the gathering yesterday, and we’re worried. We bought these apples to cheer you up… Did something happen at the meeting?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kristin replied to Lenci and Cindy.

“The meeting yesterday was fine, except for learning that the director of the Vincent Orphanage isn’t a good person.”

Upon hearing Kristin’s words, Cindy’s face turned pale, and she spoke tremblingly.

“Vincent Orphanage? If it’s that place, I have a rough idea of what’s happening there.”

Kristin couldn’t help but be shocked by Cindy’s words.

What could Cindy know about the Vincent Orphanage?

Curiosity piqued, Kristin momentarily forgot about the warning letter she had received and spoke to her.

“Cindy, can you tell me everything you know? And how did you learn about the situation at the orphanage?”

“Well, you know how we go home once or twice a week, right, my Lady? Before heading home, I usually stop by the cafeteria or the market. I often meet friends there.”

“Yes, I see. So, what did you hear?”

“I’ve been hearing stories for a few years now. I have a friend who works at the Vincent Orphanage, so I know a bit about it… The children there, oh, I’m sorry, the young nobles, are being mistreated.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, I would stake my family’s honor on it. One of my friends works as a laundry maid at the orphanage, and she told me that the children there aren’t even given proper clothes to wear. They only change their clothes when inspectors from the palace come.”

Kristin was horrified by Cindy’s words.

Despite having a laundry maid to handle the washing, the fact that the children weren’t even given proper clothes to change into made her believe that the orphanage was barely functioning.

It was almost as if the orphanage wasn’t even buying the children proper clothing.

As Kristin reeled from the shock, Cindy, who was standing in front of her, continued speaking.

“I didn’t know who to tell about this, so I kept it to myself. But since you’re asking, I hope the director of the Vincent Orphanage gets replaced. The young nobles there are so pitiful.”

“Yes, Cindy. I’ll do everything I can to resolve this situation.”

“You, my Lady? But what can you do? I’ve heard that the palace inspectors have been visiting the Vincent Orphanage for years, and they don’t know anything about what’s going on. Even if there’s a whistleblower, who would listen to servants like us? Commoners have no power, so even if we went to the palace and told them, they wouldn’t listen.”

Cindy’s words made sense.

Her friends who had shared this information must have tried to tell someone somehow. But even if they did speak out, it was unlikely anyone would believe them.

When Selena Scarlet first mentioned this issue at the charity gathering, the nobles were skeptical.

After all, the Vincent Orphanage was considered the best in the Union Empire, so such things couldn’t possibly be happening there.

However, given that it was the top orphanage and received ample support, it was strange that such issues hadn’t arisen sooner.

If someone were greedy for wealth, the orphanage would be an easy target for corruption.

“My Lady, if you need our help, we’re here to help you. They told me that every second Friday of the month, they select commoners to volunteer their services. They said that the second Friday is when the inspector from the Imperial Palace comes, so I think they schedule it that way to make it look like the children are well taken care of.”

Lenci, who had been listening to the conversation, chipped in.

Kristin turned to Lenci with a curious expression and asked.

“Did you also know about this, Lenci?”