Chapter 18 – Part 3

“Did you also know about this, Lenci?”

“My brother delivers flowers to the orphanage during their events, and he mentioned that the children always look like they’re forcing themselves to smile. They deliver flowers every second Friday of every month, supposedly to decorate the orphanage and allow the children to enjoy the flowers.

But there’s no real need for that—outdoor activities would suffice. It seems like they’re trying to keep them locked in, which makes the whole place feel suspicious to me.”

“I agree with Lenci. No matter how good an orphanage is, it’s strange that the children hardly ever engage in outdoor activities.”

‘They don’t do any outdoor activities?’ Kristin thought.

She had heard that the Vincent Orphanage was actively involved in outdoor activities. But now, Cindy and Lenci’s words made it sound like the children were trapped there. It didn’t add up.

Just then, Lenci, as if realizing something, turned to Kristin and said,

“I think they might be telling the children to smile and only take them to nearby places for show. It’s all just for appearances. Other than that, it seems the young nobles are kept inside the orphanage.”

‘If all of this was true, I had to address the issue quickly.’

The thought of what might still be happening within the orphanage filled Kristin with anxiety.

She quickly checked the calendar.

The second Friday of this month was next week.

The day flowers would be delivered, the day the palace inspector would visit, and the day commoners would be allowed to volunteer at the orphanage—all of these coincided.

This alignment presented a perfect opportunity to reveal the true state of the Vincent Orphanage to the inspector.

Kristin slowly turned to Lenci and Cindy and spoke.

“The charity group also raised concerns about the Vincent Orphanage. I need to get in there and find proof that there’s something wrong with the operation. But the director might recognize me, even though the orphanage is far from the capital… So, I’ll need your help. Do you think you can help me?”

Lenci and Cindy nodded in agreement at Kristin’s words.

“Of course. This is the kind of work we servants should be doing, that way, we can easily avoid the attention of the director. If we say we’re there for volunteer work, they’ll let us in without suspicion.”

“You shouldn’t do anything dangerous, my Lady. Cindy and I will handle it.”

“Alright. I’m worried, but I’ll leave it to you.”

“My Lady, what should we do then? We’ll follow your instructions.”

“Yes, I want to be involved too.”

Lenci and Cindy’s faces were serious, so Kristin looked at them and replied.

“Alright, then listen closely to my plan.”

When Kristin began to explain, Lenci and Cindy focused intently.

“I plan to write you arecommendation letter.”

Kristin focused on the fact that the orphanage recruited commoners to work there on the second Friday of each month.

At least on that day, commoners could enter the orphanage and see the children up close.

However, since Lenci and Cindy were already maids in the Edith household, sending them to the Vincent Orphanage would require someone’s permission.

So, why not get the director’s approval herself?

The best way to do this would be to send Lenci and Cindy along with a donation.

Additionally, Kristin planned to disguise herself as a commoner.

The director of the orphanage would likely know about the incidents in the Edith household, as well as the fact that Kristin was now leading the Edith family.

There was no way the director wouldn’t have heard the rumors about Kristin’s increasingly active social life.

However, the director had no reason to be hostile towards her.

As long as the director stayed in the good graces of wealthy and powerful nobles, there would be no need to worry about the funds coming from them.

Moreover, the fact that the director had never been caught suggested that they were either colluding with other nobles or taking extreme care not to arouse suspicion.

Kristin decided to take advantage of this situation.

If she sent Lenci and Cindy along with a donation, the director would have no reason to refuse them.

If they simply went under the guise of volunteering, the director might be suspicious. But if they delivered the donation and then asked to volunteer while they were there, with a recommendation letter, the director wouldn’t have any reason to doubt their intentions.

After all, the director loved money, and using that as bait was the best way to catch her.

“Do you mean you’ll write us a recommendation letter so we can work there?”

Lenci asked Kristin, who nodded.

“Exactly. That way, you’ll have an easier time getting inside the orphanage.”

“My Lady, after we deliver the donation to the director, what should we do next?” Lenci asked, looking at Kristin.

Kristin slowly answered as she looked at Lenci and Cindy,

“When the inspector arrives, I suspect the director will invite them for tea in their office. That’s when you need to steal the ledger.”

“Steal… steal the ledger?” Cindy stammered.

“The ledger is the most important thing. To reveal the corruption and also to expose the abuse of the children, we need to find something that can serve as solid evidence. The ledger can prove that the director has either minimized or misused the donations that have come in.”

Kristin paused for a moment.

She was worried about the plan to steal the ledger. If the director had managed to avoid detection for years, it was unlikely that the ledger was kept in an obvious place. It might be hidden somewhere secret in the director’s office, and finding it wouldn’t be easy.

“There might be a secret space somewhere in the orphanage besides the director’s office,” Kristin speculated.

“So, you’re saying that one of us needs to find this secret space to look for the ledger, but do you think we can actually find it? Oh, wait.”

As Lenci worried about this, she suddenly seemed to remember something and clapped her hands together, turning to Kristin and Cindy.

“I just remembered something my brother told me. Do you know how I mentioned that he delivers flowers to the orphanage during events? While talking about that, I recall him saying that the flowers aren’t just placed in the garden but are also stored in some sort of storage room.”

“A storage room? Why would they put flowers in a storage room? Flowers would wither quickly if they were kept in a dark place without sunlight,” Kristin mused.

“My brother asked the director the same thing, and the director said it would be a shame to use all the flowers at once for decoration. So, the extra flowers are stored in the storage room first, then later placed in the children’s rooms or the dining hall. But the odd thing is, the director told him to stack the flowers in front of a door in the corner of the storage room, making sure the door wasn’t visible.”

Kristin thought about what Lenci had said.

The director’s behavior was strange. Yet, no one who had entered the orphanage seemed to question it, probably because the director always used the children as an excuse.

‘To let the children see the flowers.’

‘To decorate the children’s rooms or the dining hall.’

‘To avoid using too many flowers at once.’

But none of these explanations were valid.

Then, a specific detail from Lenci’s account struck Kristin:

“The odd thing is, the director told him to stack the flowers in front of a door in the corner of the storage room, making sure the door wasn’t visible.”

That was it.

“Lenci, Cindy, I think I have an idea where that secret place might be.”

“What? My Lady, did you figure something out?” Lenci asked, surprised.

As Kristin pieced together Lenci’s story, the scattered puzzle pieces fell into place.

The reason the director selected commoners to work at the orphanage every second Friday of the month, and why the palace inspector conveniently visited on that same date, became clear.

The orphanage director had likely noticed that the palace inspector only visited on the second Friday of each month. To make a good impression, the director must have started hiring commoners to work on that day, showcasing how well the orphanage was managed.

Kristin was now convinced that the reason for ordering flowers on this specific date was also to cover something up—something the director was determined to keep hidden. The fact that the director instructed the flowers to be piled in front of the door in the storage room, to the point where the door was completely obscured, suggested that there was a hidden space behind it.

Finally, Kristin had a clear mental picture of where the ledger might be located.

‘A secret room the director is trying to conceal.’

“Lenci, Cindy, that ledger might be in the hidden space inside the storage room where the flowers are delivered. The door you mentioned in the corner of the storage room—that’s where you need to get in.”

“Oh, my Lady, you’re right. Now that you mention it, I think I understand too. But, my Lady, can we even get inside that room?” Lenci asked, worried.

“I’ll have to go there myself,” Kristin said firmly.

“But my Lady, it’s too dangerous,” Cindy said, trying to dissuade her.

“Please don’t, my Lady,” Lenci added.

Despite their protests, Kristin had no intention of changing her mind. She decided to discuss the plan with Selena Scarlet during their meeting the next day to find a way to divert the director’s attention.

Kristin believed that if she could find the ledger and evidence of the abuse within the secret room, the children would be able to live much better lives.

“My Lady, is there any chance the director might find us suspicious?” Cindy asked, trembling.

Kristin took Cindy’s hand and reassured her,

“Cindy, don’t worry. I’ll be with you.”

“Oh, my Lady,” Cindy replied, touched.

Kristin recalled what she had said during the meeting with the other nobles. No matter what, she couldn’t let her employees face such danger alone.

When Kristin held Lenci and Cindy’s hands, they exchanged determined looks and resolute expressions.

“Alright, we’ll do it,” Lenci said.

“If you’re going to do this, my Lady, then I will too. I owe you that much,” Cindy added.