Chapter 18 – Part 5

Kristin spoke to the butler in a somewhat firm tone.

The threatening letter had indeed been intimidating and frightening for Kristin. However, she couldn’t afford to do anything because of it.

“Don’t worry. Just make sure the estate is well-managed while I’m away,” she said.

“But, but… Oh, very well. I’ll follow your wishes, my Lady. Please, be careful whenever you go out. Perhaps it’s time to consider hiring some knights for your protection?”

“No need for that, butler,” Kristin replied.

“Understood. Then, please continue your discussion,” the butler said with a note of regret in his voice, before turning and leaving the room. After he was gone, Selena Scarlet spoke to Kristin.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Lady Kristin?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Please come to the orphanage next Friday. I’ll investigate the storage room that day,” Kristin reassured her.

Selena nodded in agreement, exchanging a look with Kristin before speaking again.

“Please, be careful not to get hurt, Lady Kristin.”

—

Soon enough, the second Friday of the month arrived.

As she prepared to visit the Vincent Orphanage, Kristin found herself preoccupied with thoughts of who could have sent the threatening letter.

Her greatest fear wasn’t the director of the orphanage. What worried her most was the possibility of finding another letter, left anonymously in her carriage, after visiting the orphanage.

Before leaving the estate, Kristin instructed the coachman to place a lock on the carriage door.

The coachman scratched his head at first at the mention of a lock but then nodded thoughtfully as he remembered what had happened a few days earlier.

When the carriage was on the estate grounds, no one could sneak in to leave a letter. However, when she visited other estates, it was a different story.

This was especially concerning when she visited places where large crowds gathered, like certain estates or institutions. The thought of someone being able to easily find her carriage among many others suggested they were already well-informed, and it would be easy for them to avoid the coachman’s watchful eye.

So, locking the carriage door was the only option she had to prevent anyone from entering.

Soon, the coachman secured the carriage with a double lock, one sturdy and robust enough to be almost impossible to cut through.

Standing by the prepared carriage, Kristin handed the coachman a whistle and said,

“If anything happens, blow this whistle immediately. If anyone even tries to touch the carriage, use the whistle. Just blowing it should be enough to keep them away.”

“Yes, my Lady. I understand,” the coachman responded.

As Kristin climbed into the carriage, he added,

“I just dropped Lenci and Cindy off at the Vincent Orphanage. It was quite hectic in front of the orphanage since they hired commoners for volunteer work on the second Friday of every month. Don’t worry too much; I’ll keep a close eye on the carriage. Now, we’ll depart.”

As the carriage set off, Kristin gripped the hem of her dress tightly with both hands. The further the carriage traveled, the more her tension grew.

Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it might break, and anxiety flooded over her.

The responsibility of exposing the orphanage director’s vile actions weighed heavily on her, causing a throbbing headache. Kristin took the medicine she had prepared in advance, washed it down with water, and then gazed out the window.

—

The Mushao region was a remote area, some distance from the capital city of Willington, requiring more than half an hour by carriage to reach.

After departing the estate and passing through the shopping district, the carriage began traveling along a quiet country road, its wheels making a dull sound on the cobblestones.

“The road is a bit rough. I’ll slow down a little,” the coachman informed her.

“Alright,”

Kristin responded, closing her eyes for a moment to think. As she did, the image of Raphael Rodney briefly flashed through her mind.

It was strange that he had come to her estate, delivered a message, and left without even seeing her face. But Kristin quickly pushed thoughts of him aside.

Raphael Rodney was known for being quite capricious. However, she couldn’t help but feel concerned, knowing that he might have come to help her.

Trying to rid herself of such thoughts, Kristin leaned back in her seat, and before long, she arrived at the forest in front of Vincent Orphanage in the Mushao region.

—

Until the Friday of the second week, Raphael Rodney had been trying to track down the person who had been leaving letters in Kristin’s carriage.

But he hadn’t been able to find them.

There were dozens of noble carriages in front of Winston’s estate, and with so many servants coming and going, it was nearly impossible to determine who was trying to harm Kristin.

Moreover, he was deeply troubled by the situation at Vincent Orphanage.

He couldn’t understand why Kristin kept putting herself in danger instead of staying safe in her estate.

While he thought that the old Kristin was better, Raphael Rodney realized that he was increasingly drawn to the changed Kristin.

However, since no one knew about his feelings, he had decided to approach her more slowly than before.

But with these two recent incidents, he couldn’t afford to take things slowly with Kristin.

Whenever he tried to express his feelings and get closer to her, Kristin would suddenly be out of reach, and new problems would arise in the meantime.

Feeling helpless in the face of this reality, Raphael decided to help Kristin with everything she was involved in.

As he was deep in thought about Kristin, his aide returned from an investigation and reported to him.

“We couldn’t find anything unusual at Vincent Orphanage. However, we did witness the director and some children coming out of the storage area during our investigation. The children’s faces showed no sign of happiness, and other teachers from the orphanage came out and led the children back inside.”

“The storage area, you say?”

“Yes. The storage area seemed a bit suspicious.”

Ever since Kristin declared her intention to resolve the matter, Raphael had ordered his aide to gather information about Vincent Orphanage.

He also discreetly sent knights to guard the Edith estate during the early morning hours, ensuring neither Kristin nor the estate staff would notice.

“Blair Adley, the director of Vincent Orphanage, appears to have some connections with the nobility. It seems that, in case their family falls into ruin, some noble families, especially viscounts and barons, occasionally send donations to the orphanage. They see it as a way to maintain a good relationship with Director Blair, just in case their children end up needing the orphanage’s help. It could be their reason for wanting to stay on good terms with her.”

“Are they acting like that in case their family falls into trouble? What else could it be? I don’t understand.”

“I thought the same, but in the Empire, it’s not uncommon for the reputation of a viscount or baron’s family to disappear overnight or to suffer wrongful accusations from other nobles.”

—

Raphael slowly nodded in agreement with his aide’s words. After all, what his aide had just described applied to the woman he loved, Kristin Edith.

“Yes, I agree with that.”

“And there’s also the fact that every year, the palace grants prestigious awards to nobles who make significant donations. Some may even provide support just to receive such recognition.”

“Are you saying they’re sending money just for the sake of an award?”

“Well…”

The aide hesitated, finding the situation just as absurd.

In the Union Empire, nobles who made donations could receive partial tax exemptions. Nobles who donated a certain amount were awarded medals and honors that brought glory to their families, making this an opportunity for those with wealth but lacking in prestige.

Tax relief is coupled with receiving an award.

“No, that’s enough. I think I understand what kind of vested interests are at play. So, you’re saying that Vincent Orphanage is open to the public today, on the second Friday of the month?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. They are recruiting commoners for volunteer work, and an inspector is scheduled to visit today as well. It might be a good day for you to visit.”

“Yes. Kristin probably sees today as her opportunity. She won’t have another chance to enter the orphanage if not today. I’m sure the director is deliberately opening it up to show others, but I doubt it’s a casual opening.”

Raphael Rodney could see through the director’s intentions.

For years, the director must have been abusing and neglecting the children, pushing them to the brink, and thoroughly embezzling money.

The idea that such a director would recruit commoners for volunteer work was absurd. Even if the commoners learned the truth about the orphanage while working there, nothing would change.

Commoners had no power.

In other words, they were weak and not worth confronting. However, if they could be used to enhance his image, the director would certainly engage in such actions.

Given the incidents that had occurred in the empire, Raphael believed that Director Blair was one of those criminals who wanted to stand out.

“Then shall we go? I need to meet Kristin. I can’t leave her in danger.”

—

~~Continued in Volume 5~~