A child who could catch a noble’s interest, yet whom no one would want.

Hess understood her position well. Watching children who arrived after her get adopted and leave the orphanage first, she thought she might end up living there for her entire life.

Back then, Hess thought that was fine. Having lived considering the orphanage life as normal, this level of discomfort wasn’t a big deal to her.

Though she had to eat tasteless gruel and hard bread, occasionally soft white bread would be served thanks to noble patronage. Scrubbing with a wet rag using small hands during winter was somewhat difficult, but it was enjoyable to talk all night with friends while huddled under blankets.

Of course, watching those friends leave the orphanage one by one was a bit hard.

For a little bit of good, unpleasant things naturally happened—that was the principle young Hess had learned in her brief life.

Since she couldn’t know that these unpleasant things weren’t what children should have to endure, Hess had no choice but to consider her situation and treatment as normal. She had never seen the world outside.

So Hess thought it was fine if no one adopted her. She truly believed she could live well enough here.

Part of the reason was that young Theo was still there. Theo was a boy two years younger who followed Hess like an older sister. Hess also cared for Theo with all her heart.

Theo often fell ill like Hess, and at those times, they had to spend the day lying in bed together. The more such days accumulated, the closer they became.

When Theo looked at Hess with his deer-like eyes and innocent expression, she somehow felt responsible and wanted to awkwardly imitate being an older sister.

Though she didn’t know what families did, Hess was instinctively imitating something. She tried hard to make her relationship with Theo seem real.

Otherwise, Hess felt she might discover the name of that sour emotion rising in her small heart.

Only after a long time did Hess realize that name was loneliness.

Still, there wasn’t much her small hands could do. At most, she could wipe Theo’s tears with her tiny fingers, or on days when his fever ran high, place a cold wet handkerchief on his forehead.

Sometimes she tried to imitate the affectionate actions Duke showed to Gale. He was always curt with the children and never once kind, but occasionally he was gentle with his own son.

Gale wasn’t very intelligent and always repeated the same mistakes. Each time, Duke would just click his tongue, heave a big sigh, and grumble a bit, but he never hit Gale’s calves or made him spend time thinking in the cold attic.

Unlike what he always did to the children. Hess wondered if that was what family meant.

A relationship that makes even a cold, heartless person affectionate. A relationship where no matter how big the mistake, they never abandon you in the end. A relationship where they don’t lock you in a cold room or beat you until you bleed—that kind of relationship.

Hess thought she could have such a relationship with Theo. Taking a beating on the calves in Theo’s place wasn’t sad at all. Even on days when she shared her black bread with Theo and only ate watery porridge herself, Hess felt happy when a smile appeared on Theo’s reddish, round cheeks.

Theo was a lovable child by anyone’s standards.

“Sister. Are you my family?”

One day Theo asked Hess.

“Yes. I’m your family.”

Hess said this and kissed Theo’s small cheek. Theo simply smiled brightly with joy and hugged Hess.

It was enough for Hess. This kind of life seemed perfectly fine.

She truly thought so—until Theo was adopted and left.

“Sister. I don’t want to go. I want to go with you. I don’t want to go alone, I’m scared.”

The night a noble couple with sharp eyes and pale hands, who never once glanced at the children, said they would adopt Theo, he cried all night clinging to Hess.

Even while saying this, Hess knew Theo would leave. Theo flinched at the forced embrace from the cold couple, yet still blushed slightly. He seemed excited about having parents.

A feeling of disappointment rippled in Hess’s heart, but she was genuinely happy too. After all, she wasn’t Theo’s real family, and the orphanage couldn’t become a real home.

“It’s okay, Theo. Later when you grow up, and I get adopted into a rich family too, we can meet again then. We’ll be able to meet again. I’ll come find you.”

“Promise. You have to promise. You must come find Theo.”

Nobles didn’t like children maintaining contact with the orphanage after adoption. Nobles who couldn’t have children adopted from orphanages to improve their social image, but afterward treated the orphanage coldly, as if it might infect them with something bad.

Theo left the orphanage holding a small teddy bear his new parents had brought, his face both crying and smiling. Hess prayed that Theo would never return to this place and would live happily forever.

The day Theo left, Hess thought for the first time that she wanted to be adopted too.

※※※

After that, Hess gradually changed. She scrubbed her once-decent face clean and forced herself to eat the terrible food to gain some weight. When nobles visited the orphanage, she stood at the very front of the line, smiling brightly.

Look at me. Take me away. Become my family. Her entire body screamed this. Hess was ready to love.

And one day, her opportunity came. However, before long, Hess realized that looking back on this day, it wasn’t an opportunity but the beginning of despair.

An aging comital couple with graying hair came to the orphanage looking for a child to become their heir.

The couple, who introduced themselves as Rainweed, muttered constantly without pause. The child must have deft hands, must be healthy, must have perseverance, yes indeed……

As they spoke, they scrutinized the children thoroughly with eyes like those selecting the best fruit at a market. This one is too skinny, no good. That one looks sturdy but has an impudent look. They passed by each child from the back row forward until stopping in front of Hess.

Hess stood with her chest out and smiled with all her might. The couple, seeming interested in Hess, grabbed her chin and moved it around to check her condition. Their quick hand movements were like searching for soft spots on fruit.

“This one seems not particularly healthy but shouldn’t be too weak either, and her appearance is quite presentable. What do you think?”

“Well, whatever. Any of them will do. It doesn’t really matter.”

And so they took Hess.

While preparing to leave, Hess had to deliberately calm her rising excitement.

‘Everything won’t be as sweet as I imagined in the orphanage. Lucy, who returned after being adopted, said so. It was very frightening, and there was too much to learn, making it difficult. But she said the sweet cookies and soft bed were very nice.’

Hess tried to suppress her expectations, but she couldn’t stop the rising excitement. Finally, this was the moment when she too would have a home, a real family!

Hess wanted to quickly share this joy with Theo in a letter. It would take all night to tell about how much they would love her and how much she would love them.

The couple looked somewhat frightening, but Hess thought it would be fine anyway. She was worried because their gaze seemed a bit cold, but still, she firmly believed that people who adopted a child because they wanted one would care for her with love.

And that sweet expectation shattered immediately after entering their household.