Chapter 78

I needed someone to be my face.

Even if I were to come up with an idea, few people would trust a child's ideas.

I needed someone who was both credible and trustworthy.

And there was a suitable person around me.

Someone who had the Duke Schuetz's trust and was my older brother on paper.

Coincidentally, Jerit was struggling to come up with his own business idea.

"Miss Ely, what should I do…?"

As he was holding his head in thought, I quickly looked around.

When I saw Heron approaching from a distance, I placed the prepared linden bark on the floor.

"But you came up with such a wonderful idea!"

"Huh? Miss Ely. What do you mean…?"

"Lord Jerit, there you are."

"Ah, Lord Heron…!"

Jerit was startled to see Heron.

To those who dreamed of business, Heron, who led the Clider Caravan, was a figure of admiration.

"You said you used linden bark to remove stains."

"Yes, but…"

"I have an item I want to create. I would like to buy your idea, Lord Jerit."

"M-my idea?"

Jerit looked bewildered, but I cheerfully exclaimed,

"Wow! Big brother, you're so cool!"

"…!"

Thus, the meeting between Heron and Jerit was successful, and I was able to smoothly find a proxy.

"I am grateful for your forgiveness of our rudeness."

Moreover, Jerit was more eloquent than I thought.

There was no trace of the stiff demeanor he had in front of Baron Amantha.

"And as I said, I am merely a proxy, and everything is entirely the Clider Caravan's decision."

He even knew how to add such an important line with a smooth delivery!

"Ah, I know. Thanks to the Clider Caravan, our empire's economy is thriving."

The headmaster smiled at Jerit's words. Jerit's kind smile had a peculiar talent for softening people's hearts.

"And I have also prepared these."

Jerit gestured to the employees who were diligently carrying the load.

"Oh my…!"

The headmaster's eyes sparkled even more at the pile of food and necessities.

"Hey, Ely…"

While eavesdropping on their conversation, I heard a voice calling me.

"Sorry, what's all this…?"

Grace muttered in confusion.

I answered promptly.

"Yeah, we call these pads. There are two types: one you can stick and remove, and one you wear like underwear. I think the younger ones should use the wearable type."

"So, why are you giving these to us…?"

"There are many children in the orphanage. Even older kids often have accidents at night."

When I was in the orphanage, there were many children who cried because they wet the bed.

While it's true that older children should know to go to the bathroom at night, for children without parents, the night can be a terrifying nightmare. They sometimes couldn't help but have accidents.

But the orphanage wouldn't provide something as luxurious as diapers.

Children were often kicked out of the orphanage before they turned 13 for this reason.

Once menstruation started, it would cost unnecessary money.

'So I subtly mentioned it to Lord Jerit.'

"It would have been nice if we had something like this in our orphanage…"

That's how the donation began.

It might seem like a good deed, but it wasn't purely out of kindness.

Children grow up. If we instill a good image of the Clider Caravan in the children who will become adults, it will benefit us in the distant future.

The temple also built the people's trust by continuing such charitable activities. Why shouldn't we do the same?

"Good job, Grace!"

I looked up at Grace, who was a bit taller than me, and said,

"You said you had many younger siblings, right?"

"…"

"Now, it will be okay if they have accidents at night!"

I deliberately said it mischievously and smiled broadly.

'With this, the friction with Damian that day should be smoothed over, right?'

My smile was filled with that thought.

But…

"Huh?"

"Grace, are you… crying?"

Grace suddenly started shedding tears.

"I've done so many wrong things…"

"Wrong things?"

"Because of me… you had to go through that."

Grace sniffled and continued hesitantly.

"But you're being so kind to me… so…"

"Are you still crying?"

Grace nodded with her eyes tightly shut.

After it was revealed that Oblivion was a black mage, she was deeply shocked.

She had been apologizing to us every time we met since the incident, but it seemed the guilt still lingered.

Still, despite the injuries, thanks to Grace, we were able to catch Oblivion early.

In the original story, Oblivion appeared after Damian had grown up.

During that time, she had killed many people and even recruited some from the temple to attack Damian and the heroine Ashabel.

We caught Oblivion before the story even began.

'And I even got the temple to approve my admission because of it.'

In the end, everything turned out well.

"Why are you crying over something like that? You already apologized before."

"But, but…"

Even though I said it was okay, Grace couldn't stop crying easily.

"Come here."

I reached out to Grace. She buried her face in my shoulder and sniffled.

"Stop crying."

I patted her back.

"I know how you feel, but I'm fine."

"…"

"Also, I hope you won't fight with Damian. There was some misunderstanding, but there were reasons for it. And our child is a bit shy but really kind."

As I spoke with a mix of genuine feelings, I noticed Grace's body stiffen.

"Grace?"

"…"

When she lowered her head, I saw her face was flushed.

"…!"

Our eyes met, and Grace shivered, quickly pulling away from me.

"S-sorry. I was just surprised…"

"Uh-huh, are you feeling better?"

"Y-yeah."

Grace nodded awkwardly. Her face was still red from crying.

"…I've never cried in someone's arms who isn't my parents."

Grace lowered her head, a bit embarrassed.

'Now that I think about it, Grace said she was the eldest.'

She lost her parents during a war and came to the orphanage with her younger siblings.

So, it was a bit awkward and embarrassing for her to cry in someone else's arms.

'Even if she's the eldest, she's still a child.'

I looked up at her and said,

"Holding it in will make you sick."

"…Huh?"

"Sometimes you need to cry. Grace, you're still a child."

"…"

"It's okay to cry. I'll comfort you."

I patted her shoulder. Grace, who had been blinking her wet lashes, smiled faintly.

"Haha, it's a bit embarrassing."

Grace, who had been rubbing her red cheeks, nodded.

"Y-yeah, I'll do that from now on."

At that moment, sunlight fell on Grace's head.

Her red-rimmed eyes and smile made her look like a character from a pure romance manga.

"…Grace, you'll make many people cry in the future."

"Huh? But I was the one who cried…?"

"No, there's something about you."

I wiped my nose, worried it might start bleeding, and shook my head.

"Oh, right. Grace, are the temple people still visiting these days?"

"Ah… yeah, just like before."

"Really?"

The temple seemed to be pretending they knew nothing and trying to cover up the Oblivion incident.

'If they act like that, we have our own plans.'

"Miss Ely."

At that moment, Jerit, who had finished talking with the headmaster, approached.

"I have to go now."

"Already?"

"Yeah. I'll come again next time."

When I promised to come back later to the visibly disappointed Grace, her face brightened.

After saying goodbye, I hopped into the carriage and waved my feet excitedly.

"You look happy."

"Do I?"

I chuckled.

This was the last donation site.

Jerit had also donated to the Saint Orphanage where I used to be, but I didn't go there on purpose.

If a child who was suddenly adopted by a high-ranking noble and seen living well,

the other children, who were still young, might feel a sense of relative deprivation.

'…I miss many faces, but I'll visit later.'

I pushed aside the bittersweet feeling and smiled broadly.

"Maybe it's because I came with my big brother!"

"Big brother…"

Jerit, seemingly moved, clutched his chest. I quietly looked out the window.

'I can't help but feel good.'

Because this was just the beginning.

The rest was a matter of time.

* * *

In the warm south, parties of all sizes were held every day.

Today was no exception. Gentlemen and ladies were dressed beautifully, chatting with each other.

However, among those smiling, one woman was frowning.

'Why now…'

She bit her cheek and quietly hid in a corner.

She had felt heavy since last night, and it seemed her period had started.

She could tell instinctively, even without checking.

However, the menstrual cloth was too bulky. She couldn't use it with a corset on. At least she was wearing a red dress.

'What should I do…'

She looked around anxiously.

Some young ladies asked if she was feeling well, but she couldn't tell them. Even to other women, menstruation was something to be hidden.

Her maid, who had come with her, said she would try to find a solution, but what could a