Chapter 5

Locking the door, I carefully wedged the back of a chair under the doorknob for safety before drying my body.

Feeling refreshed, I put on my nightwear and slipped into bed next to Nonna. I was hungry, but I couldn't bring myself to leave her. Room service seemed too much. I decided to endure the hunger and go to sleep.

"Goodnight, Nonna."

The next morning, I woke up feeling hungry. Nonna was already awake and looking at my face.

"Good morning, Onee-san."

"Good morning, Nonna. Shall we use the bath together before breakfast?"

"Okay."

We went to the first-floor bathroom and washed Nonna with the provided soap. I checked her body thoroughly, but there were no signs of abuse. That alone was a relief.

I dried Nonna carefully with a towel and dressed her in the clothes I bought on the way home yesterday.

(This child doesn't ask any questions, does she?) I thought. Then, while eating the hotel breakfast, Nonna suddenly murmured:

"Where's Mom?"

"It seems she couldn't come. What kind of work did your mom do?"

"I don't know."

"What did you do when you were alone?"

"I was quiet."

"I see."

I had thought she was a child with no expression, but perhaps she had grown up without showing any. Her mother probably wouldn't return home, and even if she did, I doubted she would properly take care of her after abandoning her once. At least in an orphanage, she wouldn't go hungry.

"What did you do when your mom was around?"

"I was quiet."

"Did your mom often tell you to be quiet?"

"Yes."

(There are many children who have suffered like this. I shouldn't get too involved. It's sad, but I can't handle children.)

I tried to convince myself of this.

The hotel breakfast consisted of bread, milk, half-cut oranges, jam, butter, a light vegetable soup, scrambled eggs, and sausages.

Nonna ate silently. I ate in silence as well.

Nonna and I walked to the station in silence, holding hands. On the way, I bought a ribbon that matched her blue-gray eyes and tied it in her hair. It felt like I was trying to make up for my guilt with a gift, but Nonna's face relaxed a little, so I felt better.

"Thank you, Onee-san."

Nonna suddenly said thank you in front of the station. I wondered if I should encourage her to do her best at the orphanage but decided against it. This child had surely been trying hard all along.

So, I said nothing and patted Nonna's head.

Holding hands, we entered the station, where a woman in her fifties was waiting.

"Oh, you're finally here. I'm the director of the South District Orphanage. Thank you for taking care of this child last night."

The woman took Nonna's hand and started walking, saying, "Come on, let's go." Nonna stumbled as she was pulled. After a few steps, Nonna turned to look at me. Her eyes... her eyes.

For the first time, Nonna showed emotion.

"Wait! Please wait!"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Can I take this child in?"

The woman, who seemed experienced in such matters, spoke smoothly.

"Take her in? I understand you just arrived in this country and are staying in a hotel. You don't have a guarantor, do you? I'm sorry, but I can't entrust a child to you. Some people pretend to take in children and then sell them. Of course, I don't think you would, but it's a rule, so please understand."

Everything this woman said was correct.

But if I let this child go, I felt I would regret it for years, maybe decades, and I wouldn't be able to forget those eyes.

"I do! I have a guarantor!"

Mr. Asher came to the station relatively quickly after the security guard contacted him.

"I will be Victoria Sellar's guarantor."

"Oh, really? If the Captain is the guarantor, I feel reassured. Ms. Sellar, can you sign the adoption papers, please?"

I signed the papers with "Victoria Sellar" and took Nonna in.

Nonna was walking around the pond in the square, occasionally dipping her hand in the water. Mr. Asher and I were talking on a bench while watching her.

"I'm sorry to have called you away from your work."

"Not at all. I was relatively free today, and this child is an important citizen of Ashbury. But why did you decide to take her in? You only met her yesterday, right?"

Nonna looked at us. I smiled and waved. Nonna, still expressionless, waved back slightly.

"I felt like the child was asking for help with her eyes. It might have been my imagination. But when I thought of a girl with the same eyes from a long time ago, I remembered your name. Thank you so much for being my guarantor at such short notice. I really appreciate it."

There was a pause before Mr. Asher continued.

"Actually, I reflected on my behavior after leaving your room last night."

"On what?"

"I realized you probably wouldn't leave the child to go out for a meal. I thought she might have gone to bed hungry on your first night in our country. I also thought you probably didn't even order room service. I should have at least brought some good food."

I looked up at the big man beside me, surprised by how accurate his observations were. He seemed to be able to read people's minds. No wonder he was the captain of the Second Knights, who protect the capital.

"You don't need to reflect, Captain. I thought I shouldn't go out, and I didn't feel like ordering room service. But you were right about everything."

I put on a friendly smile and laughed.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight to clear my conscience? As a thank you for helping to catch the thief and for taking in our country's abandoned child."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the big man's sincerity.

"Can Nonna come too?"