Chapter 26

In front of the Goodwill Loan Company on Sixth Street in the South District, there is now a large crowd gathered.

Our carriage is parked by the roadside, and I am leaning close to the window, watching the scene outside. About twenty members of the Second Knights Corps have arrived on horseback and are entering the building one after another. Passersby, noticing this, have stopped to see what is happening, muttering, "What's going on?"

Soon, angry shouts can be heard from inside, followed by the sounds of something breaking: *Clash! Clang!*

(Oh, they’re fighting against the knights?)

I think to myself that it’s futile, and then I see several men being dragged out with their hands tied behind their backs. They look like young men with bad reputations.

After a while, an older man and a middle-aged man are brought out. There are about ten men in total. Then, a young woman appears, and I gasp in shock. It’s Orlie. She glares fiercely at the knights who are escorting her and yells something hateful to the onlookers. Orlie is heavily made up and dressed flamboyantly, a complete contrast to when she lived in our mansion.

All the people are dragged out and crammed into a carriage for criminals, which is parked behind our carriage. The carriage looks like a large box with no walls, only surrounded by a fence. From what I can see through the gaps in the fence, there are no seats. The men and Orlie are standing, crammed inside.

"Anna, that’s..."

"Yes, it’s Orlie."

"Was she working here?"

"If you can call it work, she was part of a fraud ring."

The crowd has grown to nearly a hundred people. Some of them are familiar faces, and they have likely noticed our family crest on our carriage.

While I am thinking, *That person is here as a spectator too,* Jeffrey calls out to the coachman, and we decide to return home for the time being.

◇ ◇ ◇

We received a letter at the convent explaining the situation, and we are now sitting on the sofa, drinking tea with few words. Bessa, who seems to have sensed that something has happened, brings us a variety of buttered thin slices of bread and jam.

"Sweets are good when you’re tired."

As soon as Bessa leaves, Nonna speaks up.

"Mom, what happened?"

"A little while ago, someone used the method of dyeing parchment to make it look old to create fake contracts and defraud people of their homes. Your father contacted the Second Knights Corps, and they caught the bad people."

"Wow. Why didn’t you take me along? I wanted to see it."

After a moment of hesitation, I decide to tell Nonna the truth.

"Among those being dragged away, Orlie was there."

"Huh?"

"Orlie chose to make money by working with criminals rather than living a quiet life here. Her expression had completely changed compared to when she was here. I think it’s better that you didn’t see it."

"Better not to see it? What do you mean? Aren’t you worried about Orlie being caught?"

Nonna looks at me with a critical eye and tone. Jeffrey quickly intervenes, speaking in a much calmer manner than usual.

"Nonna, what would you have done?"

"What would I have done?"

"If you were a mother, would you have shown your daughter Orlie being taken away? For what purpose?"

"That’s not what I meant. I just thought your way of speaking was cold."

Nonna probably wanted me to consider Orlie’s situation as well. But...

"Let me make this clear, Nonna. Orlie left this house because she lied to Lord Clark and was not accepted. She then chose to act with a fraud ring. Orlie wasn’t forced; she acted of her own will."

"But maybe Orlie didn’t know it was fraud?"

"That’s true. But ignorance isn’t an excuse for an adult. If she needs help after paying for her crimes, I am prepared to assist her."

Jeffrey continues, addressing Nonna, who still seems unsatisfied.

"Orlie is a smart girl. I think she knew what the men were doing. She chose to make money by deceiving people rather than working honestly. If it were you, Nonna, I would cry while handing you over to the knights or the guards. I believe that’s love and responsibility."

Nonna says nothing, just looks at Jeffrey, then drops her shoulders and leaves the room.

"Was that okay? I’m not confident as a father, but I’ve always raised Nonna with that kind of resolve."

"I would do the same if Nonna were to get involved in crime and profit from others’ suffering. I would cry while handing her over."

Our family has more money than we could ever spend. I want to believe that Nonna won’t do anything because of financial troubles, but even wealthy nobles can get involved in shady dealings. Financial wealth doesn’t always equate to emotional richness.

"We should raise Nonna to make the right choices. After that, it’s her life."

The words that came out of my mouth, which deeply loves Nonna, surprised Jeffrey.

"Nonna is very important to me. More important than myself. But we will die before her. We can’t protect her life forever. I want to raise her so that she can stand up on her own when she falls and endure the pain of her scrapes. I don’t think it’s right to keep her in our arms forever."

I sigh softly and continue.

"But sometimes I wonder if it would be different if I had carried her in my womb and endured the pain of childbirth. Sometimes I think a mother would protect her child no matter what, even if it means facing the whole world as an enemy."

"Anna..."

"This is a question that will never have an answer."

I smile quietly, and Jeffrey pulls me into his chest.

"I’ll share your struggles. Don’t bear them alone. Raising children is difficult."

"Yes, it is. I don’t have a role model within myself. I’m always in doubt. But I have no doubt about living with you."

"Me too. No matter how many choices I face in life with you, I have the confidence to make the right decision immediately."

That day, we left Nonna alone.

I thought it was something she needed to figure out on her own.

The next morning, Nonna came to breakfast with a smile as if nothing had happened.

"Mom, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was just lashing out. I won’t do anything that would get me handed over to the guards. I thought you and Dad would really do it. And I thought you and Dad would cry more than I would if I were handed over."

Raising children is difficult, but it also brings a lot of happiness.

I felt as if I had grasped something intangible and smiled.