【3】

For the first time in this world, I headed to a small theater in the commoner district of the capital to catch a glimpse of my favorite, Noel.

If the game’s progression is accurate, Noel should be making a big impact as a popular singer in the theater at this time.

After stopping the carriage from the marquis’s residence in the square, I walked through the downtown area with the accompanying knight guards for about ten minutes.

“Why have you come to the commoner district? Is your lover truly a commoner?” My brother, Mireld, asked in a low voice. Despite his icy beauty and his stoic expression, he seemed quite dissatisfied.

“I told you she’s not my lover, didn’t I? You’re persistent, dear brother. My favorite, Noel, is just a singer.”

“A singer?”

“Yes. That’s why we’re heading to the theater now,” I said, glancing briefly at my brother beside me.

Although he insisted on following, I had acquired some commoner men’s clothes during the journey and dressed my brother in them. However, the shabby attire didn’t suit his noble appearance at all. A discordance emanated from the linen shirt, leaking a noble aura.

“It really doesn’t suit you, dear brother. It looks unnatural.”

A commoner district’s small theater isn’t the kind of place for a glittering nobleman like my brother to visit.

“You stand out just as much. You don’t look like a commoner at all.”

“…Stop making such mean remarks. I took great care with my disguise, so from any angle, I look like a merchant’s daughter.”

With such conversation, we reached the theater.

“Well, since we’re here, dear brother, please listen to Noel’s song. It’s an otherworldly angelic voice! …After the performance, let’s wait for her in the dressing room.”

We lined up, took our seats, and waited for the performance to begin.

The performance lasted for an hour.

I wonder at what point Noel will appear!?

As my heart throbbed with anticipation, the time for the curtain to rise arrived.

――However.

Noel didn’t appear at all from beginning to end.

“…Huh???”

Beside me, my brother, looking bored, remarked, “It was a poorly executed opera.”

“So, which one was Noel?”

“…………”

It’s unthinkable that Noel didn’t appear.

Noel is the top-selling singer here, destined to rise to become the exclusive singer of the Royal Opera House in the future.

Could it be that Noel’s fate scenario is messed up!?

With a changed expression, I called for the manager of the opera house.

“Sigh…Noel? Who’s that? We don’t have any singer like that here.”

“What do you mean there isn’t!?!”

After being told by the manager, I held my head in despair.

Strange.

By the time I graduated from the Noble Academy, Noel should have already become a popular singer…

“Could it be that, Isla…”

Could it be that the game heroine, Isla, didn’t trigger the consecutive events for Noel’s development?

In this game, Noel is a background character living in the commoner district of the capital. Noel, who grew up in unfortunate circumstances and was mute, was saved by the encounter with Isla.

Although initially unable to speak, by repeating “Good Friends Events” and increasing intimacy, Noel would eventually speak and showcase a magnificent singing voice. With each increase in intimacy, Noel would display genius talents in various fields such as art, mathematics, and astrology. Simultaneously, adorable mini-games like “Rhythm Games,” “Coloring,” “Crossword Puzzles,” and “Fortune-telling” would be unlocked.

“If events were progressing as intended, there should have been an event around the second year of school life where Noel is scouted by the opera house. Considering the location before entering the theater, the place where Noel lives is…”

Muttering to myself, my brother gazes at me thoughtfully.

“Enough already! I can’t forgive that heroine! Neglecting Noel for three years, how heartless can she be!?”

With my emotions boiling over, I stormed out of the theater.

–San Torquet Orphanage.

With guards in tow, I headed to the run-down orphanage in a corner of the slums.

Naturally, my brother followed… I wanted him to go back because answering his questions would be troublesome, but my brother is not an easy man to deal with.

Making sure he wouldn’t interfere, I entered the orphanage gates. At the same time, angry shouts from a middle-aged woman echoed from the backyard.

“Hey, stop lazing around, you good-for-nothings! You think you’re getting free meals for nothing just because you have no family!? Be useful for once!!”

The scolding was intense.

Peering into the backyard, I saw the figure of a middle-aged woman in a sister’s outfit and about twenty children working in the fields.

“I told you to start plowing right away! Do it quickly!”

“S-Sorry, Sister. But the hoe is heavy…”

“Don’t talk back! If you can’t even do farm work, you’re worthless! Ugh, I can’t stand useless people!”

The children, with tearful faces or gloomy expressions, obediently swung their farming tools as directed by the sister.

Carrying a crate full of potato seeds, a silver-haired girl around four years old staggered while walking—that girl.

The sister glared at the silver-haired girl, Noel, and shouted, “Don’t dawdle, Noel; you’re the most useless of all! Useless ones like you, should I sell you to a slave trader? With a face like yours, you might fetch a high price.”

“Hey!!”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice and boldly step forward. Standing right in front of the girl, Noel, I gently took the crate of potato seeds from her hands. The crate was so heavy that even I swayed.

Behind me, I heard my brother mutter, “…Noel was a child?”

Placing the crate at my feet, I glared at the sister.

“Huh? Who are you?”

“…I’m just passing through, but I heard your abusive language towards the children, so I decided to intervene. This is an orphanage run by the church, correct? Sister, are you in charge here?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“An orphanage is supposed to be a place to protect children without families, correct? Your attitude is unacceptable.”

Hmph, talking in pretenses, the sister retorted as if spitting out the words.

“I don’t care which merchant’s daughter you are, but outsiders shouldn’t meddle! We’re running this place on a tight budget, taking care of these annoying brats. If we don’t make them work a bit, we won’t survive!”

“Is the unfair treatment of the children due to financial difficulties?”

“Yeah. The church isn’t generous either. They don’t have the luxury of allocating money for the orphans’ living expenses. Well, if rich people like you would send some donations, we could improve the treatment of these poor kids a bit…”

The sister seemed to have identified me as the daughter of a wealthy merchant. In that case, my brother behind me was likely considered a rich boy from a merchant family.

With a sigh, I signaled to the guards to bring out my purse.

“Donation, right? Fine, will this be enough?”

One Dork gold coin.

An amount equivalent to a month’s income for an upper-class citizen.

The sister suddenly adopted a respectful attitude, bowed her head, and accepted the gold coin.

However, her courteous demeanor lasted only until she received the coin. The next moment, she smirked and said,

“With this, the monthly living expenses for one brat are guaranteed. Choose any kid you like, and they’ll be exempt from labor this month.”

“What…!?”

“All the kids here add up to twenty, so for all of them, it would be twenty gold coins. For a year’s guarantee, that would be 2400 coins, you know?”

“Two… 2400…!?”

What an outrageous swindler.

There’s no way running an orphanage would require an annual sum of 2400 Dolk.

I assist my brother in managing our territory, so I have a good idea of market prices.

“Hey, you, cut it out! There’s a limit to your nonsense, you know!?”

“No, this is a necessary expense. You may not understand, being a naive young lady and all.”

“Ugh…”

Talking to a woman like her won’t lead anywhere.

I glanced briefly at Noel, who was right beside me.

Noel was looking up at me intently. With her large golden eyes, she just stared at me blankly, and her emotions were unreadable.

(…That’s right. In the game, Noel was like this at the beginning.)

She was supposed to be four years old when she first appeared in the game, so now she must be around seven. However, why does she still have the appearance of a four-year-old?

(Is it possible that she’s not getting enough nutrition?! I won’t tolerate that!)

It’s infuriating that the girl who was supposed to be saved three years ago is still being treated unfairly in an orphanage like this.

I crouched down and tightly held Noel’s small hand.

“I will definitely help you.”

Releasing Noel’s hand, I stood up, exuding frustration.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds on hand right now… I’ll take my leave for today with this.”

I expressed my gratitude to the sister and left—.

The next day.

“W-What’s going on with you guys!?”

Hearing the sister’s voice echoing from the orphanage, I smirked.

Currently, thirty carpenters hired through the Construction Guild have gathered at San Torquet Orphanage, starting renovation work under my instructions.

“Wait a minute! I didn’t call for any carpenters! Who gave you permission to start construction on your own? This is my orphanage, you know!?”

“Oh dear. Well, it’s not your orphanage anymore.”

In front of the surprised children and the sister, I made a triumphant entrance with a smirk.

…By the way, my uninvited brother is still watching behind me today.

Being the Chief Secretary doesn’t seem like a busy job, but he said, “I have accumulated paid leave,” so whatever.

“Just a moment ago, the management rights of this orphanage became mine. I apologize for the delay; I am Mireille Gasstark, the daughter of Marquis Gasstark.”

“Wha… Marquis’s daughter!? Management rights to you? But this is a church orphanage…”

“That’s correct. I purchased this orphanage from the church. I negotiated directly with the church and made a donation of ten thousand Dork gold coins, more than four times the amount you demanded yesterday.”

“T-Ten thousand…!? There’s no way a girl like you can come up with that kind of money!”

“Don’t underestimate the Marquis’s daughter.”

Pocket money earned at the casino and compensation obtained from breaking off an engagement. With those, it’s a piece of cake.

“It’s the birth of the country’s first privately run orphanage. Starting today, I am the director. You, who were sent by the church, are, of course, fired. Please pack your things and leave promptly.”

I turned on my heel and began giving instructions to the carpenters.

“The building is quite dilapidated, so I would like you to carry out repair work based on the construction plan I handed over earlier. For the west wing, instead of repairs, I’d like to rebuild, so please temporarily move the items inside to the east wing…”

“Oh, young lady…! Please wait!”

The sister suddenly adopted a fawning attitude and called out to me.

“I was deeply moved by the young lady’s skill. Managing children by yourself, young lady, must be quite challenging. I have experience, so please, hire me! I’ll change my ways and work hard from now on, so please…”

“You are not needed.”

I bluntly interrupted.

“We have already conducted interviews and secured excellent staff to handle education and childcare, so you don’t need to worry. By the way, I inquired with the church about the orphanage’s financial situation, and it seems you were embezzling the operating expenses that were provided by the church headquarters.”

“Wha…!”

“You provided the children with only the bare minimum of food and neglected your duties in protection and education. The church said they would excommunicate you and file charges for embezzlement. I hope a fair judgment will be made… Well then, goodbye.”

I raised my hand, and the military police, who had been waiting outside the gate, entered the premises. Without hesitation, they took the bewildered sister away.

“W-Wait, I… I…”

“That sister was truly despicable.”

Sighing, my brother approached.

He was smiling amusedly.

“Watching you is never boring. You’ve done something quite daring. Did you buy the orphanage just to help Noel?”

“While Noel was the catalyst, it’s not the only reason. Of course, I’ll not only provide temporary support but also take responsibility as the manager of the orphanage to protect all the children. Despite appearances, I have always been interested in welfare projects since my past life.”

“That’s news to me.”

I flashed the children, who were looking dazed, my most radiant smile.

“Everyone! I’m Mireille, the new director. Other teachers will be arriving soon, too. Today, let’s have a party to celebrate the start of the new orphanage. We’ve prepared warm milk, soft bread, and meat dishes!”

“Wow!!” The children cheered.

Noel, however, maintained a vacant expression, gazing at me with her large golden eyes without blinking.