Hazel hair braid.
Sparkling emerald eyes.
Plump cheeks like a doll.
She had an expression that seemed calm at a glance, but her eyes were full of intelligence and adventure.
It was as described in the original story.
The moment I saw her, I knew the truth. There was no room for doubt.
It's real. It's really Elodie...!
I was so affected that I forgot to breathe, just looked at Elodie.
Elodie was so immersed in her book that she didn't notice my head peeking through the attic door or that I was watching her.
The orphanage's attic was a place that Elodie sometimes used as her own sanctuary. She usually came to him when she wanted to read without being disturbed.
I knew that. I've borrowed the following volume from Father Dreyfus previously, so of course you'll want to read it immediately.
Reading has always been Elodie's favorite pastime.
Her first meeting with Ethan was also because of a book.
There was a small antique library near the orphanage.
It wasn't famous, but it sometimes contained rare books, so Ethan visited it frequently.
One day, Ethan found a little girl sitting in the corner of the library, her eyes fixed on a thick book.
That girl was Elodie.
Ethan was fascinated to see a little girl reading such a thick book, so he impulsively started a conversation with her.
He quickly became fascinated by Elodie's intelligence, which was beyond her age.
Ethan learns from the bookstore owner that Elodie is an orphan.
He also learned that she used to sneak out of the orphanage to read books there whenever she had the opportunity.
Upon hearing this, Ethan saw his younger self in Elodie. He too lost his parents when he was young, and found his closest companion in books.
Afterwards, Ethan donated a large number of books to Elodie's orphanage.
‘Miriam felt confused, and said that there was no place to store so many books.’
Then, like any philanthropist, Ethan eventually adopted Elodie into the ducal family.
This early part of the story was my favorite.
As a fan of the original, I'm a little disappointed, no, that things won't develop this way... but I can't help it.
Anyway, seeing the real Elodie reading a book was very touching. It was like living in a dream.
Honestly, I felt like I could watch it all day.
At that moment—
“...Duchess?”
I heard Miriam's terrified voice from the bottom of the stairs.
I shivered, quickly closed the wooden door, and slid down.
“Is there something strange there?”
“No, nothing at all. I was just exploring the orphanage.”
I smiled brightly.
Miriam's facial expression was half puzzled and half suspicious.
“It's just an attic we use for storage. I don't think it would interest someone like you, Duchess...”
“There are no rooms like this in the Duchy. Their structure was interesting, so I wanted to take a look. I’m the curious type, you see.”
“……”
Miriam looked at me without saying a word, as if she were staring at an irredeemable troublemaker.
This is understandable. She must think it is inappropriate for the Duchess of Dumont to act like this.
"Anyway, what brings you here? Were you looking for me?"
“Ah, yes. Time to read to the kids...”
“I understand. Let's go together.”
I playfully nudged Miriam on the shoulder, and she reluctantly started walking, still looking unconvinced.
If I found out that Elodie was hiding in the attic, I would be in big trouble...
I looked into the attic as we walked.
***
Elodie, who had been pressing her ear to the attic door for some time, finally stood up.
“It was definitely the Duchess, wasn't it?”
It must be the same one I saw earlier when I went to borrow a book from Father Dreyfus. Viscountess Grandbert was then also called Duchess Dumont.
I heard that Viscountess Grandbert is bringing a friend with her today. When I saw her earlier, I thought: “It must be her.”
Since she was far away the whole time, I couldn't see her face clearly.
I only caught a glimpse of her features for a second or two.
“She looked really beautiful...”
Despite the short duration of her vision, her side beauty remained fresh in my memory. Not only that, she was tall and slender.
She looked like a princess from the adventure novels I loved.
Was she the one who scared me?
Considering everything, it seems so.
The truth is that I have not seen the Duchess directly.
I only realized this when I heard the attic door close.
Since then, I have been holding my breath, listening to the conversation between the Duchess and the sister.
'Is it possible that she doesn't hate me...?'
Earlier, she didn't even try to approach me, or even look my way, so I felt a little frustrated.
Given her high status and how beautiful she was, I thought I couldn't help myself if she found me annoying.
Of course, Viscountess Grandbert was always kind to us orphans, but I knew very well that not everyone was like her.
Once, I ran into a noble woman while walking through the city.
The woman frowned and looked at me as if I was something dirty.
If the Duchess had looked at me that way, I would have been very sad.
So, I felt somewhat relieved before.
Of course, this does not mean that I intentionally missed the meeting.
Simply put, I was so curious about the book's content that I thought I had read it for a moment before the meeting...and as usual, I ended up losing track of time.
Should I go out now?
I wanted to see the Duchess's face clearly and be sure that she was the one who scared me. But at the same time, I was afraid that she would hate me.
I was also worried that Sister Superior would scold me.
After much thought, Elodie decided to stay in the attic.
In the end, what decided the matter was the book.
She was very curious about what would happen next.
Elodie sat by the window and opened her book again.
***
Elodie never left the attic that day.
Myriam didn't seem to notice Elodie's absence either.
With so many children to care for and so few needing help, it was no surprise.
Moreover, with her focus on helping Audrey and me, she must have been even more distracted than usual.
I thought about this while reading the original, but this is really an extreme post...
After dealing with children myself, I felt it even more so.
They were great, but that's another topic.
After only three hours, I was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.
At least the first step went smoothly.
I felt some regret not being able to talk directly to Elodie, but seeing her face was enough for the day.
I don't want to get so nervous that I stumble in front of Elodie...I'll have plenty of time from now on. I'll take it slow.
“Farewell, Duchess Dumont and Viscountess Grandbert.”
She said goodbye to all the children with intermittent voices.
I smiled and waved to them.
“Okay. I’ll be back next time. Until then, listen carefully sisters.”
Suddenly, I noticed Audrey looking at me with a very satisfied expression.
I tilted my head.
"What?"
"Nothing. You did well today. Shall we go out?"
"Uh...no. Before that, I'd like to stop by the church again. Can you wait here for a bit?"
Audrey blinked in confusion, "Oh, of course, it's okay. But may I ask why?"
“In fact, I promised Father Dreyfus that I would confess. Since I am here in the church, I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity to ease my worries.”
Audrey's eyes showed a hint of pity upon hearing my words.
Audrey knew I was under a lot of stress because of my husband.
You have helped me in so many ways out of compassion.
“Sure. Take your time. I'll be here.”
“Thank you. I won't be long.”
I smiled at Audrey and headed towards the church.
***
Shortly after Camille left, Miriam grew closer to Audrey.
“Viscountess Grandbert. Thank you very much for your efforts today.”
“Abbess, you worked hard too.”
“It is just part of my regular duties. Frankly, the Duchess must have had the most difficult situation.”
“Yes, I did. However, for the first time, her performance was excellent.”
Miriam nodded in agreement with Audrey’s words, “…Yes. Honestly, I was very surprised.”