I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

“I’d like to sponsor this place.”

“….”

At Maria’s words, the director of the Orphanage blinked. For a moment, she wondered if she had misheard something.

It was said that God gives everyone three chances. The director of the Orphanage believed she had already used up her three chances and was grateful for not missing them.

Her first chance was deciding to live her life for the orphans. The second chance was when Mr. Winkaiser decided to sponsor this orphanage when it was facing difficulties.

And the third change was recent. Viscountess of Croft came and made a significant donation to the orphanage.

Thanks to Mr. Winkaiser’s donation, the children could be cared for without worrying about daily necessities, and thanks to Viscountess Croft’s donation, the children could dream of a better future.

But now, the Viscountess of Wensbury’s sponsorship?

“Well, that’s very kind of you.”

The director of the Orphanage looked at Maria, trying to calm her trembling heart.

She was surprised to learn that Maria, who occasionally volunteered at the orphanage, was actually the daughter of the Viscountess of Wensbury, but she was even more surprised by the sponsorship story just now.

“If there’s anything Sprendo Orphanage needs, I’ll spare no effort to support it.”

“Of course you will.”

The director of the Orphanage nodded.

“But, there is one condition.”

“A condition?”

Come to think of it, Viscountess Croft also laid down conditions at the beginning. She wanted the fact that she was sponsoring this orphanage to be widely known.

It wasn’t really a condition. It was just a matter of speaking a few words.

It was enough to say that they could afford to buy bread and meat in bulk for the children and live like this because Viscountess Croft made a huge donation.

Rather than worn-out clothes that could become rags, The director talked about buying clean new clothes and getting decent new shoes instead of the tattered old ones with visible toes.

So, the director was able to fulfill Bianca’s conditions excellently and continued to receive steady sponsorship thereafter.

“Give me any position or role at this orphanage.”

“A position?”

“Yes. I want some authority over this orphanage as a condition for my sponsorship.”

Maria’s demand left the director a little bewildered.

If it had been the Maria she knew before, such a demand might have seemed reasonable. After all, it was someone from the countryside who had just arrived with not much to do, someone who loved children.

But now the situation is different. If it were Viscountess Maria, and moreover, the daughter of the prestigious Wensbury family, such a position at the orphanage was trivial and unnecessary.

“What authority are you talking about?”

“The authority to restrict people entering here. From what I’ve seen during my brief visits, it seems like anyone can come and go freely. Even I, no one knows who I am, and yet the director allows me to volunteer.”

“That’s…”

“I believe it’s not right for the safety of the children. Of course, I know how much the director loves and cares for the children. However, in my opinion, a clearer set of rules is needed.”

Maria smiled at the director, seemingly to reassure her that she meant no harm.

However, in reality, Maria intended to use the authority she was asking for a different purpose than the safety and norms of the children. If the director granted her that authority, her first move would be to prohibit Bianca from entering.

Prohibiting Bianca, who was sponsoring Sprendo Orphanage, from entering was an unreasonable request, but if it happened, all Maria needed to do was ask her to stop her sponsorship.

Maria believed that she could sufficiently cover the amount that Bianca had been sponsoring. She knew that Viscount Wensbury did not spare money when it came to enhancing his education and reputation.

Especially considering the recent suggestion to host a social gathering.

“I’m sorry, Maria. It seems difficult to do that.”

“…Difficult?”

Maria, who had expected the director to accept her request, was slightly surprised by the unexpected answer.

“Of course, Maria, your point is reasonable. However, I don’t want to impose sanctions on people who come to volunteer here with good intentions. Besides, we don’t really want to establish positions and roles here.”

The director pondered how to explain this and looked at Maria.

“People visit our orphanage for various reasons. Some come to reflect on their past, others to make a name for themselves.”

The director recalled the first visit of Lord Winkaiser, who had come with a very small girl, claiming she was a child he found on the battlefield. The child, who couldn’t speak properly yet, didn’t know her name or her parents’ names. She merely held the hand of the very large Lord Winkaiser with her tiny hands.

When the director, surprised by the large cheque he handed over, hesitated, Lord Winkaiser murmured that he might have killed the child’s father on the battlefield.

Only then did the director see the two people differently. It might not have been the large hand holding the small one. Maybe it was the small hand holding the large one.

“Whatever the purpose, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I’m grateful for anything that helps the children. And I hope it also benefits our children.”

The director herself was the same. If it weren’t for the former director of this orphanage, who was a kind person, and if it weren’t for the children who had become excellent adults, she might have died.

After losing her husband, losing her child, with nothing left, the children became the director’s motivation to live. Meeting them was the director’s first chance.

“In fact, our orphanage is already sponsored by kind people, so our finances aren’t that difficult. Of course, more money would allow the children to grow even better, and we could take in more children. However, there are many places much more challenging than our orphanage, so how about supporting them instead?”

Refusing the request of a powerful noble could be frightening for the future. However, Leanne, the director, chose her beliefs over that.

She hoped that anyone who visited here and met the children, finding hope, would be welcome.

Just as Lord Winkaiser’s empty eyes were slowly filled with the light of life.

Just like the cold Duchess of Croft gradually smiled warmly.

Leanne found her path in life.

“There are so many people in the world who need a helping hand.”

And even Maria, who was a cheerful lady when they first met but seemed to have changed recently, Leanne hoped she would become like that too.

***

“Hmm…”

Lara tilted her head in confusion. Her expression showed that she didn’t quite understand.

And I also tilted my head. I couldn’t understand why Lara couldn’t comprehend this.

“I don’t know.”

Lara sighed and finally surrendered with those words.

“Well, look closely.”

I pointed at the fairy tale book again. It was the book I had been reading to Lara and the one that told the story of the princess, her favorite.

“It says that after the death of the king, the father, the stepmother, the queen, took the throne, but that’s impossible. If the princess is an only child, she would be the first in line to the throne, so the princess, not the queen, should be the next in line.”

I explained the story I had just told again, slowly and patiently.

“Even if this country doesn’t transfer the throne to women, the next in line after the princess would be the husband she marries, according to the order of succession. But saying that the stepmother seized royal power implies that women also have rights, so there’s no need to debate this issue.”

“….”

Lara blinked her lovely hazel eyes and looked at me.

Surely, if the explanation was this simple, Lara would understand…

“What’s a successor?”

“A successor is someone who inherits something. In my statement, it refers to inheriting the throne, meaning the princess will succeed to the throne.”

Alright, now she should understand…

“What’s a throne?”

“A throne is what kings sit on.”

“But how does the princess become a king?”

“The princess is the king’s daughter, so she’s born with the right to succession.”

“What’s succession?”

“Succession is the right to inherit something important.”

“Right?”

Once again, Lara tilted her head in confusion.

“Okay, look. A princess of any country is born with both rights and duties. This isn’t just a problem for princesses, but almost all noble children. They have to maintain the honor of their family…”

“Duty? Honor?”

Before I could finish, Lara blinked her eyes and mumbled.

“Honor, not duty.”

“Honor?”

“Yes, honor.”

“Ho-nor.”

Lara repeated the word in a staccato manner, but she still had a puzzled expression about what honor meant.

“Honor is, well, socially recognized…”

I wanted to explain more, but I didn’t have the confidence to explain it in a way that Lara would understand.

“Lara, honor is…”

Suddenly, Maria’s voice interrupted.

When I looked up, Maria was standing there.

Maria glanced at me briefly but then turned to look at Lara with a bright smile.

“Lara, didn’t the director praise the drawing you did a while ago and put it up in the hallway?”

“Yes!”

Lara remembered the incident and smiled happily.

“That’s what honor is. When someone praises what you’ve done and says it’s excellent.”

“Oh~ Ah, I see!”

Lara understood immediately and nodded enthusiastically. Maria also smiled brightly.

At that moment, although I was physically present with them, I felt like I was somewhere else entirely.

“Smile Love”