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Chapter 17
Rosha read a chilling obsession in those eyes. Having almost dragged Joshua along, Rosha found Lily’s room and unlocked the door with a key. After sending Joshua in first and locking the door behind him, Rosha checked on Joshua, who was likely startled.
“Joshua, are you okay?”
“Y-yes…?”
“That woman was staring at you earlier, right? Didn’t it scare you?”
“Ah… yes, it was really scary.”
“See? Who is that woman?”
“She kept staring… I don’t even know how scary it was.”
Joshua snuggled right into Rosha’s arms. Rosha tried to pull him away while comforting him, but Joshua clung to him, saying he was scared, and Rosha eventually gave in. Holding Joshua close, Rosha began examining Lily’s room.
‘What on earth is that woman?’
On the first day, she seemed normal enough, but on the second day, when Joshua was brought in, she suddenly displayed that insane madness.
And the surname “Reiletra” attached to the director’s name kept bothering Rosha. He had never heard such a surname before, yet he felt like he had seen it somewhere. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall anything, so he decided to focus on examining Lily’s room first.
Lily’s room was simple. She only had a few neat dresses, and the large bookshelf with five compartments contained little beyond the Bible.
‘Lily must have been quite a devout believer.’
The night her family died and she was separated from her younger sibling, Lily was only five years old. Since then, the time they had lived together and the time they were apart were about equal. Perhaps Rosha now knew less about Lily than he didn’t know, and the thought left a bitter taste.
He could buy her dozens of nicer clothes than these.
If she wanted to study religion more, he could send her to a seminary.
He could give her a room ten times bigger than this.
But there was no one here worth lavishly giving to.
‘Why did Lily leave the orphanage?’
At ten, she wasn’t even at an age to be so rebellious. Yet the little girl had left the orphanage alone. It was an incomprehensible story.
Suddenly, Rosha recalled the madness in Director Reiletra’s eyes.
‘Could it be… did that woman hit her?’
If that were the case, he would kill her.
‘I won’t let her die nicely. I’ll torment her until she begs to die.’
Rosha’s hand, picking up the Bible from the bookshelf without purpose while holding onto Joshua, veins standing out in anger.
“Lily was a faithful child, wasn’t she?”
Then, at the voice that sounded right next to him, his body reacted instinctively.
Rosha raised the Bible reflexively. Fortunately, before striking, he recognized who it was and lowered the book.
Director Reiletra took the Bible from Rosha’s hands.
‘I clearly locked the door…?’
Perhaps reading Rosha’s suspicion, the director took out a key from her chest pocket. It seemed to be a spare key for the room. Even so, the discomfort didn’t fade.
“The Lord has spoken.”
“About what?”
“Trust in me.”
Was she pretending to be sane no longer? Rosha looked at the director with obvious disdain.
“Sometimes, I cannot distinguish whether what I see is truth or falsehood.”
“…….”
“Evil may seem good, good may seem evil, God may seem a demon, and demons may seem God.”
“…….”
“Do not doubt, just trust me.”
Rosha met the director’s eyes as she whispered, bringing her face close, and snatched the paper from her hands.
On the paper was exactly what Rosha had asked for: what Lily liked and disliked, how she related to other children, and what kind of child she had been while staying there.
Having obtained what he wanted, there was no need to stay any longer.
“You wrote it faster than I expected.”
“I know every detail about Lily without having to recall memories.”
“Regardless, thank you for taking the time despite the trouble.”
“If you need help again, come anytime.”
“Yes, I will. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Exchanging perfunctory thanks, Rosha gathered Joshua.
“Let’s go, Joshua.”
Rosha wrapped an arm around Joshua’s shoulders, ignoring the director’s eyes that persistently watched him, and left the orphanage.
“Rosha, are you okay?”
As they walked through the corridor toward the main gate, Joshua glanced at Rosha with a worried expression.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“But your expression doesn’t look good.”
“……I’m fine.”
“Shall I hold your hand?”
Joshua’s attempt to comfort him was both amusing and not unpleasant. Rosha gave in and held Joshua’s small hand. Feeling the warmth, he felt calmer than before.
Holding Joshua’s hand, Rosha approached the orphanage’s main gate. Children were playing together just like before. Rosha tried to pass by them without lingering. But he couldn’t.
Unconsciously, he approached one child as if in a trance. He grabbed the child’s shoulder and turned him around.
“You…”
It was the same child.
The blonde child he had mistaken for Lily during his previous visit to the orphanage.
“Your hair color…”
Yet now, this child’s hair was brown. It was clearly the same person.
“Why is your hair color different from before?”
At Rosha’s pressing question, the child shrank back.
“Th-that time, I was wearing a wig…”
“A wig?”
“L-Lily’s hair color was so pretty, I w-wanted to copy it…”
Even so, would the orphanage really buy a wig for a child?
“I-I’m sorry…”
There were more than a few suspicious points. Yet having scolded young Joshua before, Rosha couldn’t push the child in front of him any further.
He couldn’t tell if he was overreacting or if suspicion was justified.
Rosha reluctantly let go of the child’s shoulder and turned away.
“Wait!”
The child stopped Rosha.
“I felt like you were upset because I copied Lily…”
The child pulled something from their pocket and offered it to Rosha.
“It’s a gift to apologize.”
It was a lollipop, its wrapper torn and creased as if someone had opened and rewrapped it. Not wanting to make the child cry, Rosha mutely took the candy and turned away, carrying Joshua out of the orphanage without hesitation.
Back at the Count’s castle with Joshua, Rosha stayed by his side as Joshua bathed and went to bed.
“Rosha, aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I’ll sleep. Here in this room.”
“You’re going to share a room with me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
Knowing that a demon could appear near Joshua, he couldn’t leave Joshua’s side anymore. He had to protect him from any possible danger.
“Is it uncomfortable to share a room with me?”
“No, I like it.”
Rosha was momentarily speechless at Joshua’s shy answer.
How could he be so honest about his feelings?
Rosha approached Joshua, pulling the blanket over his head to the top of his crown while muttering.
“Go to sleep already. It’s late.”
Joshua struggled, barely sticking his face out from under the blanket.
“You know, Rosha.”
“Now what?”
“Don’t be sad.”
“…….”
“I’ll stay by your side.”
What did he just say…?
Suppressing the urge to mutter in embarrassment, Rosha looked out the window. Even though the snow had stopped falling long ago, the ground was still covered. Watching the cold landscape, he noticed Joshua trying to touch Sadrach as he climbed onto the bed and sharply scolded him.
“Don’t touch Sadrach.”
“Okay.”
Joshua obediently withdrew his hand and lay down without protest. Feeling a twinge of guilt for snapping, Rosha cleared his throat and scolded him unnecessarily.
“Don’t you know that good children sleep early?”
“But…”
“But what?”
“I’m afraid you’ll leave me.”
Once he had given in, Joshua’s whining didn’t stop. Slightly annoyed, Rosha sighed but stroked Joshua’s hair.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll stay by your side all night.”
For the time being, he couldn’t leave even if he wanted to.
Reassured by Rosha’s promise, Joshua finally relaxed, or perhaps drowsiness caught up with him, and he kept blinking slowly. His long silver eyelashes fluttered each time. Rosha awkwardly patted Joshua’s stomach until he fell asleep.
Soon, steady breathing replaced the soft murmur.
Joshua was finally asleep.
Rosha, still holding Sadrach who had been struggling to climb onto the bed, leaned back on the sofa.
He should sleep too, but the suspicious events at the orphanage lingered.
Director Susan Reiletra’s surname kept bothering him.
‘I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere…’
Where could it have been?
And why did she look at Joshua that way?
Also, the child who wore a wig to imitate Lily’s blonde hair was suspicious.
What if the blonde child he had seen by chance was really Lily?
And she mistakenly put a wig on another child to make the others think she had been mistaken?
‘…That might be too much of a leap.’
Rosha shook his head at his overactive imagination.
“Oh, where’s that candy…?”
He picked up the lollipop left haphazardly on the table. It was the one the orphanage child had given him as an apology.
When he unwrapped it, Sadrach sniffed it curiously.
“This is mine.”
Rosha teasingly pressed Sadrach’s nose and put the lollipop in his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue. The sweet taste spread.
The candy was a familiar treat. Noah used to give Rosha lollipops when she was sad, angry, or as a reward for doing well.
A few months ago, after completing a mission cleanly, Rosha had even asked for money instead of candy, and Noah’s shocked expression still made him laugh.
“My, Rosha… you’ve finally been tainted by the world.”
Recalling that memory while enjoying a lollipop given by a child, he felt slightly better. He rolled the candy in his mouth and prepared to toss the wrapper onto the table.
But something written inside the wrapper caught Rosha’s eye.
He unfolded the crumpled wrapper and clearly read the words inside:
“Lily is inside Angel Orphanage. Please save us.”
