Side: Lou

The personnel brought by the princess complained at being told to do the cleaning and cooking for the orphanage.

“Hey, Lou, you’re filthier than the kids here, so this kind of work suit you better.”

“—!”

One of them shoved me from behind. If this had been when I was first adopted, I’d have fallen down and gotten injured. Now, the strength of an adult woman couldn’t bring me down. Still, it hurt the same.

“Don’t get carried away just because Her Highness favors you, Lou.”

“Besides, Lou should be taking care of things like this, anyway.”

“Uh-huh. Be aware of your position. I leave the rest to you, Lou.”

Discarding the cleaning tools in the hallway, the girls went to look for the princess. After all, currying favor with the princess was probably more important to them than what they were ordered to do here.

All the servants working in the royal palace were people with solid standings, as in, aristocrats. There was no way a noble would agree to serve a commoner, let alone an orphan. Yet, the princess failed to see that.

“Are you alright, Lou?”

The director looked at the cleaning supplies left scattered in the hallway and sighed. Then, he helped me mop the hallway.

The personnel brought in from the royal palace neglected their duties. The original staff members had also been dismissed by the princess, so they couldn’t come to work. In the end, the director and I had to take care of everything.

The director did this on top of his own duties, too.

Incidentally, the princess in question was having an elegant tea party in the garden. As the one managing the orphanage, she didn’t need to assume the role of a staff member or a servant, but she did need to have a firm grasp of the current situation!

“Thank you, Director. Let me put away the cleaning supplies. Please return to your work.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave it to you, then.”

“Okay.”

When I was about to put away the cleaning supplies, I met the eyes of the duchess. She was hiding in the shadows of the hallway. Without a word, she turned on her heels. She must’ve come to check on me.

Although I was supposed to be the princess’ younger brother, the duchess said that I was more like her pet.

…And honestly? I agreed with her.

The kinder the princess was to me, the more hostile the servants of the royal palace became. They were smart enough to avoid hitting my face and other visible part of my body, but there were times when I was forced to skip meals for days straight. During those times, I had no choice but to scavenge for leftovers.

How is it any different from life in the slums?

Moreover, the princess often took me to various places as if to show off her accomplishments. Because of that, I was subjected to many unsolicited advances from noble ladies.

If the princess treated me the way I deserved and didn’t drag me to those balls, I wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation. Many times, I found myself resenting those facts.

But the princess probably didn’t even consider it possible for me to think that way.

She was the princess.

She’d never had any trouble with money. She’d never been hungry, either. She didn’t get drenched in the rain. She could wear beautiful clothes in a beautiful place, all the while smiling gracefully.

She couldn’t understand the torment of being looked down upon from such a place, or the misery of having to cling to the mercy she had given on a whim.

“…Aah, I want to kill her.”

“Lou~”

As I was putting away the cleaning supplies, the princess, who had been enjoying tea in the garden just moments ago, trotted happily towards me.

“What’s the matter, Your Highness?”

In front of her, I’d wear the mask of someone who adored her.

“Did you know? The ingredients I ordered earlier have arrived. I’ve never seen them before! Who would’ve thought that potatoes had such a curious shape? Who would’ve thought that green onions were so thin and long? The orphanage sure is interesting. I’ve learned many new things that I wouldn’t have before.”

“…I’m glad. Coming here is a precious learning opportunity.”

“I know!”

…How does knowing that help her in developing into be a queen? The duchess didn’t welcome her here just so she could learn something like that.

Well, knowing the princess, she’d probably just waste the expensive tuition fee, anyway.

That money must’ve come from the people.

Whenever she complained that it wasn’t enough, her father would just give her more, even though he shouldn’t. Although, should I try to explain this to the princess, who was so accustomed to having everything handed to her easily, I doubted she’d understand.

After all, it’d be no different than telling her that we had no money.

“Now we can feed the orphans lots of good food.”

I don’t think high-class ingredients, eaten by aristocrats, will sit well with their stomachs.

“It’s possible that the children’s stomachs are weak, so I think it’d be better to make food easier for them to digest.”

“You’re right. Up until now, they haven’t been able to eat their fill because of Iris. I’ll feed them until they are satisfied.

Ah, she isn’t listening to me.

I should advise the director to summon a doctor.

---

***T/N: Lou!? Teach me your anger management skill!? How did you survive all these years without slitting her throat at night!?

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