• Trigger Warning: Child Abuse

Side: Ren

A mysterious woman claiming to be the princess came to the orphanage. Immediately thereafter, she dismissed all the teachers at the orphanage.

She also forbade us from working.

…As if finding work isn’t already hard enough.

I often heard about the hardships faced by the older brothers and sisters after they left the orphanage. Hence why, in order to increase our chances of getting employed, even if a little, Iris had us labor as apprentices the moment we turned 10-years-old.

With the princess around, we’d sooner starve to death.

“If the princess hadn’t taken pity on you lowly orphans, you wouldn’t even be allowed to breathe the same air as me.”

“Ugh—!”

“Brother Ren—!”

The maid the princess brought with her despised the idea of working at the orphanage and took it out on us every day.

“Shut your mouth.”

Next to me, my little brother began to cry. When she saw that, the maid raised her hand and I rushed to hide him behind my back.

“So, what if your rank’s higher? All you can do is threaten those weaker than you, anyway!”

“…This is why low-ranking people are fools. Listen here, dimwit—”

The maid yanked my hair.

“Lowborn like you aren’t even considered humans. You’re just cretins. Your place is beneath the sole of—”

“—Yet you can’t even step on us.”

“What was—!?”

“Are you sure you want to hit us? If something happens to us, your kind princess won’t stay quiet. How are you going to hide it? Blame it on Lady Iris, the duchess? A maid like you? You better be prepared for the consequences.”

“Tsk!”

“—!”

The maid pushed me away, throwing me against the wall.

“You talk big for a lowborn—!”

With that, the maid left.

“Brother…”

“I’m fine. This is nothing.”

When I saw that the princess trusted and kept such people by her side, I lost all faith in her. Undoubtedly, she wouldn’t believe us if we told her that her own maid had assaulted us.

The princess only ever saw us as ‘pitiful children’, not knowing how miserable that made us.

‘Be grateful that Yours Truly is doing this out of the kindness of her heart.’

I could sense that from the princess. Perhaps, the princess herself was unaware of it. Nevertheless, the distorted feelings, which lurked within her heart, were seeping out.

“Brother, let’s report to Lady Iris and get rid of that princess.”

“Not yet. Remember what Lady Iris told us. We need to gather evidence to prove the princess is unsuitable for her role.”

That’s right. We don’t have to endure her presence for six months.

The only one who actually put in any work was that guy named Lou, but the princess didn’t believe us when we told her that.

…Let’s win Lou over to our side and have him testify.

After all, Lady Iris told me that she didn’t mind my using her name just this time.

This is our chance.

I’d use Lady Iris’ name to attract Lou to our side. Somehow, I could feel that he was similar to us.

“Keep an eye on that Lou guy.”

“What’ll Brother Ren do?”

“I’m going to speak to the director and ask him to bring a doctor. I need to get a medical certificate.”

“Got it.”

Let’s quickly finish the work requested by Lady Iris and get our teachers back.

---

* E/N: And here I thought that maid would secretly have the kid done away with and then tell Iris it was a terrible accident while he was out.

***T/N: Sasuga, Ren, sasuga!!! You showed that maid whose boss!!! Of course, it’s our lady Iris!! (My editor would play the part of that maid flawlessly)

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