Chapter 34: Conflicting Intentions and a Clandestine Investigation

The following day, Lovelenica resumed Lucia’s training, maintaining a normal intensity that starkly contrasted with the abusive regimen described in the original narrative.

Yet, a noticeable distraction seemed to cloud Lovelenica’s demeanor that day.

She appeared distant and unresponsive towards Lucia, almost as if intentionally keeping her at arm’s length.

In truth, Lovelenica was deeply conflicted. Following her conversation with Lucia at the café yesterday, she had come to realize that Lucia wasn’t entirely oblivious to Lovelenica’s less-than-human aspects. Despite this, Lucia harbored a profound sense of gratitude, making her willingly amenable to being exploited.

The stark reality, however, was that Lovelenica wasn’t even human—a truth that undeniably lay beyond the scope of Lucia’s acceptance.

Had things unfolded as they did in the original narrative, it would have been a tale of unadulterated hatred and betrayal. Painful as it might be, the terms would have been clear: pure exploitation, utterly devoid of genuine emotion. Though Lucia would undoubtedly suffer a period of despondency, Imeline would ultimately help her reclaim her spirit.

Yet, if Lovelenica were to follow her current impulse—to offer Lucia a façade of affection, thereby taming her—wouldn’t Lucia be plunged into an even deeper abyss of suffering when the full truth inevitably came to light?

Lovelenica herself found no answer.

Consequently, she resolved to maintain a certain aloofness towards Lucia. This wasn’t the cruel abuse of the original story, but rather a conscious effort to diminish her own presence in Lucia’s life.

She abandoned any hope of controlling Lucia’s actions, content merely to avoid exposing her true nature or raising suspicion. Given that humanity’s true foes were phantom beings, Lucia was destined to clash with Liliana eventually, even without Lovelenica’s direct interference.

Perhaps, in this manner, when the truth was ultimately laid bare, Lucia might find some measure of solace.

As for Imeline, she neither observed Lucia’s training today nor engaged in cultivation at the Mage Association.

Instead, she intended to visit the orphanage owned by the Crimson Family. Her gut instinct screamed that Lovelenica and the formidable Crimson Family lurking behind her were entangled in some deeply guarded secret. Thus, Imeline felt compelled to begin her investigation with one of the Crimson Family’s many establishments.

Between the Crimson Family’s hospital and their orphanage, the latter presented a far more accessible target for her inquiries.

This particular establishment, known as Alpha Orphanage, was reputed to be the largest and most comprehensively equipped orphanage in the entire Kingdom of Arcadia. It boasted branches in various towns, and children who excelled in those smaller facilities were granted the opportunity to be transferred to the Royal City itself.

Presently, Imeline stood before the grand entrance of Alpha Orphanage.

“Little girl, this isn’t a place where you can simply wander in and out,”

a white-haired old man, the gatekeeper, gently cautioned Imeline, his face etched with a kind, amiable smile.

“I’m an apprentice from the Mage Association,” Imeline replied, “and I previously submitted an application to volunteer here at the orphanage.”

Returning his smile, Imeline presented her Mage Association badge and the meticulously prepared documents to the elderly man.

The old man accepted the papers, adjusted his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, and after a quick perusal, returned them to Imeline.

“Hahaha, so you’re a volunteer!” he chuckled. “Go right in. Just find the staff at the front desk in the main hall; they’ll get you set up. Mind you, children can be quite a handful, little girl, so you’ll need to cultivate a good deal of patience.”

“Understood. Thank you, sir.”

Imeline tucked away her documents and stepped inside Alpha Orphanage.

Once inside, however, she bypassed the main hall, for her true purpose was far from volunteering.

Immediately upon entering, Imeline sought out a secluded corner, where she swiftly donned her invisibility cloak before resuming her clandestine movements.

The orphanage’s expansive grounds were indeed remarkable, feeling larger even than the courtyards of some minor nobles. Imeline soon reached a bustling plaza, where numerous children were engaged in exercises, guided by a dedicated teacher.

These children appeared remarkably healthy and brimming with vitality, nearly every face adorned with a joyful smile. Only a single child sat apart, their expression sullen, perched on the stone steps of a nearby flowerbed.

‘Why do all these children look so well-fed and rosy-cheeked?’ Imeline mused. ‘Is the food here truly that good?’

She watched the children, a note of perplexity coloring her whispered thoughts.

In Imeline’s experience, nobles who established orphanages typically did so solely to cultivate a favorable reputation. Such institutions were often mere façades, starved of proper funding. Even if the orphans managed to eat, they certainly wouldn’t appear this robust and healthy, much less have dedicated teachers guiding them through physical exercises.

Thus, Imeline resolved to investigate the orphanage’s dining hall, curious about the quality of their meals, especially with dinnertime drawing near.

Still cloaked in invisibility, she entered the orphanage’s dining hall, a two-story structure designed to accommodate all the children for meals. Capitalizing on the current emptiness, Imeline swiftly slipped into the bustling back kitchen.

What met her eyes was nothing short of astonishing. The kitchen hummed with methodical activity as staff meticulously prepared the children’s meals. The rich aroma of cooking meat permeated every corner, revealing not only pig and chicken liver, duck and pig blood, and a variety of beef, lamb, and chicken, but also an abundance of soy products, fresh vegetables, and even post-meal fruits.

Imeline found herself utterly stunned.

‘These children,’ she thought, a tremor in her voice, ‘they’re eating better than most commoners! The Crimson Family must truly be sparing no expense!’

No wonder the children appeared so uniformly healthy and robust; with such consistently lavish nutrition, anyone would thrive and gain weight.

Observing the chefs prepare such an opulent feast for the children, Imeline felt a flicker of doubt.

‘Could it be,’ she pondered, ‘that the Crimson Family is genuinely dedicated to raising these orphans, truly wishing for them to lead good lives?’

No, she cautioned herself. It was far too soon to draw any definitive conclusions.

Imeline shook her head, resolving to broaden her investigation to other areas of the orphanage.

The orphanage also featured a small medical station dedicated to the children’s well-being, a place Imeline now decided to inspect.

Within the medical station, a lone doctor in a crisp white coat sat at a desk. The door stood slightly ajar, allowing Imeline to stealthily slip through the narrow opening. She observed the doctor poring over children’s files, diligently noting details with a quill pen.

Still concealed by her invisibility cloak, Imeline tiptoed behind the doctor, craning her neck to peer at the desktop. The files meticulously detailed each child’s recent health status and medical history, consistently indicating robust health across the board.

A glass cabinet held layers of paper files, alongside numerous glass test tubes. Imeline recognized these, having seen many similar ones at the Mage Association, where they were used to store liquids for potion crafting. Here, however, the test tubes in the medical station contained children’s blood samples.

This, at least, did not immediately arouse Imeline’s suspicion. After all, blood samples were a standard part of comprehensive health checks for children, a practice that struck her as entirely reasonable.

A strong urge to examine every file in the cabinet seized Imeline, but the presence of the lone doctor within the quiet room gave her pause. While her invisibility cloak rendered her unseen, it offered no protection against sound. Any rustle of papers would undoubtedly betray her presence, drawing the doctor’s attention. Reluctantly, Imeline had to abandon the idea.

‘Damn it…’ she thought, frustrated. ‘I can’t find anything at all…’

Imeline’s patience began to fray. Every observation within the orphanage seemed to reinforce the notion that the Crimson Family was, in fact, providing exceptional care for these orphans.

Involuntarily, Imeline’s thoughts drifted towards more extreme possibilities.

‘Why would the Crimson Family go to such lengths to care for these orphans?’ she mused darkly. ‘Are they perhaps intended to be sold as children to infertile nobles? Or are they being groomed to serve as servants in aristocratic households?’

‘If that were true,’ she considered, ‘then there would surely be records in the orphanage’s main archives, wouldn’t there? I need to find out where those are kept.’

It was then that Imeline recalled the sullen-faced child in the plaza. That particular child had seemed so out of place; perhaps they held some insight into the orphanage’s hidden truths?