Chapter 32 : The Saintess on the Corpse (4)

After packing up the few belongings they had in the abandoned house,

Charlotte and the others held the priests’ hands and arrived at a large two-story mansion just outside the Imperial Capital.

There was a flower garden in the yard, and the small two-story house nestled in the woods was full of children like them.

The thought that they could live here from now on made Charlotte’s heart race.

“Grandpa!!”

As soon as they arrived, children came running and threw themselves into the arms of the old priest.

Even though it must have hurt to have so many kids bumping into him, the old man just laughed joyfully. Charlotte smiled too, seeing how happy he looked.

“Today, I’ll introduce some new children.”

“New kids?! There are new kids?!”

Curious eyes turned toward them. The white-haired girl, startled by the sudden attention, ran behind Charlotte and Ray’s legs to hide.

“Her hair looks weird!”

“Is she sick?”

The innocent but cruel comments from the children pierced the white-haired girl, and unable to withstand their stares, she began to cry.

Ray could feel the tears soaking into her pants and finally snapped.

“She’s not sick, so back off!!”

Startled by Ray’s outburst, the other kids jumped and hid behind the old priest.

“Heh… Kids, it’s not right to make fun of someone just because of how they look.”

“But still…”

“You were wrong today, so there’ll be no snacks.”

The children were shocked at the mention of no snacks. They rushed over to the white-haired girl, bowed their heads, and apologized. The old priest gave a little snort like he didn’t buy it.

But the kids didn’t notice.

“We’re sorry!”

“Really, we’re sorry!!”

The white-haired girl didn’t respond. She just buried her face in her pants. Some of the other kids, worried they really wouldn’t get any snacks, also started to cry.

It was such a ridiculous scene—so different from life in the alleys—that Charlotte smiled, realizing this place might truly be a good place to be.

The nuns, startled by the crying, came rushing out and gently picked up the sobbing kids, carrying them inside the building.

Charlotte watched the back of a smiling nun carrying a child into the orphanage.

The red leaves wrapped around the whole place, and the sound of crunching echoed as children ran across the fallen leaves.

The breeze from the forest grew colder.

As the autumn wind rustled the trees, leaves fluttered down with the breeze.

Winter was approaching fast, before they even had time to enjoy autumn.

“Welcome to Theodore Orphanage.”

“That’s your name, Grandpa?”

“Ah, it’s a bit embarrassing, haha!”

Scratching the little hair he had left, the old man looked shy about naming the orphanage after himself. Then he gently held Charlotte’s and Ray’s hands in his.

Alongside them, five more children joined hands and followed together.

Together with the children, we entered Theodore Orphanage.

The old priest led us into a room. A nun came in and brought a dark liquid none of the children had ever seen before.

“It’s hot, so drink it carefully.”

Even mud water couldn’t be this black. And it was steaming. But the smell was so tempting. One brave boy took a sip and shouted in surprise.

“It’s delicious!!!”

He cried out at the sweet taste he had never experienced before.

“Slow down now.”

The old priest looked flustered as the boy, worried someone would take it from him, gulped it down despite the heat.

The other kids, watching him, quickly followed. After trying it, they all shouted how good it was. The white-haired girl sitting next to Charlotte drank in a rush too, fanning her tongue because it was too hot.

“Slow down.”

Charlotte wiped the dark liquid from her mouth with her sleeve.

Then she saw the girl’s red eyes glance at Charlotte’s untouched cup.

Charlotte quietly switched the girl’s empty cup with her own.

“It’s a secret.”

The girl grinned and drank again, sticking her tongue out at the heat.

Charlotte found it all very endearing.

After checking that all the cups were empty, the old priest began to speak.

“So… Was it good?”

“Yes!!”

The children responded cheerfully, and the old man smiled back.

“You’ll be living here from now on. But first… I want to know your names.”

The children took turns answering as he called on them.

All gave their names, except the white-haired girl.

Because she didn’t have one. She’d been abandoned without a name.

White hair, red eyes, “sick girl”—those were the only names she ever had.

Noticing something, the old priest stood from his chair and walked over to her.

He crouched to meet her eyes, but she looked away. Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his neck and gently held her tiny hand.

“Alright… let’s name you Ariana. If I ever had a granddaughter, that’s the name I would’ve given her.”

Ariana.

It sounded like it came straight from the name of the Ariana Order. It might’ve reflected the priest’s faith, but when he gave her the name, there was a bittersweet look on his face.

“Ariana.”

“Yes, Ariana.”

“Ariana…”

The girl quietly repeated her new name, then looked straight at the priest. Her red eyes shimmered with tears.

“That’s your name now.”

She nodded and quietly looked at Charlotte, as if asking her to call her that too.

“That’s great. Ariana.”

For the first time, Charlotte saw a genuine smile on the girl’s face.

No matter how much Charlotte tried, she could only do so much for the children. So the fact that this man could make her smile made Charlotte feel he was truly amazing.

“You’ll need a place to sleep now. Sister Superior, please.”

The old priest bowed to the nun who had brought them the tasty black drink. She waved him off and smiled.

She led them to a small room with four wooden beds. It was small, but they had never seen real beds before, and they jumped on top in excitement.

The blankets and pillows smelled like soft sunlight.

The warm blanket, still holding the sun’s warmth, wrapped around Charlotte.

“Ray. Aren’t you glad we came?”

“…Yeah.”

Charlotte noticed Ray’s unsure expression. She still hadn’t opened her heart to the people here.

Charlotte felt happy that they could all live together now, but Ray still didn’t trust this place.

After being shown to their room, they all went to bathe.

There was a small stream near the orphanage, and with the nuns’ guidance, they learned how to wash properly and changed into new warm clothes like the soft blankets.

It felt good. It felt so happy.

Clean, warm blankets. Clean, new clothes. No cold drafts from the windows. The food was delicious compared to the trash they used to eat.

Kind nuns. Kind priests.

And so, our orphanage life began.

But… unlike the freedom of the streets, life at the orphanage was a bit hard.

We had to wake up at a set time every day. Because the orphanage was under the religious order, we had to pray before every meal, which felt a little frustrating. Following fixed schedules and routines every day was harder than expected.

Still, it was good. Compared to the hunger and cold, this was heaven.

Charlotte was happy…

But Ray and Ariana struggled to adjust.

Ray, who Charlotte thought would do fine, started arguing with the adults more and more.

Ray clashed with the adults who kept trying to control everything. And Ariana couldn’t make any friends.

Not fitting into the new environment, both of them started depending on Charlotte.

And soon, the three of us became outcasts in the orphanage.

“Ray… are you okay?”

“…Sorry.”

Ray was curled up in the corner of the bed under the blanket again after another fight with the adults.

Charlotte knew Ray didn’t trust grown-ups.

But… even when they were so kind, why was she still pushing them away? Hadn’t she come here like Charlotte, drawn in by the warmth?

“I don’t know… I don’t know, Char…”

Ray clutched the blanket and started crying.

“They’re all so kind, I’m so grateful, it’s all so nice… but I’m scared. I’m scared they’ll throw me away again.”

Her voice cracked with emotion as she broke down.

Maybe it was because she knew how painful betrayal was when you trusted too much. The only ones she allowed herself to care for deeply were Charlotte and the children.

“It’s scary when people come close, it’s scary when they’re kind…”

Ray looked at Charlotte with trembling eyes, crying.

“I’m scared of adults.”

Charlotte had never heard Ray’s full story, but she couldn’t bear to watch her growing thinner and more worn out.

“Ray… should we leave?”

Winter had fully arrived outside.

The trees had shed all their leaves and stood bare, welcoming the season.

“Ray… If you say you want to leave, I’ll go with you. But… let’s just get through this winter. Let’s stay here for this winter, and in spring, let’s go out together and live.”

“Let’s leave in the spring. Honestly, I don’t want to go back to that ruined house, but… if I’m with you, we’ll manage somehow!”

Charlotte grabbed Ray’s hand and gave her a small smile.

Yes, as long as the two of them were together, they’d survive. They always had.

They just needed to get through this cold winter, and in spring, they’d leave and live together.

They were grown up now. They could find a way to earn money and survive.

Charlotte couldn’t send Ray out into the world alone, not when she was struggling so much.

“Sis… are you going to leave?”

“Ariana…”

Ariana, who had been eavesdropping from outside the room, came running and jumped into Charlotte’s arms.

“Take me with you.”

“No, Ariana. You should stay here.”

“I don’t like the kids here. They keep teasing my hair.”

Charlotte gently touched Ariana’s cheek as she pouted, twirling her frizzy hair with her fingers.

She had gained some weight since they first met, and her chubby cheeks were soft and warm.

“No. You stay here.”

“Be a good girl and listen, okay?”

Charlotte’s heart ached seeing Ariana’s tearful face… but she couldn’t let this child go back to the streets.

She lifted the crying Ariana into her lap, and the three of them sat together on the bed, looking out the window.

The cold wind knocked against the glass and seeped through the cracks. The chill against their skin told them—winter had come.

Their clasped hands were warm.

How nice it would be if the three of them could live happily here.

“Just this winter, Ray. Let’s get through just this winter. Once it passes, maybe we’ll feel differently.”

Ray quietly nodded.

Outside the window, the clouds thickened.

Nuns gathered the children to bring in the laundry before it rained.

And so, our long winter began.

That winter, across the Empire, news spread that the Saintess of the Holy Nation had passed away from old age.