Chapter 2: 2

The Villain’s Merit, Chapter 2

“I used to have a part-time job, but now I work because of punishments even though I’m in a novel!”

The reason why I’m working at Curtis orphanage, where I am staying, is because I don’t have enough money.

Rather, the finances are overflowing compared to other orphanages. Curtis is a so-called ‘noble orphanage’ that has been closely affiliated with the nobles.

All the children here are dressed in pretty dresses and suits and receive a high-quality education like aristocrats. That’s because they are illegitimate children of noble lineage.

The Curtis Orphanage is a place where the debauched nobles, who enjoy luxury and pleasure, take care of the unwanted children. They can keep a good conscience by saying they sent their illegitimate child to a good place, or they can easily relieve their guilt through donations.

In addition, they’ll be praised as philanthropists by people who don’t know the circumstances.

‘How can you care so warmly for the lowest class orphans? So merciful!’

As a result, some nobles use Curtis as a means of image marketing.

It’s a charity project, so you go to the orphanage, take a photo, and have it on〈People’s Daily〉, a private newspaper of the people who usually don’t even look at it.

‘This is how they practice Noblesse Oblige by visiting and sponsoring an orphanage. Look, we build good buildings for orphans and put good clothes on them.’

(Noblesse Oblige- The responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged)

At this time, the prettier and brighter the orphan next to you in the proof shot, the better the publicity effect.

“It’s like politicians who only come to the market during an election campaign and get votes with a few handshakes.”

That’s the perfect set of examples.

Curtis has a child used to increase its image marketing effect.

Not one of the aristocratic illegitimate children the director cherishes, but a pretty orphan who can be taken from another orphanage and dealt with. That’s Freddia.

“I’m not an illegitimate child but an imported orphan⋯⋯.”

Freddia was chosen because of her beautiful, doll-like blonde hair, big clear blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. It meets the appearance conditions that target the tastes of the aristocrats.

On the day when high-ranking people visit Curtis, this living porcelain doll smiles and raise donations.

‘I took a pretty and pitiful photo for you, so please give us more donations. Please support us generously.’ 

I mean ⋯⋯.

On days when there is no punishment, I wear rags and clean up after other children.

This is Freddia’s true duty. In other words, the things that I did while in Fredia’s body.

“Are orphans divided into different orphan groups? Golden spoon orphans if they are abandoned by their aristocratic parents, and dirt spoon orphans if they are abandoned by their peasant parents.”

I’m going to die of embarrassment, starving and cleaning their rooms while the other kids are eating sumptuous meals.

At the orphanage where I lived before I came to the novel, everyone cleaned their room by themselves.

“I liked that I got a new life⋯⋯.  But I’m a worker, and they’re noble orphans.”

I sigh deeply.

However, the situation is not very hopeless, so I try to hold out. I already know the story of this novel.

“You’ll see. The ugly duckling soon becomes a swan⋯⋯.”

Wait a minute.

“Didn’t the heroine leave the orphanage and become a swan?”

Shortly after coming into the novel, the main character went to be adopted by the Duke’s family. But of all things, the family was the villain family.

The protagonist, who had a strong sense of justice, had conflicts with the villains since the beginning and went through various troubles. As the family collapsed, she fell in love with the prince, the male protagonist, and became the princess.

“But even after that, I still suffer from my mother-in-law and get stabbed by the male lead’s half-brother, ugh.”

The main character may have a happy ending, but the process is very painful.

When I was a reader, I liked the story that the protagonist went through because it was spectacular, but when I thought I was going to have to go through it, I sweated a lot.

“Besides, if I become an empress later, the politics⋯⋯.”

Empress.  Politics.  As a small citizen, no matter how much she fell in love with the male protagonist, the original heroine, who willingly decided to become the mother of the country, is just amazing.

To become the mother of the country, they have to take care of people they don’t know well as their children. In a country where people throw their children away because it is burdensome to be the parent of their children, like my parents.

“It’s impossible.  I’m dead and awake, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

Should I just get out of here before I get adopted? What if I leave the orphanage and twist the original work? 

Since I have modern knowledge, I think I can easily succeed in this novel world if I use my brain.

“In other novels, the heroine succeeds in selling chicken and the popcorn business.”

It would not be bad to earn a little money by working as a maid until you get older, and then grab a big item and gradually develop your business from a stall.

“It would have been absurd to think like this in real life, but since the world has changed, such a plan is plausible. The difficulty of surviving is about one star.”

Even though this seems to be the case, I am someone who had a part-time job but has never had a full-time job. Wouldn’t it be impossible to do anything in this medieval-style world where food culture was underdeveloped without following the original story?

“Okay! What adoption? I’m gonna live my own life!”

Oh, pink future again!

(Pink future- Suggesting hope for the future) 

I thought it was ⋯⋯, but there was an unexpected difficulty.

“You’re leaving? Why do you want to leave?” 

The director pushed the glasses on the tip of his nose and looked at me through the frames as if he was frustrated.

I just asked, ‘What will happen if I suddenly leave?’ to see his reaction, but I can’t believe this reaction.

“Do you know how much it costs to feed and dress you? Thankfully, Mr. Hamel promised to pay that much money and take you in. The condition is that you work there without pay for 5 years. Be grateful.”

What nonsense is this?

“Isn’t the fund of the orphanage covered by donations? In addition, I wore clothes thrown away by other children, and I spent time eating leftovers from other children. Even cleaning, laundry, and punishments. I think I’ve paid enough for the meal.”

I couldn’t accept this as it is ⋯⋯, but I just nodded as if I understand and walked out of the room.

‘Have you been thinking of selling me as a slave since the beginning?’

If I don’t become an empress, I am destined to become a slave.

I have to run away from this fate.

But the next day, the director asked me to go out to the market and buy something.

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“What is this? A chance?”‘

If I ran away, I would be chased by him to the ends of the earth, but why is he leaving a fish to a cat?

(‘Leaving a fish to a cat’- Giving something so desirable to someone)

‘I didn’t prepare anything.’

But soon I learned that the director wasn’t an idiot and that I walked around like an idiot.

“She’s the orphan~!”

“Her mom and dad don’t exist~.”

As soon as I went to the market, the children who were playing at the entrance of the alley suddenly flocked to me.

“Oh no, isn’t that Freddia? Hey guys! Don’t bother her!”

Sometimes people who passed by greeted me as if they knew me well and followed the children.

‘Oh, my picture was in the newspaper!’

I forgot that. Everyone knew my face because the picture taken during the donation was published in the newspaper.

〈People’s Daily〉is a newspaper for commoners in the region, reporting petty details about who got married, who opened a store, and how much vegetable prices have risen today. The nobles don’t even look at it, but the commoners do.

‘That’s why the director sent me on an errand. Even if I run away, I’ll be found through a rumor.’

It’s not easy to twist the original. While sighing, the voices of the market children were constantly stuck in the back of my head.

“Hey, did you get paid to paint?”

“Living in a good place for orphans. What about our shabby place?”

Judging by the jealous voice, it seems that I, an orphan, seem to be living in a better environment than them.

You don’t even know about the truth.

‘It reminds me of the past.’

I used to be teased like this when I was in school.

-She’s an orphan? She lives in an orphanage.

-No wonder. That’s why it’s tacky. Who uses pencil cases like that these days?

-Did you wash up properly? Isn’t that a hand-me-down school uniform? It looks like it.

-If you’re an orphan, you can’t go to college because you don’t have money, right? You get good grades, why are you working so hard?

The children, who were watching with pointed gazes, became easily jealous or disparaged me if I had something better than others.

-Did you see she won a book review award? 

-She got it because they thought she was pitiful. After all, the first line of the book was “Do I have parents?”

-If it were me, I would avoid talking about my parents even if I was ashamed. When I was late last time, my teacher let me go because my younger brother in the orphanage was sick or whatever. He seems to be the type to fill up with sympathy.

People can’t stand it when someone inferior to them is treated better, or when they have something good.

Children are honest and only express it directly. 

“Don’t show off when you’re an orphan!”

“Hey! Hey! Are you ignoring me? Don’t pretend to be an aristocrat just because you took a picture with nobility.”

They say life is a repetition. Phew! Human life is the same here.

“Hey, throw that.”

I just walked pretending I didn’t hear anything, and something flew from the back.

“Ah!”

It was a stone. When I looked back, the boy laughed and scattered.

“Oh, come on.”

The kids annoy me.

“Hey, ignore them. Ignore them.”

I went my way because I thought it would only look ridiculous if I got angry, but not long after, I heard another murmur.

“I guess she’s leaving.”

“Leaving?”

I entered a crowded place, thinking, “They can’t throw anything if I go into a crowded place.” 

That wasn’t true.

“Is there anything bigger?”

“Let’s throw it.”

As long as they could bother me, it didn’t seem to matter if they hurt others.

“You⋯⋯!”

I turned around and tried to scare myself off, but it was too late.

“Dirty orphan!”

“Dogs of nobles!”

(Idiom for someone that suck up to nobles)

“Your mom’s not here~ Your dad’s not here~.”

All sorts of rubbish and stones were seen flying with the voices of ridicule. I reflexively shrank and closed my eyes.

“⋯⋯?”

But nothing hit me.

“Uh⋯⋯.”

Instead, the hem of someone’s clothes was held in my hand, and a light shined on the back of them.

I soon heard a voice.

“⋯⋯ Judging from the looks of it, the presence or absence of parents doesn’t matter in someone’s personality.”

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