Chapter Ten: The Orphanage
Morning.
Gentle sunlight poured into the room, stabbing me awake from my dreams.
“Ugh…”
A sticky groan slipped from my lips as I furrowed my brow, half-opening one dazed eye to glance outside.
…It’s too bright, how annoying.
Feeling it was still early and too lazy to get up and close the curtains, I thought about rolling over to sleep a bit longer. However, just as I was turning my head—
“Ah! Ow… hair—”
I tugged on my own hair.
That little snag immediately banished any remnants of sleep. I sat up, wincing and feeling a bit irritated as I raked my fingers through my hair, turning my luscious black mane into a disheveled mop. A few strands floated down delicately onto the blanket.
…Dammit.
This always happens when I’m half-asleep; it’s not the first time!
Why can’t I ever learn?
Is this a common problem for girls?
…Maybe I should just buzz my hair off one day.
As I fumed at the thought and began to swing my legs out of bed, I suddenly felt a slippery warmth between my legs.
…Did I wet the bed?
A jolt of panic shot through me as I quickly reached under the covers.
Nope, just a leak.
My x*x*x……
I didn’t even have time to curse before I threw off the blanket.
The hem of my nightgown had hiked up to my waist due to my restless sleep, exposing my white lace-trimmed panties to the air. Right now, the sanitary pad was bulging slightly, and a trickle of crimson was seeping through, following the curves down to leave a small stain on the bedsheet below.
…Is this bl**d loss too much for the pad to handle?
I did change it before bed!
What do I do now? I can’t lose face like this. If someone finds out, I’m done for. I need to hide the sheets quickly.
Just then, I furrowed my brow in growing desperation when suddenly, a “knock knock” echoed from outside the room, followed by Carlos’s lazy voice.
“Little Shay, are you awake? …Huh, the door isn’t locked… I’m coming in.”
Oh no, I forgot to lock the door last night!
“Wait, don’t—”
I shouted hurriedly towards the door, but it was too late.
With a creak, the door opened a crack, revealing Carlos’s scruffy face.
“Little Shay, why don’t you lock the door when you sleep—”
Before he could finish, a pillow flew through the air with lethal precision and smashed right into his face.
“Get out—!!!”
I yelled at the top of my lungs.
The pillow didn’t hurt, but Carlos looked utterly confused. Suddenly, when he saw me grabbing the vase from the bedside table, he jumped back with a startled yelp, and I swear I saw a little spark of electricity as he muttered, “What are you doing?” But the moment he caught sight of my fierce expression, he slammed the door shut with a bang.
Sitting on the bed with the huge vase clutched in my hands, my chest heaved with pent-up frustration.
That scumbag Carlos almost caught me.
Next time he barges in without my permission, I swear I’ll split his skull in two!
Fuming, I gently set the vase back in place, planning to jump out of bed when suddenly, I stumbled.
My head spun, and I was feeling cranky.
There was a slight ache in my lower abdomen.
Even though I had only just woken up, I felt completely drained.
After a long moment of daze, I finally managed to get off the bed, struggling to yank the sheets off before shoving them under the bed. I grabbed a new sanitary pad from my bag, changed it, discarded the old one underneath, and after surveying the room for any traces of my earlier mishap, I sluggishly strode over to the door and pushed it open.
Carlos, standing outside in a daze, was so startled that he instantly closed his eyes, raising his arm to shield his face, expecting the worst. But the anticipated vase didn’t come flying his way.
After a moment of tension, Carlos cautiously cracked open one eye, only to find me staring at him like he was a complete moron.
“…Carlos, what do you want?”
I asked with a deadpan expression.
“Ahem.” Carlos lowered his arm, awkwardly rubbing his scruff, “Well, I just came to see if you’re awake… Just wanted to check on where you ran off to last night.”
“Where I went is none of your business.”
“No, no, the King of Silgaya specifically came to see you yesterday, at least show your face before you vanish!”
Carlos wore a face full of helplessness.
“…I don’t feel like it.”
I remained stone-faced, which only deepened Carlos’s confusion.
“…What’s up with you? You’ve been acting strange since yesterday. Angel said you weren’t feeling well—is something wrong? Also, during the day yesterday—”
“None of your business!” I snapped, interrupting him. Then quickly switched topics, “You’re right on time—I need to ask you something.”
“…What about?”
Carlos’s gaze flickered with uncertainty.
“Come inside.”
“Uh… I’d rather stay out here. We can talk right here.”
“…Get in here!”
I impatiently grabbed his arm and yanked him into the room, slamming the door shut behind us.
“What the—what’s going on?”
Carlos crossed his arms defensively, looking like a hormonal teenage boy about to be assaulted, his wide-eyed expression masking a hint of amusement.
I frowned, not in the mood for his silly jokes. I turned to the desk, pulled out a chair, and gestured to another seat with my chin, giving him a pointed look.
“…What’s this about?”
Carlos asked, his voice laced with trepidation as he cautiously took a seat.
“Well, last night…”
I hesitated, stumbling through recounting my experiences to him.
“…So you sneaked out to play last night?”
Carlos lazily placed his hands behind his head, reclining in a comfortable position, his dead fish eyes roamed around, clearly bored.
“Let’s not talk about that. What about those kids?”
It seemed Carlos didn’t even register my words, as he absentmindedly sniffed.
“Where’s your bedsheet?”
“…Carlos.”
I glared at him, and he definitely got the warning unspoken in my tone.
Sure enough, Carlos snapped to attention at my tone, sitting up straighter and looking serious.
Seeing him get serious, I nodded in satisfaction.
“Those kids…”
“Ah, I get it.” Suddenly, Carlos snapped his fingers, realization hitting him, “You mean… I was wondering why you were in such a bad mood. Haha! This isn’t your first time, right? …You were acting weird during the awarding ceremony, after all…”
He rambled on with his wild theories, growing more excited as he talked. But soon, he noticed my silent stare, which made him feel a bit unnerved, and his words slowed down.
I gave him a sugary sweet smile, rising and walking over to the bed.
“Wait, what are you trying to do… Let’s talk, just put down the vase! A gentleman should use words, not violence! We can solve this sitting down, please don’t get crazy! You don’t want to escalate the conflict now, do you—”
Carlos sidestepped, and the vase went whizzing by, smashing into the wall with a crash.
He wiped the sweat away from his brow, but when he turned back, he saw me ready to charge at him like an angry little lion.
“Calm down, hey, oof—”
My tiny fists came crashing down upon him, landing blows across his face and torso. Carlos, stinging from the hits, quickly resorted to old tricks and managed to grab my wrists to stop my relentless assault.
“Okay, okay, stop hitting! I surrender!” he cried.
Yeah, right!
My eyes widened, and I tilted my head back, smashing my forehead into his chest.
“Mmm—”
Carlos let out a groan, stumbling back several steps while clutching his chest and coughing.
“Cough, cough—Alright, little Shay, I apologize! I’m a j*rk, okay? Did it help?”
“Not at all—!”
I shouted back.
“What now?” Carlos shrugged, “How about I sing you a song?”
“No!”
“…Little Shay, come sit down and catch your breath.” Carlos grinned, cautiously walking over to me, gently placing his hands on my shoulders, and guiding me back to the chair. He lightly patted my back to soothe me, “Let’s get back to business.”
“…”
I had initially wanted to sulk and not talk, but the thought of those poor little girls made me suppress my own frustration and look at him with a hint of sadness.
“I was actually listening to you earlier. The place you went to last night was the abandoned streets of the Emerald City… What I want to tell you is that there are too many people in this world toyed with by fate. Disasters, banditry, diseases… all these things can easily destroy a family. Too many people are displaced, too many children are left without support, becoming homeless orphans…”
As he spoke, Carlos paused.
“Little Shay, I know you’re desperate to do something for them. But one person’s strength is limited; even if you give them more coins, what real difference does it make? They’ll run out sooner or later. And even worse, your good intentions could lead to terrible disasters for them. So on this, just listen to me and let it go. The Holy Church has specifically established orphanages for these homeless children; we just need to send them there.”
“An orphanage?” I asked, a bit confused.
“Yeah, an orphanage. The Holy Church sets up such institutions in every main city to take in children who have lost their families, providing them with shelter and teaching them skills to survive.”
“Then, should I talk to Angel?”
I pouted a bit.
“I’ll go tell him. Little Shay, you can’t underestimate him just because of how he looks. I’ve known him for many years; he’s a very trustworthy guy.”
When he said this, Carlos looked at me with an unprecedented seriousness.
“…I want to go see those kids again.”
“You have no reason to go; what could you do? Just rest up! Need me to help you get a hot water bottle or something?”
Upon hearing that, I lowered my head, feeling my cheeks heat up.
“No need… Just help me get new sheets.”
