Chapter 144 – It’s Always Nobles Taking Advantage of Commoners!

Ann took a deep breath before she started dissociating, forcing herself to focus on recalling the background story of her ‘character’ that everyone had agreed on.

“So, my name is just Ann. I was an orphan who happened to be around Marquis Claritianta’s daughter’s age. His daughter was sickly, so she always spent her time isolated in the countryside to recuperate. When his daughter couldn’t make it, Marquis Claritianta decided to have me play the part of his daughter. I didn’t know the reasoning back then, and simply thought that the family must have missed the only daughter they had, and…”

“They simply couldn’t afford losing a pawn they could sell off in a marriage of convenience, right?” Silas quickly cut in with a sarcastic tone.

“Silas!” Grace immediately scolded her younger brother.

Ann merely glanced awkwardly toward Silas.

“Turns out they had a sinister plan. You see, the Claritianta family’s loyalty actually lies with King Rueben’s faction. They wanted me to infiltrate the current monarch’s faction, relay information, and–”

“What?! Those nobles! It’s always them taking advantage of commoners!” Silas slammed his hand against the table. The sudden movement startled Ann, Faye, and Fina. Fina quickly snuggled up to Faye, seeking comfort.

“Silas!” Grace shot him a warning look. Silas noticed Fina’s reaction and cleared his throat.

“Well… I was conflicted, so to rebel, I tried my best to be hated… until I finally couldn’t take the pressure anymore and… well, I guess I accidentally harmed my body, but!!” Ann quickly added the ‘but’ when she sensed Silas was about to snap again.

“That actually cleared my head instead. I decided to screw everything and just… reclaim my life. In the end, luck was on my side. Duke Schwartzen helped me, he even got help from the royal family and the saintess…” 

Ann stopped at the mention of the saintess, her best friend, who also happened to be Silas’ first love. She carefully observed Silas’ expression.

“What? Why did you suddenly stop?” Noticing Ann’s glance, Silas asked.

Only then did Ann realize that the saintess hadn’t yet made her debut to the public. Everyone knew there was a new saintess, yet nobody truly knew what she looked like.

It’s not like I know that Silas’ childhood friend and first love is Laura! I should pretend I don’t know that information yet! You can’t blame me, okay, Silas?

“So, in the end, we managed to solve the problem. The Doussier couple was willing to help me from my predicament, but they had a prerequisite. They wanted to adopt Faye… and Fina as well,” Ann continued.

“And Fina is…?” Grace turned to look at the pink-haired little girl who was snuggling up to Faye.

“Fina is… how should I explain? Uh, Birdie was cursed, and when we broke off her curse, she returned to a human bei–I mean, halfling. She’s especially attached to Faye, who is also a bird halfling.”

Thankfully, Grace and Silas seemed to accept the explanation as they nodded.

“Does this explain everything?” Ann asked, sighing in relief.

“Are you sure you’re not being forced to just go along with this arrangement?” Silas asked sharply.

“Not really. I mean, I was in a dilemma because I didn’t know how I should feel about being adopted at this age…” Ann trailed off.

Even in the modern world, orphans who aged out of the system would simply continue life as independent adults, rarely entertaining the idea of being adopted. She had heard of adult adoptions for formalizing ties between stepparents and children, foster parents, or even for inheritance rights.

In a way, her adoption might be for the sake of formalizing the ties between her and Doussier house, so she wouldn’t be a commoner orphan with her new identity. 

“I could go on with my life as a commoner orphan, but I know I want to be married to Allen… so I think I’m the one taking advantage of the Doussier couple’s kindness,” Ann finally finished.

Her last sentence stunned Grace and Silas off.

“So… he’s really your partner?” Silas asked.

“Oh my, I’m glad things worked out between the two of you! Relationships between nobles and commoners tend to face scrutiny, so this truly is the best way to ensure your marriage will sail smoothly!” Grace looked genuinely happy for Ann.

“So you’re really not being forced into adoption or marriage?” Silas asked again.

“Yes. I’m the one who benefits the most here, honestly. It feels like I’m taking advantage of them more than the other way around,” Ann answered without hesitation.

“…,” Silas fell deep into thought.

For some reason, Ann reminded him of his childhood friend and first love, over and over again. From her peculiar attitude to her way of thinking, even down to how her relationships developed.

Just as Silas had opened his heart to Laura and grown closer to her, a noble had suddenly ‘taken’ her away. And now, the same thing was happening with Ann.

He knew all too well that her becoming a noble could mean parting ways.

Not many nobles continued associating with commoners, after all.

“Oh come on, Silas. Be happy for Lea as well! …Wait, should I address you now? Ann-sama…?” Grace first scolded Silas who looked gloomy, before asking Ann.

“Just Ann is fine. Be casual with me, Grace-san!” Ann said.

“No, you’re calling me with ‘-san’, so I’m going to call you with ‘Ann-san’!” 

“That’s fair…,” Ann couldn’t argue back.

“I hope you don’t mind my brother’s reaction, Ann-san. This child… During one of the hardest parts of his childhood, he had opened his heart up to one of the orphanage kids. Just when they were getting closer, that child’s gone the next day. A noble had adopted her. He was so worried because he hadn’t heard anything back from her, but most noble adoptions are closed adoptions,” Grace started explaining on Silas’ behalf. 

She continued, “I told him back then that she might have been busy adapting to noble life, and that nobles often aren’t allowed to associate with commoners due to gossip. She was adopted by a good family, so I’m sure she’s living happily.”

Ann finally understood where Silas’ prejudice against nobles came from.

He believed his close friend had been taken away, and that her communication was forcibly cut off.

But… Ann was pretty sure the reason Laura didn’t even write to him was because she wasn’t the type to dwell on things, and she perhaps didn’t think that Silas was that close to her… so she didn’t remember to write back to him. 

Just in case, Ann asked, “Did your childhood friend promise you that they’d write to you after getting settled into their adopted family?” 

Silas turned to look at Ann before shaking his head, “No.”

“Did you ask her to write to you?”

Silas shook his head again.

Seeing Silas’ response, Ann made this weird face that totally expressed her thoughts.

“W-what is it?” Silas asked, noticing Ann’s peculiar expression.

“Nothing…,” Ann quickly shifted her line of sight away from the oblivious Silas.

Ah, no wonder.

Ann knew that if asked, Laura would 100% write to Silas, at least just the news that she was adopted into a good family. But she wouldn’t really bother doing something like that if the other party didn’t ask her. 

Plus, Ann was sure now that Laura didn’t think Silas and her were that close! If Laura thought that she was close enough to Silas, at least to the point of considering him as her best friend or close friend, Laura would 100% keep in touch with him. 

Perhaps Laura herself also thought that Silas would quickly forget her since they weren’t that close in Laura’s point of view, so what’s the use?

Alas… it was all one-sided on Silas’ behalf.

Ann silently lit a candle for Silas in her heart. 

Still, for Silas to have nothing but bad prejudice about nobles… 

Ann was unsure if it was just due to Laura getting adopted by a noble and Silas never hearing back from her? 

Or was there anything else? Since Silas’ grudge seemed to run deep…

She tried to recall, but nothing came to mind.

If I can’t remember, then that’s it. It’s not like it’s something I must absolutely know. 

“Anyway, I apologize for only getting to explain things now–”

“There’s no need for you to apologize, Ann-san! You didn’t even have to explain this to us in the first place,” Grace quickly said.

“Still, I’d feel bad… Besides, I plan to tell my adoptive parents to continue supporting this orphanage, if possible.”

“Oh my… thank you so much!” Grace was overjoyed.

“I’d still like to visit and volunteer from time to time, but I can’t promise how often. That’s why I want to contribute in another way,” Ann explained.

“You don’t need to feel guilty,” Grace said gently.

“I know how sincerely you run this orphanage, so I want to help however I can,” Ann added.

Grace was deeply touched.

Not many sponsors truly understood this place. Because Grace focused so much on the children, The Heart’s Wings Children’s Home appeared better maintained than most. Some orphanages marketed tragedy heavily while misusing funds, or took in more children without improving living conditions.

Grace, however, ensured every child here could thrive, not just survive.

To outsiders, the orphanage looked decent enough. But Ann knew that with more funding, Grace could help even more children and improve their quality of life.

That was why Ann wanted to help.

“Ah, and I am not sure if I can give the orphanage an invitation to my wedding, but I’ll discuss it with my adoptive parents first,” Ann quickly added.

“Ann-san… it’s alright. If you will face any difficulty due to inviting us, I’d rather you not do it. Just the thought is enough,” Grace quickly added.

Silas only looked at Ann with an obvious surprise in his face.

Ann paid him no mind. She really wanted to celebrate her wedding with the orphanage children as well, and it would be good if she could help Silas change his prejudice about nobles, since she knew not all nobles were like what Silas was thinking about.

As for whether she’d accidentally reunite Silas with Laura…

Well… Hehe.

Ann thought it might be fun to sit in the front row when that happened.