Chapter 111: Six-Year-Old Mom

“Your Highness… thank you…”

Iris murmured in a voice filled with emotion as she looked at the splendidly transformed orphanage.

Your Highness?

The King!?

It was the King’s doing!

How dare he sponsor an orphanage before me!

A hot anger surged within my chest.

To shatter my perfect plan to pieces!

Besides, isn’t the King largely responsible for my reputation being this bad?

To leave the absurd rumor that Lycoris is a monster as it is, while being in the position of a king!

Even though he met me in person and knows how kind I am!

This is clear guilt!

Then…

how should I mess with the King…

Should I go back to the royal castle and cause a ruckus?

Should I really kidnap the prince this time?

No, I’ll spread a weird rumor about the King too!

I’ll make him wear a maid outfit and work as a servant in the Lair, and spread a rumor that he has a cross-dressing hobby!

‘His Highness is working as a maid at the Crystal Lair…’

‘I heard he has a cross-dressing hobby?’

Pfft!

That would be fun!

Wouldn’t the Lair become a complete tourist attraction?

Hmm… but wait a minute…

It was the King who built the Lair for me.

He built it much more magnificently than I had expected…

And on second thought, taking revenge because he sponsored an orphanage before me would make me the crazy one…

So, taking my anger out on the King is a bit…

Ugh…

There’s no place to vent my anger!

It’s so annoying!

“Momma! Your face is gettin’ red!”

Cecilia said, staring at my face.

Her big eyes were sparkling with curiosity.

Gasp!

Since when was she staring?

“N-No! It’s because I’m excited to see the children at the orphanage!”

I quickly made an excuse and gave an awkward smile.

“Wow! Momma is so kind!”

Cecilia grinned and took my hand.

Her small, warm hand held mine tightly, and my heart calmed down a little.

Flap, flap!

-BS

Just then, Miel gently plucked a strand of my hair and wrote a short and thick message before passing by.

That quick-witted fellow!

But I lightly ignored it.

Yes.

It’s too late to transform the orphanage magnificently, but I can still be the kind big sister who plays with the children.

I shook my head and steeled my resolve.

“Alright! Let’s go in!”

I passed through the large garden and opened the orphanage door with a heart full of expectation.

As soon as I entered the hallway, a faint fragrance tickled my nose.

The floor was made of polished marble, and on the ivory-colored walls, colorful pictures that seemed to have been drawn by children were carefully hung.

A rainbow drawn with crayons, a cat drawn with colored pencils, a flower field painted with watercolors…

Though clumsy, the pictures filled with sincerity covered the walls.

“Excuse me, but who are you…?”

An old woman with her gray hair neatly combed back greeted us at the entrance.

Wearing a clean white apron, she had a warm-looking face with small wrinkles that were traces of time, the typical appearance of a kind grandmother.

The grandmother looked at me, Cecilia, and the floating Miel in turn with a flustered expression.

Umm…

If I say ‘I’m Lycoris!’ here, it seems like another commotion will break out…

I discreetly took a step to the side and pushed Iris and Lendi, who were cautiously following me, forward.

The grandmother’s wrinkled eyes gradually widened, and a transparent tear formed in the corner of her eye.

I could even see her wrinkled hand trembling slightly.

“Iris!”

The grandmother cried out in a choked voice and ran to Iris.

She really looked like a family member meeting after a long time.

“Director Carina!”

Iris also hugged the grandmother tightly with an emotional expression.

Carina…?

Is that grandmother’s name Carina?

Umm…

That name seems to suit a confirmed idol-type like Iris…

“My child… do you know how worried I was?”

Carina… the grandmother said in a trembling voice, patting Iris’s shoulder.

Seeing her tearful eyes, I could feel that she had genuinely worried about Iris.

“I’m sorry, Director… I’m so sorry…”

Iris apologized, bowing her head deeply.

Her voice was also mixed with sobs.

“I couldn’t contact you often… I’m so sorry for making you worry.”

Just then, loud footsteps were heard from the other end of the hallway.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

“Iris unnie!”

A small blonde girl came running like crazy, crying her eyes out.

She was about elementary school low-grade, and her small face was completely tear-stained.

Her small steps made her look so pitiful as she ran.

“Serina!”

Iris immediately knelt down and opened her arms wide.

Serina ran straight into Iris’s arms like an arrow and hugged her tightly.

“Waaaah! Unnie! I cried every day because you didn’t come!”

Serina sobbed, clinging to Iris’s neck.

Her small shoulders shook as she cried, looking just like a baby.

“I dreamed of you every night, but when I woke up, you weren’t there… hwaang…”

“I’m sorry, Serina… Unnie is so sorry…”

Iris soothed Serina, patting her back.

Tears welled up in her eyes too.

No, but…haven’t they only not seen each other for a month?

Is it enough to cry like that…?

To me, who waited for Master for three years, it seemed like a ridiculously short time.

Hmm… maybe because they’re young children…

With several footsteps, other children also started to poke their heads out from here and there in the hallway.

“Huh? It’s Iris unnie!”

“It’s really Iris noona!”

“Unnie is back!”

Nearly thirty children flocked to Iris and surrounded her.

There are so many…

“Kids!”

Another tear party…

It was a bit awkward for me to just stand there blankly.

After fully sharing the joy of their reunion, the children finally recognized us.

Curious eyes all turned towards us at once.

“Wow… she’s prettier than Iris noona…”

“This one is so cute! Her hair and eyes are like fire!”

“There’s a strange butterfly here too!”

Phew…

I’ve finally escaped being a background character!

And thankfully, my first impression seems to be very good!

But just then, a child approached me.

“Are you going to live in our orphanage now too?”

…?

What…?

What is this!

Do you think I’m an orphan or something!

Wait, if you want to be technical, I don’t have parents and I’m only six years old…!

No! I have Master instead of parents, and my mental age is that of an adult!

And I now own my own home!

But while I was momentarily speechless, the children flocked to me and started talking.

“Let’s be friends!”

“How old are you?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“What’s your name?”

“She smells like flowers!”

“Can I touch your hair?”

Ugh…One at a time…

But I think there was a weird question mixed in!

What boyfriend is a boyfriend!

I looked to my side and saw that Cecilia was in the same situation.

The children were flocked to Cecilia, calling her cute and talking to her.

But most of the boys flocked to me, and the girls went to Cecilia.

These kids are already into pretty big sisters…

I discreetly looked behind me and saw Lendi staring at this scene with a pale face.

What, does he think I can’t even handle a little teasing from kids?

But looking closely, his gaze was not on me, but on Cecilia.

Ah… she was held by Cecilia at the market.

Lendi’s worry is right!

It’ll be a big problem if Cecilia gets flustered and uses her strength!

“Cecilia! You can’t use your strength on the kids!”

“Okay! Momma!”

At Cecilia’s clear and cute answer, the children’s noisy clamor stopped all at once.

The suddenly quiet atmosphere was a bit awkward.

“Momma…?”

A child asked, looking back and forth between me and Cecilia.

“Are you… no, is the ahjumma her mom…?”

Ah-ahjumma!?

Is every mom an ahjumma!

“What ahjumma! I’m six years old!”

My voice got louder without me realizing it.

The children started to get noisy and clamor again.

“Huh…? She’s younger than Serina…?”

“A six-year-old is a mom…?”

“That’s impossible…”

“No! Don’t you guys also consider that Carina-halmoni over there as a mother!? I’m that kind of existence to Cecilia!”

“Dats wight! Momma is momma!”

Cecilia clenched her two fists and nodded her head vigorously, adding strength to my words.

I don’t know if saying ‘Momma is momma’ is helpful.

However, the children still looked at each other with suspicious eyes and started to whisper and murmur.

“How can a six-year-old be that tall?”

“It must be a lie. She looks like she’s about ten?”

“Still, how can a ten-year-old be a mom?”

“Maybe a griffin brought her the baby when she was young.”

“Ugh, it’s not a griffin, it’s a phoenix!”

“No, you idiots… she said she’s not her real mom…”

Oh…

I’m already tired…

Was dealing with children this hard?

But just then, I heard Director Carina and Iris talking in the distance.

“Iris… who on earth are those people?”

Grandma Carina asked cautiously, glancing at me from time to time.

Her voice was full of tension.

Iris hesitated for a moment and then answered in a small voice.

“It’s Lady Lycoris and… her companions.”

“Lycoris…?”

Grandma Carina repeated the name cautiously, and then her face suddenly turned pale.

I pricked up my ears while stroking Cecilia’s warm head.

“Could it be… the one people are talking about these days…?”

“Director, please calm down.”

Iris quickly took the grandmother’s hand.

“She’s completely different from the rumors. Lady Lycoris is not such a scary monster.”

Ooh!

Is she defending me?

“And actually…”

Iris whispered in an even smaller voice.

“I’m not working at a brewery, I’m working at Lady Lycoris and Lady Frostia’s Lair.”

“What…? W-What is that…”

Grandma Carina staggered and leaned against the wall.

Is it that shocking that Iris works at my house!

“No! It’s a really safe and good environment.”

Iris quickly explained.

“They are all really good people. Lady Lycoris has a pure and warm heart.

She came to the orphanage with us because she said she wanted to smile and play with the children.”

Smirk.

The corners of my mouth went up by themselves.

Actually, I just came for image-making!

“And when I first met Lady Frostia, I was scared because of her intimidating presence and cold atmosphere, but unlike the scary legends about dragons, I felt a warm emotion and she has a really warm heart.”

Hehe!

As Iris also spoke well of Master, my mood gradually improved.

She has a good eye!

“If that’s the case… that’s a relief.”

Grandma Carina let out a sigh of relief, stroking her chest.

“Director, from now on, we shouldn’t judge based on groundless rumors.”

Iris said seriously.

“I realized that I shouldn’t believe something recklessly before meeting them in person.”

“Yes, you’re right… I judged too hastily. I’m sorry…”

Grandma Carina nodded her head, looking at Iris with warm eyes.

But isn’t Iris exaggerating a bit since it hasn’t even been a day since we met?

Well, that story is all true!