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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: An Ungrateful Child
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"Bella!"
As soon as we entered the village, Uncle Hans called out to me happily.
His face, which had seemed even more excited than usual, turned stone-cold the instant he spotted my swollen cheek.
"What happened to your face?"
"There were some circumstances."
It was obviously a handprint, but I offered an excuse anyway.
Uncle Hans seemed to grasp my intent and clamped his lips shut, unable to hide his frustration.
"Anyway, did something happen?"
"Ah, well..."
A faint smile crept back onto his lips.
"Those herbs you gave me yesterday? They're causing an absolute uproar right now."
"Huh?"
"Everyone's waiting for you. Or more precisely, for those herbs you brought."
It was completely unexpected.
Seeing Uncle Hans so worked up like this, something big must have happened.
"Did they work well?"
"Don't even get me started. My wife, who always looks half-dead, flashed the freshest smile this morning."
That explained why Uncle Hans's face had been beaming.
There was only one reason the herbs I'd been selling steadily for years were suddenly this popular overnight.
The influence of Divine Power.
It seemed the effect—where flowers touched by saliva take on an even purer quality—had kicked in.
I figured the Silver Flower Herb's tension-relieving properties had probably been enhanced by the Divine Power.
"Everyone's waiting for you. How many did you bring?"
"Uh... about ten..."
"Hmm. They'll probably sell out in a flash."
He said people were already lining up on the street where I usually sold my herbs.
Rumors must have spread like wildfire overnight.
…Good thing I coated the herbs with my saliva.
I'd hesitated right up to the last minute, but it turned out to be a silver lining amid the misfortune.
Just as Uncle Hans had said.
On the street where I normally set out my herbs, people were clustered together. The moment they spotted me, their eyes lit up and they swarmed over.
"Bella, those herbs from yesterday... got any more to sell?"
"Me too, please! I'll buy whatever you've got!"
"What?! You hag, can't you see everyone waiting here?!"
People heaped praise on yesterday's herbs, saying their effects were outstanding.
They woke up that morning feeling not just refreshed, but with a crisp energy bubbling up from deep inside.
What normally would've taken a couple of hours to sell flew off the stall in under five minutes.
"See? Told you they'd sell out quick."
"...From tomorrow, I should bring a bigger batch."
"How about jacking up the price?"
"For now, 5 runes is plenty. The villagers aren't exactly rolling in coin."
A quiet joy bloomed in my chest.
Just moments ago, my spirits had been sinking.
But sure enough, the world didn't only dish out the bad stuff.
"Thanks to you, my wife said to pass on that she slept like a rock last night."
Uncle Hans rested a gentle hand on my shoulder with a warm smile.
"Glad to hear it."
I slipped him a bundle of herbs I'd secretly tucked away.
"Hope you sleep soundly tonight too."
"...Bella."
"Aw, come on. Think of it as the boss's bonus for your hard work."
I puffed out my chest with an exaggerated smug grin. At my playful tone, Uncle Hans let out an awkward chuckle.
"Alright, thanks."
With no other errands, I decided to head back to the Dayren Orphanage.
I felt bad monopolizing Uncle Hans any longer, and if I finished cleaning before dinner, I might even get to lounge in my room for once.
"Well, I'll be off then."
"Sure. Oh, and Bella."
Uncle Hans had switched to a serious gaze.
"If you ever need help, just say the word. Anytime."
His eyes lingered on my swollen cheek.
I gave a faint smile.
What warm comfort.
On this street, at the orphanage—no, in the whole village—few people would offer words like that.
"Yeah, I will."
It was a lie.
No matter what happened, I probably wouldn't tell him.
Uncle Hans wasn't just saying empty words.
He was a good man, and he might really extend a helping hand.
His hands were thick with calluses—the marks of hard manual labor.
But the people behind such a man weren't me.
Instead, there was his precious wife, her belly round with child, and a young lad who hadn't yet lost his smile.
He was a good person.
That's exactly why I couldn't ask him for help.
Uncle Hans had a real family he needed to protect.
'Still, thank you.'
Even if it was just words, it gave my heart real strength.
And thanks to Divine Power's effects, my herbs were pulling even more crowds.
All in all, a pretty decent day.
Where there's bad, there's good too.
But regrettably...
That cut both ways.
Low walls, crumbling fence, creaking window frames.
Back at the orphanage, the Director was waiting for me.
"Starting today, you're in charge of cleaning all the hallways."
She continued with a twisted smirk.
"You won't step foot outside until every inch is spotless. Got it?"
"...Is tormenting me really that satisfying?"
"Bella, you're more mature than the other kids, but you lack flexibility."
"Flexibility?"
"Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and compromise."
In other words, unless I forked over the cash, she wouldn't let me trade so easily.
"Bella, you know I'm your legal guardian, right?"
"..."
"You should also know I'm generously looking the other way on your little business."
By imperial law, an orphanage that cares for an orphan for five years or more becomes their legal guardian.
A clause meant to ensure protection and upbringing until adulthood.
But no matter the intent, laws always got abused.
This one had become shackles chaining me here.
From the moment I arrived, my origins were tied to this place.
Running away was an option, but where could an eight-year-old go?
I'd just get dragged back. At least until I could fully fend for myself, I had to tough it out here.
"I'll tell everyone—how you're embezzling the temple's support funds."
"How scary."
She smiled at my threat.
"But Bella, you still don't know how the world works."
The Director placed a hand on my shoulder without a word.
A chill raced up my spine.
I roughly shook off her hand and stepped back on instinct.
"The world doesn't take kindly to snitches like you."
"..."
"And sometimes you act like you've forgotten you're an orphan."
I'd never forgotten I was an orphan. I just lived without letting it bother me.
Because my past life had drilled into me that it was the only way to survive.
"A kid like you—born broken—needs to obey adults."
"..."
Regrettably, I couldn't argue.
This wasn't a paradise like Korea, where human rights were protected.
It was a rigid class society where fate was sealed at birth.
A noble's child entered the world with three maids bowing and smiling.
A hut-born kid in the mountains learned labor before their name. Their cries drowned in their parents' weary groans.
Then what of orphans, without parents or status?
Having my birth logged at an orphanage made me one of the lucky ones. The truly tragic ones huddled in pits beneath the city walls.
Worse still were the slum orphans.
Kids scraped by on garbage, girls sold their bodies for 5 runes at fifteen, treated worse than beasts and heaped with humiliations.
A person's worth was fixed at birth—and rarely budged till death.
Some were born with rights flowing in their veins. Others begged permission just to breathe.
This era was beautiful only for protagonists who shone like stars.
"You really are an ungrateful child."
Slap—
The sharp crack of palm against cheek echoed clearly. My head snapped left, the cheek throbbing with raw pain.
"Don't you get how immense a grace it is to shelter and feed trash like you?"
"..."
"Of course, help me out, and things change. You know the kind of person I am, right?"
I knew all too well.
Not just me—Uncle Hans, everyone in the village treaded carefully around her.
She had noble blood, different from ours.
"Just half. Then you're free and clear."
My defiance toward the Director faded alongside the stinging pain on my cheek.
I didn't speak. As she'd said, my words meant nothing.
So I nodded quietly.
"Changed your mind?"
"I'll clean the hallways."
"Tch."
The Director clicked her tongue and shook her head like she was fed up.
"Let's see how long you can keep defying me."
She vanished into her room, leaving a hush behind.
I bowed my head slowly.
My threadbare shoes stared back—tips frayed, seams unraveling everywhere.
I shook off some dirt a couple times, then carefully slipped them off and tucked them neatly into the rack.
I walked the hallway, the cracked wooden floor creaking underfoot as I entered the orphanage proper.
"Rot in hell."
Half-sticking out my tongue, I swallowed the curse aimed solely at the Director.