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“I… I came here because I had nowhere to go.”
“This is not a hotel.”
“My parents are dead. There is no inheritance. Here is the document that proves our situation.”
I took the papers out of my pocket. After carefully reading the papers, she said, moving her body away from the door.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
I grabbed my suitcase and went inside.
A cold and subdued atmosphere lingered, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the lack of sunlight or the exclusive gaze of the woman herself.
She took us to the director’s office.
“Mrs. Simpson. A guest has arrived.”
“Come in.”
An old voice was heard from within.
“Go in.”
I went into the director’s room with Leo and Daniel. An elderly woman with a strict impression greeted us.
“I am Emma Simpson, the director of this place.”
“This is Elizabeth Herrington. Daniel, this is Leonard. They are all my brothers.”
“You are the children of the famous Herringtons. I’m sorry about your parents.”
“Ah…”
“I don’t know, but there has been a lot of buzz in the newspapers about the Herrington Hotel for a while. Because you are Karl Herrington’s children, I thought you would be left at the homes of relatives and acquaintances, but I didn’t know you would come to our institution like this.”
“…The world is not as green as I thought. Rather, can we just talk about that alone without my brothers? They are still young.”
“How old are you?”
Daniel answered Mrs. Simpson’s question.
“I am ten and Leo is eight. But I’m not just ten, so let me stay here.”
“Daniel.”
“Sister. I have a right to be heard. It’s a matter of where we live.”
Mrs. Simpson raised an eyebrow when Daniel used a difficult word for his age.
“Daniel is smart. He is a genius who never forgets what he sees once. Anyways, Daniel, go out with Leo. A ten-year-old is not part of this conversation.”
“Sister!”
When Daniel insisted on his decisive attitude, he was forced to hold Leo’s hand and left the director’s room.
It was a little difficult because I said that I would always be with them, but in any case, the conversation between Mrs. Simpson and I need to be just the two of us.
“Hmm. Actually, I have one more brother. His name is Edward, and he left the house in shock and is missing. I think that child should be taken care of as well.”
“Runaway is common. Okay. How old is he?”
“Thirteen.”
“And you?”
“I am fourteen years old. In five months, I will be fifteen.”
Mrs. Simpson’s pen stopped while taking her notes in the notebook. Suddenly, I felt a vague sense of anxiety. But she continued to ask her questions again as if nothing happened.
“Are there any specialities to be aware of, such as allergies?”
“I have no allergies. Edward was weak as a child and grew up in his country, and now he is very healthy. As I said before, Daniel has a great memory, and Leonard is full of energy.”
“Okay.”
“By the way, may I know which public school my brothers are going to go to?”
“I think it’ll be Sierra Elementary School.”
“Okay. Then I will go to the Sierra Vocational Education School next door.”
“…I’m sorry. That would not be possible.”
“What?”
Mrs. Simpson’s eyebrows drooped endlessly.
“You have to go to an orphanage in another area. This is a place that only accepts 12-year-olds and under, so you should go to a nursery specializing in girls, and the child named Edward should go to a nursery specializing in boys.”
“…What?”
It was like a mountain over a mountain. How is the world trying to be more harsh on me?
“What do you mean? We’ll be scattered?”
“Here, Sierra’s Welfare Administration Act says so.”
The sky seems to be falling. To be separated from Edward, Daniel and Leo. Mom and Dad will be shocked if they found out.
“It can’t be.”
“But I can’t break the rules.”
“Then… Is there a specialized nursery school for girls in Sierra? Isn’t it just the administrative districts that are different?”
“I’m sorry. The nursery school specializing in girls was moved out of Sierra by order of the imperial family last year.”
I was speechless. What should I do? I was scared and wanted to run away.
“All right, is there any other way?”
“A way…”
“Leo cries all day without me. Daniel is still too young to be left alone. Edward is…”
Growing up separately from Edward, he’ll be completely separated from us. So I can never part with Edward.
“It’s not that there’s no way, but you’ll have to leave Sierra and go to Kirgen. In Kirgen’s orphanage, you can grow up together until you are fifteen.”
Kirgen was the empire to which Sierra belonged. Sierra is a special autonomous region of the Kirgen Empire, and the Sierras consider themselves more of a city-state called Sierra than a Kirgen citizen.
Pls read only at pink miffin tl.
This is because the political systems of Kirgen and Sierra are different. Unlike the Sierras, the Kirgen Empire had a strict class system and had an imperial family. Sierra, on the other hand, had no status and adopted a democratic electoral system.
Besides, the cultures are very different, so if Kirgen and Sierra have one thing in common, they speak the same language.
“Hey, there…”
I had to choose. Do I go to another country and grow up together, or do I grow up scattered in my country?
My decision will change the fate of the family. I bit my lips and thought carefully. And made a decision.
“I’ll go to Kirgen. Can you help me?”
“If you go to Kirzen, it will be very difficult. No matter how many orphanages there are, there is no way they’ll welcome orphans from other countries.”
“It’s okay. If only I could be with my family.”
“When you turn 15, you will be separated there too. Are you going to go that far to stay together for just a few more months?”
“It’s better than breaking up right now. If Mrs. Simpson doesn’t help me, I’ll take my brothers to the street. And I’ll go straight to the capital. There is one of my godmothers in the capital city. I’ll be able to get help from her.”
Mrs. Simpson looked at me for a long time instead of answering. I felt like she was testing my determination, so I opened my eyes and caught her eyes.
After a while, Mrs. Simpson sighed briefly and replied.
“Okay. Got it. However, we can’t solve it right away, so stay at our nursery for a few days and wait. Documents will be ready in a week.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Then get out of here. That cry is like your brother’s cry no matter how much I look at it.”
It was obvious that Leo was crying. After thanking Mrs. Simpson again, I quickly left and soothed Leo.
Leo was crying with a runny nose with his face swollen.
Daniel couldn’t handle Leo, so he just watched his brother in trouble, but he looked like he was going to vomit from Leo’s runny nose on his sleeve.
“Sister. Ugh.”
Leo dug into me. I took out his handkerchief familiarly, let the boy blow his nose, lifted him up and began to soothe him.
His shoulders, which were crouched to the fullest, were terrified by the unfamiliar environment.
“It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
I soothed the youngest and explained the situation to Daniel. Daniel nodded and was convinced.
“I agree with my sister’s idea. We have to be with our family. But what about Edward?
“I left a letter, so he’ll come.”
I have no choice but to believe that.
After talking roughly, I was assigned a place to rest after eating with unfamiliar children. But there was one problem.
I had to go to the girls’ room, and Leo and Daniel had to go to the boys’ room, but Leo wouldn’t get away from me.
“No! I’ll be with you!”
“Leonard. You’re not a girl.”
“No. I don’t want to leave you.”
Annoyed, Daniel was about to yell, so I quickly pushed Daniel behind me and persuaded Leo.
“Leo. A brave child does well without a sister. Is Leo a coward?”
“Coward… Not a coward!”
“Then spend just one day with Daniel. That’s okay, right?”
“Yeah…”
Leo, who nodded his head, was attached to Daniel. After confirming that Leo and Daniel went to bed in the boy’s room, I returned to the girl’s room and laid down.
There was a creaking sound in the cheap bed. Wind leaked from the wall right next to it, and the blanket was just a cloth.
‘Will I be able to adapt?’
I couldn’t sleep because I was worried.
This was the world I had to live in the future. An old bed covered with worn-out cheap blankets. This narrow bed is my reality, but I couldn’t stand up.
Actually, I’m still so scared and want to run away. I was resentful of my parents who left us alone.
Edward, who left the house at will, was also angry. Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ll have any more wishes as long as he returns safely.
“Sigh.”
I sighed on my own.
When we go to the Kirgen Empire, we have to come up with a way not to break up within five months.
Although my godmother lives in the empire, it is unclear whether I will be able to get help as the last time I saw her was 10 years ago.
“I don’t even remember her face. I don’t know if my godmother will remember me, but what should I do?”
Sierra has a mayor and parliament instead of a king. Since I grew up in such a country, I am very afraid to go to the Kirgen Empire without adults.
‘But we can’t break up.’
Edward, who was sent to my father’s friend’s house in the countryside as soon as it hit more than a hundred days since he was born due to his weak body, showed a great sense of distance from us, perhaps because he grew up alone even though we spent the summer vacations there every year to see him.
There was always an invisible line drawn clearly, and there were few memories or bonds to share.
That’s why it was so scary to be away from my young brothers. I’m afraid we’ll get awkward with each other because we’re growing apart. I’m afraid I’ll get awkward and our relationships will become worse.
‘We can’t just grow apart.’
The Kirgen Empire has been regarding an adult since the age of 18.
So even if you are sent to another place at the age of 15 because you can’t get help from your godmother, you will be able to watch them grow up from then on as long as you save money for three years and find a house to live with.
‘Yes, three years. It’s better than breaking up right here and enduring until 19.’
Thoughts continued until dawn. When I was sleepy but couldn’t sleep, I eventually gave up sleeping and went out to the small living room in the nursery.
A pale moonlight came through the open window.
“Hah.”
Yawning and crouching on the sofa. Will the world be less scary when I become an adult? Would this be less difficult? If so, I can’t wait to become an adult.
“Sister?”