Chapter 111

Chapter 111

“Excuse me. You can’t just show up like this. We don’t hand out money or food to random people.”

The neatly dressed man folded his arms, looking down at us. His eyes swept over me and the children.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

I frowned in bewilderment, asking him. His attitude was utterly rude—like he thought I’d brought kids along to beg.

“If that’s not it, then why are you here?”

“I used to live here. I came to see the old house.”

“……Excuse me?”

“This house is called the ‘Highen Mansion.’ It’s named after our family.”

At that, his pupils started trembling. At least he realized he’d made a mistake. He flailed his hands for a moment, then opened his mouth—but all that came out were well-wrapped excuses.

“I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions. To be honest, ever since the welfare project was planned here, a lot of beggars have shown up. You, young lady, look well-off, but I wondered if you’d brought kids along to beg… So, that’s why.”

“Well now. Excellent situational awareness.”

Ren, who’d been watching from beside me, muttered flatly. The man’s expression grew even more awkward. I let out a sigh and stepped in front of my younger brother before he could pick a full-on fight.

Not that I wasn’t annoyed myself. But for now, I planned to let it go. The questions piling up in my head took priority.

“Fine. Then would you mind explaining exactly what’s going on here? You said welfare work?”

“Ah, yes. We’re planning a welfare project with this as our base.”

“Huh. That’s… pretty unexpected. I wouldn’t think this location was ideal for something like that…”

It was true. The only thing ‘Highen Mansion’ had going for it was cheap land. And if cost were the deciding factor, there were far cheaper places to be found. So for this mansion to be the center of the operation… it raised serious questions.

“Yes. That’s why it won’t be permanent here. I understand we’re to run it for about three years and, if results are good, expand it nationwide. At that point, this location will be phased out.”

The man replied in a voice that had grown oddly deferential. So this was just *temporary*. Figures… I nodded as if it all made sense. But then another question crept in.

“Is the new owner some kind of philanthropist? That’s a massive undertaking.”

The idea of it going nationwide stuck with me. Welfare, no less. If it was genuine, the cost had to be staggering. Frankly, how many people in this country had that kind of wealth? The noble who bought our house must be *outrageously* rich.

“No. This isn’t a private project—it’s being run by the state.”

The man answered. So my guess was off; the new owner wasn’t directly involved.

“Ah, so the owner isn’t the one driving this. Hmm… but I heard a noble—an individual—bought this house. So a state project is being run here?”

“I’m just a worker here, so I don’t know the details. But I’ve heard the individual is leasing the house to the state. It’ll probably return to the owner after three years.”

“I see. That’s… interesting.”

As I spoke, I turned my gaze toward the mansion. The sight of its neatly restored facade made me wonder—did the Duke know about this? No. He must have known. A project involving the Highen Mansion was a national undertaking, wasn’t it? Working at the Imperial Castle, he’d have surely heard of it. Besides, he was acquainted with the new owner.

Huh… Then why didn’t he tell me? If there was news about the Highen Mansion, couldn’t he have at least given me a hint? Maybe he didn’t want to bother me…

And for a moment, that question lodged itself in my mind. It stung, a little—that I, the former owner of this place, hadn’t caught wind of it. This was our siblings’ nest, the house our family had lived in for generations. Every corner of it was steeped in memories.

No, no. I sold it. That’s done. I’d been too busy to even think about it anyway… And with everything the Duke handles for the nation, he couldn’t possibly know every little detail.

I shook my head, brushing the pointless thought away.

‘At least I know now—what’s so bad about that? Our home. Well, not ours anymore, but it looks impressive now. That’s nice to see. Roti was right to drag me here.’

Besides, knowing it was being put to good use was enough to ease my mind. If this place, where we’d built our memories, had fallen into bad hands, I’d have felt terrible. As it was, this unexpected development offered a strange comfort. A small, unlooked-for consolation.

“That’s enough for me.”

I murmured it to myself, as if I were alone. Then I pinned my gaze back on the man standing before me and opened my mouth.

“Thank you for the explanation. We’ll look around a bit more, so you can head back inside.”

At my words, he dipped his head in a small bow and withdrew. After he’d gone, we started to circle the mansion slowly, taking in the grounds. Then, eventually, we drifted out to the roadside and began to stroll through the old neighborhood.

The familiar scenery stirred a warm, nostalgic feeling. I sank into memory, letting my eyes wander this way and that around the streets. So lost was I that I didn’t notice until it was there—the sun sinking low.

“Huh? The sun’s already setting? It’s gonna be dark soon, isn’t it?”

Ren suddenly pointed at the sunset-streaked sky. At the tip of his finger, the sun was slowly sliding down. If it kept going like that, it’d be swallowed by the horizon in no time.

“You’re right. The days are getting shorter for sure.”

I answered, watching the low, yellowing light. At the same time, a worry started creeping in.

‘Ah. What do we do… Even if we leave right now, it’ll be pitch-black by the time we get home.’

Even the most seasoned coachman would’ve thought twice about driving a carriage through pitch-black streets. Besides, we hadn’t even had a proper meal yet, had we? Eating on time—that was serious business. My younger siblings needed to shoot up past average height (please, let them), and that meant proper nutrition.

“Hey, kids. How about we sleep in this town tonight? We’ll book a room at an inn…”

That was my final call. We weren’t making it back today anyway—it was the only option left.

“I’m in!”

Roti latched onto my waist and cheered. I pivoted toward the inn, kid still clinging to my belt.

“Unnie. Carry me.”

But now the kid was fussing, arms locked tight. I schooled my expression fast. Roti was clingy for her age—cute, sure, but it was high time for some discipline.

“No, Rotera. Are you a baby?”

“I am a baby? You said I was a baby.”

?… Ah, right.

“Um… maybe… that was… a while… back…?”

“No, no. You said it a few nights ago. And you said everyone under fifteen is a baby!”

Was our fourth sibling a genius? Her memory was impeccable.

Truth was, a while back Roti had asked when she could go earn money, and I’d vaguely said anyone under fifteen was a baby—meaning don’t even dream of it before then. But she’d clearly taken it literally. Really… they say watch every word you say around kids… never thought she’d weaponize a throwaway line like this.

“Uh… um… fine.”

In the end, I scooped Roti into my arms. She wasn’t heavy, but I sank into the failure of giving in to her clinginess again. Meanwhile, Roti just giggled and hugged my neck tight.

“Let’s say you stop being a baby next year, okay?”

I said it while hoisting her properly.

“So I’ll be fifteen next year?”

“No… but if you keep growing, Unnie’s gonna have a hard time.”

“Then I won’t grow!”

“What? No! You can’t do that! Where’d you get such a scary idea?”

I snorted in disbelief, and she giggled again. Then she leaned in and whispered at my ear like sharing a secret.

“Our house is so much better now, right? I wish Mom and Dad could’ve seen it.”

“…”

She said it sideways, but I caught the real meaning underneath. A wish so impossible I couldn’t bring myself to voice it. So I answered her in my heart instead.

‘Me too. I miss Mom and Dad too.’

Against the skin where we touched, I felt the child’s even breath. She seemed to be quietly taking in Highen Mansion over my shoulder. I patted the fourth’s back calmly, then raised my voice just enough to sound natural and offered another topic.

“Hey, how about we stop by the bakery for some bread, for old times’ sake? While we’re at it, we can say hi to the bakery lady. What do you think?”

* * *

“Oh my, look who it is! It’s been ages!”

As we stepped inside, the bakery lady spotted us and rose with a warm greeting. Smiling, I returned the pleasantry.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, dear. And you, young lady? Come to think of it, what brings you all the way here?”

“I was curious about the house we used to live in, so I came to see it. But when I got there today, I found so much had changed.”

“Ah! That place! Yes, that’s right. You wouldn’t believe how much better it’s gotten because of it.”

She clapped her hands together, her reaction theatrical.