The next day, I woke before sunrise and headed to the orphanage.
By the time I arrived, Mitoa had already divided the children into teams for the day. The sun was just beginning to rise, brightening the sky—a welcome sight.
“Good morning, Mitoa.”
“Good morning. And welcome back. Gemi, take care of things at the sea.”
“Got it.”
Gemi, who had been talking with Mitoa, was holding a net in one hand.
With that brief reply, he led a few children out of the orphanage.
Watching his retreating back, I felt a deep sense of pride at how much he’d grown.
“You didn’t have to come back so early in the morning, you know?”
“I was just so moved by how capable everyone has become!”
I told her, my eyes growing moist, and Mitoa smiled back with a hint of shy embarrassment.
Our children are truly adorable. They’re not jaded; they’re sincere.
I stroked Mitoa’s silky hair, and she accepted the gesture, only moving her gaze to look up at me.
She seemed to be checking if I was pushing myself too hard and getting tired.
The ability to genuinely care for others is also a beautiful trait.
“I heard the Duke is really weak in the mornings. So, I thought maybe I shouldn’t wake him up first thing. I decided to come here during that time instead.”
“Is that so?”
“When he’s sleeping, he grumbles and looks incredibly grumpy, with a really deep frown. It was kind of funny, actually. But I figured I should stop before I got scolded. I checked with the butler, and he agreed it was for the best. He was so worried, fussing over him.”
As I described the scene and mimicked the expression, Mitoa started giggling.
“Sister Lily, that’s quite a face. Does he really make that face?”
“Huh? I think I recreated it pretty well.”
“Yeah, let’s go with that. Anyway, I have to wake the children and get them dressed. So, Sister Lily, can you handle breakfast?”
“Sure thing. Alright, let’s get to work for another day.”
Pumping myself up, Mitoa gave a cheerful “Okay!” in response.
Meanwhile, at the Fischer Ducal household, the butler was standing helplessly in front of the bedroom door.
Next to him was Daebeck.
He had been trying to call out to his employer for a while now, but only disgruntled grumbling could be heard from inside.
“Is he ill? If he’s in pain somewhere, I can arrange for a doctor.”
“Well, you see… It doesn’t seem to be an illness.”
The butler fretted as he replied to Daebeck, who kept calling out toward the room.
“If it’s not illness, then what’s suddenly wrong with him?”
As far as Daebeck could remember, Damian was a workaholic. You could even call him addicted.
Yet, yesterday, he hadn’t shown his face at the office space he maintained.
This was the man who made it a point to appear every day, no matter how briefly.
While tidying up work at the office, Daebeck had found himself alone as the sun set, vaguely watching the day end.
That’s why, having come to the ducal estate early in the morning like this, it was an abnormal situation for Damian not to emerge from his room.
“May I ask what happened in detail?”
Hiding his inner turmoil, Daebeck first offered a smile to the butler.