The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: The Fate of an Abandoned Child

As the rainy season neared its end, with glimpses of blue sky appearing occasionally, Julius visited the lord’s mansion.

While Julius was technically employed by Melfina and still had a room in the lord’s mansion, it felt more appropriate to say he visited, as his life had completely shifted to Melto Village.

He was doing his job diligently, and having Julius alone significantly reduced the cost of guarding Melto Village. More importantly, Melfina felt that this environment was having a positive impact on Julius, so she had recently begun accepting the situation.

“So, Lord Julius. What about the child?”

Julius was holding a small child in his arms. She was too big to be an infant, but her innocent features suggested she was a bit younger than Rena.

Her bluish-navy hair was cut to her shoulders, and her matching eyes stared intently at Melfina.

“I found her while playing in the forest with Rena. We searched for her parents for a while, but it seems she wasn’t a child of any resident in Melto Village.”

“In the forest… Did she get separated from her parents?”

“No, it seems like she was abandoned.”

Melfina gasped at his words and exchanged a glance with Marie. The excellent secretary instantly understood Melfina’s intentions and took the child from Julius.

“Would you like some warm milk? Are you hungry?”

Although the girl hadn’t spoken a single word, she seemed to understand. She nodded slightly.

“Lady Melfina, I’ll go to the kitchen and give this child some food.”

“Yes, please, Marie. Lord Julius, please go to the common room.”

“I’ll have milk with sugar, too.”

“I’ll have it delivered later.”

Melfina had almost forgotten, but seeing Julius’s lack of tact, which she hadn’t witnessed in a while, made her uneasy. She couldn’t leave a child in such a complex situation with him.

Melfina noticed that the girl, though not showing any stranger anxiety, hadn’t spoken a word, which was a concern. However, she was confident that leaving her with Marie would be alright for now.

Entering the common room and closing the door behind her, Melfina exhaled deeply.

“Lord Julius, you shouldn’t talk about the child being abandoned in front of her.”

“Eh? But it’s true.”

Julius, with a puzzled expression, seemed to have no idea what the problem was.

“There’s a difference between what’s true and what you should say. It’s very hurtful for such a young child to hear that she was abandoned by her parents. It could leave a deep scar, even when she grows up. Please refrain from saying anything about her being abandoned where she can hear it.”

“I will obey, Lady.”

It wasn’t a huge issue, but Julius, despite his lack of emotional maturity, was a man of his word.

Telling him to be more mindful of others would be like telling a dog to fly.

“So, about this child… You’re sure she was abandoned?”

“I found her alone in the forest. And there are few girls of that age in Melto Village, so it’s confirmed that she isn’t a child of any family here.”

“Could she be a child of a laborer who comes and goes… It’s unlikely someone would come all the way from another village or settlement just to abandon a child.”

Even with some development, Enkar was a rather isolated region, feeling cut off from surrounding villages and territories. It wouldn’t make sense to travel all the way to abandon a child in the forest.

If they had traveled from elsewhere, it would be more logical to leave the child in a place with more people.

Even near a settlement, the forest wasn’t a safe place by any means. In this season, right after the rainy season, there was a high risk of hypothermia. It was something you could only do if you didn’t care if they died.

Melfina felt a pang of sorrow at the thought.

The girl had bright, sparkling eyes and beautiful features, even at a young age. It was the age when girls were at their most charming.

“So, you brought her here because you couldn’t find her parents. What should we do about her though?”

The lord’s mansion was currently bustling with activity, with many people coming and going, including the administrator, government officials, soldiers, carpenters, and laborers. Melfina was busy too, and once the rainy season ended and the wheat harvest began, she would be stuck in her office for a long period.

The lord’s mansion didn’t have the capacity to care for such a young child.

“I think situations like this will increase as we develop. Perhaps we should start considering setting up an orphanage.”

“An orphanage… Yes, it’s an issue we’ll need to address eventually.”

As the population grows, there will inevitably be children who lose their parents at a young age or are abandoned due to poverty.

The capital also had several orphanages that cared for children in such situations.

In this world, children were valuable workers. If they found a place of employment, they would be taken in. But children without any backing often faced poor treatment in their place of employment. If they got sick, they would be sent back to the orphanage, and in some cases, they would be abandoned on their way there.

Melfina had heard such stories.

Due to these circumstances, only half of commoner children reached adulthood. Most died from infant diseases or, even if they survived, met their fate through hard labor.

She wanted to eliminate such situations as much as possible, and it was a future goal. But she hadn’t expected an abandoned child to appear so suddenly.

“While it makes sense to build an orphanage if there are a certain number of children needing protection, it’s difficult to build one at this stage.”

Even so, the child needed an adult to care for her.

In this era, where contraception wasn’t common, couples generally had many children, and even their own children, except for the eldest son, would eventually leave home. Therefore, it would be rare to adopt a child.

“It would be best to take her to a nearby village or the orphanage run by the Solassonnu Temple.”

“That would be the best course of action. They have a good environment for caring for children, and if we donate and entrust her to them, they’ll take good care of her.”

Melfina was about to nod in agreement, but Julius interrupted her.

“Lady, I would prefer it if she could be cared for in Enkar.”

“Why? Is there a reason?”

“She’s still young, so it’s not entirely clear, but I think she has very strong magic and a high resistance to it. If a child can use magic, they could easily be exploited by those who employ them.”

“Well…”

Hiring a magician was extremely expensive. If a child without any backing could use magic, it was likely that unscrupulous adults would surround them, with malicious intent.

“In that case, we should find a home in Enkar Village or Melto Village that would be willing to care for her. We should choose a family that is well-respected in the community for their character and offer them financial support. We might find a foster parent.”

That was the so-called foster care system. But even with this, Julius was hesitant.

“Could we not raise her here?”

“The lord’s mansion isn’t a suitable environment for raising children. And if we have more children in similar situations in the future, it’s difficult to take them all in. It could lead to favoritism and discrimination on the part of the lord.”

“Hmm, you’re right. I came to you first to discuss it, but perhaps I could look for a family in Melto Village? That way, I’ll be close by.”

“Of course, you can, but… Is her magic really that strong?”

Julius was indifferent to anything that wasn’t interesting. He probably would have simply given the abandoned child to Nid and told him to consult Melfina. It was slightly concerning that he had come to her directly, carrying the child, and then intervened regarding the child’s future.

“Yes. She has enough magic to even enter the Ivory Tower if raised properly. But the Ivory Tower is an extremely unhealthy place for a child with high magic to grow up in, so I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Melfina was surprised to hear that she had enough magic to enter the Ivory Tower, the highest institution for magic research. But at the same time, she was skeptical about what kind of place the Ivory Tower was, considering that Julius, of all people, would call it unhealthy.

Julius himself was supposed to be a child with very strong magic.

Seeing her expression, Julius chuckled and said,

“My parents were both magicians at the Ivory Tower, so they didn’t do anything too unethical to me. I spent most of my time sleeping, so I wouldn’t have known even if they did anything.”

Although he didn’t seem concerned at all, Melfina nodded in agreement. It was clear from his words that the Ivory Tower wasn’t a place where she could entrust a child.

“Then let’s ask Nid to look for foster parents. I’ll ask him to help as well.”

“Yes, please.”

With that, their business was concluded, and Julius returned with the girl, just as he had arrived.

“Marie, did the child say anything about her name or family?”

“No, I tried talking to her, but she didn’t say a word. She seems to be able to hear, and she understood what I was saying, but…”

“We might need to keep an eye on her for a while.”

Melfina nodded in agreement to Marie’s words and sighed.

“It’s heartbreaking even to think about abandoned children.”

But it was an inevitable part of human society.

—I should at least draft a plan for a welfare facility this year.

It was a world where it was difficult for everyone to live comfortably, but childhood should, at least, be a happy time.

That was Melfina’s fervent desire.