***
***
“I’ll be off then.”
“Yes, have a safe trip.”
Borence saw Ellea off again today as she went to the nursery. She looked around and asked carefully before leaving.
“What about Marie?”
“I’ve given her other things to do and made sure Jane is around.”
“Thank you. Keep a close eye on her just in case.”
Borence, who already knew from what she’d heard about Marie, gave Ellea a look that told her not to worry.
She didn’t like someone spying in the palace she managed. But instead of a reprimand, Ellea gave her a special order.
“Keep an eye on Marie so that she cannot probe or step in my room. Especially on a day like today when I’m out.”
When she heard the conversation between Shanil and Raymir last time, they seemed to be very curious about her outings.
She didn’t mind if they found out, but she didn’t want to let them know easily.
“Well, I’m off then.”
“Don’t worry about this place, just go and have a good time.”
Ellea got on the carriage and left the imperial palace. The carriage she rode in followed a familiar path and soon arrived at their destination.
As she walked with her bags in her hands, Ellea spotted a familiar figure standing at the entrance and called out to him with a laugh.
“Why are you scurrying around so much? Is there something wrong with you, Chaylen?”
At her call, Chaylen, who had been standing some distance away, hurried up to her. There was confusion on his face.
“What on earth is this? Suddenly asked me to come to this address………….”
“I’m glad you didn’t hesitate to come. First, take this for me.”
Ellea left her luggage with Chaylen, walked past him who was confused, and leisurely walked toward the nursery.
Chaylen inadvertently took Ellea’s luggage and followed her.
“No, what is this again? You asked me to come here without even telling me what the hell is going on?”
A few days ago, Chaylen had received a letter from Elea. The contents were only time and place. And he still didn’t know why.
“You know that you don’t have the right to argue about it, right? As I said before, it’s time to pay off the debt you owe me.”(Ellea)
When Ellea spoke about the debt, Chaylen had nothing to say. He had to pay his debt first.
However, all he wanted more than anything was to know why he had come to an unknown place.
Ellea noticed his thoughts and immediately pointed to the nameplate at the entrance.
“What I have to ask of you is this.”(Ellea)
“A nursery school?” (Chaylen)
“That’s right.”
When Ellea came in with a familiar manner, Chaylen looked around and followed her inside.
As he was walking, he suddenly remembered what Ellea asked him last time.
“So this is why you asked me the other day if I had a lot of money, right?” (Chaylen)
“Yes. This is a nursery school that I sponsor.”
“You sponsor it?”
“I’ve been doing it since I came to Rubain, but I still think it would be better to have some help from the nobles who live here.”
Chaylen finally understood the request she would make of him.
“So do you want me to sponsor this place?”
“Yes, you catch up very quickly.”
“Wouldn’t that be enough for you to do on your own?”
“Yes, but this is Rubain. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have people living in Zevenica coming and going.”
Chaylen immediately agreed with her. It’d be difficult if she gets into any unnecessary trouble when Ellea is here.
While they were discussing, they arrived in front of the building.
When she knocked on the door, Karin came to open the door, not a bunch of kids shoving and pushing like last time. Perhaps because of their previous agreement.
“Hello, Karin. How are you?”
“Yes. Huh? That person is………….”
Karin was happily greeting Ellea when she spotted a man she had never seen before. Recognizing he was not Terban, Karin slowed down her words.
“He’s someone close to me. I have something to talk to the Director.”
“Oh, hello.”
“Hi.”
Chaylen walked in, greeting Karin awkwardly, and busily looking around.
In the meantime, the children were approaching at a fast pace with joyful voices at the news of Ellea’s arrival.
“Miss El, you’re here.”
“Yes. How are you?”
“Oh, who did you come with?”
In the middle of greeting Ellea, the children’s attention was drawn to Chaylen, who was standing awkwardly.
Chaylen couldn’t hide his bewilderment as the children crowded around him.
“This is a man who is very close to me. His name is Chaylen.”
“Chaylen? Are you a friend of Miss El?”
“Well, yes, I am.”
The children were so happy when they heard the words “friend of El” that they started asking him all kinds of questions.
On the other hand, Chaylen had never met the children like this and was confused as to what to do.
“Is the Director inside?”
“Yes.”
Ellea dragged Chaylen away as if rescuing him because meeting the director was the first thing to do. Of course, she didn’t forget to tell the children.
“Please wait a moment while I meet with the Director.”
While going to the office, Ellea asked Chaylen first.
“It would be best if you sponsored it, but I don’t want to force you. I hope you will listen to the Director and choose carefully. I’ll respect your opinion no matter what choice you make.”
At first, Ellea thought she would ask Chaylen to sponsor it unconditionally. But after careful consideration, she couldn’t make him do something she wanted.
Especially since this was about the children’s sponsorship.
Chaylen’s heart and will were of utmost importance for the longevity of the project. If he wasn’t sure, he could still sponsor them.
“I understand.”
Chaylen nodded, as if he understood her feelings. Soon, they arrived, and Ellea knocked on the door and went inside.
Remil greeted Ellea happily as she entered.
“Ellea, you’re here.”
“How are you?”
“Good. Oh, you’re not alone today.”
“Ah, yes.”
Remil spotted Chaylen coming in behind Ellea and greeted him with a welcome face.
The three sat down and had a conversation.
“This is the person you mentioned last time, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right. But we haven’t talked about it in detail yet. I want to leave it to him to make his choice.”
“I think so, too. This is something to think about carefully.”
When Ellea came last time, she told Ramil she would introduce someone who would sponsor the school, and she knew at once when she saw Chaylen.
“I heard about you from Ellea in advance. I’m Remil, the school director.”
“My name is Chaylen.”
“If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Ellea only told Ramil that Chaylen was a nobleman, but not the full identity. And Chaylen could tell the people here didn’t seem to know that Ellea was an Imperial Princess.
“What exactly does sponsorship mean?”
At this moment, he asked the question seriously, as a leader of a family.
Even if it was Ellea’s introduction, it was a problem that could not be decided recklessly as much as it involved money.
“First of all, financial support is the most basic form of sponsorship. It covers the children’s basic needs.”
“And what about Ellea?”
“Ellea comes to visit regularly, and spends time with the children. She also helps out at the nursery from time to time, which I’m always grateful for.”
The more Remil talked, the more he understood why Ellea asked him to make his own choice.
On the one hand, he thought it was like her to act so carefully. At that time, Ellea spoke up.
“So, Chaylen, your sponsorship would be a great help. You’ll be helping the children with their present as well as their future. I want to give them the opportunity to learn and to have many choices. So please think carefully before you make a decision……………”
“I’ll sponsor it.”
Before Ellea could finish, Chaylen responded with a gracious acceptance. So it was Ellea who was surprised.
“No, you can think about it some more before you decide.”
“There’s no need to think about it. Of course, if you can help, I’ll help. El, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you very much. It will be a great help.”
Ramil was grateful for Chaylen’s decision.
Ellea gave them both a moment to talk and stepped out first. After some time, they stood up after deciding some details about the sponsorship.
“If you need anything else in the future, please feel free to contact me at any time.”
“Of course.”
***
As they stepped outside, they could not see Ellea and the children. Instead, they heard a lively laughter coming from outside. Ellea, who was playing tag, was running here and there, eagerly trying to catch the children.
It was a different appearance from the Imperial Palace, and Chaylen couldn’t take his eyes off her. The bright smile on her face now seemed to show that she was not an Imperial Princess, but just a person named Ellea. It was then that he heard the voice of Remil, who was standing nearby.
“I am so grateful to Ellea. She gives the children an overflowing amount of love. Actually, the children here need that more than money. The children also feel that her heart is sincere, and they obey her more than anyone else.”
He didn’t say anything, but that was the reason Chaylen had made his decision without hesitation.
From the moment he stepped into this place, not even a small darkness was visible from the children.
The way they approached him, an adult they had never met before with friendliness, he could tell at a glance that they were children who had been raised with a lot of love.
The other reason was that he saw himself in them. His past when he was young and alone.
‘It’s okay to have these moments once in a while.’
In the middle of listening to Remil’s words, Chaylen had one question.
“By the way, how did Ellea come to sponsor this place?”
“Actually, there was someone who used to sponsor this place, and I heard that she came here at the request of that person. That person couldn’t come here for some reason.”
“Who is that person?”
‘How could the Princess of the Zevenica Empire possibly know someone in Rubain?’
Chaylen had a lot of questions in a short moment.
“He used to work at the Imperial Palace, but I’ve heard he’s left the capital now. I don’t know the details either.”
‘Who the hell is that person?’
But Chaylen’s thoughts did not last long. The children who had been playing happily suddenly ran to him.
At the very front was Ellea. She thought it would be good to get to know Chaylen quickly.
“You heard his name earlier, didn’t you? He’s going to play with you, too.” (Ellea)
“Really? Wow, that’s fun!”
Ellea said, ignoring the look in Chaylen’s eyes that said, “When did I say that?”
“Let’s play together, shall we?” (Ellea)
At Ellea’s words, the children dragged Chaylen, and soon he was surrounded by them.
“Ellea, you…..!” (Chaylen)
“Please play a lot on my behalf. It can’t be that easy.” (Ellea)
“You’re really……” (Chaylen)
But unlike what she thought, the kids didn’t seem to want to let go of either of them.
“No, you can’t leave, Miss El. Let’s play together today. It’s been a long time since you’ve been here.”
“No, I’m ………” (Ellea)
“Yes, let’s play together. Are you trying to abandon us?” (Chaylen)
“Yes!”
Chaylen joined the children as if they had known each other for a long time and pushed Ellea to play, and eventually they all played together.
Remil watched the peaceful moment with a smile from a little distance away.