“When you finish your tea, come play with us,” they said as they watched me go.
I was then shown to the orphanage’s cafeteria, where I’d been several times before, and took my seat. Quite a few children were already sitting there sipping tea and engaging in lively conversation. After glancing sideways at the children, Cezar took a wider look around the place, clearly unaccustomed to what he was seeing.
“This is a fine institution,” he said to me.
“They receive quite a few donations from the nobility, so they’re supposed to have pretty solid facilities,” I said, recalling something the teachers had told me once before.
“Do the nobles of Sorcié really donate to orphanages that much?” asked Cezar with a slightly shocked expression.
“Yeah, it’s apparently seen as something of an obligation. Nobles customarily allocate a portion of funds from their work budgets for charity,” I revealed, this time recalling something my father had told me.
“I see. So such a system has been developed here in Sorcié...” Cezar mused, seemingly impressed.
After we talked in that manner for a while, Liam and some of the girls came out of the kitchen carrying trays. On the trays were teacups and small dishes of cookies. To my great surprise, they had not only prepared tea for us, but sweets too.
“Sweets as well as tea? You didn’t have to go to that kind of trouble,” I said.
Liam then pointed at a girl who was standing next to him.
“She says she’d like someone from outside the orphanage to try them.” The girl he’d pointed to nodded bashfully. She was about the same age as Liam, so about the age to be in the middle of elementary school. She was fidgeting slightly, and looked to be a quiet child.
“Right now,” she said, “Miss Maria is teaching me how to make sweets, and I’m still practicing. Everyone here says they’re yummy, but I want to hear what someone from outside the orphanage thinks.”
“She actually always made sweets,” Liam added, “but since Miss Maria started teaching her, she’s gotten way better. We think she could start selling them.” He said this proudly, as if he’d made them himself. As for the girl, she blushed and lowered her eyes.
Oh, goodness. Liam, you must learn to be more considerate. You seem to be getting pretty popular yourself.
“Oh, I see. If Maria’s been teaching you, I’m sure you’d be incredibly successful.” After all, Maria was already a pro, one whose sweets were so tasty that the average confection shop couldn’t hope to match them.
“By Maria, do you mean the Light Magic user Maria Campbell?” Cezar whispered to me stealthily.
“Ah, that’s right. Cezar, you know about Maria then?” I whispered back.
“Well, she’s famous. I haven’t actually met her though.”
That’s right, Cezar and Maria haven’t met yet.
Within the story of the game, they were supposed to have met at the Assembly, but I may have come between them. Moreover, today’s sightseeing trip was probably a game event as well, so I might have stolen it from Maria. When I considered that, I really felt like a meddling villainess. Perhaps I ought to be more careful. However, if Cezar did meet Maria, would he necessarily fall in love with her, as Cyrus and Dewey had?
Well, there was no point in pondering the question now. My more pressing concern was that the tea Liam had gone to the trouble of making me was in danger of going cold.
“Well then, let’s have a taste,” I said, before taking a sip of tea to moisten my throat. Though I had joked about it turning out too bitter, the tea Liam had brewed was actually delicious. My thirst steadily receded. “Yep. This is really tasty. Thanks, Liam,” I said.
The corners of Liam’s mouth immediately curled up in a smile.
To follow the tea, I tried one of the sweets made by the girl Maria was teaching. In terms of appearance, it was just a simple cookie, but after popping it in my mouth, I was surprised by its perfect crispness and the fragrant sweetness that spread across my taste buds.
“This is really tasty too. You could certainly sell these, and I’m sure they’d be very popular too!” I cried as I nearly doubled over from the effect of the cookie’s deliciousness. When the girl who’d made it heard this, her face instantly lit up like a flower blooming in the sun.
“Whoa, looks like you have a real lady’s approval. Now you can get a job in a sweets store, no sweat,” Liam said to the girl with a smile, causing her to turn red again.
Yep, now I can say for certain that she’s crushing on Liam. This adorable budding romance is making me feel all warm and fuzzy.
“Yep, they honestly are very tasty, so I think any confectionery would hire you on the spot,” I said.
“Thank you very much,” the girl replied bashfully, bowing her head.
Some of the other kids in the cafeteria must have overheard our conversation, since several of them piped up to tell us what they wanted to be when they grew up; each one of them had a different dream.
“I’d like to learn to sew properly and become a dressmaker one day.”
“I like studying, so I hope I can become a scholar.”
“I’m gonna learn to use a sword and become a knight.”
Yeah. That’s good. I can’t help but want to cheer on youngsters who have their own dreams.
While I was looking at the children with a certain glint in my eye, like an old lady from the neighborhood, Cezar spoke to me again.
“So they don’t only teach academic subjects here, but all sorts of skills, huh?” He appeared quite struck by this revelation.
“Yes, that’s right. Though of course they need some book-learning to be independent when they come of age, they’re also taught the basics of the domestic skills they’ll need to live by themselves, like cooking and sewing. And apparently they sometimes have people come in to teach a variety of other subjects, so that those who want to learn more have the opportunity to do so,” I explained, telling Cezar what the director of the orphanage had once told me.
“That’s amazing. So even orphans have the chance to pursue their own dreams by studying in depth,” said Cezar, half closing his eyes as if dazzled by something bright.
I was curious what he meant, so I asked him. According to Cezar, orphanages in Ethenell had their work cut out for them just trying to look after their children’s basic daily needs, which made it difficult to educate them properly. Cezar already seemed to have understood that there was a big difference between a kingdom like Ethenell—which hadn’t functioned properly until very recently—and Sorcié, which had developed steadily during a long period of peace, but he still seemed uncomfortable talking about his own country’s circumstances.