“This child here is Richard,” the director said. “His father is a famous, violent crook, and after repeated acts of aggression, he was convicted for his crimes and is in prison. Richard is often violent with others, and he’s one of the problem children who I have trouble teaching.”
She looked worried. Richard was supposed to be the same age as me, but he was a great deal larger. He had dark skin and short, brown hair, his expression plainly boorish. He must’ve known that I was a noble, because he scowled when he saw me.
Perfect, I thought. Since his father was also a criminal, it was in this child’s blood. If I trained him well, I was certain that he would become a dull-witted, brawn-over-brains lackey in the future. He knew I was a noble, and yet the defiant look in his eyes only indicated his stupidity. I found that very favorable.
I’ll have him use all his might solely for me.
My decision was immediate. “This child will be one of my first squires,” I said.
“Are you certain of your choice?” the director asked. She was clearly confused, unsure whether this ill-bred, problematic child had any right to work in a duke’s residence.
“Hey! Stop deciding all by yourself!” Richard bellowed. “Don’t get cocky just because you’re a noble!”
This child was an absolute idiot. Normally, no one would get away with speaking so insolently to the daughter of a duke. In my previous life, I would’ve swiftly turned him into mulch so that he could fertilize a field. The squires that my father had brought along turned pale and made to approach, but I raised my hand to stop them.
“Richard, you’ll become my squire candidate from today onward,” I said. “If you have any complaints, why don’t you fight me? You seem rather confident in your strength, though I can’t say the same for your brains.”
“What was that?!” Richard roared. “You wench!”
He pounced at me, easily provoked by my words. What a simpleton he was; his movements were clumsy since he hadn’t been trained. In this life, I’d had proper education in self defense, and he didn’t stand a chance against me. I crouched to dodge his attack and took advantage of his opening to slam the heel of my palm into his chin. While he was still dazed from my attack, I swiftly landed a kick in his groin.
“Gaaah…” he groaned. He fell to the ground.
“Do you understand now who’s on top?” I asked. “Since you lost, you have to listen to my orders.”
The easiest way to win over people like him was to use skill and establish who was in charge.
“Miss Director, would you kindly introduce the next child to me?” I asked.
I smiled at her. Richard was beside me, unconscious from the agonizing pain. The nun stared at me with astonishment.
✦ ✦ ✦
“This here is Oscar,” the director said. “He acts as the leader of the boys and is very rebellious. Oftentimes, he’ll sneak out of the orphanage and cause a great deal of trouble.”
The boy flashed a fearless smile at us. He had beautiful black hair and almond-shaped eyes that must have made him popular with the girls. Perhaps he assumed that he could easily enchant me as well, but unfortunately for him, I was my current age plus eighteen years since this was my second go at life. I wasn’t interested in children.
This reasoning meant that Prince Edward was also a child in my eyes, but if I married a crown prince, I would enjoy a far higher rank and gain immense power. The benefits of marrying him were far beyond whatever this orphan had to offer.
“Are his parents swindlers, perhaps?” I asked.
He seemed to be the type to use his appearance to sweet-talk his way into the hearts of others and deceive them, so I assumed his parents did something similar. Oscar furrowed his brow with displeasure when he heard my question.
“No, his father is a noble, and his mother is a commoner,” the director replied. “And after a series of ordeals, well…”
She struggled to get the rest of the words out, but I got the hint. It was a common story. A noble laid a hand on a commoner woman, and she became pregnant. Unsure of what to do, the noble must have simply abandoned his son in the orphanage. Since Oscar was aware that his father was a noble, he had an air of confidence around him.
He’s got a nice face, so he might be useful to trick and enchant the daughters of nobles. I decided to claim him for now.
“I understand,” I said. “Then this child shall be my squire candidate as well. Whether one be a child of a noble or a commoner, I shall hammer into them that they’re all equally worthless under me.”
I placed an index finger under Oscar’s chin and raised his face, eager to see his handsome features contort with pain and anguish one day. The mere thought made me crack a mischievous smile. Oscar looked terrified of me.
How rude. I shall treat him terribly later.