NOVEL WEB Chapter 95
Rania, who had been watching the conversation, tilted her head curiously.
“I thought clubs allowed people to join freely at any time…?”
“That depends on the club. Ours is—”
“Laila.”
Camilla gently placed a hand on Laila’s shoulder, stopping her as she struggled to keep Rania out.
“Isn’t one more member fine?”
“Pardon?”
“Why don’t you let her join?”
Laila’s eyes widened in surprise. Camilla lightly patted her shoulder again.
Laila usually went to great lengths to recruit even one new member. Camilla could tell she was only trying to block Rania’s membership out of concern for her.
‘Honestly, I’m a bit curious.’
Rania’s clumsy attempts to get close had made her suspicious. Now that she’d shown up at the club, Camilla couldn’t help but wonder what she was plotting this time.
“Thank you, Camilla!”
Rania beamed brightly, clearly delighted.
“Well, I’m glad you’re happy.”
Camilla responded lightly and promptly stopped paying attention to her. She had come to the clubroom with a different purpose.
“Laila.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever heard of Sky Orphanage?”
“Sky Orphanage?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you talking about the orphanage near the palace?”
“The palace?”
“Yes, it’s probably the largest orphanage in the capital.”
“Really? Have you been there?”
Laila shook her head.
“Our club focuses on smaller orphanages. Larger ones usually have plenty of sponsors already…”
“Hmm.”
So, it was that big?
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m looking for a child.”
“…A child?”
At Camilla’s words, not just Laila, but everyone in the clubroom turned their attention to her.
“A child? Who?”
“Who are you searching for?” Arsion and Petrona asked quickly.
“Just… someone’s kid I know.”
Camilla answered vaguely, her gaze drifting toward the rain pounding against the window.
Last night, the water ghost named Bess had told her about a child she had entrusted to Sky Orphanage.
‘My husband passed away after a long illness. We were in too much debt to raise a child.’
“So, you left the child at the orphanage?”
‘I had to. I needed time to save up for even a small home for us. I’d already lost our house because of the debt. I couldn’t let my child live on the streets.’
“And then?”
‘I worked tirelessly to save money. Once I’d stabilized, I went back to get my child… but the child had already been adopted.’
That had been ten years ago. The child had been five at the time, so they would now be fifteen.
“What’s the point of finding them now?”
‘I just want to see them once… but when I asked the orphanage where the child was adopted, they wouldn’t tell me.’
“That’s understandable.”
Adopted children, especially those in stable homes, shouldn’t have their lives disrupted by biological parents causing a scene.
“Did you kill yourself because you missed the child?”
‘No!’
Bess shook her head fiercely.
‘If I’d felt that way, I would’ve fought tooth and nail to find my child instead.’
“Then what happened?”
‘It was an accident.’
Bess sighed deeply.
‘I was overwhelmed and went for a walk. Before I knew it, I was at a valley… and I saw a child about the same age as mine drowning, struggling for help.’
So, she had jumped in without hesitation.
“And?”
‘I can’t swim.’
“What?”
‘I managed to save the child, but I…’
Bess had drowned saving that child. Camilla gave her an incredulous look.
“You jumped in even though you couldn’t swim? What were you thinking?”
Still, she couldn’t exactly berate someone who had died trying to save a child.
‘Please. Find my child.’
That’s how Camilla learned about Sky Orphanage, where Bess had left her child.
‘Asking Luve for help would be the easiest solution.’
But that would make things too complicated. Duke Sorpel would inevitably hear about it, and Camilla would have to come up with an elaborate explanation about Bess and her child.
‘So, that’s a no.’
She decided to investigate quietly on her own, starting with Sky Orphanage to learn where the child had been adopted.
“Should I help you find them?”
“I’ll help too.”
The sons of two ducal families—both known for their formidable information networks—offered their assistance, but Camilla shook her head.
“It’s not a big deal. I’ll handle it myself.”
She didn’t want to involve them. It felt like the situation would spiral out of control if she did.
“Camilla!”
“…?”
“Are you going to Sky Orphanage?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’ve been there before!”
Rania suddenly joined the conversation.
“I even know the director there!”
“Really?”
“Should I come with you?”
…What was this?
‘Does she actually know the place?’
Camilla stared silently at Rania for a moment.
“If you don’t mind, that’d be helpful.”
It might be better to go with someone who had connections there.
[“Any updates?”]
“You again?”
Bess, the water ghost, slipped through the window and into the room, her spectral form leaving faint damp marks wherever she passed. Camilla frowned at the uninvited guest.
“I told you, I’ll come to you once I’m done investigating.”
[“I couldn’t wait.”]
“Shouldn’t you be lurking in water somewhere? Why are you always wandering about?”
[“It’s been raining nonstop; it’s fine.”]
Well,
I’m
not fine, Camilla thought irritably.
Bess’s presence made the room perpetually damp, and Camilla was starting to feel the discomfort of the raised humidity.
[“So? Any progress?”]
“I found out who took your child.”
[“Really?!”]
The head of the Sky Orphanage, who had refused to tell Bess anything, had readily shared the information with Camilla. The head had quite the knack for “social adaptability.”
[“Where? Where is my child?”]
Bess’s urgency made Camilla sigh heavily. She hadn’t anticipated what her investigation uncovered.
“They don’t exist.”
[“What do you mean?”]
“The couple who took the child? They don’t exist.”
Bess stared at her, her ghostly form flickering slightly in disbelief.
[“What are you talking about?!”]
“Their identities were fabricated,” Camilla explained. “They’re just names on paper. There are no real people living under those names.”
After obtaining the couple’s address and names, Camilla had hired information brokers to track them down. The results were shocking—there was no trace of them.
Despite expanding the search area and enlisting multiple brokers, every lead came back the same: the couple simply didn’t exist.
[“They don’t exist?! Then who took my child?!”]
Bess’s pale face turned an even sharper shade of blue as her panic grew. Camilla sighed again, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.
This was supposed to be a straightforward task—find the child and reunite them with Bess.
“I’m asking myself the same question.”
Who were these people who went to such lengths, even creating fake identities, to take the child? And why?
Something about this feels very wrong,
Camilla thought, unable to shake the creeping unease settling over her.
[“Any updates?”]
“The search area has been expanded as much as possible. It’ll take time.”
Camilla had doubled the number of information brokers working on the case, but there were still no solid leads.
Bang!
“Camilla!”
The door burst open, and Rania rushed in, her expression unusually animated.
“What’s going on?”
“Are you looking for a child named Dennis?”
Camilla froze at the name.
“How do you know that name?”
Bess’s son was named Dennis, but Camilla had never mentioned the name to Rania.
“The head of the orphanage told me.”
“The head of Sky Orphanage?”
“Yes.”
“You went back there on your own?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I was just so curious…”
Rania bowed apologetically, but Camilla clicked her tongue softly in annoyance.
She hadn’t planned to keep the child’s name a secret, but Rania’s repeated meddling was starting to grate on her nerves.
“So, is Dennis the child you’re looking for?”
“He is.”
“I know Dennis!”
“…What?”
“We were close. We used to live in the same neighborhood.”
Rania’s face lit up with a smile, her excitement palpable.
“I even know his parents well! They told me themselves that they adopted Dennis from Sky Orphanage.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
It didn’t seem like a lie—why would she make up something so easily verified? But Camilla still felt uneasy.
“It’s not far from here,” Rania added.
[“She really knows Dennis! We might actually find him!”]
Camilla’s hesitation didn’t last long. They could verify Rania’s claims soon enough.
“Are you free tomorrow?”
“Yes!”
“Then lead the way.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll make sure we find him!”
Rania clapped her hands together in excitement. Camilla studied her for a moment before exhaling softly.
I hope this really is as simple as it seems,
she thought.
***
“This is the house,” Rania said the next day.
They had traveled to a small village on the outskirts of the capital. The area was quiet, with a handful of neat, modest houses lining the streets.
“You used to live nearby?”
“Yes, that house over there with the blue roof.”
Rania pointed to a home that stood out with its bright blue shingles.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been back here.”
“When was the last time you saw Dennis?”
“Hmm… about six months ago, I think.”
Six months wasn’t too long ago, which meant there was a good chance Dennis and his adoptive parents were still in the area.
Maybe this really will end in a happy reunion,
Camilla thought, her steps quickening as they approached the house.