Just as our meal was nearing its end, a loud noise shattered the peaceful atmosphere of the orphanage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The front door was being pounded on roughly.
I jumped up in surprise.
“Who would be visiting at this hour?”
Liel and Harp also turned toward the door with startled expressions, while Sua, still holding a spoon in her mouth, sparkled with excitement.
“Could it be… a monster?”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out from outside.
“Eve! Open the door right now! I want some soup too!”
Hearing the voice, I sighed and shook my head.
“It’s Ellie… Geez, she scared me.”
When I opened the door, Ellie stood there with her hair all messy, panting as if she had run the whole way.
“I didn’t hear wrong, did I? You made carrot soup, Eve?! Where is it? I need some!”
I stared at her in disbelief and responded.
“Ellie, how did you even get here at this hour?”
Placing her hands on her hips, she answered confidently.
“Hmph! Eve’s cooking is rare! There’s no way I’d miss a chance to eat it!”
From behind, Sua burst into laughter and shouted.
“Ellie, you’ll be shocked when you try this soup! It’s seriously the best!”
Without even bothering to take off her shoes properly, Ellie stomped inside.
“Hurry up! Give me a bowl! Wow, it already smells amazing!”
Alex, amused by her sudden appearance, put down his spoon and chuckled.
“Hey, Ellie. Calm down. But, uh… there’s just one problem. The soup is…”
Hearing that, Ellie dashed toward the table.
“Alex, if you tell me you already ate it all… I won’t forgive you this time.”
Worried she might actually be upset, I smiled and reassured her.
“Don’t worry, Ellie. Luckily, there’s still a little bit of soup left. I’ll get you a bowl of carrot soup.”
“…I was about to say there was only one bowl left, but wow, way to ruin my dramatic moment.”
Uncle Alex scrunched up his face as if he were deeply wounded, while Ellie clasped her hands together in joy.
“As expected of you, Eve! My angel!”
And so, Ellie joined us at the table and started tasting the very last bowl of soup.
The moment she took her first spoonful, her eyes widened in amazement.
“Whoa, this is insane! Eve, how did you even make something this good?”
Liel playfully answered.
“It’s thanks to my sacred power. I added a special aroma and flavor.”
Ellie turned to Liel with a shocked expression.
“You put sacred power in soup? Why on earth would you do that?”
Liel simply smiled.
“I just… wanted the food to taste better.”
Ellie stared at her blankly for a moment before going back to eating.
“Well, whatever, it’s great! Eve, from now on, you have to tell me whenever you make something like this!”
“Sure, sure.”
The orphanage’s dining table was once again filled with laughter and lively conversation, and as the night deepened, the warm atmosphere remained.
As always, moments like these were even happier because we were together.
After finishing her meal, Ellie let out a sigh of disappointment.
She placed her empty bowl down and grumbled.
“Ugh, one bowl of soup is not enough. I wish there was more.”
Uncle Alex chuckled and replied.
“Ellie, you were late, and you still got the very last bowl. You don’t really have any complaints, do you?”
Ellie puffed up her cheeks in frustration instead of answering.
That’s when Alex spoke again, his voice laced with amusement.
“You know, I never realized you were such a glutton. Complaining about just one bowl not being enough?”
“…What did you just say?”
Ellie’s eyes flashed as she glared at Alex, who responded with a mischievous smirk and a nod.
Seeing his expression, Ellie suddenly sprang up from her seat and swung her hand at him.
“You’re one to talk, Alex! You ate until you were stuffed!”
“Well, if you were that mad about it, you should’ve come earlier.”
In the end, Ellie couldn’t hold back and flicked Alex’s forehead.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed through the orphanage.
Alex rubbed his forehead and burst into laughter.
“Ow, that hurt. But the soup was worth it, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Haa… You’re unbelievable.”
“I win.”
“No, you don’t!”
Smack!
Another flick landed on Alex’s forehead.
What a foolish uncle.
After dinner, we all moved to the living room to relax.
Under the warm glow of the lights, everyone settled into comfortable positions.
Sua hugged a cushion while reading a book, Liel sat by the window, gazing outside, and Harp quietly sipped tea from a chair.
The orphanage was as peaceful as ever, yet tonight, a strange, unspoken tension lingered in the air.
Then, suddenly, both Alex and Ellie turned their attention to Liel.
They were watching her closely, their expressions serious.
Ellie was the first to speak.
“Wait a second, Eve. That kid… I’ve never seen her before.”
Alex nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. She doesn’t seem like one of the village kids. Where did she come from?”
Surprised by the sudden attention, Liel turned her head toward them.
“Me? I… only arrived here recently.”
Ellie tilted her head in confusion.
“Here? You mean you’re new to the orphanage? How did we not hear about this?”
I nodded and answered their questions.
“Liel came here a few days ago. She’s naturally quiet, and since she came from the Holy Kin— I mean, a distant village, it makes sense that you wouldn’t know her.”
Alex crossed his arms and looked at Liel.
“I see. But she gives off a bit of a special vibe, doesn’t she? There’s something kind of mysterious about her.”
Liel lowered her head slightly, looking a bit flustered.
“I… I’m just an ordinary person.”
Ellie tilted her head and looked at me.
“Really? She feels kind of unusual.”
I chuckled and said.
“Liel is doing well here. Instead of looking at her so suspiciously, why don’t you try getting along with her?”
Alex and Ellie exchanged glances before nodding.
“Well, if you say so, Eve, I’ll believe it. Let’s see… your name is Liel, right? I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
Liel smiled shyly and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll be in your care.”
With that, the peaceful atmosphere returned, and the orphanage was once again filled with warmth.
As the night deepened, Alex and Ellie started preparing to leave.
Even though they had relaxed after dinner, both had responsibilities awaiting them the next day and needed to return to the village.
Ellie stretched and spoke first.
“Hmm… I should get going. I have an important merchant guild meeting early tomorrow morning.”
Alex stood up as well and nodded.
“I have to start clearing out monsters at dawn. Whew, but today was a nice break. Eve, I had a great time. Thanks.”
I nodded and saw them off.
Just before stepping out the door, Alex suddenly turned back and looked at Sua.
“By the way, Hero. You didn’t do anything weird today, right? Just making sure you didn’t cause any trouble somewhere.”
Sua flailed her arms in protest, looking offended.
“What are you even talking about, Alex?! I didn’t do anything! Today was seriously a model day for me!”
Alex eyed her suspiciously before smiling.
“Alright, I’ll believe you. But if anything happens, Ellie and I will be right back, so keep that in mind.”
Sua still looked annoyed, but she didn’t argue any further.
“Well then, we’re really leaving now.”
With that, Alex and Ellie opened the door and stepped outside.
Standing by the doorway, I waved them off and said…
“Get home safely. And Ellie, try not to come so late next time.”
“Got it. I’ll come earlier next time.”
Ellie smiled and added one last comment.
“Eve, the soup was amazing today. Next time, you have to make a bigger batch!”
“Okay!”
With that, they disappeared into the night.
As the orphanage grew quiet in the deep of the night, I finished cleaning up in the kitchen and prepared to head to my room.
That’s when Liel quietly approached me.
“Teacher.”
Hearing her call me, I turned my head.
Liel hesitated slightly before stepping closer.
“Liel? What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”
She remained silent for a moment before speaking in a small voice.
“Thank you… for covering for me earlier.”
Hearing that, I smiled warmly and replied.
“I wouldn’t really call it covering. It just wasn’t necessary to bring it up. Uncle Alex and Ellie are trustworthy, but for you, they were strangers. You didn’t have to share anything you weren’t ready to.”
Liel nodded and softly murmured.
“Even so… thank you.”
“Of course.”
She lowered her head slightly, a small smile forming on her lips.
Seeing her smile, I felt a deep sense of relief.
Liel was slowly becoming more comfortable with us.
That night, peace returned to the orphanage once more.
The warmth of laughter and cherished memories quietly settled in, making it a night of quiet yet profound happiness.