Chapter 2
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But Adrien never wanted any part of that.
“When do I start sending money?”
“For them, the sooner the better. Once you send money, they’ll send a letter back to thank you.”
“A letter?”
Adrien frowned slightly.
“It’s surprisingly fun. You get attached without realizing it. They send trivial letters about what they did with the money or how their grades improved. It really feels like raising a child.”
Melonie, genuinely amused, lightly tapped Adrien’s shoulder.
“How funny.”
“You’ll see someday. Whether it’s funny or just inevitable.”
After perfectly getting Adrien’s signature on the sponsorship application, Melonie gathered her things and stood.
“People like you are the most dangerous. Those uninterested and reluctant get sucked in and can’t get out once they fall for their sponsoree.”
“Is that a curse?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m only cursing because it’s you, my cousin! Enough!”
Adrien chuckled as Melonie kept nagging until the end.
It was a rather noisy time, but the matter quickly faded from Adrien’s memory.
At least until a reply to her sponsoree came back.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Dear Lady Brillante,
Hello, my sponsor.
Thank you so much for choosing me and sending so much money.
Because of you, my mom and dad don’t fight anymore.
Thank you very much. I will use this money carefully.
From Sammy Norah
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Melonie said she received five or six letters at a time, but Sammy’s letters were always very short.
Though the handwriting was crooked, it was clear she tried hard to write properly.
Adrien sat quietly, pressing her lips tightly together.
‘There’s a blank line.’
Between the lines about how the money stopped her parents’ fights, there was an oddly wide blank space.
Sometimes what’s left unsaid carries more meaning. Adrien pondered long over what might fill that silence.
The child had probably hesitated at that moment.
Was she ashamed of her poor and unhappy home?
Or was she disgusted that money alone instantly stopped her parents’ quarrels?
Or maybe…
“I don’t know.”
Sammy was eleven years old, meaning seven years ago for Adrien. Adrien’s memory of that time was faint.
Besides, their backgrounds were worlds apart. Even if they were the same age, she could never have guessed the child’s inner thoughts.
Yet, despite all that, Adrien thought of Sammy’s letter at unexpected times and sent a little more money on the next scheduled donation day.
Hoping there wouldn’t be useless blanks in the next letter.
* * *
“Lady Adrien, you have a sponsoree too, right?”
A year flew by.
At nineteen, Adrien became an adult.
Being an adult came with a flood of annoying responsibilities.
She had to attend tea parties and banquets where she had previously only shown her face briefly because she was young.
She had no choice as Melonie dragged her around enthusiastically. Melonie insisted Adrien had to make a perfect mark in the social circle before enlisting.
Unfortunately, the whole Brillante family agreed with Melonie. Everyone except Adrien.
“Yes. A seven-year-old girl.”
Today was another such occasion—a tea party for noblewomen of her age.
The room was packed at a gathering hosted by the daughter of a certain Marquis, known for her social influence.
Many tried hard to talk to Adrien, who rarely came to social events, hoping to befriend her.
Though grateful, it was also burdensome. Somehow, these gatherings never felt like her own.
“Do you get letters often?”
“Not often, but sometimes. I heard she’s about to start school.”
“Oh my, that must make you proud.”
Really? Adrien carefully reflected on herself as she sipped her tea.
Sammy never sent five or six letters at once, but about five or six single-page letters a year.
Usually when Adrien sent extra money or a gift for a child’s holiday.
Nothing special. Letters about how she ate something new for the first time or got a winter coat—trivial things.
Ah, when Adrien sent a big teddy bear for Children’s Day, the letter was quite funny:
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
…
Thank you very much for the gift you sent.
I’m not the age to play with this kind of thing, but since you sent it, I’m going to hug it every night when I sleep.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
If eleven is not the age to play with a teddy bear, then when is?
Reading that made Adrien smile quietly.
“Have you seen a picture of the child?”
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