The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 120
EP.120 Memory (6)
The embarrassment of wearing a dress had long since faded.
Instead, I felt relieved seeing that the children before me showed no wariness toward me. It seemed fortunate that I had chosen this attire after all. If they had been frightened, meaningful conversation would have been impossible.
The problem was… now that I had gathered these curious children, all eyes sparkling with interest, I had no idea what to say.
I couldn’t just come out and say, “I’m from the same orphanage as you. Do you recognize me?” There were simply too many of them. While I trusted Daniel wouldn’t reveal my identity even if he figured it out, I couldn’t be sure about the other nine children.
“……”
As my thoughts wandered, a sobering realization struck me—I didn’t truly know any of these kids.
Of course, it was only natural. Even after ten years of friendship, you can still discover new sides to someone. Remembering the faces of children I had lived with for only a few months ten years ago would have been a miraculous feat, one worthy of boasting about.
…Not that it felt worth boasting about now.
“Sis, look.”
Claire had sidled up beside me while I stood frozen. Without hesitation, she looped her arm through mine, pulling me closer to the children.
“Lady Sylvia,” she added softly.
The words were directed at me, but I knew they were really meant for the children. Claire likely understood that she couldn’t divulge the full truth, but dropping a hint? That, she couldn’t resist.
A hint was just a hint, after all. Even if the children came back one day with certainty, demanding answers, I could always deny it outright.
A few of the children blinked, staring blankly at me after hearing Claire’s words. Their eyes widened as realization began to dawn, their expressions gradually shifting to shock.
The understanding spread among them like a ripple. They glanced at one another, then back at me, examining my face closely. Each time they did, another child seemed to arrive at the same conclusion, their mouths falling open in surprise.
It took less than a minute.
In under a minute, they all remembered me. They recognized me so quickly that it almost felt unfair.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t even recall all of their names.
“This is…”
Claire began, still clutching my arm tightly, as though afraid I might vanish at any moment.
Perhaps she was haunted by the memory of that last time we were all together—when Lucas had abducted me and I’d been swept away into the imperial family. Claire might not have fully understood what had happened back then, but it seemed she feared something similar could happen again even now.
“This is Her Highness, Princess Sylvia Fangriffon of the Imperial Fangriffon Family.”
A few of the children flinched in shock. Some hesitated, unsure whether to bow, awkwardly lowering their heads. Others looked around, taking cues from their peers who remained still, and ended up fumbling uncertainly.
They were all still so young. Even after ten years.
Which meant… in the eyes of others, I probably appeared young too.
My thoughts swirled in confusion, making logical reasoning impossible.
“I got close to her at the Academy and invited her over. When she heard that we’ve been protecting you, she wanted to meet you personally. That’s why I brought her here,” Claire explained softly, her tone gentle as if she were soothing the children.
Gone was the mischievous Claire who teased Leo. Instead, she spoke with a deliberate calmness, like it was something she had to do.
I thought of Claire after I disappeared.
It wasn’t a thought I hadn’t entertained before. I’d imagined it countless times after we were separated—wondering if she was doing well, trusting that she would be okay under the care of the Grace family. I’d clung to those thoughts until the day we reunited at the Academy.
And after our reunion, there was no need to imagine.
The Claire I knew now was diligent, cheerful, sociable, and always eager to make friends. A bright, personable young woman who exuded warmth.
But could I say that was Claire’s true self?
In the original story, Claire had endured hardships that twisted her character. She grew up within the Imperial Palace, constantly at odds with Alice. Perhaps her current personality was a result of circumstances she couldn’t control—just as the fictional Claire had become the way she did.
What kind of words had Claire offered to comfort the children in the immediate aftermath of my disappearance? What had she told them?
“Isn’t she pretty?”
Hasn’t she grown beautiful?
That was how Claire’s words sounded to me.
Now, with both arms wrapped around mine, Claire smiled proudly, as if she were presenting me as a treasure she was incredibly pleased with.
“Her Highness is curious about our stories. How about you?”
“……”
The children’s eyes lingered on Claire before collectively shifting toward me.
“Should we tell her our story?”
In ordinary circumstances, such a suggestion might have seemed absurd.
Many nobles funded charitable projects—whether out of genuine sympathy, religious obligations, or a desire to showcase their benevolence. They donated to relief efforts in the slums, sponsored orphanages, and sometimes even visited those places.
But for commoners to engage a noble benefactor in lengthy, unnecessary tales? That was considered impolite, a breach of decorum. Nobles and commoners lived in separate worlds, and most nobles had no interest in hearing about the lives of commoners, even those they helped.
But Claire spoke as if this were exactly what I wanted.
And—
Yes, truthfully, I did want that.
*
Emma had a knack for cleaning. But it wasn’t just that she cleaned well. She had an innate ability to gauge the size of objects and figure out precisely where they would fit. She could instinctively stack boxes in a way that maximized storage space, fitting more into a single storeroom than anyone else could.
Currently, she was undergoing training as a maid. It was expected that, once she got a little older, she’d work at the main house for a few years, then meet a decent man and settle down in marriage.
Oliver excelled in swordsmanship. Though not on the same level as Claire, it was clear he would grow enough to be of help when his master fought. That was why he was currently undergoing training. One day, when he came of age, Oliver would likely become one of the people guarding the entrance to this territory.
Chloe had a talent for taking care of plants—
One by one, as if they were presenting themselves to me, they shared their stories.
Each child was unique. While some of them would end up working in similar fields, none of them had identical talents.
And all of them were the children I had saved that day—the ones I had tied the curtain around to lower them to safety.
“……”
I listened closely to their stories without saying a word.
The truth was, I remembered that day vividly.
Back then, I had simply planned to leave with Claire. It was Claire who had brought the children to my attention.
‘The kids… the kids are still inside.’
It was only after hearing those words from Claire that I went back up and tried to save them.
If Claire hadn’t said that—
But here were these children, smiling as if they were determined to confirm who I was. With pride in their voices, they introduced themselves, as though to prove that my efforts to save them had not been in vain.
And beside me, Claire listened with a bright, radiant smile on her face.
I felt ashamed.
Humiliated.
I wanted to find somewhere to hide and disappear.
It was a feeling not unlike wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
I… I wasn’t as good a person as these children thought me to be.
“…Sylvia.”
As I listened to their stories, someone gently tapped my shoulder and called my name.
It was Alice.
Speaking to me from the opposite side of Claire, Alice wore a slightly concerned expression.
“……”
She didn’t ask if I was okay. She didn’t need to. Alice knew who these children were, just as Claire did.
And Alice likely thought the same as everyone else—that I had saved all these children. Or at the very least, that I had done something worthy of the gratitude they were showing me now.
“Do you want to take a break?”
Claire’s question broke the silence. I gave a small nod in response.
I moved to one of the chairs in the lobby and sat down.
When I remained silent, everyone else followed suit, saying nothing.
This isn’t what I wanted to happen.
But even as that thought crossed my mind, I couldn’t figure out what to say.
So I simply sat there for a while, quietly catching my breath.