Do You Believe It?

For some reason, listening to Rose's words, Olivia felt an inexplicable chill rise from the bottom of her heart.

If she could, she really wanted to hand the question over to the magic mirror and let it answer for her.

Unfortunately, before she became a Pilgrim, the magic mirror was only omniscient regarding matters within the monastery; it lacked understanding of the outside world.

She could only ask, "You mean, one of you is missing, but no one noticed?"

Rose lowered her head and remained silent, saying nothing more.

This reaction made Olivia feel strange. After thinking for a moment, she called over the other four children and asked about it, and they immediately provided answers.

"Rose is talking about Leila, right? We haven't forgotten her."

"Yeah, yeah, Leila was playing with us yesterday. It's a pity she left."

"Grandma Director said someone adopted Leila, so we won't see her anymore."

"Rose must be sad, since Leila was her best playmate."

Listening to the children, Olivia let out a sigh of relief.

Rose's strange expression had indeed startled her just now; she had thought something bad had happened. It turned out a child had simply been adopted.

This was a common occurrence in orphanages. There would always be families needing to adopt for various reasons. After verifying their identity, character, finances, and other aspects, the orphanage would naturally allow them to adopt a child.

After letting the four children return to their studies, Olivia patted Rose's head. "Don't overthink it, Rose. No one has forgotten Leila. She was just adopted."

Rose looked up again, her voice hauntingly soft. "You believe it?"

Olivia froze for a moment and instinctively lowered her voice to ask, "You don't think so? If not, then what's the truth?"

Rose didn't answer; she just lowered her head again, hiding the changes in her expression.

However...

Olivia noticed that Rose's body was actually trembling slightly, which seemed to be a sign of fear.

What exactly was she afraid of?

Olivia asked again, wanting to understand Rose's thoughts, but Rose said nothing more. No matter how she asked, the girl remained silent.

Does this child have autism?

Olivia felt a headache coming on. Facing a child who refused to respond, she felt at a loss. As a representative of the monastery teaching and proselytizing at the orphanage, she couldn't be too strict.

If she were too mean, she might be reported. Then Brittany might lock her in the dark room, and it might not just be for copying books like The Goddess's Revelations.

Olivia could only try to persuade her with kind words, but unfortunately, by the time lunch arrived, she hadn't been able to get anything out of Rose.

"Forget it, let's eat first," Olivia gave up.

The midday sun was exceptionally intense, shining down on the vast Imperial Capital, coating every building in a layer of radiance. The reflections from some windows were even blinding.

When Olivia came out with the five children she taught, the other nuns, including Bethany and Mirabelle, also emerged from their rooms with their students, heading together to the orphanage's cafeteria.

In the large cafeteria, Director Georgina was already waiting, welcoming the nuns.

"Thank you for your hard work. Please have some lunch first. However, our orphanage's finances aren't very good, so lunch can only be simple. I hope it won't disappoint you."

Georgina led the nuns to their seats and then had the orphanage's only cook—a plump middle-aged woman—bring over plates of lunch and set them on the table.

Lunch was indeed very ordinary: a loaf of rye bread for each person, served with a thick soup of mashed beans, onions, and cabbage, and finally an apple.

Although the lunch looked plain, Olivia's gaze shifted and saw the children's eyes light up as they devoured the food. She knew today's lunch was much better than usual.

Then what do they usually eat?

After sighing inwardly, Olivia's gaze fell on Rose again. The little girl sat there quietly, holding her apple as if about to eat, but looking preoccupied and not yet taking a bite.

Seeing this, Olivia couldn't help but ask, "Director Bates, I heard that you had a child named Leila here yesterday?"

Georgina smiled at the question. "Yes, but Leila was adopted."

Olivia asked, "When?"

Georgina spread her hands. "Just this morning, while the children were still asleep. You understand, someone coming to adopt a child is a good thing for them. So, even though Leila was sleeping soundly, I had to wake her up. Fortunately, her well-behaved nature made the adopters very satisfied."

Adoption was normal in an orphanage, and the other nuns didn't show any concern upon hearing this.

However, Olivia thought for a moment and still said, "Director Bates, I remember that after every child is adopted, the relevant information needs to be registered, right? That includes the adopter's information. Could you bring that registry for me to see? I'm just a bit curious and want to understand the children's situation better."

"No problem, Lady Melianne. Wait a moment."

Georgina stood up with a smile and left the cafeteria.

That gentle and loving smile made Olivia wonder if she was overthinking things. Perhaps Rose was just naturally withdrawn?

She shook her head and decided to eat something first. She picked up the thick soup and took a sip, finding the taste rather bland. It was clear the cook's skill wasn't great.

She glanced at the plump cook not far away but didn't say anything. Criticizing someone's cooking to their face was, after all, inappropriate.

As she was eating quietly, a strange sensation came from nowhere, gradually welling up in her heart. It made her consciousness grow hazy, and her eyes slowly lost focus, though her hand continued to habitually scoop up the soup and drink.

Dazed and confused, unaware of the reality, the entire world seemed to turn into blocks of black and white.

Until a certain moment, Olivia's body suddenly jerked, and the world before her eyes regained its clarity. Brilliant sunlight poured down from the sky, and Georgina's kind smile appeared before her once more.

At this moment, she and the other four nuns had just arrived at the orphanage entrance and were being greeted by Georgina.

It felt like... like she had just suddenly dazed off for a second?

"Welcome. I was so happy when I heard yesterday that you were coming. It is an honor for these children to gain knowledge through the Church."

At the orphanage entrance, Georgina was all smiles, looking as warm as if she were draped in sunlight.

'It's Director Georgina. It must be very hard for her to adopt so many orphans and establish such an orphanage... Wait, why do I know her name is Georgina?'

Olivia's body suddenly shuddered. An inexplicable chill spread from the depths of her spine, and in an instant, it permeated her entire body.