“W-Who did you say you are? The Marchioness of the Pluto Ducal House?”

Eva, the orphanage director, looked like she was about to faint.

I observed the scene from a distance, just as stunned as she was.

The children inside the orphanage building were just as astonished.

‘…Wow. Look at that carriage. It’s blinding….’

A carriage coated entirely in gold? What a sight.

Behind the carriage, a perfectly arranged line of coachmen and servants stood as if they were part of a painting.

And it wasn’t just the carriage.

Lady Rearwin Pluto herself radiated a brilliance that was almost overwhelming.

It wasn’t the soft shimmer of light.

It was ‘dazzling!’

The sheer level of radiance made it clear that this was a woman in a league of her own. Had I ever seen anyone like her before?

Her elegantly styled silver hair shone with a warm glow, and her low-saturation violet eyes exuded kindness.

She seemed like someone who had been born perfectly beautiful.

If there truly were a goddess of beauty, she would surely look just like Lady Rearwin.

Thinking about how I had missed seeing such an extraordinary person in my first life because I was holed up in a storage room conducting experiments felt almost tragic.

‘Now that I think about it, her son, Meteor, was just as extraordinary….’

The memory of meeting Meteor for the first time suddenly came to mind. It had been the first time I’d seen someone as dazzlingly handsome as my father.

That’s just how male leads are meant to be, I guess…!

Before my thoughts could wander further, Lady Rearwin’s voice interrupted them.

“I never knew there was an orphanage in a place like this. In fact, I’ve visited all the well-known orphanages.”

“Y-You’ve visited orphanages?”

Even her voice was like silk. Nodding once, she continued.

“Yes. I’m looking for a child to take under my wing. It must be a girl. Unfortunately, after visiting so many orphanages, I have yet to find her. If you wouldn’t mind, could I look around this Ebony Orphanage as well?”

“O-Of course! It would be an unforgettable honor for our children to meet the Marchioness of the Pluto Ducal House!”

“Thank you.”

Lady Rearwin gave a faint smile.

I quietly watched as she stepped into the orphanage building.

It wasn’t the right time for me to approach her just yet.

***

‘Sigh.’

Lady Rearwin suppressed a heavy sigh.

‘Why can’t I have a daughter?’

She had three sons: her eldest, Meteor, followed by the twins, Bernard and Kent.

After them, she was unable to conceive any more children. Eventually, she was diagnosed with infertility.

‘I wanted… I wanted to have a daughter so badly!’

She had dreamed of having at least ten daughters who looked just like her, like little goddesses.

How lovely would it have been to raise girls who mirrored her beauty?

But fate had decreed that she would never have a daughter.

After spending three years grappling with that reality, Lady Rearwin finally resolved to become a patron to a girl who wasn’t her own.

She had even wanted to adopt a girl as her official daughter, but the Duke of Pluto outright forbade it.

His reasoning was that only relatives with Pluto blood could be formally registered as direct descendants of the ducal house.

Unable to defy her father-in-law’s wishes, the only option left to her was to act as a guardian.

But even then, she wasn’t willing to take just any girl under her wing.

‘I wish she could resemble me. Even just a little—how wonderful would that be?’

The idea of such a girl existing seemed almost impossible, though.

Those who knew her situation often clicked their tongues in pity.

Lady Rearwin was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the Sientri Empire. No one could compare to her.

Her unique, ethereal elegance was something no other beauty could imitate.

Thus, no matter how many orphanages she visited, she couldn’t find a girl who resembled her.

‘I just want to be seen as a mother to a girl who looks like me.’

She longed to spend carefree afternoons sailing with her daughter, enjoying a mother-daughter bond like so many other noblewomen.

She wanted to hear warm compliments like, “Oh my, your daughter looks just like you!”

Lady Rearwin refused to lose hope.

‘I pray I’ll find her today….’

***

‘…As I thought, there’s no one.’

After touring the orphanage for a while and even sharing tea with the director, Eva, Lady Rearwin Pluto handed over a donation of one million sien. Yet, her heart felt hollow.

Once again, she hadn’t found a girl who resembled her.

‘I’m not asking for much. Just a similar vibe… or maybe even a single feature, like the shape of her eyes or the tilt of her nose….’

Was that really too much to hope for?

Every child she met at the orphanage was undeniably adorable and lovable, regardless of their gender.

But not one of them bore even the faintest resemblance to her.

Was her husband right, after all?

The cold words of her husband, Marquis Miles Pluto, echoed in her mind.

"You’re planning to find a girl who looks like you to take under your wing? …Do you think such a child even exists?"

“…I guess my expectations are too high.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind.”

Lady Rearwin softly replied to the servant beside her and prepared to leave the orphanage. Eva and the staff followed behind her to see her off.

Just as she turned to walk away under the blazing sunlight, something caught her eye.

“Hmm?”

In the lush green forest, a small, round, white object was bouncing up and down.

‘What is that?’

Curious, Lady Rearwin approached it. Her reaction caused the others to tilt their heads in confusion and follow suit.

What could it be?

As she got closer, the shape became clearer.

It looked like the fluffy backside of a winter sparrow or perhaps the plump bottom of a chick.

The sight of it was so endearing that it left her breathless.

The small figure seemed to be busy moving up and down, engrossed in some task.

Was it digging?

How could someone’s crouched back look this adorable?

Lady Rearwin held her breath, mesmerized.

After a moment, as if sensing something, the child turned to look behind them.

“!”

Their eyes met.

It was a little girl wearing a white dress.

Her pink eyes sparkled like precious jewels, and her soft, golden hair was so lustrous it resembled a doll’s.

And most of all…

Most of all…!

The child’s face, looking up at her curiously as if to say, ‘Huh?’, was etched into Lady Rearwin’s mind as angelic perfection.

Lady Rearwin felt her heart pound, her chest tightening, and she instinctively covered her mouth with one hand.

“W-What are you doing here?”

***

I blinked a few times, my eyes wide.

The Marchioness of the Pluto Ducal House was a dazzling presence up close.

Still captivated by her radiant beauty, I hid the trowel behind my back and straightened my posture, looking up at her with bright, innocent eyes.

“I was digging the ground. I’m planting seeds.”

“Seeds? What kind of seeds…?”

Lady Rearwin lightly pressed a hand to her chest, as if trying to calm her racing heart.

<‘Dragon Slayer Sylvester’ is pleased, remarking that Lady Rearwin seems to have already fallen for you!>

Really?

I was still a bit dazzled by her beauty.

The male lead’s charm clearly wasn’t without precedent—it must run in the family.

“Apple seeds! Once the trees grow, I’ll clean the apples and give them as gifts to my friends and the teachers. Hehe.”

“Oh my….”

Lady Rearwin clasped her hands together tightly.

She seemed deeply moved by my words.

<‘Yuri-loving Druid Gabriella’ is marveling at how perfectly you’re portraying Crescent!>

What?!

Gabriella’s comment made me bristle inwardly.

‘Portraying Crescent’? I am Crescent through and through!

I had lived as Crescent for 12 years since my birth, long before realizing I had memories of a previous life. Calling it an act felt offensive!

‘You keep treating me like some possessed imposter, but even if I am, I’m still Crescent, okay?’

It hurt a little to have my life dismissed as mere performance.