Chapter 26: CH 15.1

Cleta felt they were talking about something that involved her.

She rolled her eyes and looked at the two of them.

“M-Mrs. Linden? So, what’s going on?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have gotten Dunn’s permission first.”

Grace looked at her with raised eyebrows, as she needed Cleta’s permission, which was the most important.

“Soap. Can I help you sell them all?”

“….”

It was a completely fraudulent statement.

Cleta’s first impression of Grace, which she revealed later.

⋆★⋆

As Grace guessed, the orphanage was in a financial crisis.

There was no money to spare.

Cleta knew this fact, and she believed that Grace must have also realized it. At first, she thought Grace might be a loan shark, but their approach and methods were quite different, but their approach was quite different.

‘Usually, those people try to get something as collateral first…’

So, she accepted her proposal after weighing the pros and cons.

It didn’t matter if it sold or not. The soap they were selling was just a reprocessed ordinary soap that the former director, who had disappeared with the money from the orphanage, had forcibly passed on.

‘So, I’m melting the soap again as Mrs. Linden instructed and waiting for…’

Cleta, who had let the children play in the orphanage yard, waited for Grace while melting the soap in the kitchen.

After waiting for a while, Suddenly, she heard heavy and fast footsteps.

“…Uh, oh! S-she has been waiting.”

“My Lady please take it easy. You might collapse if you rush.”

Grace appeared panting heavily. Her mask was crooked.

Benjamin carefully adjusted her mask properly.

Grace was holding two large baskets. Benjamin’s gaze was fixed on the baskets, and it was due to Grace’s insistence on carrying them all the way.

Cleta also looked at the large baskets that Grace was holding.

“What’s that?”

At Cleta’s question. Grace put the baskets on the table and said,

“One has tools for making soap and packaging, and the other has candies to give to the children.”

“Huh?”

“I had a lot of candy that I don’t eat anymore.”

It was not a lie. Since candy had a relatively long shelf life, there were several glass jars filled with candy displayed in the annex.

Of course, Grace asked the servants and brought them. They asked why she was asking and told her to take as much as she wanted, even putting them in Grace’s arms and telling her to take them all.

Of course, Grace only needed one large jar.

“I like children.”

“Ah, I see.”

But even considering that she liked children, the amount of candies was a lot. Grace realized the nuance in Cleta’s voice and spoke awkwardly.

“There are quite a lot of candies, right? It would be nice if I could share them now…”

Grace murmured as she looked at the candies. But she also needed to make soap, and Benjamin noticed her dilemma and said, “Shall I give them to the children?”

“Is it okay?”

Grace asked.

“Yes, I’ve taken care of children before, so it’s okay. While you make soap, I’ll take care of the children well and safely so don’t worry.”

Benjamin smiled widely and tapped his chest before picking up the basket of candy.

“I’m sorry. I have to ask this favor from you.”

“Don’t apologize for something like this. I’m glad I can help.”

Benjamin left the kitchen without making a sound. Watching him disappear, she took out the ingredients from the basket one by one.

There were glass jars with herbal tea leaves, a tin case where pressed flowers were stored, and alcohol spray.

“There are various types of tea leaves. There are also many pressed flowers.”

These things had to be made into transparent soap to look pretty, and fortunately, the soap prepared by the orphanage was mostly transparent.

“I heard that it’s trendy to put flowers to float in tea.”

However, she had never heard of putting flowers in soap as a trend. It may have already been out of fashion or maybe it’s common.

It wasn’t Grace’s concern.

Because it was a festival now.

The chatter of people excited for the festival was louder than she expected.

Grace melted the essential oil she had sneaked from the bathroom into the soap and mixed various herb leaves in small amounts into each mold.

Then she put pretty pressed flowers on top and sprayed alcohol spray.

Cleta looked at Grace, who moved cleanly without any fuss, with round eyes.

“Do you usually do handicrafts?”

“Well, as a hobby.”

The original Grace used to make bookmarks or enjoy pressing flowers.

Grace felt a slight sting at the thought of using the pressed flowers she had saved in this way, but it seemed okay.

‘Somehow, feel like even the original Grace would have done this.’

She was convinced. Besides, if she didn’t use them, they would eventually be thrown away.