The Royal Capital Orphanage Director

"An orphanage is a place to gather orphans and make money," so thought the orphanage director, Kowalt.

When those haughty nobles occasionally came to inspect, he would show them the brats and say, "Please, have mercy," and collect a tidy sum in donations.

And once the brats grew up, there were always plenty who wanted "people they could do as they liked with," and he could send them that way for money. Girls, obviously — but boys as well.

They were orphans, after all. No one would worry about them.

It was around then that there was another noble visit.

Not just any nobles, royalty too. The prince and his fiancée — children coming to see children.

The royal family were good customers who would give him a lump sum regularly, even if he did nothing.

He thought he'd just do as usual by having the brats entertain them and handle it as always. But the fiancée, the young lady, spoke up.

"I'll leave the shabby children to the maid. Since I have free time, could I see the ledgers?"

He could understand the first half perfectly well: the words of a willful young lady.

But the latter half didn't make much sense.

"… There's nothing in there an Ojou-sama would find amusing."

"That's fine. I need the pretense that I actually did an inspection. You understand, don't you? But if someone asks what I did while leaving the children to the maid, I'd like an excuse."

"I see."

So she'd decided to pretend at being an adult and ask to see the ledgers.

The prince and his guards must have been annoyed at being told such selfish things. Or perhaps it was easier precisely because they wouldn't be moving around.

"Yes. From that bookshelf… yes, the one on the end, may I borrow it?"

"Er, but—"

"It's fine, isn't it? Show my fiancée."

"If even His Highness says so, then it cannot be helped."

Prompted by the prince, his valued customer, Kowalt took a ledger from the shelf and handed it over.

As if she'd understand anything by looking at it.

Thinking back on it later, the moment she said "could I see the ledgers?" and specified it accurately, she wasn't just some 'young lady who understood nothing.'

Flip. The young lady opened the ledger.

… It was the public ledger, but to increase freely usable funds, he'd entered the price of wheat a little higher (little by a little, which had, before he knew it, become ten times higher).

"Oh my. Was wheat really this expensive? What do you think, Your Highness Harks?"

"Hm? … Isn't it about this much?"

At the very moment the ledger was opened and "wheat" was mentioned, Kowalt's heart jumped, but the prince's words restored his composure.

"Yes, thanks to that, we're able to feed them good wheat."

"Oh my, my! Say, you there, the guard! For His Highness and this director, it seems wheat is at this price! Pfft—kusu-kusu!"

"M-my lady! It is not good to show ledgers to—"

"Oh? Is there something to hide? There is, isn't there? There is!! Since at ten times the going rate, that would mean you're feeding the children so much ultra-premium wheat fit for princes that their bellies are about to burst!"

Flap, flap — the young lady shook the ledger, provoking him.

This brat knew the market price!

He rose to his feet, suddenly wanting to strike her, but a glare from the guard halted him.

"E-excuse me. I must have made a place-value mistake. How embarrassing."

"Oh my, a place-value mistake?"

"Well then, it can't be helped that it ended up ten times higher."

"I see, I see."

He used the excuse he'd prepared for occasions like this.

Yes, ten times was something that could happen if you misplaced a digit. That was why it was ten times.

"Then it's strange that the sums add up, isn't it? … Isn't your covering up a little sloppy?"

"Ah! Indeed!?"

"No, Your Highness, be sensible. I fear for the future of the nation if you're too silly—"

Kowalt fled!

— But he was cut off by the guards!

"Yes, a flight tantamount to confession! Apprehend him—apprehend him—! Oh-ho-ho-ho! Your Highness Harks, inspections are so much fun, aren't they!"

"… This is not the sort of inspection I…!"

And so the orphanage was slated for a thorough overhaul.