Chapter 410: Sense Of Discomfort
Already somewhat annoyed, Eris looked up with a frown to see a middle-aged man storming out of the orphanage in a huff.
This man had an average build and average height, with brown eyes and short black hair. He wasn’t particular handsome or ugly and wore clothes that were neither cheap nor expensive.
In other words, he was perfectly plain and non-descript, the kind of person you would have trouble remembering after only meeting once.
At the same time Eris was observing this man, he too was examining her, the anger on his face being rapidly replaced with calm curiosity.
The silence lasted for only a moment before the man flashed a smile and bowed politely, "Pardon me, Young Lady. It seems, in my haste, I have caused you some trouble."
"Oh... er, en, it’s alright, Uncle," Eris replied reflexively, somewhat taken aback by this shift in tone and attitude.
Just a second ago, this man seemed to be completely incensed, but now he sounded like one of those greedy merchants trying to make a good first impression. The change was too abrupt for Eris to process immediately, catching her off-guard.
Not waiting for Eris to compose herself, the man strode forward, pulled a Silver Coin from his pocket, and handed it to her, "Please accept this as an apology. I believe it should be enough to cover the cost of cleaning your outfit."
Seemingly finished with what he wanted to say, the middle-aged man strode off down the street and melted into the crowd.
Eris continued staring in the direction the mysterious man had disappeared, her brow furrowed like she was deep in thought.
She was certain she had never seen this man before, but something about him seemed... familiar. There was also something unpleasant about him, something that gave Eris a sense of discomfort or possibly even danger.
It was strange, but Eris couldn’t say why, leaving her at a loss for words.
"Are you alright, Big Sister?" Mabel, who was standing nearby, asked worriedly after Eris just stood in the muddy puddle, not moving or saying anything.
"Ah! Yes, I’m alright," Eris, who was snapped back to her senses by her little sister’s voice, replied.
"You don’t look alright, Elder Sister," Toby commented with clear concern.
Shaking her head, Eris tried to reassure her younger siblings while pondering what she should do.
Like usual, Eris had her Space Bag with her, but in order to fit all the cookies, she had removed quite a lot of things she didn’t think she would need today, like her spare change of clothes.
Fortunately, the orphanage’s Director, a middle-aged woman named Tilly, soon appeared and cried out in shock, "Goodness! Young Lady Eris!? What happened!?"
"Ah, Aunty Tilly!" Eris’ face brightened as she gave a small bow.
Given the enormous gap in status between them, there was certainly no need for the young girl to act so politely, but that was just part of her personality.
Feeling some water flick off her hair as she lowered he head, however, Eris couldn’t help flashing a sheepish smile and scratching her cheek as she got back up, "I... had a bit of an accident."
"I can see that!" Director Tilly was taken aback as she stepped forward to help the young red-head out of the puddle.
When Eris had first visited her orphanage together with Lucas, Christina, and Timothy, Director Tilly had nearly had a heart-attack.
Although she was technically an employee of the Balfours, the middle-aged woman had never actually met anyone from the main family before that day, so her reaction was quite understandable.
Even now, Tilly couldn’t help feeling somewhat nervous whenever Lucas or Christina showed up at her doors. The two children were both incredibly kind and polite whenever they came. They also never looked down on her for having such a lowly position, poor talent, or weak strength, but there was just something about them that caused her to unconsciously straighten her back.
Eris was a completely different story.
The young girl was so full of life and energy, always smiling and laughing with such joy that the middle-aged woman unconsciously found herself relaxing around her, even though she knew she shouldn’t.
This wasn’t too surprising, though, as Eris had this effect on basically everyone she met, whether they were Royal Ancestors or commoner children. It was really only when Eris got angry or when she was in combat that she gave off the same imposing air that her Senior Brother and Junior Sister seemed to naturally exude at all times.
That said, Director Tilly knew perfectly well who Eris was and what kind of illustrious status she possessed, so she never acted overly familiar or failed to show the proper amount of respect, something the young red-head actually found quite annoying.
Eris was much more comfortable when people called her by name and laughed freely with her. Whenever others acted stiff and formal, calling her ’Young Lady’ and bowing when she entered the room, Eris, in her own words, felt ’icky’.
In time, perhaps she would be able to adapt to her new status as the Disciple of a powerful Master and a Young Lady from a prestigious noble house, but clearly that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.
Seeing Eris, Mabel, and Toby on a regular day normally brought a smile to Tilly’s face, but with the red-head currently drenched in muddy water, and her two little siblings clearly feeling distressed about the situation, the middle-aged Director naturally wasn’t going to be in an upbeat mood.
As such, Tilly hurriedly offered, "You should have a quick wash, Young Lady Eris. We also have some spare clothes for the older children you can borrow. They’re nothing fancy, but I hope you can bear with them until I can have your outfit washed."
The middle-aged woman then turned to the little boy and girl standing nearby, "In the mean time, I’m sure the rest of the children will be happy to see Young Master Toby and Young Lady Mabel. You should play with them while your Elder Sister cleans up."