Chương 154: Chapter 146 - Adding to the Ranks

Chelsea winced at the kid's misunderstanding.

"That sounds terrible when you say it like that." Chelsea laughed. The girl didn't smile. Chelsea couldn't blame her. She lowered herself to the floor again so they could speak without Chelsea towering over her.

"I've been adopting children." The girl didn't move, she just watched the Empress. Chelsea considered how to approach this. The girl had probably experienced adults deciding her life for her and was now faced with what she probably deemed as 'scary child eating demon empress.' Chelsea didn't want to be that.

"You don't have to come with me." She said gently. That caught the girl's attention. There was a twitch of surprise before she put on her serious face again. Chelsea continued.

"No one here has to. I'm not closing the orphanage. I'm not taking anyone who doesn't want to come. If you're happy here, you can stay here." Several of the older children looked toward one another. Chelsea rested her hands in her lap.

"If you do choose to become one of my children, you'll have a room in my domain. You'll have food, clothes, education, and whatever training you decide you want. You can still see everyone here. I'm not separating friends just because I put my family name after yours." The girl continued watching her.

"You don't have to call me Mom either." That seemed to surprise more than one of the older kids. Chelsea understood. She thinks she figured out the dynamic. They had villainized her. That's why everyone was terrified when she arrived. She wanted children. Her class encouraged it, and something inside her genuinely loved the growing chaos of the family she was creating. She just hoped her mom didn't kill her for it.

"I'd like it if you eventually wanted to call me mom or mother or some other version, but I'm not going to make you pretend you love me because I adopted you." The girl's arms slowly lowered.

"How long have you been here?" The girl answered quietly.

"Seven years." Chelsea glanced toward the matron, who lowered her eyes. There was nothing shameful about the orphanage itself. Chelsea had already seen enough to know the children were being cared for. The problem was that this girl specifically had spent half her life waiting for someone to choose her. Chelsea looked back at her.

"I'd like to adopt you." She softened her voice.

"If you want me to." The girl's eyes moved toward the younger children. Chelsea followed her gaze.

"You're worried about them?" The girl gave a small nod. She had become one of the older children who helped keep everything functioning. Leaving probably felt like abandoning them. Chelsea looked around the room.

"I didn't come here for one child." Chelsea stood. She faced the room and raised her voice enough for everyone to hear.

"I came here because I want to offer every child in this orphanage a home." The room went quiet. The matron covered her mouth while the fairy looked on with watery eyes. She had bought in hard it seemed.

"You do not have to accept. No one is going to punish you if you say no. No one is going to be angry with you. I'll continue funding this orphanage whether every child leaves with me or none of you do." A younger child raised a hand and Chelsea pointed toward him. He lowered it again quickly, not expecting to actually be called on. She waited patiently while he gathered enough courage to speak.

"If we go, do we get to see the giant turtle?" Chelsea had to stop herself from laughing.

"You've heard about him?" She asked, confused. How? She was thought of as a child eater but they knew about Bradford? What sort of leaks were coming out of the cathedral?

"Yes. You would and you'd get to ride him. Also… he's a tortoise." Several younger children began whispering. Bradford was apparently a far stronger selling point than Chelsea herself. Another child asked about bedrooms followed by another asking if the food was good. Chelsea answered them all with care and her full attention. The questions gradually became less cautious and she was being asking things like how many bathrooms there were. Chelsea remained where she was and answered each one.

She didn't promise perfection. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. There were a lot of children in the domain already and it could be loud and very emotional at times when two kids were fighting. Sometimes someone stole a toy. Robby had developed a concerning interest in breaking into everyone's rooms. There were rules, chores, and lessons. The children listened with growing interest.

The older girl remained silent through all of it, appearing less and less suspicious. Eventually, one of the smallest children approached Chelsea. She was a little beastkin girl with short ears rising through her dark hair. She stopped directly in front of Chelsea and stared up at her. Chelsea waited, watching her. The little girl lifted both arms toward her, asking to be picked up. Chelsea's heart nearly melted right there. She bent and obliged.

The child wrapped her arms around Chelsea's neck while she held her securely.

"Okay." Chelsea mumbled to the girl. She started the process. The child's Unloved title was the first thing to go. One red X had disappeared from her awareness. She then activated the adoption ability. Chelsea swallowed hard and began asking all of her questions that showed up in the little girl's stat screen. Then she gave her the title that had become one of Chelsea's favorites. Child of the Holy Empress. The change appeared immediately. Chelsea closed her eyes for a moment. Excited about having a new daughter.

This little girl. When she opened them again, another child had stepped forward. Then another. The process began slowly. Chelsea made sure each child understood what they were agreeing to. Some accepted. Some of the older children needed a little more time to think about it. She didn't pressure any of them. She spent nearly two hours sitting on the orphanage floor while children made one of the largest decisions of their lives. Looty eventually escaped the reluctant attendant and hid beneath a chair.

A group of children spent fifteen minutes trying to find her. Chelsea watched the tiny mimic recolor herself against the wood and felt a weird amount of pride when the children walked past her twice. Eventually Looty betrayed herself by sticking her tongue out. The children screamed with laughter. Even the older girl smiled. By late afternoon, most of the children had accepted. The oldest girl was the last hold out.

Chelsea found her sitting near one of the windows while the younger children gathered their belongings. She approached her and the teen noticed instantly. It was a bit hard not to. Chelsea was still glowing. They both silently watched the other children packing their belongings. The girl eventually looked toward her.

"You really mean we can come back?"

"If you get there and decide my domain is not for you then you can come back here at any time. Though, I will probably need to hire a new matron. I am going to offer yours what I offered all of the children. Matrons are, for the most part, children like you. They grew up in orphanages and decide they want to help. I want to offer her family as well." The girl studied Chelsea's face. Finally, the girl reached out one hand. Chelsea looked at it, confused at first but she took it gently.

The girl's eyes dropped toward their joined hands.

"I think I want to go." Chelsea smiled warmly and began the process. First the X was removed, then she asked all of the same questions she asked every other child. Chelsea had to look away for a second. Was she seriously going to cry every time? She squeezed the girl's hand.

"Okay. All done." Chelsea approached the matron next.

"I'm sorry I didn't get your names when I came in."

"Oh! I'm Samantha!" The fairy girl answer quickly and with way too much excitement. The matron looked at her with amusement and a bit of something like 'calm down.'

"My name is Elize, your Grace."

"Great. You two want a family too?" She asked with a bright smile.

"Don't stress the age thing. I already have a matron daughter who's older than me."

"Yes!" the Fairy girl was almost vibrating with excitement. Tears were in the corners of her eyes. Elize looked around the room.

"It would be rather lonely here without the children. I would be honored, your grace."

"OK… So. First off. Stop the Your Grace stuff. It's mom or any of those… things. Or just call me Chelsea if that's too weird for you." She reached out and converted the matron while removing the X from her face. Then she turned to the fairy.

"Samantha, wasn't it?" The fairy nodded rapidly.

"Great. So I'm going to remove your unloved title but…" She rubbed at her chin in thought.

"I have a plan for you. I'm not going to adopt you yet." Chelsea learned something new. Apparently, fairy wings could wilt when they were disappointed.

"Yet." She repeated.

"You're my first fairy and I want to try something. If you're interested I would like to invite you to come with all of us. Don't worry, I won't make you wait around forever." Finally, her wings perked back up.

"Ok." She nodded. Chelsea gave them time to gather their stuff as well. Children filled the front room with small bags and bundles. A few carried next to nothing. Chelsea remained near the door and watched Looty was currently being held by the beastkin girl Chelsea had adopted first. Apparently the disgust had worn off. The child held the tiny mimic against her chest while Looty's tongue moved lazily across her forearm. Liam had somehow maintained his professional expression through the entire visit.

Was he heartless or something? This was a heart warming affair and he just stood their stone faced.

"We should arrange carriages." Chelsea looked outside as the crowd that had grown larger. News of where the Empress had gone had apparently traveled quickly. People filled both sides of the street, though the Holy Knights had kept a path open through the center. Chelsea looked back at her new children and smiled.

"No." Liam's jaw tightened and he let out a frustrated sigh. Chelsea pointed toward the cathedral visible above the buildings.

"We walked here." She gestured around to the kids.

"I want this to be a memorable moment for each of them. A core memory if you will." His eyes moved toward the children. A few of the smaller ones were staring outside nervously.

"I get your concern." She said simply.

"But…" She didn't say out loud in front of all of the kids that it would tell the entire city exactly what Chelsea had done. She didn't want them to feel like tools to boost her reputation because that's not what they were to her. It was just convenient that it would work out that way.

"I want them to walk home with me." She announced. Liam remained quiet for several seconds. Then he nodded. He barked orders and the knights reorganized again. Chelsea stepped outside first. The crowd began bowing. Then they noticed the children. Whispers moved through the street. Chelsea waited until the children began emerging from the orphanage behind her. Some held each other's hands while others stayed close to Elize and Samantha. The oldest girl walked only a few feet behind Chelsea.

Then the little beastkin girl emerged carrying Looty. Several people in the crowd visibly recoiled. Chelsea almost laughed. Then… She did laugh. She realized what it had to look like to these people if put into earth's context. The new Holy Empress had finally made her first public appearance. She was a glowing demon surrounded by Holy Knights, leading a group of newly adopted orphans through the capital while one of her newest daughters proudly carried a mimic larva. It could have gone worse. Maybe.

Chelsea held out her hand toward the oldest girl. The girl hesitated before taking it. They started walking. The reaction from the crowd changed as they moved. People began to understand exactly what was happening. They were walking beside her, being led from an orphanage by the Empress of the Forgotten Children. A woman near the road began clapping. Another joined her. The sound spread gradually. Chelsea looked around and people were smiling. People then began cheering.

Chelsea's glow brightened the street as they continued toward the cathedral. She looked down at the girl beside her. She was staring at the crowd with wide eyes. Chelsea squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. By the time the Crystal Cathedral came into view unobstructed, Chelsea realized something had changed. The scary demon girl who was now their ruler was not the monster they had created in their minds. The children around her were talking excitedly about Bradford and what they wanted for dinner.

The oldest girl still held onto Chelsea's hand. Chelsea looked toward the cathedral doors, then back at all of the excited faces of the children. The faces without red Xs on them. There were still hundreds across the city. Children waiting in their orphanages or children living with people who didn't love them. Children hiding in parts of the city, terrified of where their next meal would come from. Today had removed only a few of those red Xs.

Chelsea smiled down at her newest daughter as they climbed the cathedral steps. She knew this was only the start of her work. This was going to be a marathon, not a sprint.