Inside The Principal workspace,
“No, I am not joking, Madame. Twelve years ago, we were forced to leave two babies here due to poor financial conditions. Now, we want our twin daughters back.”
The blue-eyed woman was speechless. She recalled what had happened twelve years ago, but of the five babies, only the Chosen One’s parents had left a message, so Aufrodine looked suspiciously at the man sitting in front of her.
“Sir, with all due respect, you did not leave a message when we found the two female twins. How can I know that you are not lying?” The thirty-eight-year-old woman asked politely but was still wary of the opposite sex’s casual words.
“I know that you doubt what I said earlier, but I brought an evidence that states that we are the biological parents of the twins.” Vigor understood what the other person was saying, so he started to look to the side, to his lovely wife, who had been listening to their conversation.
“Honey, please give me the roll of parchment containing the doctor’s statement.” The thirty-three-year-old man asked softly, causing his wife to smile at him.
“Yes, Honey. Wait a second.” After saying that, the pale white-skinned woman began to open the bag she had been carrying, then took out a roll of parchment from there. Madame Aufodine glanced at the husband and wife and made no further comments.
A woman, who had a height of one hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall, gave the parchment to her spouse. “Here, Honey.”
“Thank you, darling.” Vigor looked back at the front, and was already holding the parchment but had not handed it over to the person he was talking to, who was watching his movements.
“Please read, Madame.” The man wearing the hat handed the parchment to Aufrodine, and the woman with a stern face accepted the object well.
“Thank you, sir.” The woman who dedicated her life to the orphanage opened the seal of the parchment and then carefully read what was written there. Meanwhile, Vigor and Auslag remained silent, observing the principal expression in silence.
There was a knocking sound not long after, so the two guests’ attention was drawn in that direction without further ado. However, things were different for The Principle. He was still staring at the parchment and had not taken his eyes off it. “Who is that?” Aufrodine asked.
“It is me, Madame,” answered her deputy from behind the door.
“Come in.” A woman with thin eyebrows had allowed Loiston to enter, so the woman who was still outside opened the door carefully because she was carrying a container with three cups and their saucers, and a teapot containing hot tea because they were still visible smoke coming out of the tip of the teapot.
Loiston walked carefully, remembering that he was carrying a kettle of hot tea, and the girl did not want anything wrong to happen to him. Vigor and Auslag continued to observe the woman who had just entered Madame Aufrodine’s room, and none of them had said anything to her.
Madame Aufrodine was still reading as if she didn’t believe all the information on the parchment.
Are they Aileen and Adaline’s biological parents? Of all the children in the orphanage, they are only twins, and there are no others. At the Tetrha orphanage, it is also rare to find female twins. If I can judge from the ink on the parchment, it has indeed been used for a long time, but the writing at the bottom seems to confirm information that has been written previously, Madame Aufrodine thought.
The black-haired woman heard the sound of water nearby, so she was forced to turn to the source of the sound. Madame Aufrodine saw her deputy pouring tea into the cups of the two uninvited guests. “Thank you, Madame Loiston.”
“You are welcome, the principal.” Loiston understood the other person’s face, even though she had not asked directly. Meanwhile, the two guests who had arrived suddenly also thanked Loiston because they had been served hot tea. A woman who had freckles on her face even though she didn’t respond very politely to what they said.
Aufrodine returned her attention to the parchment she was still holding with a raging feeling.
It is still weird because they do not have any evidence. Twelve years ago, I remember very well that the baby’s parents did not leave a message when they left the two poor babies at the orphanage’s door. I can’t be careless in making a decision because if in the future Vigor and Auslag are found to be lying, even though they have taken the two twins, then the emperor will cut off my head. Aufrodine’s brain continued to think, even though she had not said anything else to the two guests.
The slender woman was still looking for ways to get more evidence. She was delaying the handover of Aileen and Adaline to Vigor and Auslag Gavtheniath because she was not yet sure that they were the biological parents of the two twins. In the midst of the silence, a brilliant idea emerged so that Madame Aufrodine was happy, but she was still alert.
Aufrodine shifted her focus from the parchment to the husband and wife who were still sitting in front of her. “Please drink some tea, Mr. and Mrs. Gavtheniath.”
“Thank you.” Vigor and Auslag said simultaneously.
The principal forced herself to smile, and she lifted the cup already filled with tea. The two guests followed Madame Aufrodine’s actions because, as guests, it was impossible for them to carry out such actions without seeing the host’s behavior. The three adults drank tea in silence.
I have to be able to convey to them that they are asking for additional time, as well as bringing any other documents that are needed. Every orphanage has procedures that must be carried out, because the responsibility of children, whether they are small or big, still lies on the shoulders of each principal. I do not want to just agree with Vigour and Auslag because everything must be tested for truth. Madame Auufrodine was determined, and the woman, who had a height of one hundred and seventy-two centimeters tall, did not want to back down, even though there was a possibility that the husband and wife would reject her suggestions.
When Aufrodine had finished drinking the tea, the woman who had deliberately not married because she wanted to devote herself to working at the orphanage put the cup on the table. She glanced at Vigor and Auslag, although she was very reluctant to do so. The two guests seemed to be waiting for the host’s words.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gavtheniath. Thank you for coming to the orphanage, and I have read what is written on this parchment.” Madame Aufrodine seemed to stop her words on purpose because she wanted to see the husband and wife’s response. They were still listening to all the narratives of the principal and had not yet commented on this matter.
“In every place, especially in this orphanage, we have rules regarding adoption. I need to remind you that when we found the two twins at the door of our place, there was no letter stating that you would come back to take them. Hence, the requirement that must be fulfilled for the child’s adoption, and all of this requires complementary documents, including making a statement in front of the child official in accordance with the provisions in force in Zlatav.”
“Why do we have to do all these procedures even though we are their biological parents? Isn’t a doctor’s confirmation enough?” The man asked politely in a baritone voice, although he was starting to show signs of disagreeing with Madame Aufrodine’s words.
“Since we first found the twins, we have not met any of you or your people who said they would return to the orphanage to pick them up. Apart from that, we don’t have any written evidence, aka we didn’t have an official letter from you, making it difficult for me to agree to such a thing. Once a month, the emperor asks us for a report regarding every orphanage child, including the adoption process. If all the documents I said are not there, the government automatically rejects the adoption application.” Madame Aufrodine explained patiently, and the voice intonation used was still the same as in the beginning.
Vigor and Auslag looked at each other. Mrs. Gavtheniath’s face is indeed similar to Aileen’s and Adaline’s, so the principal did not doubt this, but she still had to do everything she could to find out that the husband and wife were not lying.
“Then what documents are needed to make it easier for us to bring our twin daughters? Is there a guarantee that they can return to us without any obstacles after completing all the requirements?” A man, who had a height of one hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall, again asked two questions, and there was concern that they would be prevented from getting together with their biological twin daughter in the future.
“After all the documents are complete, there will be a verification process. One of them must be an examination with the Great Doctor, Mr. Gristz. Why do you have to go to him? Because he will examine Mr. and Mrs. Gavtheniath with the two girls. If it is positive, then you may take them home.” The blue-eyed woman answered that the process that a husband and wife would face was natural.
“How long will the whole process take, Madame?”
“About three months, sir. The process is taking quite a long time because the palace is involved in this matter.”
“What steps should we take? My wife and I already want to take them home.”
Madame Aufrodine smiled. “First, you must make a report to-”
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