The carriage drives us through the town from the outside, spiraling inwards.

We pass by the church's orphanage.

In this Kingdom and in Earth’s medieval times, orphanages were run by the church. Though all of the churches that are in the area have to do the job jointly.

Going and looking back on the situation, I’ve actually been ridiculously lucky on many accounts, becoming an orphan when I did.

Becoming an orphan becomes more and more tragic the more riches you were born into, depending on how you look at it.

For those of lower social classes they’ll simply end up in the orphanage. They’ll be taken care of as much as the church reasonably can take care of them. The church also tries to nurture any talents that are orphans, even if it doesn’t relate to religion.

For the middle classes whom are the rich but not noble, they’ll be sent to live in the relatives home, where they won’t actually receive any inheritance, and their treatment is in the hands of their relatives. They’ll also become married off without their consent.

Often that isn’t very good, and they’ll end up becoming servants.

For nobles I believe it to be more tragic.

See… it’s also the main reason I refuse to become a ward with all my might, other than the loss of my control.

I’m technically not supposed to inherit the house yet.

And becoming a ward gives a high likelihood that I will never inherit the house.

See, an orphan noble becomes a person under the ruler’s control. The ruler will most of the time not take care of them.

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This leads them to selling the orphans to nobles, who will happily receive the ward.

See, when the orphan is in their household, they have the right to use any future property the orphan has. They are also allowed to choose who the orphan marries to.

This leads to one of two things happening with exceptions being that the noble actually begins to care genuinely for the ward’s happiness, in which case they are treated like the noble’s own child.

One, the ward and their property will be sold off to another house via marriage.

Or two, the guardian will marry the ward into their own house to keep the property.

…I did a lot of research on the topic a few days ago, after I started training with Saith and Rosalie.

And now for why I was extremely lucky.

See, at the moment, there is no ruler to start the process.

The factions that sent candidates can’t actually make me their ward unless I choose one of them, which would give them just enough authority to make me a ward.

It turns out I was somewhat wrong in my thinking when they originally came.

Their goal isn’t just funding for the faction. It’s the entire House Akashi. The riches that come with it, and the territory.

If, however, I win enough favor of the future crown, I can become a ward only in name. It’s completely impossible for me to tell who that will be at this point. Luckily I bargained for my freedom until I’m five. By them it will probably be at least a little more clear.

If I gain enough of my caretaker’s affection, then it could also solve the problem and they’ll just raise me, take the profits of the time I’m under control, and then let me go free.

I look at Rosalie and Saith. It’s a complicated thing, and I can’t really wrap my head around it either.

The education of this world, even for nobles, isn’t near the education of Earth’s 1st world countries. It’s not at the level of medieval Earth’s nobles either.

I don’t really blame them for what they're doing.

I don’t think they have much control over the situation either.

I’ll still try to get close though eventually, if I choose them, they could nearly solve the newly revealed problem for me.

I think I’ve already lost on the front of not getting dragged into the faction war, since there’s a much, much more dangerous thing revealed.

I sigh.

I just gotta make it to 15, the kingdom’s age where people can start controlling their own lives.

The carriage continues onwards as I think about how to avoid my problem.