There was certainly a feeling of catharsis cutting the red ribbon before my large mahogany doors; the ceremonial endeavor boosting my motivation and reminding me why I was doing this in the first place, why I slaved away designing this gigantic wooden building, then constructing it with hired help paid out of the last of my emergency funds, and why I had to do so.
The ceremony itself took several hours, as did the official opening by King Mandas and the queen after an elaborate lunch prepared for them by their chef. The formalities weren't to be completed until after they announced their leave, to me and to the citizens who came to watch them applaud my life's work:
The Hythall Shelter for Impoverished Goblin Children was now officially open!
I took time looking up at the imposing edifice, which dwarfed the surrounding buildings for several hundred yards. It was massive and grandiose, made entirely of wood. Its architecture could only have been described as perhaps quite gothic—I may have gotten ahead of myself when planning this thing.
"It looks like something straight out of a fairy tale," said one of the guests. "Is it supposed to look like that?"
"Yes." My reply seemed curt, but I didn't know what else to say. If I were to attract the target denizens to my shelter, it needed to be something they could identify with. I may not be a goblin myself, but my visits to the Darkesh market clued me into the kind of things they liked. A few months back, I bought some pieces of furniture that reminded me of the chairs in the goblin marketplace. Then, I ordered a lot of high-quality furnishing to populate the many rooms and even hired a workforce to take care of cleaning and catering. The goblin children that would soon live here would have comfortable places to sleep, eat, play, learn, and relax. All these furnishings and amenities would make it feel more like home than anything I could ever provide.
The crowd was both in awe and disgust at what I had achieved, though most of them were too mindful of our ruler's presence to openly criticize me. One man, however, broke from the group and approached me. "Why are you doing this for them? For that kind who steal from us!"
"They're not 'that kind', sir," I replied firmly. "These kids don't deserve what they've received in their lives. You can tell by the way they act. This is a good start to fixing the problems we've created for ourselves."
He scoffed at me. "How noble. What makes you think they'll respect your rules once they see all this luxury? How will you keep them under control?"
My eyes narrowed. "I will find a way."
After a few more minutes the king had personally congratulated me, then announced his leave. I could tell he hated me too for this, probably thinking I sought to subvert the kingdom with an army of impressionable youngsters. Perhaps I should if it would mean that real change could be brought about. But such thoughts were far beyond my capacity right now. I just wanted to get through the formalities.
In truth, I wasn't sure how I would manage to keep the children safe. The city guards weren't going to stand down because I asked nicely, nor would the local authorities step in. My hired staff would assist, but only as far as assurance that I would pay them fair wages. This would be daunting, but I was willing to put in the work. For the children's sake.
The civilians quickly dispersed, they only came to see their beloved ruler again. These people, supposedly my peers, did not truly care for my mission or my accomplishment. No matter, this wasn't for them. With the last spectator gone, the business could begin proper; entering through the front doors I took one last look of the lobby before retreating to my office, waiting for the first small knock to ring out through the halls, the first goblin child to reveal themselves before me to receive my care. Yes, with all the talking I had done in Darkesh, it was only a matter of time before I got my hands dirty.
Only a few minutes passed before my prediction was proved correct. A small trio of knocks, followed by a timid voice from behind the door: "... H-Hello?"
I made my way over the chestnut doors, pulling them open to be greeted with a frail form before me. The goblin child,