^^^ ^^^

The empire’s rainy season was long.

^^^The rainy days continued for over ten days, and those who had been waiting for the sun walked and locked the door, giving up.^^^

Rain poured down across the imperial palace, in streams, and slums.

A narrow alley where the eaves and eaves are connected, making it difficult to see light. Rumor has it that postal wagons do not come in and out of this place, and the police in charge of police in the capital are not interested in what is happening there.

A slum where ordinary people are reluctant to even step in.

A wagon stopped at the entrance to the louver area, which was so dark that it was difficult to distinguish between night and day.

It was a carriage that was not suitable for slums that had to live on one gil for a week, whether in form or as a breed of horses.

( essentialvillainess: I’m guessing a gil is a form of currency in this novel’s world )

The attendant in a robe puts down the footrest and opens the door of the carriage. Then, the women’s shoes, made of silk-layered leather, stepped on the red velvet base.

“Let’s take the lead.”

An elegant, lowly voice. The man, standing in the dark, crouched, revealing his yellow teeth.

“This is this way.”

The woman stared at the man with ice-cold eyes and put on a robe. In the alley where garbage, the homeless, and the bodies of dead animals were left unattended, the smell vibrated despite the rain. The fingertips of the woman, who seemed to be like an ice cube, trembled invisibly at the presumptuous scene. I had to do that. Noble nobles didn’t fit in these underdeveloped areas.

“Madam, if you are having trouble, please wait in the carriage. I will handle it.”

“No, I am going directly.”

Anastasia Bale.

The woman was the wife of Marquis of Gilead Bale. Marquis of Veil extended his hands to the shipbuilding and iron mining businesses as he owned several textile and tobacco factories.

Now that the Hundred Years’ War ended, the Marquis of Bale was a respected family that had accumulated enough wealth to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Grand Duke of Hajar. The hostess of such a precious family is looking for such a slum.

As if a tense escort was protecting Anastasia, he revealed the sword on his back and followed him.

“I mean, I had a hard time finding him. Hehe… By the way, why are you looking for that little boy…”

The man who spoke to him without knowing the subject laughed at the expense of the nobles. But the answer was from the escort driver.

“Go straight on the road. I wouldn’t go round and round in the same place even if my life was a waste.”

A sword that was pulled out halfway while making a sound. The man who was ahead of the bloody threat groaned further.

“Rain, spinning around. A little while ago, it was a red-nosed bar, and this is Mrs. Mulburn’s oil shop. Even if the roads look similar, they are all different, so don’t worry.”

(essentialvillainess: red-nosed is referring to, when you’re drunk, you get a red nose from your face flushing. )

The Marquis’ wife gave a scintillating glance to the escort who was on guard. In any case, if the assistant has a different mind, he may lose the difficult opportunity.

The knight who put his sword in him followed him again in a polite manner.

This place was like a fortress. A huge fortress built by those who were abandoned in the world.

Like a terrified man, he glanced at the house with a red ribbon with an expression that the man who was ahead lived.

Rather than being an independent house, it was accurate that it pointed to one of the dozens of doors in a building that was connected like a wall.

“There it is. You don’t know how hard I was trying to find that girl. The woman, the mother, cares for her so terribly… So, give me a generous amount and give me 10 gill—Hehe.”

The only place where there are no eaves, so you have to get rid of the pouring rain. There was a child she was looking for.

The moment the eyes of the premiere, Marquis’s wife, were forged, the escort driver struck a leather pocket with coins.

The sound of a flickering coin resonates in a tunnel-like space.

The man flipped his eyes and ran into his pocket. After checking the amount inside, the man buzzes, bows his head to the ground, and steps back.

Then he started to run away. Maybe it’s because of a pretty big payoff than I thought.

“Stop your mouth properly. You understand?”

The escort driver nodded with a determined expression at the order of the Marquis’ wife.

“I will.”

Anastasia, with her secret gaze, steps into the rain. The moisture seeps into the leather shoes. The tip of her lips trembled at that terrible sensation.

But the child didn’t even know she was approaching, and he was struck by the rain and was addicted to something.

Cheeks and honey-colored hair that stretches to the waist. Did you say 12 years old? However, the child was smaller than his age and looked younger.

The child, dressed in rags, was keen on carving wood. Her small hand with a sharp knife deepens her glabellar lines.

Even though he got close, the child did not notice the existence of Anastasia.

Because of the inclined slope, she stopped on a path of streams.

“Hey.”

Then the girl who dropped the knife in amazement raised her head.

Her bright eyes, like a mixture of turquoise and emerald, caught her eye.

A familiar color that I’ve seen tired of. The anger that had been suppressed rose to the toes.

The Marquis’ wife, patiently pressing her anger, asked, looking at the door and the child that were firmly closed.

“It’s raining, but what are you doing here without entering?”

Then, the child with sweet lips pulls out a bundle of cloth that covered his ears and hides it behind his waist.

“My mom is working tonight… here.”

Work? She laughed.

A woman’s groan and a man’s harsh swear words flowed out of the thickly curtained window.

Beautiful Canilia living in a brothel. A brilliant gem born in a brothel. People in the slums said that they called this child that way.

In the past, a beautiful woman who couldn’t take her eyes off was hiding in the louver area with a full-term body.

The woman, who had nowhere to go, went from house to house, ate bread, and slept among the homeless. Always scared, like someone being chased by someone.

Then one day, the woman gave birth to a child on the street.

On a rainy day like today, the man said he gave birth to an angel with emerald eyes next to the body of a stinking dog.

Those who regretted the situation of a woman who couldn’t even get milk because she couldn’t eat gave you food and something to cover. Fortunately, the woman thought she would be grateful, and she cared terribly for her child.

But raising a child on the road was like giving up his life.

The season of abundance has passed and withered.

When the child got a fever from the severe cold, the woman gave her body to the village doctor for the first time.

Very few men could still refuse a beautiful woman even after having children.

Besides, you’re a widow.

The doctor saved the child in exchange for taking the woman.

12 years like that. “Your name…Lia, is that right?”

The child nodded with an innocent face at the loving voice of the Marquis’s wife.

“Do you know me?”

“Well, everybody knows. Your mother… I came to visit after hearing the news that she was sick.”

“…Are you mom’s friend? Is my mother sick?”

The child, whose eyes were round, turned around as if he was about to run into the house at once.

The moment the crying child was about to knock on the door, the escort’s clunky hand struck the back of his thin neck.

The child’s body, who couldn’t even scream, breaks. Thick raindrops poured loudly over the child’s small body.

The escort gently hugged the drooping Lia and fr owned.

“Twelve years old…she’s too light.”

The Marquis’ wife nodded, looking down at Leah held by him.

“Go. I hate being noisy… . Ask them to organize.

“The mother of the child…”

As she took steps, she stopped and turned her head. He glared coolly at the place where a screaming groan still leaks out, raising his mouth and sighing briefly.

If it catches fire on a rainy day, what will happen?“

Terrible words were spoken in an elegant tone. Creepy goosebumps into the man’s skin.

“It’s a joke. I just hope it won’t be safe, so you know. Let’s go.”

The shadows of the two were once again swallowed up into the darkness, and the windows opened throughout the serene.

The people who were hiding in the strange air current looked around, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and locked the window again.

The rain is getting stronger if the heavy rain is about to begin.

The imperial night was getting deeper.

***

Honey, honey?

There was a good scent. Besides, it has a fluffy texture that I have never felt before. Is this heaven? I didn’t want to wake up if it was a dream, but Liara raised her eyelids with a shaking hand.

“Ouch!”

The child, who was terribly surprised, screamed and woke up. Horror with her blushing eyes. This was an unknown place.

My favorite place to live for 10 years was Aunt Lauren’s attic, a cloth seller. There was a cute puppy, Polly, and various colored fabrics were hung there. When she sees the fabrics fluttering in the wind, it feels like she’s at the castle where the princess lives, so Lia likes it.

However, this place was completely different from Aunt Lauren’s house. A gorgeous room you’ve never even imagined.

Leah is a bed that looks ten times my body and a floor-to-ceiling window. And he couldn’t hide his surprised expression when he saw the books stacked on the luxury carpet and the large fireplace.

“… Is it heaven in here?”

Lia’s innocent murmur, the woman holding the tray, laughs and puts it down.

“Are you hungry? Let’s fill the stomach first and wash it. The smell… Well, it sounds like it’s hard.”

Lia swallowed her mouth while watching the soup in front of me. But I couldn’t eat it. I was worried about my mom even though I didn’t know why I opened my eyes in a place like this.

Did I even fall asleep on the street?

Talking to a very, very pretty woman…?

“Why not eat? Are not you hungry?”

The woman asked anxiously, looking at Leah, who only blinked. The child shook his head and curled his knees together.

“Mister, where are you? How about my mother? Where is the pretty woman you saw before?”

“Madam will come after you eat this soup and ha ye a clean bath.”

“Why— Yo?”

“That’s it.- .”

It was when the woman hesitated when she couldn’t find anything to say back.

A loud noise was heard outside the huge door, and the door popped open. There, there was a boy with honey-colored hair sparkling like an angel and emerald eyes, smiling brightly as she looked at her.

It was the first time that such a beautiful person has been.

Lia hid her sloppy hands as she saw the boy approaching me.

“Hi, Canelia.”

[Please be patient, Grand Duke]

...               ...

“Who are you…?” asked Lia.

Lia was frightened to be in an unknown environment, but she was also immensely curious. The boys sparkling emerald eyes met hers in return.

“I am Kieran Vale. Lia, you’re twelve, right?”

“Yes…,” said Lia, cautiously.“I’m fifteen. Nice to meet you,” said Kieran.

Kieran looked at Lia as he sat on the edge of her bed. Betty, the woman tasked with taking care of Lia in this unfamiliar place, admired the two. They were curiously alike, both had honey-blonde hair and emerald eyes. They even looked similar.

Lia was still scared of these people she didn’t know. When the boy tried touching her cheeks, she flinched away from his outstretched fingers. She ran to the sofa and hid behind it. She peeked from behind it.

“Please…,” she said in a small voice, “Please let me go back to my mother. I don’t know if she knows where I have gone. She will be worried.”

“Your mother?” said Kieran, “Betty, what about Lia’s mother?”

Betty approached the sofa slowly and squatted down to meet Lia’s eyes. “Madam will answer that question,” said Betty, “I have only received orders to feed and bathe her.”

Lia felt a little bit better at Betty’s kind smile. The place was a wonder, filled with prettiest things. Betty never had had a full bath. They would only scrub themselves with wet rags to clean themselves at her place. They couldn’t afford so much water and much less a tub. She looked at herself, all dirty and muddy and looked at Kieran, radiantly shining in a crisp white shirt. The girl then carefully grabbed Betty’s skirt.

“Can I wash first?” she asked.

“Of course,” said Betty warmly, “Let’s get you all cleaned up. Then you can eat.”

Lia was just about to stand and walk out of her hideout when Kieran coughed and doubled over, as though he was going to vomit blood any second. He was pale-faced and rolled over on the bed.

“Young master!” exclaimed Betty.

Servants came running at Betty’s call and lifted the boy up while putting a clean cloth over his mouth. They carried him out while calling for someone else. They seemed practiced in this type of handling, as everyone knew what to do right then. Lia knew that cough, the knight who had given her a candy had the same cough.

The knight had been her mother’s customer, but he had died after coughing all night. Mother had cried over his bloodied clothes for a while. Lia felt frightened at the memory. She pulled at Betty’s skirt.

“Is he dying?” asked Lia, tearfully.

“No, he is not,” said Betty while stroking the girl’s hair soothingly.

“Really? Are you sure?” asked Lia.

“Yes, he will be alright,” said Betty, “Now it’s time for a wash.”

Betty did not say anything more and Lia followed her to the next room. There was a bathtub filled with warm water, along with soap only used by aristocrats. Lia looked confused at the sight as she had never seen one before, and Betty patted the girl’s hair as she spoke.

“You will wash here every day. You will get used to it.”

Lia was silent as she took off her tattered rags and carefully folded them. Her thin frame shuddered as she entered the tub in the warm water. Betty smiled at her in sympathy and began to wash the child. Lia seemed almost radiant as Betty scrubbed at her filth and muck.

“Now, let’s eat since you’re clean,” said Betty, wiping sweat from her brow.

*

It was the first time in a long time that Lia had such nice soup, soft bread, and roasted chicken and vegetables. Where she was from, such a feast was not seen or heard about. Nonetheless, she wanted to go back to her mother. She wondered how she would ask ‘Madam’ to send her back politely as she walked with her hand in Betty’s. Before long, they came upon a door and Betty knocked softly.

“Madam, I have brought the girl,” she said.

“Come in,” said an elegant voice in answer. It was the same voice Lia remembered who had called out to her at the stream when she was waiting for her mother. Lia followed Betty into the room and folded her hands in front of her and stood at attention, just like Betty had taught her.

“Greetings, Madam,” said Lia, like Betty had taught her.

The Marchioness was sitting on a plush sofa. She was draped in a blue gown over her nightdress. Her hair flowed brown and dark over her back. Her sharp blue eyes looked at Lia. The noblewoman nodded at the child’s greeting. Lia hesitated at the cold face of the Marchioness.

“You look better after washing, Canillia,” said the lady.

“Thank you for the meal and bath, My Lady,” said Lia, “Please can I see my mother now?”

“Hmm,” mumbled the Marchioness and gestured for the child to come nearer.

Betty gave a gentle push to encourage Lia to walk nearer to the sofa. Lia obliged and walked hesitantly to the Marchioness. She had Lia sit beside her on the sofa. Lia found her beautiful but scary and shrunk herself smaller.

“Canillia, I’m sorry to say you cannot meet your mother,” the lady declared.

“But why?” asked Lia hurriedly.

“Your mother stole something precious,” said the Marchioness.

Lia’s eyes widened at the answer. “My mother isn’t a thief,” cried Lia. Her eyes brimmed with tears which streaked down her cheeks.

The Marchioness looked at her damp hair with disapproval. “Canillia, your mother stole something very valuable from me, and I cannot have it back now. So, she should be punished at the least.”

“I will find it!” pleaded Lia, “We are poor but my mother is no thief, please believe me.”

“You will find it?” said the Marchioness, stroking Betty’s cheek.

A maid took out a pair of sharp scissors from a drawer and placed them on the table in front of the sofa. “Then, give yourself to me,” said the Marchioness coldly.

Lia hiccupped with tears and fright. “Canillian Vale,” said the Marchioness. “If you live as Canillian Vale from today, you and your mother will be safe, I promise.”

Lia wanted to say she wasn’t a ‘Vale’ but her lips couldn’t move. She was terrified of this lady. “But…,” she managed, “I am just Canillia…”

The Marchioness gave a cold smile and shook her head. “No, you are Canillian Vale from today.”

Lia couldn’t understand why she had to be ‘Canillian Vale’. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the scissor blades clipping through her hair.

“Short hair will suit you greatly,” said the Marchioness as she cut away her hair.

Lia sat there stunned and terrified as the scissors finished snipping off so much of her hair. Betty sighed in sadness.

“Betty,” called the Marchioness.“Yes, Madame,” said Betty.

“Ask someone else to clean up and send Lian to a room,” the Marchioness instructed, as she lowered the scissors. Lia brushed her hands through her short, almost boyish hair. “My beautiful Canillian, how lovely you are,” she said.

Lia missed her mother. She had brushed Lia’s long hair every night. She started to cry. Betty picked up the child in her arms trying to calm her. Lia buried her face on Betty’s shoulder. She didn’t like it that she had lost her hair and was not being called with a strange name. She was frightened. Betty placed Lia down on the bed as they reached the room and sat across from her. Tears streamed down the child’s face.

“Lia, your mother is being treated. She isn’t punished,” said Betty gently, “Madam is just a bit angry, but she isn’t a bad person. So, listen to her to save Laura.”

Lia raised her lowered head when she heard her mother’s name. “You know her?” she asked.

“Of course,” said Betty, “This is your father’s house.”

“My father?” asked Lia.

Betty nodded. She pointed to a portrait on the wall. A man with honey blonde hair and emerald eyes. “You have hair and eyes just like your father, Lia.”

Her eyes glistened in the lamplight. The man was too familiar for her to not know who he was. Her mother hadn’t stolen an object, she had stolen a person. Lia looked at her reflection in the dark window. With her hair so very short and her thin body, she looked like a boy.

“Canillian Vale.”

Lia mumbled the strange new name as she buried her head between her knees and cried.

"Gretings, Madam,” said Lia, like Betty had taught her.

The Marchioness was sitting on a plush sofa. She was draped in a blue gown over her nightdress. Her hair flowed brown and dark over her back. Her sharp blue eyes looked at Lia. The noblewoman nodded at the child’s greeting. Lia hesitated at the cold face of the Marchioness.

“You look better after washing, Canillia,” said the lady.

“Thank you for the meal and bath, My Lady,” said Lia, “Please can I see my mother now?”

“Hmm,” mumbled the Marchioness and gestured for the child to come nearer.

Betty gave a gentle push to encourage Lia to walk nearer to the sofa. Lia obliged and walked hesitantly to the Marchioness. She had Lia sit beside her on the sofa. Lia found her beautiful but scary and shrunk herself smaller.

“Canillia, I’m sorry to say you cannot meet your mother,” the lady declared.

“But why?” asked Lia hurriedly.

“Your mother stole something precious,” said the Marchioness.

Lia’s eyes widened at the answer. “My mother isn’t a thief,” cried Lia. Her eyes brimmed with tears which streaked down her cheeks.

The Marchioness looked at her damp hair with disapproval. “Canillia, your mother stole something very valuable from me, and I cannot have it back now. So, she should be punished at the least.”

“I will find it!” pleaded Lia, “We are poor but my mother is no thief, please believe me.”

“You will find it?” said the Marchioness, stroking Betty’s cheek.

A maid took out a pair of sharp scissors from a drawer and placed them on the table in front of the sofa. “Then, give yourself to me,” said the Marchioness coldly.

Lia hiccupped with tears and fright. “Canillian Vale,” said the Marchioness. “If you live as Canillian Vale from today, you and your mother will be safe, I promise.”

Lia wanted to say she wasn’t a ‘Vale’ but her lips couldn’t move. She was terrified of this lady. “But…,” she managed, “I am just Canillia…”

The Marchioness gave a cold smile and shook her head. “No, you are Canillian Vale from today.”

Lia couldn’t understand why she had to be ‘Canillian Vale’. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the scissor blades clipping through her hair.

“Short hair will suit you greatly,” said the Marchioness as she cut away her hair.

Lia sat there stunned and terrified as the scissors finished snipping off so much of her hair. Betty sighed in sadness.

“Betty,” called the Marchioness.“Yes, Madame,” said Betty.

“Ask someone else to clean up and send Lian to a room,” the Marchioness instructed, as she lowered the scissors. Lia brushed her hands through her short, almost boyish hair. “My beautiful Canillian, how lovely you are,” she said.

Lia missed her mother. She had brushed Lia’s long hair every night. She started to cry. Betty picked up the child in her arms trying to calm her. Lia buried her face on Betty’s shoulder. She didn’t like it that she had lost her hair and was not being called with a strange name. She was frightened. Betty placed Lia down on the bed as they reached the room and sat across from her. Tears streamed down the child’s face.

“Lia, your mother is being treated. She isn’t punished,” said Betty gently, “Madam is just a bit angry, but she isn’t a bad person. So, listen to her to save Laura.”

Lia raised her lowered head when she heard her mother’s name. “You know her?” she asked.

“Of course,” said Betty, “This is your father’s house.”

“My father?” asked Lia.

Betty nodded. She pointed to a portrait on the wall. A man with honey blonde hair and emerald eyes. “You have hair and eyes just like your father, Lia.”

Her eyes glistened in the lamplight. The man was too familiar for her to not know who he was. Her mother hadn’t stolen an object, she had stolen a person. Lia looked at her reflection in the dark window. With her hair so very short and her thin body, she looked like a boy.

“Canillian Vale.”

Lia mumbled the strange new name as she buried her head between her knees and cried.

...  ...