CHAPTER 18

Lotty was about to pay back what she owed Freya from her childhood days. Those who couldn’t endure the harsh beatings and starvation at the orphanage had tried many times to escape to the alley. But no one had succeeded, and it was common for young girls to be brought back semi-conscious or completely knocked out cold. She didn’t want to see her friend in that condition.

Abandoned in front of the orphanage, Lotty had learned to crawl, walk, and speak there. She had grown up with so many people, but none of them had shown affection toward her. Therefore she had often cried to get attention which had been the reason why so many people had disliked being around her.

Nobody had wanted her, and regardless of how young she was, she couldn’t help but feel the chill of rejection that seemed to have penetrated her heart. The only person who had treated Lotty humanely in that unforgiving orphanage was Freya.

She recalled Freya’s words which were always blunt, “Hey, hurry up and get on my back. If you don’t, I’ll leave you here.” But she always knew that Freya would eventually come back for her. When she’d said her legs hurt, Freya gave her a piggyback ride, and when she’d cried because she was hungry, Freya found a festering apple rolling around the market for her to eat. Lotty was also thankful for the times that her friend gave her the large portion when she’d found something to eat. Even though Freya didn’t show much affection, it was still enough for Lotty to feel it. Freya, who was three years older than Lotty, had no family and was just like a sister.

“There’s no time for this. Go, now,” Lotty insisted after grabbing a cloak from somewhere and putting it on Freya’s head. She then took her hand and dragged her towards the door.

“Hey, Lotty. Stop!”

“Hush,” Lotty whispered.

With no time to think things through, Freya and Lotty crept down the thickly carpeted stairs. Lotty looked around carefully before gesturing to Freya to continue. After opening the backdoor, she checked in all directions again before shoving Freya back as hard as she could.

Lotty and Freya then faced each other with the door frame between them. When twelve-year-old Lotty waved her hand, an image of her as a child popped into Freya’s mind. She flung her hands out, signaling Freya to go, but first said quietly, “Freya, let’s eat some cake some time.”

Lotty’s words filled her with tears, and she couldn’t bring herself to reply. There was no promise of seeing each other again, and it was hard to imagine that the two would ever be so well-off that they could afford delicious cake.

“I’ll come back for you soon, Lotty.” Freya winked at her and smiled, trying to overcome the guilt of not bringing her friend with her. She didn’t know where to go or what to do, but she had to gather her strength. She never wanted to be someone who did a cowardly thing like leaving Lotty alone under these circumstances.

Thank you for helping me like this, Lotty. Her parting words, which she couldn’t say aloud, were engraved deeply in her heart. Freya held onto the bundle in her hand tightly and reluctantly turned her back. It was blurry in front of her because her eyes were burning from crying and were still wet with tears. Suddenly, there was a loud noise nearby, and Lotty shouted, “Run Freya, run!” Freya didn’t hesitate a moment longer and bolted away into the darkness of the nearest alley.

After running frantically, leaving her friend behind, Freya stood in the dark, smelly alley, out of breath and in tears. “I have to go back for Lotty.” But then she recalled the determined look in Lotty’s eyes, and she knew it would be a waste of time to return for her. Lotty was in an awful situation, and she wanted to save her because she’d gone out of her way to help her escape. But her friend didn’t want to be rescued, and she couldn’t understand why.

Desperately searching for a way out of the scummy area, Freya tried to find the path that the carriage rode on when they’d first arrived in the city, but the streets looked completely different from how they looked in the daytime.

“Where on earth is this place?” She scanned all the unfamiliar streets and felt sick to her stomach with fear because she was lost. And, she was the only female in this alley by the looks of things. Clutching the blue cloak tightly, Freya walked ahead while trying to stay calm.

“Venus, my love,” a drunken man slurred as he wobbled toward her from the opposite side of the alley. Freya quickly hid behind a foul-smelling dumpster, hoping that the darkness would conceal her, and bit her lip in suspense. The man was so drunk that he seemed to have forgotten that he’d called out to her, and she watched as he stumbled over his own feet. She couldn’t walk around all night like this and decided that she needed to find a room somewhere. However, she was clueless about where to go because it was her first time in this area.

Freya wandered through the dark, misty streets, unsure of how far she’d walked nor where she was heading. Finally, she saw a building with a dim light shining onto the pavement that looked somewhat safe. And, with her clumsy skills, she read the vertical letters, “D, i, a, n, a.” The name seemed to glow over her saddened face.

Lucas had told Freya about her and had said that the Morciani Empire was protected by the goddess Diana. He’d also said, “I’ll be fine if I go there.”

Remembering this, Freya gently knocked on the door, but there wasn’t an answer, so she sneaked inside. What if someone chases me out?

With her eyes wide open from tension, she stepped inside and immediately noticed the dark interior of the unfamiliar surroundings. The moonlight was shining through stained glass windows, and several paintings of the goddess were hanging on the walls. In one corner of the entrance hall, a candle flickering in the breeze, caused by the open door, but she didn’t see any signs of people and sighed in relief, “Thank goodness. I think I’m alone.”

Freya found a comfortable spot in another corner and sat down. Her tears, which she rarely shed, kept pouring out, making her sniffle. As her eyes kept closing, due to the fatigue, her hand habitually felt for the necklace around her neck, and she continually recited a name, “Ruth. Ruth.” It was a night when the benevolent goddess, painted on the ceiling, seemed to cozy up Freya’s tired body, and she felt surprisingly safe.

Early in the morning, she crept out of the building and quickly blended into the crowd on the sidewalks. As she continued to walk on the opposite side of the street, she feared that Shiloh could be after her, so she sneaked behind a passing cart and hung it on the back of the carriage.

After a while, Freya felt her tension ease and only then realized how hungry she was. So she jumped off the carriage and found a nearby alley where she sat down in a corner and finally unfolded the bundle Lotty had packed for her. In it were a few shiny coins, a small piece of bread, scissors, and one bruised green apple. Feeling overwhelmed when she thought about Lotty buying all of these things, she rubbed her cold nose with her hand and tried to cheer up.

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