Twelve children, two toddlers, five teenagers, one adult, and a newborn baby. These were the people Julian, Emma, Hulio, and Fel found in a small dilapidated house that was too small to house even a family of four. There was even a big hole in the ceiling in the main room, not protecting the people living inside from the elements. While today is summer, it will not provide enough protection in the winter which is the most gruesome season in most of Claes as a lot of commoners especially those living in poverty get sick and die.
When the young boy, Thomas, found out they were willing to help him and his "Mimi", he was very eager to lead the way. The other children however don't think it was a good idea and the reception they received from the others in the house was full of wariness and fear. Fel does not blame them. People in the slums are wary of strangers, especially from people they considered a higher class than them (basically most of the people living outside the slums even more so if they were of the noble class). This is mostly because if you associate with the higher class, you can become a target of the others in the slums. They would think you receive something from them and wanted to steal that from you.
This is why Hulio and Fel asked the young master to wait until they have better disguises. Even though they were against the idea of their young master entering the slums as much as possible, the two men are also concerned about the children. Only Emma did not want to go but she has to follow her master. The problem was despite the disguises, the people from the slums probably knew they were not from around here judging from the way they are glaring, leering, and eyeing them opportunistically.
Luckily, they got the young master to wear a mask. Julian Monet may not see himself as physically beautiful but for the three people, he was very beautiful. Most people wouldn't notice it because the man always has his head down or his presence is not that strong but they understand why the prince is very smitten with him. Also, the other part is that it is a common method for some people in the slums to kidnap and sell beautiful people in the black market or the brothel for a very high price. But the others know if something happened to the young master, the prince will have their heads. Prince Victor is not the kind of person people claimed him to be - a tyrant – but he is still one very scary person when angry (Fel and Hulio know that very well on the battlefield).
The person the street children called "Mimi", whom they refer to as the person who has taken them in and taken care of them, is lying in a very messy and smelly bed that looks like it has not been washed in ages. From the looks of all the blankets in the room, it seems this is where all of them sleep (which makes sense as this seems to be the only room with structural integrity). Fel was even more worried about the newborn. When he asked about where the child came from, one of the wary teenagers told him they found the poor thing at the river. They assumed someone threw the baby away. This almost broke his heart. As a bio who grew up in the streets, he is well aware of what happened to unwanted bios, especially those coming from the slums or poverty.
"We tried to find a healer for Mimi but the healers ask too much. We don't have enough money yet." Thomas said as he stood near their guardian while the other children and teenagers continue to stand away from them. They all look emaciated and wear patched and dirty clothing.
Fel nodded but he already understood why. These healers are required to work under the church (which in this opinion should not be) and they can be hypocritical sometimes. They obsessed so much with the healers that instead of making them help and be accessible to the public, they make it difficult or even expensive for the common man to even access them easily. Even the prince himself due to his status at the time was not even given any help from their healers on the battlefield even though the church is obligated to do so. No one was backing them in the royal family or the noble council, so no one noticed this fact. The weird thing was that man was a royal! What more can common people do?
Even if they do find a healer, recovery will be problematic. The environment the bios are living in will not only make recovery difficult, but it could also make it worse for the person. The slums they went through to get to the house were muddy, smelly, and full of people who gave them a dark look when they entered following the young boy, Thomas – who is the only one brave enough to talk with them. Even if they are not sensors or aura readers, they can still feel the bad intentions of the people looking at them. Most of the people living in the slums have some form of knowledge about their neighbors but tend to keep to themselves even when one of their own is needing help. This is why they are wary of any strangers entering their mists and some even view them as opportunities to kidnap, steal or even kill. Since a lot of bios lived in poverty, they tend to stick together for their protection as bios are vulnerable to wicked people and there aren't a lot of laws that protect them.
Julian was thankful that Hulio and Fel had asked him to wait before they enter the area. He felt very sorry for these children. Even though Julian lived in a manor and is considered "lucky" among the bio population, he still empathized with these children because no matter what social level one was born from, bios will share or even experience similar things. Because he was a bio, he was never given the same opportunity and love as the rest of his siblings by his parents and relatives, and when the man he sees as his protector died, he was forced to be a mere servant, and his opportunities to study that he was so looking forward to was flushed down the privy (A/N: A medieval version of a toilet).
Fel didn't expect the condition to be this bad. He was just planning to go in, treat the illness, and then leave as soon as possible. They even bought some food and clothing to give to the children but if they leave after this, this poor man "Mimi" will probably not last a few days.
"What should we do?" Julian asked when Fel explained the situation to them.
"I believe we will have to find a more secure and healthier environment for him. Letting him stay here would only make his illness worse." Fel answered. Plus, they don't know how long he will recover. Recovery depends on the constitution of the person and judging from their way of living, they have a weak one.
"But where exactly can we place him?" Emma asked as she looked around. There isn't a clean place for him to stay in. "The inn?"
"No. Inn's won't accept him." Fel immediately answered. Even if you pay them, inns and taverns won't accept people from the slums at all even for health reasons mostly due to fear of contaminating other people with their illness (this happened before in their history) and that it would lower their image which in Fel's opinion was just an excuse not to house the people who needed some shelter even if temporary.
"We also have a problem." Hulio looked outside the house's window. It seems that a group is now eyeing the house and judging from their looks, they seem to be either waiting on them or waiting to break into the house when they leave.
"See? You shouldn't have brought them, Tommy!" One of the teen bios hissed at the little boy. "Now we have to move again!"
"Move again?" Julian looked at the teenagers. "Why would you move again?"
"Because when we leave those people outside will probably harass the bios living here, young master," Fel answered as he treats the patient.
"These scums probably thought we gave them something and will try to rob the bios later," Hulio muttered and then realized the terrifying looks the bios are giving him. 'Crap, shouldn't have said that out loud.
"That sounds awful. What should we do?" Emma asked.
"They can't stay here," Julian said looking at the young faces and the sick man.
"We'll be fine." Said one of the teenagers. "We can find another house if we …" The boy didn't finish his sentence. This is because life in the slums is hard. Nobody owns any of the houses but one can claim one if they have enough power. This is why the bios have a house that is near collapse since they are not strong enough to protect themselves. This means the bios will have to sleep in the streets tonight if they can't find another safe location. And sleeping in the streets is even more dangerous.
"We should take them with us," Julian stated.
"What?" The trio turned towards their master in unison.
"To where young master? We don't have a place for them to stay." Emma said.
But Julian gave them a very thoughtful look.
The trio gasps at him. "No no no no," Emma said frantically as she shakes her head.
*****
"So that's what happened?" Victor asked one of the shadow guards who approached him. The smaller manor is closer to the gate compared to the one he is using which is why he was able to hear laughter and giggles from the children so easily. As soldiers, they tend to have a more heightened sense due to their experience and the fact that they use their magic to cultivate their senses to the point that they use them subconsciously.
Victor just found himself chuckling. Julian thought that in order not to inconvenience him that they let the children stay hidden. Unfortunately, there is a problem. Victor sold most of the furniture in the smaller manor and he was planning to sell the manor to bring more income for him. Unfortunately, his neighborhood is not exactly a prime location for nobles since they already have manors of their own but they often buy manors for their children and their spouses. The richer commoners such as the merchants might be willing, especially those who have joined the aristocratic factions. But it's rare to buy a home here. This area is mostly housed by the nobles of the North. They are the poorest among all the other regions of the Claes empire. He did expect to be unable to sell the manor but he felt it was just a waste of assets and space that is not used.
Victor is aware of how bios were treated in the empire or possibly in the entire Astoria. As much as he wants to help, he can't exactly help everybody as he has limited resources at the moment. So far all he has are expenses and the money that came in was mostly coming from the rewards given by the emperor himself but he can't always rely on them. He needs something to generate money. So far, he could not find a viable idea or business. Most of them could not be pushed because there isn't any suitable material to create them. Furthermore, adding these bio children in the mix would mean additional mouths to feed.
However, there was one thing Victor was a little irked by.
Julian entered the slums.
The filthy, smelly, riddled with disease and crime slums.
His weak constitution wife – not yet, fiancé – entered the slums. He wanted to slap Hulio and Fel's heads because of this.
"Wait, your highness!" Rufus cried out when he saw Victor march towards the small manor.
'Is his Highness angry? Is he going to hurt the young master?' Not that Rufus believes that Prince Victor would but you never know. Even though Julian Monet is his master's fiancé and he adored the very ground he walked on (although the prince tries not to let that show in the eyes of other people and Rufus thinks he has to tone it down a bit in his opinion), you can't just make decisions about the prince's household. This includes bringing the smelly and filthy bios from the slums to live in one of the prince's assets.