"I-It's freezing…!" Kalda ran down the street while shivering.
She had no idea that the weather would change that quickly after she came back from the shopping district later that day. Luckily she was able to find a fairly big raincoat that was being sold by one of the markets.
She didn't want to ruin her new dress so she wore the coat over it.
It was amazing what one gold coin can get you. She went to a bathhouse, styled her hair, ate lunch(and bought dinner), went to a play and bought lots of new clothes and underwear.
She still had some money she pickpocketed but that wasn't as much as the three silver she had over from the gold coin. She was too focused on enjoying herself today that she never considered actively stealing from others.
Did the rich live like this everyday? They definitely lived much better lives since they have more gold. A gold coin is enough for her to survive for a week, maybe two if she spends it wisely. She bought only two second-hand dresses which was the most expensive items that she bought—which was a silver each.
A girl can't survive on rags for underwear so she bought about ten pieces of cheap bottom innerwear and sanitary rags for her monthly cycles. She didn't feel dirty for once in her life.
She's never known what it was like to live in luxury. Luckily, her mother(who passed a few years prior) was a former teacher at an academy who was able to educate Kalda. Kalda was educated enough to get enrolled into a grade school but there were no fees for something like that.
Money was the only thing keeping her from securing herself a happy future. Stealing pocket change and occasional large sums of money from ignorant nobles wasn't enough.
She came to a stop in the middle of the road and thought back to what that pig said to her.
She'll live a life of luxury if she becomes his wife. She doesn't know what he'll do to her behind closed doors.
Was giving her dignity away for money worth it?
Her father was a failed noble who lost his fortunes and dragged her mother down with him. Her mother was the first to go.
He said to her while ripping off her clothing:
-"I'll take your virginity before letting someone else take your first time!"
She was already aware that her own father was planning on renting her out for sex. He knew some people in the aristocracy who were into children her age at the time. They'd have paid a lot of money for that.
Kalda looked up at the dark gray clouds.
My life would've amounted to being a sex doll even if I didn't kill you, she thought.
The pig from before will make her his plaything.
The pig's clients will turn her into a plaything.
Even her own father wanted to turn her into one.
Was this the life someone as young as her is meant to live?
"…." Kalda looked at her right hand. She surrounded her hand in something; it was a pale blue light.
The rain seemed to vaporize the second it touched that energy.
She bent down and held out her finger. It penetrated the concrete with zero resistance.
She began writing her name.
"…."
She stood up smiling as she looked at her name.
· Kaldarina
A cold wind blew which made her shiver.
She began running once again.
…
…
Kalda came to a stop after walking for a while.
"…Huh…?"
A blazing inferno dyed the dark slums in an orange hue, moving as if dancing with the wind. The light of the flames glowed in her eyes. The heat on her skin felt pleasant in this stormy weather.
The cause of the flames itself, however, was anything but pleasant.
"My… My house… it's gone?"
Only a door remained. It was the only thing standing. Everything else was burned down.
Kalda reinforced the door and the locks in the past so that no one can go inside her house and take everything she's saved up over the years. Every single penny and item she'd stolen was inside that house.
Was this god's vengeance for her sins?
"--You must be thinking that god did this in retaliation for something you did, aren't you?" an old woman's voice came from a nearby house.
Kalda glanced back. The old woman was standing under a small roof in front of her house.
"….." Kalda looked back at her burning house in silence.
"God didn't do this. It wasn't a lightning strike or accursed magic that rained from the sky. Man did this."
"…I know exactly who did it…"
It wasn't mere coincidence that it was the pig. This was a game of carrot and stick. He'll do everything in his power to ruin her life until she finally agrees to marry him.
"The books mama bought me to study from… The poems I wrote with mama… All gone…" she dropped her bag and fell on her knees.
The pit of her stomach felt like it was trying to digest her very existence. She touched her face.
'I'm not crying?'
Shouldn't this make her sad and make her feel hopeless? She lost everything. The only thing undamaged from the fire was the door she reinforced with her power.
The memories she made with her mother before she died also burned in that house. They knitted together, wrote poems together, checked her height every few months…
Why wasn't she sad?
"?" Kalda noticed that her hands were clenched tight as if she was trying to hold onto something and never let go. No, maybe she was trying to hold something in?
Kalda inhaled and exhaled deeply.
She stood up.
"Would you like to come inside, dear? You can stay with me while looking for a new home."
Kalda smiled bitterly, "I wouldn't want to impose… I'll find a shelter in the shopping district. I heard that they accept homeless people all year round. It's going to be a half an hour walk back in this weather but… what's a little more rain?"
She picked up the bag. She didn't even want to see what will remain once the flames disappear.
"That's a shame. I don't want a young girl to walk these dangerous roads."
Kalda's smiled vanished.
The streets weren't what she feared. She feared what she might do if driven into a corner by unsuspecting victims. Her mother always called her a good girl so she never intends on hurting anyone again. The only person she "hurt" with her power was her scumbag father who tried to take advantage of her.
"Don't you have asthma, ma'am? You shouldn't stay outside for too long. The wind is awfully chilly tonight." Kalda expressed her concern.
"Oh, no need to worry about me, dear. I'm more worried about you. Are you sure you'll be fine walking these streets alone? If you won't take up my offer, why don't you ask Sir King to take you in?"
Kalda instantly frowned.
The pig told everyone to address him as "Sir King".
"King of the Slums" was the title everyone gave the pig. He runs everything in this part of the city. Of course, he isn't all bad as a leader since he secures running water and street lights for the people. The group that wanted him gone was now divided into those that would do everything he tells them to and those that want to get rid of him.
He has control over everyone's lives.
"I'll be fine… I'll probably never come back."
"Oh my, that's a shame. I hope you take care of yourself. You've managed to do so for the past two years."
"Mm…"
"Goodnight then." The woman turned around to head inside.
Kalda heaved a tired sigh before she began walking away as well.
Clank.
Something suddenly fell before the woman went inside.
"Ah, ma'am!" The door almost closed but the old woman peeked back outside when she heard Kalda.
"Yes?"
Kalda picked up the object.
'Flint and steel?'
It's an item people use in this kingdom to ignite things. Some madman claimed that a "matchstick" which he invented was a far cheaper and sustainable method of fire making. He also claims that the major disadvantage of flint and steel is that it doesn't produce a flame directly. That was true for the most part since you need a piece of cloth or paper to start a fire.
Who would trust a small piece of wood to produce a large fire over the usual "Flint and Steel" method that they've been using for hundreds of years? Ridiculous.
Kalda coughed when she inhaled the ash that flew into her face.
'It was recently used…'
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the item. The particles of ash was slowly being blown away by the wind. She followed the trail of the ash particles and looked right at her burning house.
"…" Kalda then looked at the woman.
The old woman's face suddenly paled before she snatched the item.
"….The cheapest flints cost two silver in our kingdom. How were you able to afford one…?"
She didn't find it strange at first. But looking at it a little longer, wasn't the mineral far too durable for being a cheap product? Different minerals are used depending on the price of the item, this will determine its quality and how long it will last.
The flint and steel still looked brand new despite having been used several times. If the mineral was of the cheaper kind then it would've shaved off much quicker.
"….Where did you get it?" Kalda approached the door.
The woman hurriedly spoke, "I-I j-just found it on the ground today! I only used it to put on our gas stove! Y-You can have it."
Kalda flung open the door with monstrous strength, causing it to break off its hinges.
Her eyes glowed a dark purple.
"You're lying to me."
The woman looked like she was struggling to breathe.
Kalda narrowed her eyes.
The woman's blood was pumping faster and her muscles were tensing up. She was also producing more stress hormones than earlier. Her blood pressure was beginning to skyrocket.
That's how you spot a liar. Kalda can see it all through her eyes.
The human body is a vessel for trillions of energy sources(blood cells) which allows Kalda to observe the human body on a molecular level, even seeing through skin and muscles to observe the very core of a human body.
It's been a while since she used this power to read human emotion. The last time she used it was before she killed her father.
"I-I… Huuuk, huuuk!" the woman clutched her chest as she began breathing quicker.
Was the truth so frightening that she was unable to speak of it? If so, who was the person she was so afraid of?
"…Was it that pig…?"
"….." the woman's eyes swam around.
"Look at me!" Kalda's body radiated so much power that it halted the downpour of rain in its tracks.
"Eek!" the woman fell back and held out her arms, "P-Please don't hurt me! I-I only d-did what I was told! H-H-He said that he'll b-buy me a home in t-the noble district and g-give my daughter a job and a good husband!"
"By 'he', you mean that pig… right?"
"….."
"Answer me!!"
"!!!" the woman started hyperventilating. She tried to grab the table standing next to her to stand but it fell over.
The woman clutched her chest tighter.
She reached out to Kalda.
"….." Kalda knelt.
She grabbed the woman by her throat.
"It seems you're having a hard time breathing, ma'am. Why is that? Are you scared of disobeying him…. Or are you scared of me?"
Pure terror filled the woman's eyes.
"Let me help you." An eerie smirk appeared on Kalda's face.
The woman's face paled.
Saying so, she ripped the woman's spine out.
….
….
…
The downpour of rain didn't stop. The streets were quiet, except for the occasional barking of dogs and meowing of cats.
Unlike the mostly dark slums, the rich district's lampposts were burning all throughout the night.
Kalda was sitting beneath one of these lampposts.
She was silently looking at her hands.
They were still shaking.
The feeling of another human's blood spraying onto her was still fresh in her mind.
She got rid of the outfit she wore before, along with the rain jacket. She was wearing one of the fancy dresses she bought earlier today.
Kalda didn't even bother looking for a place to find shelter. All she did was stare blankly into empty space. Her body was drenched and trembling from the cold rain.
She put her hand on her face and whimpered.
She lost the last memories she had of her mother.
She killed someone over this.
It was all because of that pig.
Kalda's wailing became louder.
She wiped her face but tears kept streaming down non-stop. The rain made it even worse. Her nose became a stuffy mess, giving her a very unladylike look.
Kalda repeatedly hit herself with her fists as if to force out the unpleasant thoughts.
Kalda could still see the woman struggling for air whenever she closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—" Kalda clutched her ears.
The sound of the downpour vanished, now replaced by the voices in her head. The voices belonged to her mother.
-"I thought you were a good girl."
-"Good people don't hurt others."
-"Good people forgive those who hurt them. They form a friendship once the person realizes their wrongdoings."
-"I didn't raise you this way, Kalda."
-"I know I am naïve but that's what being human is like. We can learn to overcome our naivety. But sometimes it's better not to."
Kalda clutched her head.
'I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl! I'm not a monster! I'm—!'
"—Excuse me?" a worried voice came from above Kalda. The rain also suddenly stopped falling on her. It sounded as if the rain was hitting something.
She opened her eyes.
'Heels?' she noticed that the person was wearing fancy red heels that glimmered in the night.
Kalda's eyes travelled up the person's long dress, her corset, her bosom—and finally, her face.
Kalda went silent.
It was the princess she saw just earlier today.
She suddenly heard horses neighing behind the princess.
'She climbed out of her carriage just to come here…?'
"….Why are you in the rain? Oh my goodness, you're shivering! Please wait here! Oh right, take this." the girl was about to run back to her carriage but hurriedly handed her umbrella to Kalda.
"….." Kalda watched in shock as the girl ran with only her scarf to cover her beautiful white hair from the rain.
She entered the carriage. Kalda could see her shadow through the curtains as she rummaged through some of her stuff.
Kalda could hear the girl speaking to a boy, asking him where her spare clothes were. The boy simply said to check under the seats.
The princess exited the carriage after she found what she was looking for.
She came back with an extra umbrella and a big coat.
"You don't—" Kalda was about to say that it wasn't necessary for the princess to go this far for her, a stranger but the princess draped the coat over Kalda before she could finish her sentence.
"I don't have a spare dress right now so you'll have to wear this, okay? I can treat you back home if you get a cold."
Kalda's mind blanked when she inhaled the scent of the coat that smelled like the mixture of sweat and perfume. It was intoxicating.
Did the princess wear this recently?
"Where is your family?" the princess helped Kalda stand up.
"I… I'm alone," Kalda averted her eyes, "There's no one I can call family anymore…"
"…." The princess grabbed Kalda's hand and walked back to the carriage with Kalda in tow.
"W-Wait, what are you doing?" Kalda didn't understand what was going on.
"We can't stand in the rain for too long. There's a cold front so I also can't leave you here. Let's get back to the carriage so that we can talk."
"…."
Kalda silently looked at the hand that was holding onto hers. The princess' hand felt weak, soft and warm unlike hers which was hard and cold.
The two entered the carriage. Kalda was immediately hit with a warmth that she hadn't felt in what seems like forever. Is this the kind of warmth that you only find in carriages that belong to royalty and nobility?
The last time she was in one was when she was a small child.
The carriage doors closed automatically before the carriage began moving again.
"Hi." Kalda heard someone greet her when she closed the umbrella. It was a boy's voice, the same voice she heard earlier.
"?"
'A girl?' a cute blond-haired girl—wearing a butler uniform—was waving her hand at Kalda.
Kalda noticed that the girl didn't have a lower body.
"Miss?" the girl tilted her head.
"I-I'm sorry! Hello!" Kalda hurriedly bowed her head.
"No need to be so formal with Sceptim. He's my friend."
"I'm your servant, Your Highness…"
"Well, that's what everyone else thinks. I think of you as my friend so that's all that matters!"
"…If you say so."
'He?' Kalda mistook the boy's big yellow eyes and small mouth for that of a young girl. He was way too cute to be considered a boy at first glance. Then again, the voice definitely sounds masculine.
"Might I ask your name, Miss?" the princess spoke to Kalda, "My name is Siana Estki Briunleha Olivaire. This is my friend, Sceptim. He is working for me as my personal artist."
"That's not a profession, you know…" the boy muttered.
"I—" she was about to speak informally but hurriedly changed her way of speaking, "My name is... Kalda…"
"No last name?"
"I don't go by my family's surname anymore…"
"Oh… Do you have a home…?" Siana sat down. She patted the spot next to her, beckoning Kalda to sit with her. Kalda sat next to the princess.
"I… lost my house in a fire…"
"Oh my goodness…" the princess put her hands over her mouth.
"…."
"I apologize if I come off a bit strongly with my questioning but what happened… to your family?"
She considered telling the truth but made something up:
"I lost my parents in gang violence… It's been two years since then…"
"Hmm, the gangs have gotten troublesome in the past few years. They're even giving our Order some trouble with the amount of chaos they're creating in the districts. Did you ever seek help from an orphanage?"
She shook her head.
"No one will accept a girl from the slums out of the kindness of their heart… The ones who want girls for sexual pleasure will definitely want me… Hahaha, is that how my life will be from now on? Will I have to find ways to please my master so that they don't kick me out?" Kalda looked down at her hands.
She imagined blood staining them.
She hurriedly hid them as if to not show anyone the blood(which was obviously not there).
Does she even deserve someone else's kindness after what she did?
The two people who she killed hurt her in some way so one could say that they deserved their fate.
But who would agree to something so vile? Does a killer deserve kindness or forgiveness?
The princess suddenly lifted Kalda's head and placed it against her chest. Kalda looked up from that chest that radiated a warm and sweet fragrance.
Kalda could feel the princess' heartbeat. It was gentle and calm, just like her voice.
"Don't worry. I'll help you." A warm smile appeared on the princess' face.
Kalda's heart raced at that moment.
When was the last time she felt an emotion other than hate, sadness and contempt?
Has she ever felt… love after her mother passed away?
Help? What kind of help will the princess give Kalda?
Kalda didn't know. She didn't care either.
"....Thank you…" Tears streamed down Kalda's cheeks and snot fell out of her nose, staining the princess' dress.
Despite not knowing why Kalda was crying, the princess continued smiling and stroking Kalda's head.