--- Chapter 7 ---
At the cottage.
Huo Yuhao squeezed a clean cloth into his nose and watched Huo Yun'er searching for medicine to treat him. However, they are too poor to buy ointment for bruises.
"Mom, you still have work to do, no? I'll be fine. You can go back to the Mansion." He commented naturally, causing the adult woman to tremble in anxiety. "Looks, that arrogant kid didn't scratch anything besides my nose. I'm quite durable, hehe~."
"Also, they might be mad at you for leaving too long."
Those words hurt Huo Yun'er more than Huo Yuhao because a mother can't see their children getting harmed. And the worst part was she couldn't do anything about it. She's a weak woman with a complicated life.
"H-Hao'er. M-Mom will be back as quickly as possible." Huo Yun'er forced a smile while clenching her fist in frustration.
Huo Yuhao smiled back and saw Huo Yun'er walk to the front door. His expression immediately returned to normal when she disappeared. "Hopelessness and Anxiety. Let's see if your hope for White Tiger Duke could help us." He commented while leaning on the wall.
...
Huo Yun'er returned to the White Tiger Mansion and suddenly was greeted by the head maid. She was terrified because this woman could do something horrible to her.
"Oh, Yun'er. Where were you a few minutes ago? I thought you were doing the laundry?" The head maid questioned with a weird gentle smile on her face.
Huo Yun'er doesn't like this feeling and situation because the head maid never smiles at her. She lowered her head in worry and replied, "I was treating my son's injuries, ma'am. He fell from the stairs..."
The head maid frowned and commented, "Stairs? Woah, your son is more worthless than you~. Well, I want you to finish the laundry quickly, or I'll cut your food for this month."
"R-Right away, Ma'am!" Huo Yun'er ran away to where she left the basket, failing to notice the head maid's smile had become a playful grin.
Huo Yun'er came to the block and found the basket, sighing in relief. However, everything inside the basket had gone when Huo Yun'er checked it, which left her stunned for a moment.
A couple of guards passed her away and talked about something among themselves.
"Um, sir. Do you see the clothes inside this basket?" She asked politely.
"Clothes? Ah, I've seen a maid burning the clothes in the left-wing's gate. They said the clothes were waste rags in the storage, so they don't have any use for it anymore." One guard answered casually. It's not unusual to see something like that happen.
Huo Yun'er stared at the guard in disbelief and muttered, "No way... They should have learned my task on the clothes."
"They did this on purpose."
"Well, see you, lady. We have to go round." The guard waved his hand and walked away with his friends.
Huo Yun'er glanced at the basket and grimaced because she couldn't possibly fill it back. 'What should I do?' She thought solemnly to herself. Everything seemed to fall apart one after another for her.
Left with no choices, Huo Yun'er picked the basket heavily and went to the maid quarter to meet the head maid. As Huo Yun'er stepped into the quarter, some ridicule and giggles greeted her instantly. They didn't even bother to hide it anymore behind her back.
Huo Yun'er breathed in to calm herself and walked into the head maid's office. "Ma'am, I couldn't finish the laundry because some maid burned the clothes on the left-wing side of the Mansion. Please forgive me." She reported while clutching the basket.
"Do you have proof?" The head maid narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you're not the one who burned those clothes?"
"I won't do such a thing, Ma'am!" Huo Yun'er raised her voice a little, but it was enough to trigger the head maid off.
The head maid grabbed over a wood stick and waved it to Huo Yun'er. "Did you raise your voice at me?! Huo Yun'er, you needed to be disciplined!" She repeatedly smacked the mother on the leg.
Huo Yun'er fell to the ground and groaned silently because this was not too painful for her. She has lived through hell and hardship for six years, and experiencing some beating won't make her down so easily.
After fifteen minutes, Huo Yun'er kneeled on the ground with bleeding calves. The head maid is a Spirit Elder with spirit rank level 36 and three spirit rings, so her attack is more than people could handle. Her stick smacks could tear someone's skin apart.
"Do you have something to say about this, Yun'er?" The head maid huffed and smiled at her.
Huo Yun'er pressed her head on the floor with great difficulty and replied, "N-No, Ma'am. It's my fault for being extremely rude to you."
"B-But, can you please not cut off our food ration?"
"About that, I'm not the one who decided to cut off your food ration, Yun'er. The Duchess actually was displeased with your poor performance this month and ordered me to do it." The head maid shrugged like this was no big deal for her. She was doing her duty.
Huo Yun'er stared at the head maid with a shocked expression on her pale face. She endured many things in the past six years, and the Duchess has never directly moved toward her. There is some light bullying, but she never minds it much.
No, they haven't even seen each other for a while now. The last time Huo Yun'er met the Duchess was three years ago when White Tiger's ceremony wonderfully was held in the main Mansion.
The head maid yawned lazily and shouted, "Somebody! Please take Yun'er away. I don't want to see her face anymore today."
Huo Yun'er doesn't resist and feels her world crumbling slowly into oblivion. She was dragged like a broken doll to the forest gate and stared at the sky silently. What am I doing wrong?
White Tiger Duke is her childhood sweetheart, and they fall in love with each other for years. Huo Yun'er never thought herself worthy of becoming his wife or even concubine, considering her origin as a mere maid.
Yet, there is this tiny hope for her.
'Is it wrong to hope for a better place to live? No, I don't mind living in a horse stable, but can Hao'er at least grow healthy without any shortcomings? I don't ask much...' She felt the taste of mud on her lips.
It's raining. Huo Yun'er remembered saying she would return as quickly as possible to her son. She lifted herself and hissed in pain because her bleeding calves stung.
"I have to go home, or Hao'er will be worried..." She whispered to herself while grabbing a random stick.
Huo Yun'er supported herself with the stick and slowly walked into the forest. Her mind ran through so many things and imagined different scenarios.
"Mom, When I awakened my martial soul... Can we leave this place?" Until one thought flashed in her head. She stopped and felt the rainwater touching her body, shivering because of the cold.
...
Huo Yun'er stayed in the same position for an hour, thinking about her son's words. "Dai Hao..." She muttered White Tiger Duke's name.
"When will you return? It's been six years since I saw your sharp face. And I'm afraid I can't hold myself together anymore."
Stressed out, Huo Yun'er quickly caught a horrible fever, and her face flushed like a ripe tomato. And when one has extreme heat, hallucinations occur most of the time.
Huo Yun'er stumbled into the mud and hallucinated herself on grassland with White Tiger Duke, leaning on each other under the starry night sky. They were very intimate and enjoyed the time even though that day was cold.
"Yun'er. I have to go to the battlefield soon. Will you wait for me here? I promise everything will be fine when my royal mission is over." Dai Hao grasped her hand gently. His voice makes Huo Yun'er feel butterflies in her stomach.
Huo Yun'er never thinks deeply about Dai Hao's promise at the time and is swallowed by happiness. She was too naive, assuming everything would be fine. No, everything is NOT okay.
Everything becomes horrible when Dai Hao or the White Tiger Duke isn't around. And the only thing that makes her strong so far is Huo Yuhao's existence. His presence is a coping method to keep her sanity.
"Empty promise..."
"Empty words..."
"It's sinful for being weak." Huo Yun'er grumbled while feeling mud flowing on her face. Her vision becomes blurry under the heavy rain, making her unable to see clearly.
A child silhouette suddenly stood in front of her.
"Look what they are doing to you, mom." A cold voice akin to a devil's whisper entered her ears. "Not a single of them cares about us. None..."
"Hao'er, I-I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and fainted.
...
...
"Evo, give the Albino Nine-Tailed Fox Legacy to my mother."