Returning home, Anna sighed deeply at the sight of their dilapidated house made of a mix of stone and wood. They were so poor.
Hearing the commotion at the door, a gentle female voice called out from inside, "Who's there?"
"It's me, Anna," she quickly replied, suppressing the pain as she tried to walk normally. But the woman from inside had already come out.
The lady of the house, Gai, was in her early thirties but already the mother of six children—two of whom had died young. Life's hardships had roughened her skin and left her perpetually tired, the same blue eyes as Anna's always carrying a hint of weariness. Yet, upon seeing her eldest daughter, a softness emerged in Gai's eyes.
"Anna, did you find a job?" she asked with concern.
Anna shook her head. "Either they didn't need anyone, or they thought I was too weak to hire."
Anna had been out looking for work all day. She had been searching for two days but found nothing.
"Don't worry," Gai reassured her. "Your father and I both have jobs, so we're not short of money for now."
Anna nodded, hiding her anxiety and not mentioning the terrifying encounter she had just had.
Gai went back to her handiwork, one of their fixed sources of income, while Anna returned to her room. Though calling it a room was a bit of a stretch. The house had only two small bedrooms: her parents shared one, and she shared the other with her younger siblings.
In the room, her seven-year-old sister, Adele, was playing with their youngest brother, little Evan. Seeing Anna, Adele ran over and hugged her. "Anna!"
"Adele, have you been good today?" Anna asked, patting Adele's head with a smile.
Adele looked up, her big blue eyes blinking. "Adele is always good! And little Evan was good today too!"
"That's great. Can you bring me a jug of water, please?" Anna asked with a smile.
"Okay!" Adele ran off without asking why.
Anna sat on the bed, with little Evan grabbing her skirt and calling out, "Anna!"
"Yes?" Anna smiled and touched Evan's nose. The pain in her knee seemed to lessen.
Evan giggled, almost losing his balance, and Anna had to catch him.
It seemed that poor children grew up faster. Anna's siblings were all remarkably well-behaved. Adele was too young to do much, so she often looked after three-year-old Evan. Their ten-year-old brother, Jem, helped their father, Evan, at the tavern, saving a meal and earning three or four copper coins a day, which was decent.
Before Anna arrived in this world, the original Anna and Gai had done odd jobs, earning only a few copper coins each day. Their father, Evan, as a bartender, sometimes got tips, amounting to five or six silver coins a month. This family of six spent nearly twenty copper coins daily on food alone, not to mention the head tax to the lord and other expenses. They were lucky to save one or two silver coins a month. No one could afford to get sick, as the medicines prescribed by doctors were priced in silver coins.
In this world, the basic currency units were gold, silver, and copper coins, each worth one hundred times the next. Anna had never even touched a gold coin.
Gai's reassurances couldn't completely calm Anna's worries. Their family had no safety net; any slight misfortune could push them into despair. Anna had been out every day looking for work to save money, planning to find ways to improve their situation once she understood this world better. Though she had inherited the original Anna's memories, her knowledge was limited by her social class.
After learning about the existence of magic, Anna had thought about learning it herself. However, the original Anna only knew of magic as a legend, so for now, earning money was her priority. Saving money was always a good idea.
Adele soon returned with a jug of water. Anna took it, and as she lifted her skirt, Adele gasped, "Anna, what happened to you?"
Anna had fallen hard earlier, scraping her knee, and blood had stained her skirt lining. She was grateful the skirt itself hadn't torn.
"Shh, don't shout so loud. If Mom hears, she'll worry," Anna whispered. Sharing a room with Adele meant she couldn't hide her injury, but she didn't want to worry anyone else. It was just a minor wound that would heal in a couple of days.
Adele, wide-eyed, clamped her hand over her mouth and nodded vigorously. Little Evan imitated her, pressing his hand to his mouth with his big blue eyes wide open.
Anna chuckled, biting her lip to keep from making a sound as she cleaned her wound. Little Evan crawled over and gently blew on her knee, mumbling, "No pain, no pain!"
His words seemed to have a magical effect, as Anna felt the pain lessen.
Entertainment for the lower-class people in this world was scarce. Without work and with nothing to do, Anna began cleaning the house once her knee felt better. As she swept the dirt to the door, she saw a boy peeking in. Meeting her gaze, he hesitated, looking embarrassed, then quickly turned away before nervously calling out, "Anna."
Anna remembered him from her memories. He was Little Tim, the son of the bakery owner Old Tim. Running a bakery meant his family was better off than hers. Anna, being the prettiest unmarried girl around, often received gifts from Little Tim as tokens of his affection.
As she approached, the smell of fresh bread made her mouth water. She had never particularly liked bread before, but now, even the scent of wheat bread made her crave it. Her family usually ate coarse rye bread that could scratch the throat and was terribly unpleasant.
Little Tim handed her a small wheat bread roll, oval-shaped, soft, and fluffy, smelling irresistibly delicious. "Anna, this is for you!" he mumbled, not meeting her eyes, his ears turning red.
While the original Anna might have been naive about feelings, Anna couldn't miss Little Tim's awkward yet sincere affection. But she was focused on making money, not on romance. Resisting the urge to accept, she said, "Did you sneak this out without your father's permission? You should take it back, or he'll scold you."
Unlike Bobby, who beat his family regardless of being drunk, Old Tim only scolded his son, never hitting him.
Little Tim was taken aback by her refusal, his green eyes dimming. When she mentioned his father, he flinched but then quickly thrust the bread into her hands and ran off.
"Little Tim!" Anna called after him but couldn't stop him. She sighed, holding the bread. A small wheat roll like this cost seven or eight copper coins. It could be exchanged for three or four rye rolls, enough to feed her family for a meal. This one was just a treat.
Anna made a mental note to repay Little Tim's kindness when she could afford it. As she turned, she saw a girl glaring at her from a distance. Not backing down, the girl walked over, chin held high, and sneered, "Hmph, just a bread roll. When I become a maid for the lord, I'll eat better every day!"
Anna recognized the girl from her memories. Lily was her age, with straw-colored hair and a face full of freckles. Jealous of Anna's looks, Lily had always competed with her, striving to outshine her.
Not wanting to argue, Anna tried to pass, but Lily blocked her, eager to boast. "My aunt Anna works at the Earl's mansion. She recommended me for the kitchen. Soon, I'll be a maid for the lord, and you'll never see me again!"
In this world, many girls were named Anna. In Pomegranate Lane alone, there were three. Without surnames, people used descriptors like "Evan's Anna" to distinguish between them. Lily's boast about her "aunt Anna" was meant to rub it in.
Anna had no interest in Lily's bragging until she heard about the job. "The Earl's kitchen is hiring?" she asked.
Lily, pleased to get a response, replied smugly, "Yes! My aunt told me and recommended me to the lord! Tomorrow I'll start as a maid, and people like you will never see me again!"
Anna didn't correct Lily's exaggeration about being recommended directly to the lord. She focused on the job opportunity. But then she remembered the demon possessing Parrysh, the lord's son. Wouldn't working there be walking into the lion's den?
Seeing Anna's hesitation, Lily mistook it for envy and gloated, "Don't think you can seduce Master Parrysh with your looks. He's seen prettier women than you. A commoner will always be a commoner!"
Anna looked at Lily's smug face and asked, "Were you the one who pushed me earlier?" Otherwise, Lily's comments seemed too random. Realizing she'd underestimated Lily's malice, Anna shuddered. In this world, pushing someone was more than bullying; it could be a death sentence. A commoner accused of assaulting a noble could be hanged.