Chapter 002
“Sister, Iām not heavy, right?”
She had asked to be carried on her back, but perhaps she felt guilty. Lottie squirmed, trying to get down from Freyaās back.
At that, Freya reached back and patted the childās back.
“Hey, donāt move. Youāre making it more annoying.”
Freya was panting as she walked, carrying Lottie on her back, until she reached the entrance to the street where the bustling district began.
She wiped the saliva from the corner of her lips, then pulled a small bowl from her chest and placed it on the ground. This spot was the perfect place she hadnāt come to in two years.
“Ah, itās warm.”
When the sun rose, you could feel its warmth until three oāclock. On top of that, many people passed through here, so the earnings werenāt bad.
When an elegant man or a woman with her child approached, Freya nudged Lottie with her elbow.
“Cry, quickly.”
“Sister, why are you hitting me? It hurts.”
Lottieās slightly swollen belly, combined with Freyaās sudden nudge, caused her to burst into bitter tears.
“Please help us. My little sister is very sick.”
Freya blinked her green eyes, and a few people paused briefly, but they quickly moved on. Lottie stopped crying after a moment, stood up, and stared at the passersby.
“Why donāt they give us money? Huh?”
It was Lottieās first time coming out to work, and she seemed excited.
Freya looked at Lottie, who stood on one leg, spinning in childish movements, and shook her head.
It seemed Lottie didnāt understand anything about the ways of the world.
“Freya, why are we the only ones without coats?”
Winter hadnāt ended yet, and the wind was cold.
Lottieās shoulders shrank from the chill as she compared the passersbyās fine clothes to their own tattered ones.
Her aunt Sophia used to say: The more miserable you look, the more money you get. But Freya thought their condition was far beyond feigned poverty.
“Because weāre truly poor.”
Sometimes, the street felt warmer than the house itself.
“Then do the other children work like us?”
“That, thatā¦”
She saw a girl holding her motherās hand, wearing a blue coat, a white hat, and lace stockings.
Freyaās tongue faltered.
No, it wasnāt like that.
She had spent years begging here.
She had seen many children her age pass by, laughing and eating sweets. None of them seemed to work like she did.
Their faces were bright, their heads clean, free of lice or fleas.
At that moment, Lottie lay down on the ground and began to complain.
“Freya, Iām hungry.”
“You! Donāt move so much, thatās why your stomach gets hungry so fast.”
Lottie rubbed her belly, her eyes tearing up at her sisterās scolding.
Freya pretended to be stern, but she wasnāt indifferent.
More than anyone, she knew exactly how Lottie felt right now.
“ā¦Please help us.”
Freyaās voice rose instinctively when she heard approaching footsteps.
A person turned toward them with a grim expression.
“They say they exploit orphans for begging.”
“But with those harsh faces, who could pity them?”
Two middle-aged women were talking as they adjusted their umbrellas and passed by.
When she heard the words “orphans” and “beggars,” Freya felt embarrassed.
‘My face is harsh too?’
She hated people who didnāt give money and instead hurled insults. She furrowed her brow in anger, while Lottie, drawing a butterfly on the ground, asked curiously.
“Sister, what does āorphanā mean?”
“Thatās what they call children who donāt have parents, like us.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Frustration showed on Lottieās face, and Freya, biting her cracked lips, answered angrily.
“Thatās not the point right now. If we go back empty-handed, Aunt Sophia will punish us severely.”
Hearing Freyaās grim words, Lottie scratched the sores on her head and said weakly, “Itās okay if I get hit, but I want to eat dinner.”
‘ā¦You fool!’
Lottie was young and hadnāt yet experienced harsh punishment.
Freya recalled Sophiaās cruel hand and frowned seriously.
“If you want to eat, cry loudly, very loudly.”
But Lottie kept her mouth shut and continued drawing on the ground.
Their luck was bad, and they collected only half of what they usually did.
The road back to the house felt longer than ever.
Sophia sat at the entrance, inspecting the money each child brought. Those who met the required amount were allowed to have dinner.
“You can go to the dining hall.”
Finally, it was Freya and Lottieās turn.
Freyaās mouth was so dry she couldnāt even swallow.
She tried tilting the bowl to make the coins look more plentiful, but Sophiaās sharp eyes werenāt fooled.
“Youāre not saying you hid some of the money, are you?”
She shook the coin box harshly and raised her voice.
Freya trembled in fear, her voice barely coming out.
“No. We just had bad luck today.”
“Luckā¦?”
Sophia threw the bowl to the ground with force. It clattered against the floor, and Freya fell with it. She closed her eyes tightly, trembling as she braced for the coming torment.
“Little girl, the word ābad luckā isnāt used for something like this.”
Sophia said, narrowing her eyes and clicking her tongue against her teeth. Lottie, terrified, burst into sobs.
“I canāt stand crying children. Take her away.”
Sophia ordered one of the men to take Lottie to the room, leaving her alone with Freya.
“Whatās the right punishment for a useless child like you?”
Her red lips gleamed as she pondered.
“Iāve found the perfect punishment for you. Tonight, youāll sleep in the ice room.”
“Aunt! Iām sorry! Iāll never do it again.”
Freya clasped her hands together, pleading.
The ice room was in the farthest part of the orphanage, where children who committed serious mistakes were sent. But she hated that place intensely.
‘There are definitely ghosts there.’
Freya clung to Sophiaās leg, begging.
“Please, forgive me just this once, Aunt. I beg you.”
“Why are you being more rebellious than usual today?”
Sophia growled, but someone came running to inform her.
“Madam Sophia, the Father is back.”
It was the first time Freya felt joy at the Fatherās return.
Sophia forgot about the ice room and hurried to welcome him.
“See? Your luck wasnāt that bad.”
Freya muttered as she stood up, supporting herself with her hands. Her legs were shaking, but she felt she had escaped. There were children who were never so lucky.
“Was her name Selena? Or Serena?”
She couldnāt recall the name exactly, but she remembered it was raining the day they buried her.
* * *
The next day, Freya wasnāt well.
She was exhausted from facing the cold wind all day, and on top of that, she had endured Sophiaās cruelty. She fell ill but didnāt dare show her weakness.
‘A sick child is left to die.’
Worse still, children who received no food or treatment always met a bad fate.
‘I donāt want that!’
She gathered her strength and went down to the dining hall.
She sat quickly and received a bowl of porridge.
And, to her surprise, there was a small piece of bread on top.
A faint smile appeared on her face, but the children stood up all at once and said in unison, “Father, good morning.”
A tall, slightly hunched man entered the hall.
Sophia was playfully teasing him.
“Sit down and eat your food.”
At his word, the children grabbed their spoons and began eating.
The man, in his shiny suit and gold watch, looked out of place in the miserable dining hall. He didnāt like the food and settled for a glass of wine.
“Master Shaylo, how was the capital?”
“Sophia, youāre giving me a headache first thing in the morning.”
“Sorryā¦ sorry.”
Flustered, Sophia pretended to eat, and some children snickered quietly.
“By the way, last nightā¦ I saw Lily go into the Fatherās room,” one of them said in a low voice, and the others began whispering their speculations.
“Did she get a gift from him?”
“Maybe sheāll go to the capital with him this time?”
“So jealous.”
When the orphanage children reached a certain age, they left. No one knew if they found new parents, but they were never seen again.
Freya didnāt feel sad about their disappearance, but her thoughts weighed heavily on her.
* * *
She couldnāt stop working because of her illness. She walked hunched over, and every time her clothes touched her wounds, she groaned in pain.
“Freya, are you okay?”
“If you donāt open your mouth, Iāll be fine.”
She turned away from Lottieās worried gaze and replied coldly.
She had to earn a lot of money today, or Sophiaās wrath would be disastrous.
She sat on the ground, tears in her eyes. Pus from her old wounds had dried on her clothes, giving off a foul smell.
“Pleaseā¦ help.”
When Lottie saw Freyaās state, she reached out her small hand to the passersby.
But she couldnāt express herself well and hesitated.
“If you canāt do it, just draw. Iāll handle it.”
Freya reached out to pull Lottie toward her, but Lottie opened her mouth again.
“Please help us. If we donāt bring money, my sister will get beaten again.”
The childās cleverness surprised an elegant man, who tossed them a silver coin. Lottie caught it with wide eyes.
“Freya, look! I earned it!”
“Well done.”
Unlike Freya, Lottie was skilled at many things.
Sometimes she pretended to cry, sometimes she feigned illness, and she begged in various ways.
Thanks to her, the two collected more money than the day before.
Grrrr!
A loud sound came from Lottieās stomach.
Freya ignored it and tried to stand up carefully. Her wounds hadnāt healed, and they hurt even when she was still, bringing tears to her eyes.
