Page 217

Arche walked through the hallways of her home.

She had just returned to the mansion, and she did not bother washing off the grime and sweat she had accumulated from her "work". She did not even bother changing, despite the red shirt under her leather armor having changed color and sticking to her body, her leather gloves holding her magic staff stained with red, and cloak stained with red and mud.

Her appearance was a stark contrast to the clean, beautiful crimson red carpet under her feet, the thick, smooth curtains that hung before tall windows, sparkling chandeliers made of magic stones lighting up her path, and antique paintings hung up on the walls she knew they couldn't afford that should be better off sold for food and paying off their debts instead.

As a young lady of noble birth, raised in luxury and opulence, her own filthiness should've disgusted her. But after many years, she had gotten used to it. It did not even enter her mind to change or wash off. At least, not for now.

There was only one thing in her mind right now, and that was to head to the dining room, where she knew her parents would be considering the time of night.

Her dirty boots continued to step onto the clean carpet as she made her way when she suddenly stopped.

She turned to her side, and her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw what hung upon the wall.

It was a painting of massive clouds above a city, and a long dragon with a girl on its neck flying through the skies.

It was unfamiliar to her. It was... a new one. And her hand holding a small leather pouch containing the coins she had gained from her work tightened and began to shake.

'That... That bastard bought a new one?! He bought it with my money while I was out putting my life on the line?!'

Although she didn't have her mother's Talent to determine its exact worth in gold through touch, Arche was not completely blind to the worth of luxury items, having been raised in nobility herself.

And she knew, this single piece of painting was worth more than the 20 gold she had risked her life for that were currently in her pouch!

This painting... It could've let her and her little sisters live with full bellies for, at the very least, a whole year!

'That bastard...!'

His father must've squandered her money that she earned through her jobs as a worker she intended for necessities! Or worse, he borrowed even more money from those shady money lender just to be able to buy that useless piece of canvas!

'That's it! Enough! This will be the last time!'

She quickened her steps, and when she finally reached the dining room, she slammed the massive mahogany double doors open.

"What the-! Arche! Have you no manners?! How could the young lady of the Furt Household act in such an uncivilized manner!"

A man shouted at Arche from the top of his lungs. His shirt and suit that clung tightly onto him did very little to hide the jiggling of his body as he slammed the dining table.

And sitting by the lord of house Furt's side, she could see her mother – a middle-aged woman with still a reminiscence of beauty she once had in her youth – frowning at her breach of manners.

But Arche simply could not give a stretch of a damn about such a thing.

Her eyes shifted onto the dining table, where a cheese board, two half-filled glasses, and a bottle of wine sat atop of it; a luxury she couldn't believe she would see in the situation they were in.

"I was out there risking my life to gain gold... and you're here relaxing with a bottle of wine...?"

She could feel her entire body shaking. Her hands clutching her staff slowly turning white under her leather gloves.

But instead of realization and self-awareness, they looked... confused. As if her outrage was unfounded!

"Did you waste the money I earned on useless things again?!"

"What?! What do you mean?! We did no such thing! How could you accused your parents of such things!"

"Then what is that painting outside! I've never seen it before! And I've just been gone for a few days!"

"That is an essential spending I make to raise the prestige of our family!"

"Prestige?! We could've used the money you spent on that trash for food and paid off your debts!!!"

The former lord Furt slammed his chubby hands down on the table once more, rattling the glasswares above it.

"Trash? That painting I just bought this morning is a highly prized painting from a famous painter! And I bought it in front of Marquis Gryad, a high standing noble who's close to that Bloody Emperor! This will show them that House Furt is still standing strong and power as ever, and will never yield to that bastard! We will endure and show them that we are still dignified nobles, and we will live until after he dies and reclaim our prestige!

"Stop with your delusions! We're no longer nobles! Not since the Bloody Emperor's purge and having all our riches confiscated! We can't sustain this kind of livelihood! You've been using the money I gained for trash! Look at the damn reality for once!"

"Enough!"

The middle-aged man raise to his feet, his face crimson with rage.

"You ungrateful little girl! Remember your place! The only reason why you can live in such luxury is because of House Furt's prestige!"

He took a step towards Arche. His anger was apparent in his flushed face and clenched fist. But Arche was not afraid.

Although she was a magic caster, she was confident in the physical strength she had developed from her work. She won't lose easily, especially against the pathetic excuse of a father that he was.

But just then, her mother held onto the hem of his sleeves and calmed him down.

"Dear, please calm down. And Arche, you should not say such things. I understand that the situation right now is less than ideal. However, everything will be fine once we gain some gold and reclaim our dignity as nobles!"

Her words stopped the raging ex-lord, as she had intended. But to Arche, her words simply riled her up even more.

"How?! How could we save up when you two are wasting it on useless things!"

"We've found a way... A way to get out of this predicament, right dear?"

"Huh...?"

Shock, and then suspicion began to surface within her heart.

If it was a few months ago, when she still held onto the hope that her parents were not lost causes, she would've believed their words.

But now, she could only think of the worst possible cases. Perhaps, her father found another loan shark willing to give him money for some stupidly high interest, or worse, at the cost of her or even her sisters...

The man nodded and crossed his arms with a harumph, the act itself seemed more taxing than it should be as he panted from his previous outrage.

"Someone bought the mansion next door. The extremely luxurious and prestigious mansion of the late duke. It was a man, old but refined, with quite the robust physique."

"..."

Arche kept her silence, waiting for his next words. Though her eyes still looked at him with suspicion and disbelief.

And either he did not notice or did not care, her father continued.

"Anyone capable of buying that mansion must be extremely rich. So, it's time for you to fulfill your duties as the young lady of House Furt!"

Her mind and body froze for an instant, before the implication of his words hit her.

"What...?!"

"He was accompanied by a beautiful maid with womanly curves. But, you still have a chance! Although your body might be immature, use the elegance and grace we've taught into your bones since birth and your noble blood to entice him! With his riches, we'll be able to reclaim our glory and prestige as a great noble household family!"

Something broke within her at that moment. And the outrage at thought she would've unleashed turned cold.

She simply stood there in disbelief, looking at her parents. To think... they would actually go this far as to... sell her off.

She wanted to refuse. But then, another thought hit her. One worse than the previous.

'No... If not me... Then it'll be them...'

Her teeth clenched as she looked down. Her whole body shaking, trembling with a rage she could barely contain.

Then, a pair of lithe hands fell upon her shoulders as her mother leaned down slightly towards her.

"Arche... It is the only way. You must fulfill your duty as the eldest daughter of a household of nobility. It's for everyone's sake... including Ureirika and Kuuderika."

She flinched at the mention of her little sisters' names.

'As expected... They're also considering using them as chips...!'

She wanted nothing more than to run away from this life with her little sisters. However... Even if she and her party received some decent work, it'd be difficult for her to gain enough gold to run away with them. If she didn't die beforehand.

There was a moment of silence. Before finally, Arche nodded her head slightly.

"Alright... I'll do it..."

Her mother smiled and nodded in satisfaction as her hands glided softly towards her hands and took the pouch of gold from the loosened grip of her hands after losing her strength.

Another stab into her aching heart. But at this point, Arche did not care anymore.

She kept her head down, turned, and left the dining hall in defeat.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Arche arrived in front of a door.

It was only then did she finally lifted her head up, took a deep breath, and buried everything deep within her heart.

She patted down her pants, shirt, and gloves to clear the filth as much as possible. Then, her lips curled into a smile, and she knocked on the door before entering.

"Girls, I'm home~"

""Big sis~!!!""

Two golden-haired little girls rushed towards her in a golden blur and hugged her thighs, ignoring what little dirt and filth that were still left.

The smile finally changed from forced one to a genuine smile as her heart melted. She leaned her staff against the wall, taking off her dirty leather gloves, and patted their heads.

"I've missed you so much, Ureirika, Kuudeirika. Have you been good girls?"

"Uhn~! We've been very good girls! And we miss you a lot! Right, Kuu?"

"Uhn~!"

"Have you eaten and taken a bath?"

"Yes! We've eaten some bread and washed up!"

Arche's smile faltered slightly when she heard them.

Little girls their age should be getting proper nutritions and eating properly... Instead, they could only eat days-old plain bread that might've gotten hard enough to damage their soft baby teeth.

'If only they used it for food instead...! Damn it!'

However, she quickly hid her anger and sadness behind a smile and patted their head.

"Good girls~ As a reward, big sis will be treating you girls to some sweets soon, okay~"

"Really?!"

"Yaaayy~ Thank you very much, big sis~!"

"You're welcome. Then, big sis will wash up first and then accompany you to sleep, okay?"

"Yes~! Please wash up quickly, big sis!"

"And read us a bedtime story too!"

"Okay okay~ Then, I'll get going."

Arche kissed her tiny foreheads lovingly and embraced them, before leaving the room with her staff.

The heavy, mahogany door slammed behind her, mimicking the figurative drop of her heart and her smile.

Her hands clenched her staff tightly, to the point that her nails turned white, as her whole body trembled.

'I'll keep you two safe... Whatever it takes...'

Her eyes filled with determination. And the vow she made in her own heart escaped her lips once more, as if to reassure herself.

"Whatever it takes..."

--------------------------------X--------------------------------