Adelheid 15: Herja

Adelheid's words of being busy weren't a lie. She needed to visit one last place before returning to the palace at dusk.

Due to the years of war waged by Emperor Wilhelm, the number of orphans had always been high. It was only in recent years that the number of orphans went down. But no matter what, there would always be orphans, whether it be from the accidental deaths of their parents or the small skirmishes between nations or monsters.

Not every city had an orphanage, but every major city at least had one. Naturally, this included the capital of the Vuldar Empire, Midgard. The capital had over ten orphanages, most of which were located in the lower-class sectors.

"Young Miss, perhaps we should leave. It doesn't look safe," Sofia said as she surveyed the surroundings. She couldn't understand why the princess would ignore the orphanages in the upper and middle-class sectors and go to the orphanage in the lower-class sector.

The streets were uneven from the wear and tear, the buildings were dingy, plus the corners were littered with rubbish. Even in the lower-class sector, this was the lowest of the low.

'Because the orphanages in the upper and middle-class orphanages are well funded. I can not very well inspire deep loyalty in them if the orphans had already been well-cared for, can I? I mean, I could, but the effort needed is incomparable. It is much easier and cost-efficient to aid starving orphans than well-fed orphans. Which is why I came to the poorest orphanage,' Adelheid thought. "The orphanages there do not require any aid. Rather than appearing and doing something extraneous, helping a few orphans here would be more worthwhile,"

"Wow," Matilda said with eyes of admiration. "Although I don't understand what extraneous means, Your Highness is like the Hero Princess Adelaide!"

Adelheid coughed into her fist, embarrassed by the aspiring knight's pure-hearted admiration. She almost felt guilty. Luckily for her, someone opened the orphanage's door. A rickety sound rang as the door swung open.

"My lords are…?" the orphanage matron asked with some trepidation. Hardly anyone visited this part of the city, so when she heard some noise, she came out and saw a strange scene: three beautiful girls and a knightly woman standing in front of the establishment.

"Miss?" Sofia stepped up and queried.

"U-uh, yes. I'm sorry, I'm Emma," the matron, Emma, said.

Emma was a woman in her early thirties with an ordinary appearance: average height, brown hair, brown eyes, and a slightly chubby build. She was a former orphan who couldn't find a trade, so she became the matron of the orphanage she grew up in.

"Miss Emma, we know that your orphanage is facing some trouble, so we brought some supplies," Sofia said as she pointed towards the carriage. The coach driver coincidently pulled out a large wooden box from the carriage box.

The matron expressed her hesitation, but she nodded after a moment of hesitation. "Please, come in."

Matilda and Sofia followed after the matron with Adelheid in the middle and Olga at the back. The coach driver who was carrying the box followed behind the knight.

The orphanage was a large building, but there were very few rooms. The matron led Adelheid and her group into the dining room, a large hall with cold stone floors and enough tables and seats to accommodate over fifty people. The bare stone floor and wooden tables showed their long history of use.

"I'm sorry, my lords, this is the best room I can present," Emma said.

"Man, it's really dingy," Matilda said. "OW!"

The flaxen-haired maid glared at her assailant while rubbing her side. Sofia ignored her and smiled professionally at the matron. "It must be really hard on those kids. Thankfully, we brought enough supplies and are planning on donating some kronen to the orphanage. Where should the supplies be placed?"

Instead of happiness, the matron showed a wary expression. "If my lords are going to take some kids away again, please leave. Although the orphanage is in dire need of donations, I won't sell the children for a few meager coins."

"Before?" Sofia repeated the question that was in everyone's mind. The dark-haired maid shared a look with Adelheid before she reassured the matron. "Miss Emma, please believe that we don't harbor any ill will towards them."

"Really?" The skepticism in her voice couldn't be any less concealed.

Sofia took a deep breath before looking at the princess once more. Seeing her calm expression, Sofia almost calmed down. "Truly. Miss, have you heard of the Ambrosia Firm?"

"Ambrosia Firm?" Emma, the matron, showed a thoughtful expression before her eyes flashed with brilliance. "That business that sells honey? The kids always wanted to try some, but unfortunately..."

Seeing the recognition in the matron's eyes, Sofia mysteriously felt a sense of pride. As one of the princess’s closest confidants, she partook in the process of the Ambrosia Firm's rise. "In that case, the children will be happy. We brought a case of honey."

The matron showed joy as she imagined the happy faces the children would show, but she quickly raised her guard again and stared warily at the three girls and single woman.

"The truth is, the Ambrosia Firm is looking to hire some apprentices, but they are wary of saboteurs and spies, so they plan to adopt some children and apprentices," Sofia explained gently, wondering why the matron was so guarded.

"My lords aren't lying to me, are you?" the matron asked. Perhaps it was because three children were representing the famous business, but Emma could intuitively know that they were hiding something from her.

A trace of irritation appeared on Sofia's face because of the constant suspicion. "Miss Emma does not have to worry. We gain nothing from lying to you."

Emma shrank back upon seeing Sofia's irritation. Her action would undoubtedly be shameful to an onlooker as she was a full-grown adult while Sofia was a mere child, but the truth was different. As someone who lived in the lower rungs of the city, even one as prosperous as the capital, she knew that her life was worth nothing in front of those powerful nobles. Death may not be likely, but a punishment could be dealt on the charges of disrespect.

If she were beaten within half an inch of death and died later, the perpetrator would not be held accountable as long as she didn't die immediately after the beating. Such was the life of a commoner in the face of those with power.

Adelheid held up her hand to stop Sofia from speaking anymore. It would not be conducive nor time-efficient for the matron to continue her suspicion. "Miss Emma, I can guarantee that Sofia spoke no lies in the name of Adelheid von Vuldar, Seventh Princess of the Vuldar Empire."

Emma stilled as she felt the doll-like girl's aura perceptibly change. If before, it was subdued with a hidden nobility, now she carried herself with grace and imperiousness.

Olga saw that the matron was still frozen. Whether it was from disbelief or shock was unknown, but Olga took this moment to perform the ceremonial salute. "I am Olga Muller, knight of the empire. Miss Emma, you rest assured that this is indeed Her Highness, Princess Adelheid."

Emma finally seemed to have come to her senses and made no effort to hide her fluster. With a loud bang, her knees slammed into the ground as she kneeled on the ground and bowed the best she could. She was a commoner not taught in the manners of courtly greetings, but she knew that she had to bow to an imperial. "Please forgive my earlier mistakes. I didn't know!"

Hearing the anxiety and wincing at the way the matron slammed her forehead onto the stone floor in repentance, Adelheid quickly forgave her of all her previous crimes and told her to get up. It took ten minutes for the matron to calm down, but her wariness didn't disappear, just the emotions behind changed.

Curious as to why the matron was so wary of them, Adelheid directly asked and raised an eyebrow at the reason.

The truth of the matter was that this was not the first time that someone had wanted to adopt some orphans. The first time, Emma had happily sent the children away, believing that their lives would improve. Then, the people came a second time, a third time, and many more times.

They weren't always the same people, but Emma could discern that they belonged to the same group judging from their attire and the sinister undertone that became more evident as time passed. Once, Emma recognized one of the men who came to adopt the orphans. He was one of the brightest children before being taken away years ago, but to Emma's horror, the once lively boy now had dull, lifeless eyes devoid of all light.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and Emma prevented the unknown people from adopting the children. When Emma rejected them, the threats came.

Emma feared the worst for the children taken away, but she could do nothing. Orphans weren't placed with much importance, so even if she reported to the city guards, it was unlikely for them to take any action. The orphanage's matron could only pray that Iras would protect them and hope for the best.

However, that wasn't the end of the matter. The organization's people still came even with Emma's rejection. They only stopped after Emma reported them to the city guards. Although the city guards wouldn't search for the missing orphans, they still prevented blatant kidnappings and threats.

Peace had returned, but it didn't last long. Emma discovered that, occasionally, some of the children would go missing. She reported to the city guards, but as she expected, they did nothing.

Ironically, the orphanage's situation took a turn for the better because of the decreasing number of children. With fewer mouths to feed and fewer bodies to cloth, the children no longer had to worry about starving to death. Hunger was still common, though.

Upon learning of this matter, Adelheid made up her mind to investigate who was taking the orphans when she returned. "And did you learn of any noticeable features or abnormal actions?"

Emma paused and took some time to shift through her memories. Her eyes widened. "I do. I remember getting a glimpse inside one of the carriages once. I recall that the carriage only came by once, and I could tell that it was different, almost like Your Highness's. When the person inside moved the curtains, I saw that he was wearing a strange mask."

Adelheid's brows furrowed for a moment before relaxing. "Can you describe the mask?"

"It was white, white to the point that it almost seemed to shine in the dark inside of the carriage. The mask had a frowning expression with slitted eye holes and a teardrop pattern under one of the eyes," Emma said.

After the matron explained why she had been so wary and accepted Adelheid's identity, everything became smoother. Emma did not suspect Adelheid was a member of the mysterious organization. One, the mysterious organization that adopted and even kidnapped the orphans never revealed their identities. Second, impersonating an imperial knight, much less a princess, was a capital crime worthy of death in the Vuldar Empire.

Emma happily accepted the princess's donations and quickly called the other matrons to move the cases of supplies. She had ordered them to hide the children while she fended off the strangers, but she brought them out once she discovered Adelheid's purpose and identity.

There were no grown men in the orphanage now because they would be working to secure fundings and would not return before dusk. One of them was Emma's husband, an orphan like her who wanted to repay the previous matron and orphanage for taking care of him.

The children quickly surrounded Adelheid and her three attendants with much curiosity. Rarely, if ever, did the matron allow them to interact with strangers, especially after the mysterious disappearances.

"Come, children, this here is a kindhearted miss who brought food for everyone." Per Adelheid's request, Emma did not reveal her imperial identity.

The children stared curiously at the cases on the table. There was some wheat and dried meat that Adelheid brought. Under the onslaught of the numerous children, these supplies would disappear quickly, but she was only using them as bait anyways.

"She even brought you honey!" Emma happily laughed as she brought a small barrel out of the case. Even she was curious as to what the rumored golden liquid tasted like.

"Izzat da honey from da-da Ambro-bro-sy Store?" one of the children asked, failing to pronounce the origin of the honey. Despite this, his eyes were glued to the barrel in the matron's hand.

"You're correct. Now thank Miss Addie!" Emma ordered. The children all looked at Adelheid and bowed in thanks. "Now, line up, little ones."

The children obediently lined up, their heated gazes never leaving the small container in the matron's hand. Emma opened up the barrel and sniffed the golden liquid. Her eyes brightened as she smelled a floral scent.

Taking a finger, she scooped a thin layer of honey onto her finger. She placed it in her mouth and sucked on it, releasing a pleasurable moan. Then she handed the barrel to another caretaker to distribute so that the children could take turns dipping their fingers or hand into the honey and sucking it.

"Should you not wash your hands first?" Adelheid asked with some disgust. It was very unsanitary for people to dip their fingers into the honey, not to mention that it was a group of over forty different children. And she could see the grime on some of the children's hands.

"Young Miss might not know, but we can only take a certain amount of water from the public fountain every day. At most, the children will take a bath once every week. It’s harder in the winter," another matron said.

Taking a bath once a week was already excellent. It was something that only the residents of the capital could enjoy. For other cities or towns, a bath once every two weeks was already very good.

The reason the residents of Midgard could afford to do so was because of the public foundations. Although Midgard had a river, appropriately named the Midgard River, running through it, it froze during wintertime and was mainly used for transport. The residents could use the water, but it was too dirty for drinking. Dumping waste and feces was strictly forbidden by law.

Instead, public magic tools known as fountains were installed at certain locations within the city. The magic tool was created with a water magic stone at its core and could dispense water as long as it had mana within, solving the water issue of the city. Each person was allowed to draw a certain amount of water. Any more would cost money.

Knowing this, Adelheid could only watch with suppressed revulsion as the children continued to dip their fingers one by one into the honey barrel. 'I think I might not eat honey for a while.'

"Go away!"

There was the sound of something, or rather, someone hitting the floor, attracting Adelheid’s attention. It was near the tail end of the line, and a scrawny girl of about ten or eleven with messy black hair had fallen onto the floor while a boy around the same age was standing in line, staring triumphantly at her.

"Berold, Katze, stop being rude," the matron rebuked the two children, her gaze focusing particularly on the fallen girl.

"Sorry, Mrs. Emma," the boy muttered aloud, obviously dissatisfied. The girl also muttered something, but Adelheid couldn't quite catch what she said.

"Okay, stop roughhousing and get in line properly. No more cutting in line," Emma ordered with a harsh glare that cowed the children.

"But he pushed me out!" the black-haired girl said with a raspy voice as she pointed angrily at the boy. She had stood up, allowing Adelheid to see her tear-filled eyes.

"Katze, don't point your finger at Berold. For that, you don't get to have any honey!" Emma said.

"But, but, but..." the girl, Katze, said with a face full of disbelief.

"No buts. Go!" Emma said as she pointed at the corner of the room where a lone stool was placed.

Katze stared longingly at the honey before unwillingly going to the stool. Even while sitting down, her black eyes never left the small honey barrel in the caretaker's hand.

"Miss Emma, whether it was the girl's or boy's fault. I do not think that their transgression is punishable by prohibiting their access to honey." Adelheid said when Matron Emma came forward to apologize for the disturbance. She took another glance at the orphan girl, the longing gaze in Katze's eyes reminding her of herself.

"Your High—Young Miss doesn't have to worry about that girl. She's a beastkin," Emma said matter-of-factly as if that explained everything.

Adelheid took another glance at the girl sitting in the corner. Now that she took a closer look, she noticed that two locks jutting out weren't hair but drooping cat ears.

Sofia's expression turned severe as she gave Emma a harsh glare. "Miss Emma, I understand that this orphanage is in the lower-class district, but this is still the capital. Why do you have one of them?"

Adelheid turned towards Sofia with surprise at the venom in her words.

"Hold on," Matilda butted in while Emma's face started to pale at Sofia's words. "I know that most people don't like beastkin, but you're being too harsh just because she has ears."

"I don't expect a simpleton like you to understand, but those beasts are the empire's enemies. Do you know how many people and disasters they've caused? None of them should be allowed inside the empire outside of chains," Sofia said.

"So what, she's just a girl like you and me," Matilda said, her voice rising and not willing to show any weakness.

"She's nothing like you or me!"

"Enough, you two," Adelheid said before the fight could escalate.

Matilda and Sofia apologized under Adelheid's wilting glare. Just as Emma was about to release a breath of relief, Adelheid turned her gaze towards her. "Miss Emma, although that girl is a beastkin, you should not blame her for any wrongs she did not commit. The bias is evident, and I can see that the boy purposely targeted her, knowing that you would not punish him. Do you understand my meaning?"

Sweat dripped down the matron's face as she withered under Adelheid's look. The matron didn't understand. How could such a young girl's stare frighten her so, especially when there was no fierceness? It was as if she was a rat being stared at by a snake. "Y-yes, I understand."

Under the seventh princess's gaze, Matron Emma punished the boy, Berold, and dismissed Katze's punishment. There was disbelief in the beastkin's face when she saw the matron justly punish Berold as if the sun rose from the west.

"Hurry up and line up, Katze. Otherwise, the honey will be gone," Emma said, frowning at the look on Katze's face.

"You're a nice person, Your Highness," Matilda whispered into Adelheid's ear.

'No, I'm not nice at all.' Adelheid thought as she studied Berold, who was glaring hatefully at Katze from the stool he sat on.

From Emma, Adelheid learned that Katze's parents weren't dead. Both the girl's parents were pure humans with no animalistic features of the beastkin. So it was a blight on their family when Katze was born. The husband had even wondered if his wife had cheated on him with a beastkin.

The parents later discovered that one of their ancestors had been a beastkin, and the reason Katze was born a beastkin was due to atavism. Still, the parents didn't want to raise a beastkin or let anyone else know, so they left Katze at the orphanage with a few silver coins. The girl's name wasn't even given by their parents but Emma, who named her Katze because she was a cat beastkin.

Adelheid watched as Katze's eyes shimmered with brilliance when it was her turn. She took a finger, her hand dirtier than the other orphans, and dipped it into the honey pot. After taking it out, she watched with fascination as the golden liquid slid down her finger and onto her palm.

"You've already got your dip. Go away," the caretaker holding the barrel of honey said.

Katze's eyes never left the honey, but she moved out of the way. Once she was away, she moved to a corner in such a way that it blocked the other kids' eyes as if to protect the precious liquid. Adelheid couldn't see how the cat beastkin ate the honey, but the body tremors spoke of her delight.

"Let's go," Adelheid said once she saw this. She didn't think there was a point in staying anymore. In addition, dusk was coming, and so was her curfew.

Matron Emma ordered the caretakers and children to send her off. Bidding farewell to the children and caretakers, Adelheid stepped onto her carriage. She paused mid-step as she felt a stare on her back. Turning around, Adelheid's steel-colored eyes met black.

Katze quickly lowered her gaze as if the princess had caught her with her hands in the cookie jar. Adelheid turned her head back and stepped into the carriage, followed by her two maids, while Olga sat at the front with the driver.

On the way back, neither Matilda nor Sofia opened their mouths. Adelheid stared out the window, and the area around her seemed to have become a separate world.

The sun had already started to dip into the horizon, and the three moons were slowly revealing their presence in the dimming light. As it was summer, the yellow moon, Gloria, could already be seen in the sky, with the blue moon, Maris, not far behind. In contrast, the red moon, Cruor, had yet to rise over the horizon.

Adelheid sighed as she took in the light of the two hanging moons. 'I wonder how it would feel to pet those ears.'

In the following weeks, Adelheid had Heinrich donate to several orphanages without enough funds. While donating, she had people scout the orphans. Those with quick wits or pleasing appearances were taken as apprentices.

It wasn't just Midgard's orphanages, orphanages in cities with branches of the Ambrosia Firm also had donations. It was much less eye-catching if some orphans from less important cities than the capital disappeared and became her private pawns. That still left the problem of where and how to train them.

Adelheid wasn't worried. She had yet to reach that stage of her plan. The princess's current focus was on the organization Emma had told her of. She ordered Heinrich to investigate the organization but found nothing.

There were two possibilities. Either there was not enough information and clues, or the organization had enough power to hide without leaving any tracks. Either way, the current Ambrosia Firm had no way to investigate, so they might as well focus their energy on more productive ventures. But that didn't mean that they wouldn't keep an ear near the ground out for any information.

The appearance of a person wearing a strange mask was suspicious no matter the angle.

With that out of the way, she focused on the document in front of her. It detailed the history of Katze, the cat beastkin in the orphanage Adelheid had visited. Included in the information was the history of her parents to make sure that she had no connection to the Beast Kingdom in any way. Unlike the masked man's organization, Katze's parents were surprisingly easy to find.

They were an ordinary couple with currently three children living with him in the lower-class district of Midgard. Although it couldn't be said that they were wealthy, they made enough money to fill their stomachs every day.

Brushing the paper's edge against her thumb, Adelheid recalled the information on beastkins that she knew.

Beastkins were separated into three categories: furred, feathered, and scaled. In terms of appearance, beastkins almost looked exactly like humans except for a few animalistic features.

Internally, beastkin possessed higher physical attributes corresponding to the type of beastkin. Even the weakest beastkin was usually stronger than the average human. In exchange, the number beastkin capable of magic was pitiful. Granted, warriors were capable of drowning mages in wars through their sheer numbers.

If you asked Adelheid, mages were far more essential than warriors who only knew how to fight. Mages were like the scientists of the world of Veles. Their influence on the quality of life and development of civilization could not be understated. Magic was capable of producing technology far ahead of the current era.

It was precisely for this reason that Adelheid hoped that some of the orphans she took were capable of becoming mages.

But back to her focus on Katze. The girl of eleven was the first beastkin she had ever seen in her life. She briefly pondered for a moment on what it would be like had she awakened as a beastkin in the Beast Kingdom but quickly rid herself of the thought. Although the chances of becoming a noble in the Vuldar Empire were near impossible, there was still a chance of rising above one's station, unlike the Beast Kingdom, which ran on a caste system.

The caste system was split into five standard groups: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishyas, Sudras, and Dalits. Aside from those five groups, there was a rumored sixth caste. In the Beast Kingdom, you were born into your station of life and could not enter another caste no matter what. The princess imagined that Katze would have been a sudra had she been born in the Beast Kingdom.

But that was neither here nor there. What Adelheid needed to decide on was what to do with Katze.

On one hand, she was incredibly interested in beastkin as she had never seen one before in this life and the previous. As mentioned before, beastkin had numerous advantages over the average human. Their greatest disadvantage as a species, their low aptitude for learning magic, was negligible.

Witnessing how Matron Emma and Sofia were repulsed by a beastkin, a child at that, Adelheid had the confidence to gain the loyalty of any beastkin she took under her wing. If that was all Adeilheid had to consider, then it would have been fine, but she had to consider the beastkins' desire for freedom.

In the Vuldar Empire, beastkins would be treated as second-class citizens at best, perhaps even worse than serfs of other countries, and a slave in all but name. Under this oppression, it didn't take a genius to imagine that the beastkin would desire to migrate to the Beast Kingdom. The princess had no confidence that her charisma could retain the beastkin, and she couldn't promise them equality either.

Furthermore, Adelheid had to consider the other people's reactions. If she were to employ beastkin, how would the citizens think of her? Matilda's reaction was of justice, but how many would think the same way as her? How many would support her if she had beastkin in her faction?

Without even considering for too long, Adelheid already knew that her actions would alienate many potential followers. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as she contemplated her dilemma. The Vuldar Empire's beastkin were a significant source of unused human resources, but using them would be akin to breaking an arm. Beyond that, Adelheid was genuinely curious about the beastkin.

As Adelheid pondered over the matter, her memories flashed to the happiness the cat beastkin showed when she managed to attain a bit of honey. Opening her eyes, she dipped her quill into ink and began to write. 'One should not hurt.'

After finishing penning her letter, Adelheid focused on an opened envelope. A single ticket to the Midgard Globe, the capital's most famous theater, stuck out. Reaching out, she plucked the letter out of the envelope and read the contents. After she was done, Adelheid folded it once more and tapped the table with her fingers in a rhythmic beat.

'What motives does Charles have for inviting me to see a play? Logically speaking, I'm only ten, so no matter if I intend to compete for the throne, allying himself to me now is far too early. Or does he want to use my identity for other reasons?' Adelheid's thoughts flashed to the Libre Republic. A smile slowly grew on her lips. 'It remains to be seen who is using whom. For now, I will play along with your little games.'

-line break-

For as long as she had memories, Katze knew that she was unwanted.

Mrs. Emma would always smile warmly at the other children, but the matron's smile would stiffen like a puppet's when directed at her. At least, that used to be the case. Mrs. Emma no longer even bothered to smile at her now.

When there was food, she would always get the least. When there were toys, she would get none. When everyone tucked together for warmth in the winter, she was isolated into a cold corner. When everyone took a bath, she would be stuck with the dirtiest water.

She had no friends. The other kids looked down on her, and when there were chores, she would be forced to do theirs too. What little she was given by the matron could just as easily be taken away by her fellow orphans.

Katze couldn't wait to grow up and leave the hellish place the other orphans called home. So she ran away one day to the brighter streets of Midgard. It was the worst mistake she had made in her young life.

A couple of thugs kidnapped and beat her. She was almost sold as a slave had it not been for Mrs. Emma, who arrived in time to drive the thugs away. That day, when the matron took back her bruised body and nursed her back to health, Katze felt like she was wanted. Although Mrs. Emma didn't smile at her, didn't prioritize her, and never talked to her outside of absolute necessities, it could not erase the truth that Mrs. Emma protected her.

Katze never tried to run away again. She still hated her life at the orphanage, but it was better than leaving. She put up with the cold shoulder of the caretakers and the bullying of the other orphans. For eight years, that was all Katze knew. She never thought that another person would protect her like Mrs. Emma until she met her, that is.

The matron never said what her name was, just that she was a young miss of a noble family. The young miss brought honey, the famous honey of the Ambrosia Firm that had been popular recently to the point that even they, the orphans, heard of it.

Katze knew it was a slim chance, but she still stood in line, hoping to taste the delectable honey, but her favorite oppressor, Berold, pushed her out of her spot. She knew she would be punished for a mistake that was not hers, and just as Katze thought she would never taste the delectable honey, the young miss spoke up for her.

Her first impression of the young miss was conflicted. At first glance, the young miss was of immaculate appearance to the point that it seemed too perfect to be natural like she was the finest sculpture created by a world-class sculptor. Yet, there was something that caused Katze to be subconsciously terrified of that seemingly harmless girl that was even smaller than her.

Katze still felt that the young miss was terrifying for an unknown reason, but she also felt that perhaps the world wasn't as terrible as she thought if there were people like the young miss. She thought their intersection would only happen just this once.

The young miss left, and the orphanage returned to normal, except for the funds delivered the next day, which caused the matron to smile for an entire week. Yes, even at her. Berold found more trouble with her, though, probably because he blamed Katze for making him miss his second chance at eating honey. It was something she was used to. No matter if he bullied her more or less, it did not make a difference.

Though, Katze did notice that some of the children were gone. It hadn't happened for quite a while, but what did it have to do with her? Yes, she continued to live out in that dingy orphanage that she called home.

Katze never expected that she would be adopted, though adopted wasn’t quite the right word. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be accepted as an apprentice maid. Only at that point did she discover exactly who the young miss was.

Seventh Princess Adelheid von Vuldar.

"Katze does not suit you. From now on, your name shall be Herja."