Chapter 2

Episode 2.

She cried so much that her ears were deaf and her head was spinning. It would be nice to be able to lie down like this because it’s sad and painful, but I can’t fall like this.

Because she doesn’t have any money in her hand.

“Don’t cry. Stop crying, Lyrica Barnes. An 8-year-old crying? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Encouraging herself, Lyrica took a deep breath and got up from her seat.

She has to be persistent if she wants to live in the slums.

In addition, she couldn’t take a break from work just because she was sad and sick today.

If she doesn’t go to work without saying anything, the credit she has accumulated so far will be cracked.

She doesn’t know anything else, but that was Lyrica’s pride. Lyrica stood up with a slap on her cheek.

After washing her face with cold water, Lyrica left the house.

Today was not in the slum, but today she will work at a decent bar on the edge of the capital.

She washed her hands, feet, and face well and left the slum.

There are many expensive glasses in bars, but long and thin glasses do not fit too much in an adult’s hands.

However, as a child, Lyrica’s hands went in, Lyrica washed the glass and wiped it without stains.

It’s something they wouldn’t entrust to her, a careless slum child, but Lyrica proved her sincerity and received good reviews.

In addition, she couldn’t miss it because this will be giving two big fairy tales.

If she breaks the glass by mistake, she may not be able to pay back even if she works there for the rest of her life, so Lyrica worked very carefully and seriously.

She was tired from a lot of nerves, but thanks to that, she was able to shake off the thought about her mother.

When she finished she work, she lost all of her energy the whole time. It was because she worked too closely.

The owner handed over two big fairy tales, so Lyrica said goodbye and went home.

No, she had to go back, but she didn’t want to go home today. Grinding two big fairy tales well, Lyrica circled in the streets.

However, the people on the street avoided, seeing the messy Lyrica, and she soon became ashamed and went back to the slum alley.

It wasn’t until sunset that she headed home. Maybe her mother is back.

She may say sorry, and she may have brought the money as it is.

Or, maybe, her father.

While thinking, Lyrica smiled bitterly. It was an unfortunate smile.

As soon as she opened the door and entered, she felt something different. It was like a sign that only the landlord could feel.

There’s nothing to steal from home, but Lyrica was very nervous because it’s a neighborhood that wouldn’t be strange no matter what happened.

Moving slowly like a furry kitten, Lyrica looked around.

“Miss Lyrica Barnes.”

Lyrica jumped at the voice heard in the dark.

Turning toward the sound, there stood a hooded man. He wore a shabby hood, but Lyrica could tell.

He is a tall person.

No, at least rich.

The clothes she wore under his shabby hood looked expensive at first glance, and she knew, above all, by the look of his shoes.

His posture is not sullen and he stands upright. He must have been someone who rarely bowed his head.

“You’re very late.”

“Who are you?”

Lyrica spoke first when she realized he had no intention of harming her, Lyrica talked too.

“I’m here to serve you”.

“Yes?”

Surprisingly, Lyrica rolled her eyes in a circle. Her eyes soon narrowed with suspicions.

“Is it because of the rent? If not— “

“No, Miss Barnes’ mother asked me to bring Ms. Barnes.”

At an unexpected remark, Lyrica was surprised and asked back.

“My mother? Me?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to her? Did she get arrested? If it…….”

“Let’s go and listen to the details. I’m just an errand man. You’d better go from the back so you don’t get caught.”

At the man’s words, Lyrica crossed her arms and spoke firmly.

“I will tell you that I do not follow people I don’t know.”

At the moment, the man looked embarrassed. He introduced himself after thinking for a while.

“I’m Lauv Wolf.”

“So?”

With that expression, Lyrica looked at him, and he spoke in a serious tone.

“Actually, Miss Barnes’ mother is very sick.”

“Yes?”

“She had an accident and asked me to bring you. She is desperately looking for you.”

“I can’t believe it.”

Lyrica didn’t know what to do.

Her mother had an accident? What should she do? Did she get hurt while trying to force herself into the Imperial Palace ball?

My heartbeat was hard when I remembered how I was screaming and crying last night.

“Go, go. Hurry up and go!”

“This way.”

Lauv hurriedly opened the back wallboard.

The intact wallboard was missing, but Lyrica did not even recognize it.

Lauv took her out of the dark alley quickly.

When she came out of a slightly larger alley and whistled, the hidden wagon came to the front and stopped.

“Oh my god…”

It was the first time for Lyrica to see such a large wagon this close. And it’s her first time riding a wagon.

Lauv opened the door and helped Lyrica climb the wagon. The wheels were so big that she couldn’t climb the wagon alone.

He advised the restless Lyrica.

“Miss Barnes, you shouldn’t trust people this easily.”

“?!”

Embarrassed, Lyrica was about to say something, but the carriage door closed.

When the carriage came to a stop, Lyrica stuck to the corner of the carriage, like a crippled cat.

She thought she believed in her senses too much. Perhaps because she had been exposed to danger, Lyrica had a very good sense of bad things.

Thanks to this, she doesn’t know how many times she avoided dangerous things.

This is something that even the shoe polisher acknowledged her.

She wasn’t feeling well, so she stopped being vigilant.

Grabbing the handle, saying that she’ll never go out and she shoots her eyes that she’ll hold on.

Lauv, who opened the door, thought for a moment about what to do.

If he forcefully take her out, she may be going to get scratched, but she couldn’t leave it like this.

“Miss Barnes.”

“Go, go away!”

Even though Lyrica desperately shouted and stared, he didn’t feel the slightest threat.

It doesn’t matter if she scratches herself, but she was worried that he would hurt her in the process. She looks so fragile that even when she does nothing, she may bump into him and break her bones.

“Is it true that my mom got hurt?”

In the meantime, Lauv replied to a question filled with worries as if hesitating.

“No, your mother is in good health.”

Inside the wagon, there were swear words from slum people who were quite plausible and would never have heard of a noble girl.

Eventually, he decided to cross his arms and wait for her to calm down.

Lyrica thought he would kick her as hard as he could if he pulled her out, but when she calmed down, she gradually lost strength in her body.

The scenery seen outside the door of the wide-open carriage captivated her.

She saw a beautiful garden and colorful building that she had never seen in her life.

Even the fountain where the water was rising was making a cheerful sound.

The surrounding area was neither noisy nor looked like a human trafficking site.

Looking around little by little, Lyrica crept her hip and approached the door.

When she approached the door slightly and looked at Lauv, he was out of reach at once.

Peeking her head out of the door, Lyrica looked around.

If you look this way, it’s a garden, if you look over there, it’s also a garden. She even found the well-maintained lawns and deciduous mysterious trees.

“Where are we?”

Lyrica asked, and Lauv gave a simple answer.

“It’s the Star palace.”

“The Star Palace?”

“It’s one of the small palaces attached to the imperial palace. Are you ready to get off now?”

At that, Lyrica grabbed the carriage door tightly. Lauv stared at her.

Lyrica slowly began to enter the carriage.

Feeling that he had missed the kitten that had come out of the hole, Lauv sighed low, and a person ran out of the palace.

“Lyrica? Are you here?”

“Uh, mother?”

Her voice was as familiar as her mother’s, but her outfit was so dazzling.

Lyrica had to check several times to see if her mother was right.

When she found Lydia, who was almost running, holding the hem of her loose dress with her one hand, Lyrica jumped out of the wagon.

“Mother!”

“Lyrica! Thank God. I’m sorry, were you worried? Mom is sorry, It’s all my fault.”

Mom’s clothes were soft and made a good sound.

Her mother’s arms were still warm and her cheeks were soft, so Lyrica said without realizing it.

“I’m really, really angry.”

Very small. Talking about her own dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, her mother did not get angry or push her away but rather hugged her more strongly.

“I know, it’s my mom’s fault. I did something mean. But I couldn’t think of anything else. I’m so sorry. Huh?”

Lyrica felt weak as her mother apologized repeatedly with a crying voice.

“I see. What happened to all of these? Where are we now? What’s going on?”

“Okay, I’ll go inside and tell you everything.”

Mom got up from her seat with a smile and grabbed her hand tightly. Then she looked back at Lauv.

“Thank you.”

“No, Lady Lydia.”

Lauv greeted politely. Lyrica also hesitated and waved, and Lauv also slightly bowed to her.

Lyrica was surprised and hung on to her mother. She has never seen an adult man bow to her.

“Come on, let’s go in.”

Mom started walking with her as if it were natural, and Lyrica glanced back once more as she went inside.

Lauv was still standing in the right position, but soon he was covered by a tree and became invisible.

Moreover, the brilliance of the palace soon captured the young girl’s heart.

Among the various star palaces attached to the Imperial Palace, the Dawn Star Palace, as its name suggests, was built of marble mixed with pink shades, and gold decorations were surrounded. Among the separate palaces, it was simple, but it gave Lyrica an overwhelming sense of pressure.

She looked around the palace holding her breath.

Lydia decided to wash her daughter first. Her brown hair was oily and lumped together, and the nails and under the ears were black.

There were no maids in the palace, but there was no difficulty because a lot of hot water was already prepared.

Lyrica was surprised, saying, “Is this a bathtub?” She was surprised by the filled hot water, surprised at the water turning black like this, and surprised that soap smells good, but it also tastes bitter and stings her eyes.

It was just a surprise.

Sweeping under her solo nails and washing them, Lyrica thought a piece of her leather might have been peeled off.

After applying warm and sweet fragrant oil, Lyrica wore new clothes. She wore surprisingly soft and thick underwear and wore a dress full of lace.

It was her first time wearing such a nice outfit that she couldn’t breathe.

When she wore silk socks and soft sheepskin boots, Lyrica thought that she was dreaming.

Several times, she swept down soft clothes and savored the texture, and her mother came in with light food.

It was my first time tasting a jewel-like sparkling jam on soft bread that seemed to melt.

When she said it was so pretty, her mom told her, “It’s raspberry jam.” When she was thirsty, she gave me a yellow drink, which also tasted amazing. It’s called orange juice, but she doesn’t know what orange is, but the world is really wide and there are many delicious things. She was eating bread in a hurry, but her mother asked.

“Lyrica, were you surprised? Are you okay now?”

Lyrica nodded. She was so surprised that she was out of energy. She thought there would be nothing more surprising.

“What happened?”

As Lyrica whispered, her mother smiled and lowered her voice further.

“You said you’d attend the Imperial Palace Ball.”

“That’s right.”

“I attended the Imperial Palace Ball.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m telling you the truth. So I met his Majesty there.”

“His Majesty?!”

Surprised, the voice rose and then lowered again.

“His Majesty is a very scary person.”

Lydia laughed as her daughter whispered with a worried face.

“It’s okay, your Majesty is a reasonable man.”

She wondered what the connection between the reasonable and the scary was, then Lyrica asked.

“So?”

“So mother will marry His Majesty the day after tomorrow.”

Lyrica was so surprised that she didn’t even know that the bread fell off from her hand. Surprisingly, the soft bread did not make any sound even if it fell off.

Lyrica stared blankly at her mother.

Her beautiful mother is always the pride of Lyrica. Blue eyes that seem to shine even in the dark with golden hair bending.

Today, her mother was even more beautiful. To the point where she can’t recognize her for a moment.

Compared to her mother, she had plain brown hair and half curly hair.

It would be nice if she had hair that could twist like a cloud. However, her Turkish eyes, similar to her mother’s, were her pride.

‘Oh, no. Lyrica. Don’t run away from reality.’

Lyrica shook her head and picked up the bread that had fallen to the ground. Her mother took what she was trying to put in her mouth because it was dirty. But she thought that this place will be cleaner than her own room.….

Looking at the waste of bread, Lyrica said,

“His Majesty?”

“Yeah. Were you surprised?”

With a single smile and a playful look like a child, Lyrica could not tell if it was true or not.

“Really? With His Majesty? My mom? The day after tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Of course, it’s not a normal marriage. I’ll tell you a little secret only to Lyrica.”

Her mother looked around and leaned down.

Lyrica leaned down together.

“Actually, this is a contract marriage.”