Chapter 33 (1) - A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Bastard Aristocrat

Once upon a time,there was a girl.

A girl who carried the weight of the world's misfortune on her own.

The girl had no family.

Her father had run away with another woman when she was four.

Her mother had been beaten to death by a client while working at a brothel when she was six.

And her younger brother, her last remaining blood relative, had died of starvation when she was seven.

Because of this, the girl was always alone.

She had to live a fierce life with no one to lean on.

She had to beat down children in the same situation as her just to get a piece of moldy bread.

The streets were teeming with crime and poverty.

The girl struggled to survive.

-Sister... I'm... hungry...

The girl remembered the warmth of her brother's hand clutching hers until his last moment.

She also remembered her own helplessness, unable to feed him anything but muddy water.

The world was vile, cruel, and filthy.

During the day, she had to fight for food amongst a pack of starving wolves.

At night, she had to run and hide from slave traders who kidnapped pretty children, her heart pounding in her chest.

The girl desperately clung to life.

She used any means necessary to protect herself.

But the world still refused to let her live.

"......"

One winter, a particularly harsh cold settled in.

The girl finally collapsed.

Death loomed in the alleyway, filled with a chilling coldness.

She blinked her sleepy eyes and looked up at the infinitely blue sky.

White snowflakes were fluttering down like blessings.

It was as if the whole world was mocking her miserable end.

The girl quietly closed her eyes.

A hot line was drawn on her cold cheek.

If she lay here like this, she would either freeze to death or be kidnapped by slave traders.

It was a fitting end to a life that had been like a mud puddle.

The girl let go of the will to live that she had been desperately holding onto.

She wanted to stop now.

She was too tired to get up and fight the world again.

Her body, stiff from hunger and cold, no longer moved, and she had no confidence that she could survive this deep, icy season.

The girl thought to herself.

I will die here.

At the bottom of this filthy misfortune.

On the side of this ugly world.

I will die, hating everything.

I will close my eyes, cursing the whole world.

The girl repeated these words to herself.

But.

Why was it?

Even though she had made up her mind so calmly.

The girl's tears wouldn't stop.

No, it seemed as if she was becoming even more heartbroken as time went on.

The girl desperately rolled her eyes in her blurring vision.

She desperately searched for someone, her gaze moving frantically.

Who?

Even the girl didn't know.

She just kept rolling her eyes.

The girl was dreaming a futile dream.

She was clinging to the hope that something would appear to save her.

Even after living such a miserable life, she was dreaming of an extravagant hope.

However, a wish is just a wish.

Naturally, no one appeared before the girl.

The girl knew too.

That the time had come to let go of her lingering attachment.

That there was no place in this world where she could stand.

"Excuse me......"

She had definitely thought that.

"Are you alive...?"

Until someone spoke to her.

"......?"

"You are alive...!"

When the girl opened her eyes, she saw a boy who looked to be around her age.

He had a face that was both cold and cute, and his movements exuded elegance despite his young age.

And he had black hair and eyes, a color she had never seen before in her life.

The boy's hair and eyes, which created a mysterious atmosphere, were clearly black, yet they emitted a silver glow.

The girl stared at the boy, mesmerized. Sᴇaʀᴄh the Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The boy smiled softly at her.

It was a wonderful smile.

It was also an expression that no one had ever shown her in her short life.

"Look at all these wounds...! Oh, what should I do?! Here, at least wear this!"

A warm sensation enveloped the girl's body with a flutter.

It was the scarf that had been around the boy's neck.

The girl, unfamiliar with the warmth of another person, froze for a moment.

The boy, unconcerned, reached out to her.

"You don't seem to have anywhere to go... Come with me, I'll get you warmed up."

"......"

The girl hesitated for a moment, looking at the boy's cheeks, red from the cold.

Then, with trembling hands, she timidly grabbed the boy's sleeve.

The boy smiled warmly once again.

He lifted the collapsed girl into his arms and stood up.

"My name is Raiden. What's your name?"

The girl shook her head at the question.

She, who was born and raised at the bottom, had no name.

Seeing her reaction, the boy nodded as if he understood.

"You don't have a name......"

"......"

"Hmm... Then what should I call you...?"

The boy pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

"Rachel... How about that?"

"......?"

"It's your name. You'll be staying at our mansion at least for the winter, so you'll need a name."

The boy, suddenly giving her a name.

The girl felt puzzled by his actions.

"Is that... okay...?"

But at the same time,

the girl thought the name wasn't bad.

-Nod...

As the girl nodded silently, the boy smiled as if relieved.

"Let's go, Rachel. You're my family from today onwards."

The boy said as he started to walk.

The girl, somehow embraced in the boy's arms, left the streets behind.

And so, the girl met the person who would save her life.

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