Saint Kassia Memorial. 

An academy that takes pride from its graceful and smart young ladies and gentlemen of various talents, or so they say. 

Faculty members were carefully picked from a wide array of the devoted and passionate list of professionals that had remained so until now ever since the school was founded three hundred years ago.  

But right now, the inside of said school was swept by a virulent storm that could rock its solid foundation down to its core. 

In front of the ten ruling heads of the academy stood two young ladies equal only in their amount of charm. One is a cherubic golden-haired maiden Miss Camilla Bane whose beauty captivates the eyes at a glance. The calm soothing feeling around her is said to stir a man's innate nature to protect and enshrine the frail beauty.

The other is a fiery red-head with a cold indifferent air around her. With huge languid eyes adorning the carved alabaster face, she is both breathtaking and intimidating, yet compelling. 

Between the favoured madonna and the infamous spoiled girl, anyone can already tell who will be found most guilty. 

Inside the private auditorium, the heads of the school are questioning the two ladies about the conduct of people involved around them. Those said people are now seated on the back avidly anticipating the verdict of this meeting as if they are watching an interesting play.

What caused the stir that led to the string of incidents where both of their friends and followers got into a squabble. 

"For inciting discord among your peers, Lady Ayan Elford you are hereby suspended from class for three days."

Inciting discord? All I ever did was help a classmate when they ganged up on her though. This uncle really is blind. She thought annoyed. However, it did not reflect on the outside. 

Upon the unjust declaration of her said transgression, the thirteen-year-old red-head could only look at the platform where the heads sat. Nay, there is neither anger nor resentment in her eyes. Just plain indifference, as if the incident didn't directly involve her. As if it was happening in a faraway place.

"Your answer?"

"I obey."

Three days suspension. Isn't that too short? I want to get more sleep you know… was all she could say while remembering the hellish exam week when most of their teachers conspired to dish out all their test one after another as if it was some grand torture scheme..

Ah, but that's beside the point. She knew they wanted to pin all the blame on her. Despite not having done anything she will be again forced to wipe the slate clean. 

Why in heaven's name she always ended up getting the brunt of everything was beyond her. If one classmate trips on her own foot, rolls down the stairs, it was her fault even if she's standing meters away. No questions asked. 

Once she was also being accused of being a cause of a break-up. The girl indignantly pointed a finger at her saying she seduced her man. Her man was a knight's son who loved to butter his hair with lard and strut around like a peacock.

I'm not the least bit interested in men bathed in animal fat, darlin'. Ayan thought tiredly. She hasn't met those people and she would never want to be with those kinds of people. 

She is known to be anti-social. Hates the crowd. Hates people. Hates noise. 

See? Would someone who hates almost everything associate with the crowd?  

They don't even apply logic.  

Same old, same old. 

It might have been better if there was someone, anyone, who would at least vouch for her innocence. 

A fleeting wish. None in the audience would even make a peep. For some reason, Ayan found the situation hilarious. 

Isn't this a novel made to satisfy young girls? What logic do you expect?

The farce continues. Amidst these sly foxes and poisonous snakes, her heart remained calm. 

Her apparent lack of concern was a clear challenge to the people who wanted to drag her down, but since the verdict was already passed and she willingly accepted, all they could do was clench their fist and grit their teeth.

One of the ten heads made a subtle flinch when she purposefully let her eyes linger a bit to glare. 

Pfft. What an easy prey. 

Ayan smiled sweetly, freezing the atmosphere. The dead silence that descended the hall was rather pressuring. Why is that witch smiling? Is there a calamity coming? Unbeknownst to her, that one little smile scared many out of their wits.

"BANG"

The doors were yanked forcefully, letting a wild animal in. Or at least that is what Ayan could see.

"Adelheid Jade." 

Whispers started as their eyes followed the handsome young man that marched in. Greenish lustrous hair sparkled as sunlight coming from the windows hit the strands. With each step his anger was pronounced.

"Your treatment of Miss Camilla is unheard of."

Hey, hey what about my treatment?   

"In the first place, everyone already knew who started the ruckus. That wretched woman has been a headache ever since." One insolent finger was shot towards Ayan.

She resisted rolling her eyes up to the heavens.

What's so bad defending a classmate against a bunch of hot-tempered and rabid little dames? Am I supposed to watch while they are adamant on drawing blood?

"There is no need to drag an innocent girl in front of this crowd. The farce is over," Adelheid added in a righteous voice, determined to quash her as if she is another form of evil.

Ha, evil. She really hates this kind of setting thus she did not bother reining her sarcasm. 

"I'm surprised," Ayan said in a low voice only the three of them on the rostrum could hear. "For someone who just arrived in school, you can tell with absolute certainty who's guilty."

"I don't need to look twice to see how stained your soul is," Adelheid said coldly. 

Ayan gave a shrug, igniting the brat's temper more. Oh, the look in those eyes was hot enough to burn a tree to ash.

"May I ask why you came?"

Adelheid snorted. "What else? It is to defend the honour of Miss Camilla against a malicious girl like you of course."

"Splendid." Ayan smiled again, her saccharine smile enough to make anyone shudder. "But you came a little too late. Worry not young man, your lady's honour is intact. My horrible self has already been judged."

Adelheid’s momentum faltered. 

"It's over?"

Camilla fidgeted while tugging on his sleeve. Her golden hair swayed as she bobbed her head in assent. Adelheid's face turned into a deeper shade of red rage wishing he could tear that evil little girl to pieces. 

"Good for you Abel," Ayan cheered blandly. 

Adelheid glared at her. "It’s Adelheid."

"Adel," she corrected in a perfunctory manner. "You have successfully done your purpose in defending the weak. Now excuse me, I'm hungry."

She stepped down the rostrum and gave him a playful wink before gracefully exiting the room. If only she looked back she would be able to notice the blood that crept up his face after she affectionately gave him a pet name and winked at him.

"That shameless slut…" Camilla whispered grimly as her beautiful face warped. 

Since it was spoken in a very low voice Adelheid missed the nasty word.

 

(Excerpt from The Prince's Beloved Golden Saintess...) 

---

 

Leaving the Lattice Kingdom wasn't easy. 

When the heavy rain fell, several flash floods followed. When Clayton arrived at their home, Ayan and the twins were already frightened to tears. The skies rumbled nonstop, rocks and fallen trees rolled down the mountains along with water washing the whole plains. Plenty lost their homes including them.

After the storm, the refugees marched northward to the capital. Clayton took this chance to head southeast to escape from the peering eyes of the king. On the way to flee, they came across several refugees and bandits. They had to hide several times. 

When Ayan fell ill, everything they saved was used to pay for the inn and food. Their resources were exhausted until they successfully neared the border. Unfortunately, the border was in a terrible state as well. As the famine came, looting and killing were rampant. He decided to take a detour in the mountains away from trouble. It has been three days since they came here in the forest.  

With the dinner of roasted chicken and fruits. The family had their first full meal in days after they entered. 

Ayan was suffocated by her complicated dress so, taking advantage of the moon's glow, she went to the stream for a quick wash to remove the burdens all over her body. Taking a pair of scissors from the space, she took off the embroidered bodice then snipped the lacings of the tight corset squeezing her ribs, exchanged it for a white lace bra and wore the bodice once again.

The exaggerated hoop skirt cage was also untied leaving only a petticoat and her skirt. Underneath, she felt breezy because this body only wore loose cotton bloomers, an ancient version of underwear. She was uncomfortable with it so she wore her lace panties.  

Without the complicated dress, her weight was reduced by half. Ayan in this world did not change much except for her flabby body and fuller chest. Instead of her former fifty-two kilograms, she estimated that she is now a hundred or so. 

Old Ayan used to eat like a bird, how could she gain so much weight? It's puzzling. She returned to the cave with a confused head. 

The twins are sleeping now. She threw something in the fire that smelled nice.

"What are you doing?"

She stiffened in an instant. "Insect repellant. The children had a lot of bug bites on their skin. Rest assured it's not harmful."

Clayton was leaning on the cave wall with his bad leg down and the other drawn up. His expression was inscrutable, "So you know how to finally care."

Ayan groaned inwardly. The big brother can hold a grudge. Sadly, she had to carry this sin from here on. 

"Did you really change your mind?" he asked suspiciously. It hadn't been a full day that she clamored to return to Lattice despite her children's pleading. 

She had been bitterly fighting him for taking her away from home to this mountain. All of a sudden she settled down making him vigilant. 

"I mean what I said a while ago. The four of us should stick together."

He added a twig to the fire, then looked at her seriously. "Do it for the children. I won't ask more from you."

"I won't disappoint you."

Clayton draws in a deep breath, "Even if that means not seeing your father again?" 

"Yes."

However, instead of seeing relief there was a humourless smile on his face.

Ayan felt chilly despite sitting near the fire. She knew words are cheap and he was only being cautious because he had no guarantee. All she could do is show him through deeds the difference between the old and the new Ayan. 

Early the next morning under the torture of hard cave floor, she awoke before the sun climbs in the east. Clayton slept near the cave entrance standing as a guard for the three of them. After all, you can't be too sure even when you are in the wild. 

This family's condition was too poor. Living here with only the clothes on their backs, she felt extremely sad by just thinking of the future. Ayan looked at the fairy ring on her finger and made a decision; she wanted to ease their burden.

She walked out of the cave to get things out when she heard faint curses and conversation from the valley on their left. Her heart jumped to her throat.

Ayan ran back to wake Clayton. It turns out he was up already. "There are people.." 

He looked at her for a moment before nodding his head. "Wake the children. We cannot stay here."

They are still near the common roads, if they have thought of going into the forest, for sure other refugees thought the same as well. At least here, they can hunt for game and dig out food.

Clayton deliberately chose this small hidden cave instead of the one at the bottom just in case. In the end, his decision was correct, just a night has passed and people already caught up occupying that place. 

Below, a riot already broke out when a new group of people armed with sticks arrived and mixed with those who had taken camp at the bottom of this mountain.  

"You find anything?" Scarface asked his subordinate.

"Boss, there are women and children but none of them has red hair or twins." 

Another burly man dragging out a woman said irritably. "These are all refugees from the ten cities."

"Spread out, search carefully," Scarface sneered then touched his pockets. 

If the task is successful the client will send more silver. This kind of work is easy so he doesn't mind doing extra. The clues they gathered for days led them here, even the client guessed that the target might choose this path to hide away from the soldiers below. 

Only a weak woman and two scrawny children, how hard can it be?

He looked at the dense woodland ahead. The forest extends to the south and east going on for miles in the rocky mountains and deep gorges. Surely, she won't choose to go in there, but he still has to make sure so they will try to 'visit'.  

Even if she entered that place, only monsters from the abyss await them. There will be no carcass or bones left. 

"Have mercy!" the woman in captive screamed. "I, I know who you are looking for." 

"Speak." Scarface eyed her sharply.

"T-The woman, she has bright red hair..." she stuttered nervously. "I saw her ran down the mountain yesterday and went to town to sell something. She said, she said she needed money to return home, but she fainted when the soldiers came then... then, s-someone came and took her."   

She suspected that it was a noblewoman since she was wearing good clothes. She wanted to ask for a little money, but the wretch shook her head. 

A lame man carried her up the mountain again. They ran into their group, but soon disappeared. When she went out to find firewood, she heard children crying. 

Scarface smiled maliciously. The target is still around here somewhere. After getting the information, he kicked the woman to the side making her vomit blood. 

But at least she's alive. She thought clenching her fists.