SOTBW - 62

Amelia was the daughter of a tenant farmer. She wasn’t an only child, but the third of three children. She had two older brothers, who both died at the fortress of Noctis. Their bodies were never found. How could one possibly find them when they were swallowed up by the Serith?

Less than a month after hearing the news of her brothers’ deaths, her father, over sixty, and her youngest brother were drafted into the army. After receiving some basic training, it was clear where they were headed.

Her mother, hoping they wouldn’t be sent to Noctis Fortress, scraped together every bit of money she could find and tried to bribe the officials, but it was to no avail.

Her father and youngest brother returned two months later, dead. Their bodies were not intact, but still, her mother said it was fortunate they could bury them in their homeland.

Now, the only family left was her grandfather, who coughed dryly every day, her mother, who limped, and her two younger sisters, aged only thirteen and eleven. Amelia herself was sixteen at the time.

As mentioned earlier, Amelia’s family had been tenant farmers for generations, and without working the land, the debt they owed to the landowners would only keep increasing. At first, her mother and Amelia worked hard together to till the land. But when all the crops they harvested had to be given as rent to the landowner, Amelia fell into deep despair.

At this rate, they would starve to death. Her mother cried every day, and her grandfather yelled at Amelia to marry off to any man for money. Fortunately, Amelia was beautiful. The landowner’s son tried to tempt her, offering dozens of lira for a single night.

Being born beautiful in a poor family was both a blessing and a curse. Her grandfather urged her to marry quickly while she was still young. In truth, that was the fastest way out of poverty.

Amelia understood this, of course. But the thought of marrying the son of another tenant farmer and living in the same rural village for the rest of her life felt suffocating.

So, without much ado, she left a letter telling her family she would go to Noctis Fortress to find a good husband and left home. Amelia knew her beauty was a valuable weapon.

Noctis Fortress was full of knights and mercenaries, and some of them were surely wealthy. She didn’t mind being a mistress or a concubine. As long as she could live a life of freedom, with money and a glimpse of a new world, anything would do.

The fortress, much larger than expected, was crowded with people. The bustling city atmosphere left Amelia no time to feel depressed as she gazed at the long fortress walls.

By the time she arrived, however, the guilds had begun to vacate their buildings, and the market had shrunk as everyone started migrating to other cities. People in the cathedral clung to coffins, crying, while the sound of hammering metal echoed from places making weapons.

The atmosphere in the fortress was strange. Tension and sorrow filled the air. But Amelia had no time to mourn her family. She needed to earn money. Without it, her younger sisters might be sold into slavery.

Fortunately, Amelia’s beauty allowed her to find a job quickly.

She first worked at an inn, then moved on to a tavern. As the face of the tavern’s sign, more and more people began recognizing Amelia. One day, a drunken knight offered to write her a letter of introduction to a knight’s order, asking her to work there.

Though it was just the ramblings of a drunken knight, Amelia managed to get the letter and visited the order. The head of the order, Didina, initially planned to send Amelia away, but noticing her bold attitude and unusually rough hands, hired her as a maid.

Amelia sent a letter to her family informing them she had been hired as a maid at the Romsoa Knight Order.

She feared that she might have been cut off from her family for acting impulsively, but thankfully, a response arrived quickly. The letter mentioned that her grandfather had incurred a debt of three hundred lira for his medicine. Of course, this was aside from the tenant rent.

Shocked, Amelia explained her situation to Didina and borrowed money. Fortunately, Didina lent her a generous sum, saying she could repay it slowly.

From then on, Amelia focused on repaying her debt, trying to impress the knights by keeping herself clean, combing her hair neatly, and always wearing fresh clothes. Even when doing dirty work, she kept a smile on her face. When her apron got dirty, she immediately replaced it with a new one, and at night, she chatted with other maids to find out which knights had money.

She knew. She knew it was all degrading.

But this was her best option. If she had married some random tenant farmer back home, she would probably be in an even worse hell by now. Amelia hoped someone would choose her quickly. But the knights, while complimenting her beauty, never actually chose her.

Naturally, this bruised Amelia’s pride and embarrassed her. How pitiful it was to be constantly flattering knights who were no better than walking corpses, just to be chosen. But there was no other choice. What else could she do? Working tirelessly as a maid and sending money home while trying to maintain her looks was the best she could do.

But no matter how much she endured, the situation didn’t improve. Time kept passing, and her mother would send letters asking for just a little more money.

The price of grain had risen, so they had taken on more debt. They couldn’t farm, so they had to give up the land to the landowner. Her younger sisters lacked winter clothes, and could she send some pocket money? The neighbors were asking if she would return since someone nearby was looking for a wife. And what was her pay like as a maid, exactly...?

Amelia continued to endure. Her maid salary was much better than what she would have earned as a tenant farmer. But when her grandfather finally passed away, Amelia, instead of grieving over the loss of her family, was consumed with the debt collection notice that had arrived. She just wanted to die.

The notice detailed the expensive medicine her mother had desperately borrowed for her grandfather and threatened that if the debt wasn’t repaid soon, the authorities would report them and turn the entire family into slaves.

In despair, Amelia felt like running away. She wanted to disappear from everything. She wanted to yell at her mother and her younger sisters to take care of their own lives.

But what did her younger siblings know?

Clutching her mother’s letter, Amelia poured out all her resentment, then ran around desperately to find more money. She begged for money from the inn and tavern where she worked, and pleaded with the other maids she shared a room with to lend her small amounts.

One soldier even promised her fifty lira if she spent the night with him. For a moment, Amelia was tempted by his offer. If Didina hadn’t stepped in to help, she might have accepted the dirty proposition.

Amelia’s debt quickly soared past two thousand lira. Afterward, her mother sent more letters asking for money. Amelia sent half of her maid salary back home and split the rest to pay off the debt.

She worked tirelessly every day, but the interest piled up quickly, and the increasing debt began to suffocate her. Now, her only option seemed to be marriage. She needed to hurry. She didn’t care whether it was a rich knight, soldier, or mercenary. Anyone who could offer her a way out of this disgusting poverty would do, regardless of their occupation or status.

The maids who had lent her money began to push her to do the harder tasks or take their shifts on night watch. On unlucky days, she would stand watch for three days straight, cleaning windows while drowsing off.

Sometimes, one of the maids would ask how she planned to pay back all that money. Amelia would respond that she didn’t care how ugly she was, that she could always marry a rich fool who liked pretty women, or even a terribly old man on the verge of death. Or she could become a noble’s mistress.

The maids would laugh heartily, as if she had just told a ridiculous joke.

But Amelia knew the truth. Whether the Serith attacked Noctis Fortress or not, her life would continue on. Poverty was relentless, like a hunting dog that smelled blood, and if she married, that tenacious pursuit would pass on to her children. She’d rather stay here, enduring the mocking words of being crazy, than go back to staring into an empty jar and eating bark.

At first, she considered other options, things she could do in Noctis Fortress. But Amelia knew she couldn’t leave. If she did, she would be considered a fugitive and sent to prison.

Noctis Fortress was shrinking every day, with fewer residents and more soldiers. Instead of bookstores, cafes, grocery stores, and fabric shops, blacksmiths and mercenary guilds were springing up. The black market grew even larger, but most of the women working there were either slaves or prostitutes.

Amelia realized that her life, like her father’s, two older brothers’, and younger brother’s, was bound to end here in Noctis Fortress. Going back was impossible. She would have to die here. But what else could she do besides being a maid?

What could she do, except marry a rich man or become a mistress?

Then, an opportunity came.

“Last night, a Serith body crossed the fortress wall.”

“Someone quietly dealt with that Serith. Lord Elgort is looking for that person.”

Amelia thought that if she missed this chance, she would be forever drowning in debt and die. So, despite Sylin’s oath, she betrayed Najane. She didn’t want to live like this anymore. She wanted to experience things that others had at least once.

But the price of stealing Najane’s achievements was great. Even now, thinking about the Serith’s roar made her hair stand on end. She felt like she was about to die the same miserable death as her family members who were dragged into Noctis Fortress.

Serves you right, Amelia Royan.

She had thought she could escape poverty by marrying well, but now look at her. She was foolish and empty-headed. Thoughtless and naïve. She deserved to die like this. No one would help her. Look at how the life she fought to survive ends.

Amelia trembled like a leaf in the wind, watching the Serith creature open its jaws to devour her. As death approached, she realized she wanted to live. The Serith before her was terrifying, but she couldn’t breathe from the frustration and injustice she felt.

Just then, Najane appeared before Amelia again.

Najane, holding a toy-like sword, spoke calmly.

“It’s okay.”

“I won’t leave you.”

Then, a blinding light flashed. It was so bright it nearly blinded her.

Amelia sat huddled on a low chair, staring at the stew in front of her. It was made from leftover food the knights had eaten, watered down and boiled again. The workers in the kitchen, grateful for the scraps, soaked old bread that had turned as hard as stone in the water and ate the sour-smelling stew quickly.

Since Najane had been confined to the manor, Amelia rarely ate. On the rare occasion she did, it was only a little bread.

As Amelia stirred the stew with her spoon, she suddenly set the bowl down and stood up. Someone nearby, muttering, “She’s full now, huh? That crazy girl,” quickly grabbed her portion. But Amelia didn’t respond and simply left the dining hall. Beyond the hall was the training ground, but today was a rest day, and the knights were quiet.

She sat down on a bench placed for rest as the cold wind blew. Amelia looked in the direction of the manor. Tears welled up in her eyes again, guilt overwhelming her.

Occasionally, Didina would bring news of Najane, but Amelia couldn’t bring herself to believe it. If he were truly doing well in the manor, why was the food always returned untouched? She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears, and bit her lip tightly.

She couldn’t cry out loud, not when she felt so sorry for Najane. It was all her fault. Najane had tried to escape Maximón, but Amelia had gotten caught in her debt. Amelia hated Maximón. Regardless of the rumors or his disregard for life, he was not the kind of man who could make Najane happy. That’s why she didn’t like him.

She had deliberately mentioned the mercenaries to Najane for that very reason. She had wanted him to meet someone more ordinary, someone better.

With a melancholic expression, Amelia kicked the frozen ground with the heel of her shoe. What was Najane doing now? Was he being tormented by Maximón? Lately, there had been strange rumors circulating in the knight order about Maximón and Najane.

That Maximón had forced himself on her to keep her from leaving Romsoa. If anyone could do something like that, it was certainly Maximón. Amelia nervously bit her nails, hoping nothing bad had happened to her. She desperately wished everything would be okay.

A slight trickle of blood formed on her nails. If she hadn’t heard any footsteps, she might have continued gnawing on them until they were ruined. Amelia quickly hid her ugly hands under her apron and glanced around.

She noticed someone walking from the row of knight buildings. The knights’ meal time had already passed. Amelia briefly thought she should inform the kitchen staff about the visitor, but then hesitated. Slowly rising from the bench, Amelia stared blankly at the figure approaching.

It was Najane. Najane waved his hand energetically as he came closer, seemingly having spotted Amelia as well.

“...Najane?”

Amelia muttered in a dumbfounded voice. At first, she thought it might be a dream, so she slapped her cheek roughly. But it was really Najane. Amelia’s eyes, staring at him in disbelief, began to blur with emotion.

She suddenly burst into tears, running to him like a child. Amelia hurriedly descended the slope and threw herself into Najane’s arms. They collided so forcefully that it hurt both of their bodies.

Surprised, Najane quickly tried to check on Amelia’s condition, but she sobbed loudly and wouldn’t let go of him. Najane smiled softly and embraced her tightly. It felt as though he had finally returned to Romsoa.

Najane gently rubbed Amelia’s back and smiled affectionately.

“I’m glad we’re reunited, Amelia. Please, take care of me from now on.”