“Hurry up, Lola Bell!”
On the rugged mountain path.
A dragon carriage loaded with goods was struggling up the mountain road.
Seated at the front of the dragon carriage were a man and a woman. The man had a thick beard, and in his hand he held a whip, urging the dragon carriage forward. The woman sat beside him, her belly noticeably swollen—she was clearly pregnant.
Trailing behind the dragon carriage was a little red-haired girl, about eleven years old. She wore a simple brown cloth dress, and on her back was a bundle bigger than herself, seemingly stuffed with clothes.
Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks as she trudged forward. With every step, it felt as if her feet were weighed down by heavy stones, her legs soaked in acid—pain and exhaustion constantly gnawed at the spirit of this young girl barely in her teens.
Alongside the dragon carriage walked a woman with short silver-white hair. As she moved ahead, she would frequently turn back to glance at the girl behind her, worry plainly written on her face.
“Hurry up, Lola Bell!”
“We have to deliver these clothes by tomorrow morning, or if the noble masters get upset, we won’t earn a single coin!”
Seeing Lola Bell slowing down and falling further behind, Mr. Eve grew more and more irritated.
This batch of custom clothes had been ordered by a noble in the city—a rare business opportunity. The noble promised a generous reward if the delivery was made on time.
So, Mr. and Mrs. Eve had Aurora working day and night for over ten days, a leaf clamped between her lips, tirelessly making these clothes, and as soon as they were finished, they set out for the city to deliver them.
Before leaving, Aurora had been heavily made up, dressed in the finest clothes the Eve family owned. Mr. and Mrs. Eve told her to show more chest and leg in front of the nobles, and to keep her makeup from being ruined by sweat, they didn’t let her carry a single item.
Aurora understood their intentions. Though she was a thousand times unwilling in her heart, she still complied for the sake of Mr. and Mrs. Eve.
Thud.
Suddenly, a sound of something hitting the ground came from behind. Aurora turned and saw that Lola Bell had fallen.
A terrible gash had been scraped across her knee by a stone, and dark red blood oozed slowly from the wound.
“Lola Bell!”
Aurora turned and rushed anxiously toward her, but before she could take more than a few steps, a man’s arm blocked her path.
He reached Lola Bell first, lifting her pain-stricken face with concern, looking her over. Not seeing any other wounds, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In the next instant, his worried expression vanished, replaced by sternness.
He spoke in a harsh tone, “Get up, Lola Bell!”
“Dad, my leg hurts so much, I want to rest for a bit…” She clutched her wound, blood still seeping through her fingers.
“You’re already eleven. You have to be strong, do you understand?”
“Be good, get up quickly. We still have a long way to go.”
“Mm…”
With her blood-stained hand, she wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, then tried to stand up…
But as soon as she straightened her leg, the pain from her wound intensified, and she couldn’t help but squat down again.
Mr. Eve clicked his tongue in annoyance, grabbed her thin arm, and roughly pulled her up from the ground.
She staggered, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and stood up, enduring the pain.
“Hold on a bit longer, just endure it and we’ll be there soon.”
With that, Mr. Eve headed back to the dragon carriage.
Before leaving, he lowered his voice and muttered, “If only you had been a boy…”
These words reached Lola Bell’s ears. She silently wiped her tears again and forced herself onward, despite the pain.
She couldn’t understand why, ever since her mother became pregnant, she, once showered with love, was now neglected. Especially after the apothecary told Mrs. Eve that the child was a boy, her parents’ attitude toward her had done a complete about-face. Now, she couldn’t even get enough to eat.
The weather was at its hottest.
Blood dripped from her pale, thin legs onto the ground as she walked, her body soaked in sweat. Her face was ashen, and she felt faint and dizzy…
Suddenly, she kicked a stone and stumbled, falling toward the ground.
Just as her face was about to meet the dirt, she felt a tug at the back of her collar, and her fall stopped just a foot above the ground.
She lifted her head slightly and met Aurora’s gentle gaze.
“Let me help you carry some things, Lola Bell.”
“Big sister…”
Aurora righted her, and just as she was about to take some clothes from Lola Bell’s back, a harsh shout stopped her.
“Don’t touch that, Aurora!”
It was still Mr. Eve, his brows furrowed in anger as he strode over.
“Lola Bell, can’t you just hold on a bit longer? We’ll be there by morning, and then there’ll be a seat for you on the dragon carriage to ride back.”
“You can’t trouble your sister, understand? If her makeup gets ruined, how will she—”
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He cleared his throat with a couple of fake coughs and continued, “When we get back, Dad will buy you a new dress, okay? Be good, just finish this last stretch.”
Aurora, hearing this lie for what must have been the hundredth time, couldn’t help but say, “But Dad, Lola Bell’s injury is too serious. Can’t I just help her carry a little? Just a little?”
“No! Just make sure your makeup stays perfect!”
Aurora’s gaze dimmed. She looked at the stones by the roadside and said in a low voice, “I understand…”
With that, she walked over to the roadside.
After she left, Mr. Eve continued to scold Lola Bell relentlessly, only stopping when his throat was nearly hoarse.
“Ah!”
A woman’s scream suddenly came from the direction of the dragon carriage. Mr. Eve looked over in alarm, only to see the woman staring in horror in the direction Aurora had gone.
“Can I help carry some things now, Dad?”
Following the sound, Mr. Eve was left speechless with shock.
Aurora’s once delicate and beautiful face now bore several bloody scratches. In her right hand, she held a stone still stained with fresh blood.
She had followed Mr. Eve’s wishes—her makeup was not ruined, she had simply added some even more vivid red to it…
*****
“Master? Master!”
Her thoughts were suddenly pulled back.
Lola Bell withdrew her gaze from the mountain road outside the dragon carriage.
In a blink, she saw the Butler’s questioning eyes.
“What is Master thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Forgive me for asking too much.”
Ever since her master returned from the Castle, it was as if she’d become a different person—always talking to herself, and constantly mentioning her big sister. Yet, as the Butler, he never recalled his master having a sister.
But as a Butler, it was not his place to inquire further. That was basic etiquette.
“Master, we’ve arrived at our destination.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Lola Bell got off the dragon carriage and looked up to see a Floating Island.
She spread her white wings, ready to soar into the sky, when suddenly a strange woman’s voice called out from ahead…
“Who are you?”
Looking at the blue-haired woman before her, Lola Bell gave a gentle smile and said, “Nice to meet you. I am a Saint Knight of the First Kingdom, Lola Bell Eve.”
“Do you still need a teacher here?”