Lady Letrace

A woman with white hair, skin and a silver rococo dress watched me as I did the laundry without me noticing.

Using the water spell, Papa taught me long ago, I had the clothes cycle wash in the tub. It was probably the second thing I was most grateful for ah, before I said I had only one thing, scratch that.

Mom had gone back to bed after breakfast.

So the rest of the housework was up to me. As usual.

I looked up in time, finally sensing a gaze.

Her grey eyes were like mirrors that reflected myself, a child with wild curly hair piled atop her head dressed in raggedy oversized clothes as she bent over backwards to wash clothes in a basin half her height.

She was the praised beauty of this town, Lady Letrace. The number one. Even though she was a prostitute she was revered. Rumor was it, she was the lost princess of the royalty that founded our Kingdom, Dweiss. But I don't believe it. Perhaps it was spread to filter out the quality of her customers and ensure they pay double.

Momma, that idiot could have done the same...

Still, even I who found myself de-sensitized to taking rumors seriously ended up standing at attention as soon as I laid eyes on her.

The air around her just felt different, holy almost, I don't how else to explain it.

Her lips curved at me and she dipped in a small curtsy. Even though I'm sure she was just being nice, I still felt touched. Such class was rarely seen in Little Man's Beard.

"You...must be Candace." her bell like voice made me blink twice before answering.

I answered inside my mind and nodded but then realized no sound came out. "...Yes, ma'am." I finally spoke.

"Is your mother inside?"

My gaze lowered recalling her unsightly appearance. "She's sleeping."

"I see..."

"I can get her for you." I offered.

"Oh, that's-

I was already at the door.

"Mommy you have a visitor!"

Agitated, Mom hissed at me, "Tell them I'm sleeping!" Only for her brows to furrow, her gaze fixed behind me. "What are you doing here?!"

Lady Letrace had followed me inside immediately, she held up a small box in her hand with the same small sweet smile from earlier.

"Damage control."

I left the house and went back to washing, I was curious but it'd be annoying if the chores piled up. The walls were so thin, I could hear them talking anyway.

"You don't have to come in to work tomorrow."

"Excuse me?"

"Your body needs to recover."

"And let you take all the credit?"

"Heavens no, I have standards!"

"You mean money."

I sighed. Rowena...really...

"By the way, your daughter outside..."

"What about her?"

"When I heard people talk I thought she would be a bit taller. But she's still so small..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You pushing yourself like this, at first I could understand but leaving such a small child like that to fend for herself... could you honestly die in peace like that? Where's your conscience?"

It wasn't uncommon for a prostitute to die in her line of work, and when they did the money would usually get pocketed by their pimps. I'd always see their kids roaming the streets looking listless and any kids that went to ask for their mother's money would get beaten to death or near death.

When I was younger I remember staring at them fearing that they could be a mirror of my future.

My scrubbing halted.

"Huh?!" Rowena was oblivious to this of course.

"I heard without her you wouldn't be able to function. People call her The Angel's pillar."

I listened on in a daze. To think people had been gossiping about me...

"HUH?! Who the heck is going around saying such things! I bring home the money!" I could hear her beating her chest. Whenever she was accused of something she would always stick out her chest and beat it.

I tossed the white clothes I washed into a tub with clean water to rinse. A sigh weighing on my soul. I missed my Mom. My real Mom. Even though she was a handful, at least she loved me. That love, I didn't want to trade it for anything. At that moment I missed her more than anything else in the world. My eyes watered.

"Maaaaawmmm..."

A shadow fell over me as I whimpered and when I looked up, a child dressed in a navy uniform crash landed into the tub.

"?!"

A child with wheat colored skin and hazel eyes blinked back the water in his eyes, it scrunched up at me, registering my existence and his current predicament.

"Ahh...sorry!"

My gaze stared at the muddied white dress. It was one of mother's and I naturally couldn't care less but it was expensive... She needed to dress pretty to rake in the dough.

The child tried squirming out of the tub but his butt was stuck.

"..." I held the tub by the base and he popped out of the tub.

"Whooo, sank you!"

"Wahahaha!" Up above, cackling on the rooftop of one of the neighbor's homes was a blonde kid pointing his finger. He was dressed in a navy blue uniform as well.

"You!- the kid was ready to go after him but I grabbed his sleeve.

"...eh-huh?!"

I held out my hand. "Compensation."

"eh?"

His uniform looked like it was custom made. His black boots were so shiny I could see my own reflection. My instincts screamed I couldn't afford to let him go.

"Compensate!"

"..." He fished in his pocket and tossed me a gold coin before scaling the fence and onto the neighbor's roof like a wild monkey.

My eyes glistened at the gold coin and pocketed it as the door flew open.

"What's that racket?!" Rowena and Lady Letrace came out.

"Boys?"

The boys on the roof who were punching each other paused and stood at attention at the sight of Lady Letrace. They saluted her and chanted in unison.

"Greetings to Lady Letrace!"

Rowena looked to her, then back at them in slow loading fury. "Who the heck-

Lady Letrace gave a calm explanation. "They're wards of my brother's." She then addressed them. "Boys, It's rude to trample on rooftops. These house rooves aren't sturdy."

They leapt onto the makeshift trash fences and down into our yard and knelt.

"Any who about our conversation from before..." She spoke casually as the boys remained in that frozen stance. What was this, was her brother in the military?

Lady Letrace turned to leave. "They'll be gone tomorrow anyway as they'll be entering the dungeon."

Rowena's face became red.

"Why isn't that the first thing you should have said?!"

Lady Letrace sighed.

Her gaze flickered to me, I looked away suddenly feeling self-conscious, embarrassed. My hands balled up into fists.

She and the children left together, Mom was fuming.

"That woman is so annoying!"

The visit left my heart feeling a lot lighter but also extremely dirty. I fingered the golden coin in my pocket.

My golden ticket out of here!