Where are you going?

"I'm nothing more than an empty shell."

Astraea exited the woods and returned to the cabin, but there was something she didn't realize. The princess believed her brother had murdered David. However, If she had looked more closely at the body, she would have noticed that his feet were not severed. They were torn apart by something with inhumane strength. If Astraea had looked for more external injuries, she would have noticed the fang marks on his necks that only one creature can leave.

But Astraea was oblivious to this as she contemplated how to make her brother pay for killing David when they were finally becoming closer, despite the fact that her actions were motivated by obligations rather than feelings.

When Astraea was almost to the cabin, she took a turn, and the more time passed, the further she got away from the tiny abode. A massive gate, similar to all the gates found at the entrance of a nation town, and like all the gates for villages that housed the royal family, the gate of this town was golden, while the gates for villages that only housed commoners were silver.

To get past these gates and into the towns, one had to be of high class, have authorized access slates, or pay a significant amount of money. People of high social standing only needed their family crest to enter, whereas authorized access slates were items given out by the king to those he allows to enter and leave his towns at their leisure. They are small rectangular stone tablets with the royal crest engraved on them.

Astraea walked away from the gate because she lacked the necessary items as she had arrived unprepared. She walked along the tall wall that barred unauthorized entry, but the wall wasn't as perfect as it appeared.

When she came to a halt, Astraea looked at the end of the wall and saw an opening large enough for her to squeeze her way through. Astraea was thin and had difficulty passing through the hole, so whoever made it was quite small.

She checked her surroundings to ensure that no one had seen her entry. She dashed to blend in with the crowd after confirming. The appearance on Astraea's face drew a lot of attention. Many people were openly admiring her features. Astraea sat on a crate on the sidewalk, staring at the palace she planned to infiltrate one day. She had no willingness of approaching the king, and her first priority was to become a Vampire-Sorceress, but she'd leave marrying the king to chance.

Astraea climbed off the crate and began exploring the town, observing the people as she went. She noticed a lady arguing with a young man. "You've been begging for food every day, and now all of my fruits have been eaten. Do you think I'll believe this is a coincidence?" The woman said as she waved a half-eaten apple in front of the drooling young boy.

"It wasn't doing." He denied. The young man was defenseless; no one had seen who ate the fruits, and no one would defend him by claiming he was elsewhere at the time because he was worth less than dirt to some.

Astraea took a look at the man before slowly approaching the two. "May I be of service to you?" She made a polite offer. She had a gentle expression on her face, which softened the woman.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but you're not needed; this man ate my fruits, and I'll get him to confess."

Astraea smiled at the woman and took the apple from her hand, ignoring her. She brought it up to her nose and sniffed it briefly before turning her gaze to the man, who was filthy and ill-dressed. She gave the apple another look before tossing it at the woman. The lady took the apple and turned to face Astraea.

"He wasn't the one who did it."

The woman frowned, but she was wary of trusting a stranger. "What evidence do you have?"

Astraea laughed and pointed to the apple. "Does that resemble bite marks made by human teeth?" The woman leaned forward and stared intently at the apple, realizing that what the young girl had said was correct.

"Can you tell me your name, dear?" With a kind, apologetic smile, the woman inquired.

"Astraea."

"I am Jane, thank you," the woman said as she nodded. "I am sorry for accusing you and not hearing you out," she said as she bowed her head to the ill-dressed man. Astraea could hear the woman's sincerity in her voice, and despite her harsh words earlier, Jane appeared to have a kind heart.

The boy sighed with relief, and his stomach growled with hunger. They were silent for a moment, looking a little lost, before the two burst out laughing, turning the boy a deep red with embarrassment.

Jane laughed "Let me treat you to a meal as an apology for my actions. Bothe of you." The boy wasn't about to turn down a chance to eat food when he couldn't remember the last time he ate anything other than dry bread.

Astraea, on the other hand, opened her mouth to decline, not wanting to impose on the woman, but when she saw the look in Jane's eyes, the girl realized that if she didn't accept, the woman's conscience would be troubled.

She smiled, and the two followed the woman into the two-story structure. The woman led the two to a table, where they sat and watched as the lady summoned a waiter and placed an order.

"What's your name, young lad?" The owner of the bar inquired the youngster.

The young man frowned and muttered something under his breath. "I don't have a name." The woman was used to listening in on other people so her ears picked up on what the boy said, but if she wasn't, her ears wouldn't have picked up on it.

Astraea frowned. "He doesn't have a name?" The young princess has never met or heard of anyone who does not have a name in her entire life. It was something she was unfamiliar with.

As he responded to the girl's confusion, the boy had a sad smile on his face. "My mother died while I was still a newborn, and my father abandoned me. When I was almost dead, I was discovered by a rotten person, who never gave me a name. He referred to me as "boy," but I eventually got away."

"Ah, I see." Astraea hated to admit it, but when she heard about the boy's misfortune, she felt nothing. 'I suppose this is the price I have to pay for power,' she thought sadly.

The worker arrived, placed the noodles in front of the trio, and then departed. "Can you tell me how old you are?" The woman asked the boy another question.

"Nineteen."

The woman looked at Astraea as if she was also inquiring about her age. Jane's eyes widened as she realized how disrespectful she appeared, and she quickly apologized. Astraea brushed it off with a smile. "I'm also nineteen."

She carefully placed a fork of noodles in her mouth to avoid spilling anything. She noticed the building owner staring at her as she dipped the utensil back into the bowl. "Is there a problem?" Astraea inquiried.

"It's unimportant. It's just that you don't appear to be a commoner in the least. Are you possibly a noble lady?" Astraea chuckled and took another bite of noodles.

"You have keen eyes, ma'am." Astraea had tried her best to conceal the fact that she is someone educated, but it seems that Jane noticed some minor flaws in her acting. "However, some things are better left unknown."

*Being educated entails knowing the arts of posture, dancing, and etiquette, among other things. It is only taught to people from noble families.

Jane smiled. "It would be preferable if you weren't. They irritate me." Astraea was taken aback by the news, but they never discussed it again. Some things, as Astraea had said, were better left unsaid. The boy, who was too busy eating to hear the two ladies' conversation, looked up from his empty bowl with a satisfied and blissful expression on his pale face.

The boy looked at the two, who were still eating their meal slowly. He looked out the window and smiled bitterly as he remembered how he had to go back to wandering the streets and wondering when his next meal would be.

He turned around when he heard a sigh and saw Jane had finished her meal and was clearing the table. Astraea stood up and smiled at the two of them "I have to leave now. It was a pleasure to meet you both."

Jane gave Astraea a friendly smile. "Likewise"

Astraea walked out the door, and the boy followed in her footsteps, but he was stopped in his tracks by a voice.

"What do you think you're doing?"