Terrified, Lotty began to cry, and Sophia told a man to drag her away, “I have to teach this useless brat a lesson.” There was a sound of something whisking through the air, and soon the rod came flying down onto Freya’s back. Crashing to the ground, she bit her bottom lip hard. Sophia reacted even more harshly when the child cried, and the ensuing beating made it feel like her back was on fire.
“Auntie. It was all my fault,” Freya sobbed. Watching her thick tears falling to the ground, she could barely open her mouth. Freya still couldn’t get used to the pain, even though she’d experienced many whippings before.
“You know what will happen if you try to steal my money. I will feed you to the crows!”
Sophia was huffing and puffing when someone came and said, “Miss Sophia. The owner is here.”
Freya was relieved to hear that he had returned, and she smiled to herself. Throwing the rod away quickly, Sophia hurried to meet him, leaving Freya alone.
“You see? I have the worst luck,” Freya sobbed while using her hands to push herself up. Her back felt so hot that she couldn’t straighten it properly, but she was glad that it was only a short beating. A few days ago, one kid, who couldn’t endure the pain, had died.
Was it Serena? Her name had faded from Freya’s memory, but she would never forget the image of her lying dead, with her eyes wide open.
Freya’s condition had worsened by the next day, but she couldn’t get any medical treatment. All night she had been drenched in a cold sweat, but all she could do was lie in bed. She knew that she couldn’t show off any signs of being in pain because hurt kids got thrown away. Things didn’t end well for the children who didn’t receive meals nor treatment, and she didn’t want that to happen to her, so she forced herself to get down to the dining room.
When she sat down, she received a bowl of porridge, and for some reason, there were bread crumbs sprinkled on top of it. A faint smile formed on her face, then the children all rose from their seats and said in unison, “Good morning Mr. Shiloh.”
The tall man with a slightly bent posture appeared in the dining room with Sophia right by his side. “Everyone sit down and eat,” he said kindly.
After he spoke, all of the children lifted their spoons and began eating the porridge. The man, who wore a shiny suit and a gold watch, that did not suit the shabby dining room, drank only a glass of wine, perhaps because the meal was not to his liking.
“Mr. Shiloh. How was your visit to the capital?” Sophia asked.
“Sophia, I’m not in the mood for small talk. I’ve had a headache since this morning.”
“I’m sorry,” Sophia shut her mouth, pretending to enjoy the soup in front of the man while some children secretly giggled at her.
“By the way, last night, I saw Lilly go to her room,” Mr. Shiloh commented. As soon as the orphans heard this, they voiced their guesses, one by one.
“Did she secretly get a gift or something?” One of the children asked.
“If she did, then she gets to go to the capital with him!” Another child whispered. “I am jealous of her.”
When a child reached a certain age, they went there. Perhaps they got to meet their new family since they were never seen again by the orphans. Even though Freya was never hurt when she saw kids disappear, she often got lost in complicated thoughts about their fate.
Freya couldn’t take a break from work because she was sick, so she walked at a slow pace because her body ached, and her clothes rubbing against her wounds made her groan.
“Hey, Freya. Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m fine,” Freya said bluntly, turning a blind eye to Lotty’s worried face. Today they had to earn a lot of money, no matter what. If they didn’t, there was no way of telling how bad Sophia would beat her. Tears welled up in her pretty green eyes as she sat down on the cold ground, and a foul smell came from the pus of her wounds that stuck to her clothes.
“Help me!” Lotty, who was watching Freya grumble, reached out her hand to a person walking by. But she kept hesitating to speak, most likely because it was her first time trying to beg properly.
“Hey, if you can’t do it, rather draw on the sidewalk or something. I’ll do it.”
Freya reached out to try to pull Lotty toward her, but Lotty opened her mouth again, “Please help me. If we don’t get money, my friend gets hit.” A gentleman walked over and threw a silver coin in the bowl, looking amazed that such a small child could speak so clearly. Lotty’s eyes widened when she picked it up, “Hey, Freya. Look at this. I got it!”
“Good job.” Unlike Freya, Lotty had some talents, like pretending to cry or pretending to be hurt, and various other ways of begging. Thanks to that, the two kids could earn a lot more money than they did yesterday.
Suddenly, a loud growl emanated from Lotty’s belly. Ignoring it, Freya carefully stood up as her wounds were getting worse, and tears formed in her eyes again because it hurt even if she stood still. There was only one thing on her mind. I want to eat some porridge or bread or some snack until my belly is full!
It had been more than half a day since they’d eaten a small bowl of porridge. Freya’s vision was blurry, and a horrid smell came from her mouth. When she looked at her coin pouch that was full of coins, greed slowly blossomed. But then she remembered Sophia’s eyes, and she was able to cast aside her need for the money.
“Lotty. Let’s go.”
They walked down the street after putting their pouches in their pockets, and when they reached a bakery, the savory and sweet smell was overpowering. Freya’s empty stomach grumbled as drool oozed down her chin. She tried to ignore it and decided to pass it by, but it looked like Lotty was running toward the bakery, and she yelled, “Lotty! Don’t!”
She limped after her friend and saw that Lotty was stuck by the front window, with her white nose mashed against the glass, looking like she was lost, in a daydream.