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Chapter 8

A kid dressed in thin dirty clothing spotted Nier, stood up from the ground and happily shouted: “Sis Nier!!” The children came out of all different places in the slums like rodents coming out of their dens . All of them were filthy and giving off steam . I honestly can’t stand that smell . It wasn’t because it smelt bad, but because of the chemical smell on them . Where did these children just come from? Nier didn’t mind it at all . She didn’t care that her cape would get smothered with hands prints and hugged a few of them .



The children revealed happy smiles . They crowded around Nier and spoke non-stop . Their gaunt faces were flush from the cold . Their bodies were so thin it looked like the wind could blow them away .

I noticed that their hands were covered in frostbite and blisters from burns . Nier quickly noticed it too . She grabbed the hands of a girl in front of her, pitifully stroked her small hand covered in frostbite and wounds, and said: “What… what… what happened to your hands?”

“Because it’s cold . ”

The children looked at Nier . They looked at her thick white cape with envy . They looked at each other’s thin clothing they wore in all four seasons of the year, smiled bitterly and said: “It’s cold at home, so we go out to look for firewood in rubbish dumps to burn……”

Nier looked at the children’s hands and felt it hurt herself . She held those small hands tightly . Her gaze carried pity and despair . She could only protect the children’s’ hands at times like this, but she couldn’t hold their hands forever . Her cape belongs to the Valkyries . It’s something the empress bestowed upon her so she could never give it to the children .

But at the same time, Nier had nothing . She had no means of helping the group of children .

Winter is a boring season for the empress and me . We’d drink wine, eat snacks and watch actors and actresses put on romantic and heroic plays . There is never a need to be concerned about keeping warm in the palace . There’s never been a lack of fire wood in my room . However, winter is a time where these children struggle to survive as they hang on by a thread . The poor have no income during winter so they have to find ways to brave the cold and get through it .



There’s no firewood and no cotton clothing . While the empire is flourishing, poor people will always exist .

“Sis Nier…… Your majesty…… We beg you…… we beg you…… can you help us? We’ll be grateful if you can just give us some firewood . We just want to warm the room up . ”

The kids looked at us and begged us . Nier looked at me and pursed her lips . I’ve never seen Nier beg me before, but I could see in her eyes that she was begging me . Nier is a Valkyrie who is capable of anything . She can take away anyone’s life yet she can’t protect a single child she wants to protect .

I opened my wallet, took out a few gold coins and handed them to the children . The empire’s gold coins are worth a lot . I don’t think these children have ever seen gold coins . The kids reacted with great surprise and then grabbed the coins and stuffed them into their shirts tightly as though they were afraid I’d go back on my words . They then bowed and left .

Nier stood up and looked at me with a complex expression . She softly said: “Thank you, your majesty . ”

“It’s nothing . ”

I looked in the direction the kids left in, sighed and said: “As a member of the royal family, seeing them suffer like that makes me sad to be honest . ”



Nier stood by my side and looked in the direction the children left in . She lowered her head and in a quiet voice said: “I like children, but I have no way of protecting them…… I…… . I can only grief . It’s just like back then . If it weren’t for her majesty, I would probably have frozen to death on the streets . However, where will… where will their empress be?”

I looked at Nier’s slightly blue expression . I froze up for a few seconds and then laughed . Nier turned her head around with surprise, looked at me somewhat angrily and grumbled: “Is what I said that funny? Or is it that my grief is a laughing matter for you?”

“That’s not it, Nier . ”


I looked at Nier and smacked myself on my chest with a smile, and said: “They may not have her majesty, but they will have his majesty . While I can only do this much now, please believe me in me, I will protect the children . I definitely will . I’m just happy that I finally managed to do something for you . ”

“Your majesty, you aren’t helping me . You are just helping those children . ” Nier turned around and walked towards the workshop of the red-haired lady . I smiled and followed . When we reached the door, I pulled the door .

The door was locked……

Oh, right…… I recall that elves can’t stand cold places . The red-haired lady is Vyvyan and mom’s teacher . I learnt about that from what mom told me . I reckon she’s gone to a warm place to spend winter since she’s an elf .

“It looks like she’s not here…… Forget it then . Let’s head back . ”

“Understood . ”

Nier nodded and the two of us walked out of the slums, and back to the market .

We then noticed a middle aged person in a black robe stood on the auction stage, shouting down at the crowd below . Sometimes a person or two would stop to listen to him, but they would then shake their head and leave . Some stopped, left a few bronze or silver coins behind and left .

“Alright, alright, your time is up . Get off . Get off . Next is the auction!”

Just when I was about to walk over and have a listen, a familiar skinny guy came up and pushed him roughly . He fumbled to pick up those few meagre coins and begged the skinny guy, but the skinny guy just gave him an earful and then pushed him towards the stage boundary . During the spat, that person’s body tilted and then he fell down heavily from the stage, landing right before me .

“You tired of living?! You only get that much time . And look, are there people giving you money? You might as well go and be a beggar! Just sell off that shoddy place of yours and all will be well . What are you struggling for…? My… if it isn’t your majesty . ”

The skinny guy cursed as he raised his head . When his eyes met with mine, he quivered from head to toe . He then revealed a ridiculing smile . He rubbed his hands and continued, “Your majesty, do you… do you want to watch this auction? We got a great new horse . The horse really can run thousands of miles . We have not sold anyone since then, since I must be able to respond to your calls, hehe……”

I waved my hand to brush him off, helped up the middle-aged man and asked the skinny guy: “No…… I’m not interested in horses . But what’s happening here?”

“Him? My, your majesty, you aren’t aware, but you must pay to use this stage . He is trying to get donations for his orphanage and he refused to get off the stage after his time was up . He is in the wrong here, isn’t he?”

I nodded and then said: “I understand now . You continue with your auction . ”

“Say… your majesty, how about I just send that horse to the palace for you? It really is a fantastic steed!”

“No, I’m not interested in horses . ”

Nier watched me help the middle-aged man up, hesitated and then asked: “Orphanage?”

“That’s right, Nier . ”

I looked at Nier, smiled and asked: “That must be like heaven to you, right?”





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