A dreary and depressing life, one that she would have to suffer alone.

For a time she had just accepted that that was just her lot in life.

But then Natalia showed up, and she changed everything.

Natalia was the one who had rescued the young girl who was quietly accepting her death.

It would have been a lie to say that Elillith hadn’t loved Natalia.

It seemed like it should be a lie that someone as lowly and broken should be saved by someone as noble and strong.

It should have only been a lie that someone so brilliant could be so easily killed off.

It was from that day forth Elillith lied to herself that she had no more emotions to spare.

Elillith closed off the last of her mostly shut off heart.

The first and only person she had loved was now gone.

What was the use of a single one of her emotions anymore.

No, it was better to just close her eyes and live out her life as Natalia would have wanted.

Natalia, who she couldn’t help but accept was now gone, still filled her empty thoughts.

Natalia, who was strong, and kind to all.

Natalia, who would save anyone within her reach.

Natalia, who had even accepted someone as damaged as Elillith as a friend.

Even if Elillith hated the existence of [Gifts], she wouldn’t have dared to miss a word that Natalia spoke.

They’d gotten close enough after a few months to speak about them.

Natalia had become a noble even though she’d once lived in a slum.

The two of them would often laugh together and reminisce about life there.

She was an [Apothecary].

She was a [Superior Apothecary], in fact.

She was the highest tier out of all of them in the country.

She was only titled a Baron, the lowest noble title, despite it all.

Natalia had been pregnant when she stumbled across Elillith.

It seemed that Elillith had been dumped dying in a river that led into the backyard of the Kieran manor.

Natalia loved taking walks near the river behind the villa her husband had gifted her.

She often walked there with a guard or two whenever she felt anxious.

When Noth was born, Natalia had shown him to Elillith the day after.

When Elillith saw Noth for the first time she childishly hated him.

When Natalia was in labour, she’d almost died.

When Elillith met Noth she wished Natalia had never gotten pregnant in the first place.

All her life, the only things that Elillith had ever been given to her had been given to her by Natalia.

She’d saved her, she’d given her a job, she’d given her someone to love.

It wasn’t until Natalia died that someone ever gave her something else.

And in a way, even Noth had been given to her by Natalia.

Elillith had resisted Noth’s friendship.

Elillith would never have another friend.

Elillith could never let another person into her heart.

Elillith would proudly be alone forever.

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But didn’t the boy look just like her love?

Wasn’t he the spitting image of Natalia?

How could she stand to be so rude to the one thing that her precious friend had left behind?

There was no way that she could be so cold to someone who looked like Natalia forever.

Elillith had no choice but to give up.

No longer would her life revolve around Natalia.

Now her life revolved around Noth.

Noth would be the axis that she would anchor herself around.

Nothing would stop her from helping Natalia’s final gift to her.

Letting herself feel emotions again was hard.

And yet with each and every year she could feel herself starting to gain more and more of them back.

First only Noth was allowed in her heart, but one day he came back with yet three more children.

And those children quickly wormed their ways into her heart as well.

Noth had given her so very much.

Of course she would be grateful to the young boy she’d watched grow into a young man.

There was no question that the children he treated like family also felt the same way.

How could she not follow him to the new Territory he’d been given along with the children?

The territory looked barren.

Everything was just a bit too hot.

The town was a complete wreck.

But Noth looked so happy about it all anyways.

Noth wasn’t even slightly daunted by how difficult the town would be.

Only excitement seemed to cover his face.

There wasn’t even a single complaint escaping from his lips.

His mother would have been so proud of him.

The servants in the mansion looked like they worshipped him before they even met him.

Elillith could see the shine in their eyes.

It was like they were all looking at their very last hope.

Why hadn’t any of the townfolk they'd passed looked like that?

Mellen, the head maid, seemed the most welcoming of Noth out of them all.

Except for some reason she didn’t seem to like even one of the ‘family’ that he’d brought along.

And maybe she even hated Elillith the most?

Never one to overreact, Elillith did her best to just ignore the head maid’s obvious scorn.

Sadly, ignoring Mellen didn’t seem to be working.

Perhaps she was the type of bully who only grew worse if you didn’t acknowledge her.

The head maid harshly picked on Elillith, and roughly admonished every little thing the children did.

It was easy to see how downtrodden the three children’s hearts were becoming.

Maybe she should say something to Noth?

Even though it was all so obvious to everyone else, the head maid was careful not to let her lord notice.

And Elillith knew how upset Noth would be once he found out someone had been treating his family this way.

Noth’s awareness was the only thing that could stop all this.

…But was it the right thing to do?

The boy was already so busy trying to run an entire town.

He didn’t need these extra problems.

Maybe she would just have to wait until Noth became less busy.

Managing herself and the children so that Noth wouldn’t notice anything was harder than it should have been.

Even though the children had agreed that they shouldn’t give Noth any bigger burdens, that didn’t make the treatment they were getting any easier.

And it was so very hard not to just say something and end their torment.

None of them wanted to go on like this for much longer.

And yet they would just have to hold it all in.

Noth had done so very much for all of them.

How ungrateful of them it would be to just give up and stack more problems onto him right now.

At the very least while they were around him they would be safe from the head maid’s torment.

Mellen didn’t seem pleased how often the ‘family’ would get together.

Elillith had spotted her spying on them during many of their meetings with Noth.

Anytime she found out they were all going to do something together, the head maid seemed deeply displeased.

Nothing but contempt seemed to emanate from her gaze.

Elillith had stumbled upon her reprimanding the children many times in just a month.

Mellen seemed to disapprove heavily of everything Jean did.

She thought Helt was nothing but dependent and worthless.

And she treated Ren like some offensive smelling beast that had wandered in.

How long could they all keep this up?

Elillith didn't think she could let this happen for much longer.

Letting herself be treated in such awful ways was easy, because she’d built up an immunity, but...

People forcing her to watch her young beloved children being treated so meanly?

They didn’t deserve this.

Even she didn’t deserve this.

Noth was going to be so upset they’d kept this from him.

But didn’t he at least deserve to know?

Perhaps it was time she stopped living her easy passive life, and took action for herself.