Chapter 8 - An Unexpected Gift

Nobody believed in Maylie’s innocence except Azriel, who came forward at that moment and spoke up.

“It must be Lady Deborah who borrowed those earrings. They should be in her jewelry box.”

And just as she had said, the earrings were found in Deborah’s possession. She had not meant to steal them, but she had forgotten to return them after borrowing and wearing them for a day without her mother’s consent. Of course, Deborah did not admit her fault. She insisted on her innocence in front of her mother.

The Countess chose to punish Azriel instead of revealing her daughter’s fault before all servants.

“Come to think of it, you must’ve stolen them and hidden them in my daughter’s jewelry box when things got out of hand!”

The Countess was aware that Azriel did not steal them, but the truth was meaningless to her. Azriel was whipped severely and locked in the castle’s dungeon for a month as punishment. The other servants believed the lie that Azriel had stolen the earrings. Others shut their mouths even after knowing the truth for fear of reprisal. Those individuals were the ones who spoke ill of Azriel and swayed the general opinion of her.

“She was only punished that much for stealing Madam’s item,” the servants and maids would gossip. “Why is that slave favored so much?”

Maylie, who had barely managed to escape her false charges, found the atmosphere very peculiar. She snuck into the dungeon to visit Azriel and thank her.

“Why does everyone think you are responsible for it?” she asked. “Madam punished you to cover Lady Deborah’s fault!”

“It is convenient for them to believe that,” replied Azriel.

“Convenient? What is?”

“It’s more comforting to believe that a slave girl has misbehaved rather than think that the madam they had been serving would unjustly accuse someone or to admit that they turned a blind eye to the injustice out of fear when they knew the truth.”

“Are you saying that they believe her because they feel more at ease believing you’re the thief? That’s nonsense! What makes it so convenient for them?”

“It’s just easy for them to feel that way because I’m already someone detestable.”

Azriel had been 14 then. Maylie could not believe how calmly she was speaking despite her age. She gazed at the girl crouching beyond the bars.

“Don’t you think it’s unfair?” she asked.

“It is unfair.”

“But how can you be so calm?”

“I’m not calm. I cried.”

“Don’t just cry about it! upset, instead! Tell everyone not to do that!”

“A slave like me?”

Slaves were not considered human. There had been disputes in the capital over continuing the practice of slavery, but at the time it was still largely in practice. Maylie also had held a vague belief that slaves were different beings until she encountered one who helped her to this extent. She was at a loss for words. After agonizing over the situation, she asked Azriel another question.

“Th… Then, why don’t you try not to be hated by others?”

“How?” asked Azriel.

“Well, umm… Listen to others well, do what you’re told to do diligently, and be nice…?”

“Do you think I’m hated because I don’t work hard enough or I’m not nice enough?”

“…”

Maylie suddenly felt embarrassed and shut her mouth. Azriel was neither mean nor lazy. She was just a meek girl who quietly did what she was ordered to, and she was someone who had come forward and put herself at risk for her even though it was none of her business. Despite this, Maylie had avoided her. She had thought her to be a slave who was obviously different, from another ethnic group and someone that people hated anyway.

As Maylie wavered, Azriel continued, “People who hate because they need something to hate don’t change easily.”

“…”

“But if I try harder, maybe they will decide to hate something else. If I don’t think as much and be blindly obedient and kiss up to them, it might get a little better.”

“R-right! You are too quiet… If you flatter other people more, the head maid or others might be fond of you. You look so cute, you know…”

“But Maylie, if I were to live like that, I wouldn’t have come forward this time, either.”

“… Uh, uh…”

“If I have to lower and devalue myself to gain the favor of others, then it’s not real favor. I don’t want to try hard to earn such fake favors and make myself unworthy.”

Maylie vacantly gazed at Azriel. The girl under the shade of the dungeon stretched her back and sat up straight.

“I don’t want to become servile,” she whispered. “I won’t live that way.”

Those words did not seem to belong to a slave. 

Maylie unknowingly raised a question, “Are you a slave for sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Have you been a slave from birth?”

“…No.”

“Then what were you originally?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You… Aren’t you in fact a princess of some sort from some country who became a slave for a reason? And when the people of high standing come for you, all the people who bullied you will get knocked away?” 

Behind her bars, Azriel burst into laughter. Since she continued to laugh for a long time instead of responding, Maylie’s face reddened.

“Wh-why are you laughing? Did I say something weird?”

“No, it’s just funny. And thank you.”

“Thank you? What are you thanking me for?”

Azriel had not answered Maylie then. At age 14, after hearing Maylie’s fantastical imagination and bursting out into laughter, she was finally able to set down her hopes that ‘that person’ would come and find her. She realized then how delusional and vain her expectation had been. From then on, she began planning preparations to run away. It was around that time when she met Warden at the bookstore and found a way to make money whenever she was sent to run errands at the market. After the abominable practice of slavery was abolished thanks to the King of Aucandor, she realized she could very well escape if she managed to raise more money. Maylie had become her friend after that day they spoke in the dungeon and became privy to her plan. Whenever she would run errands, she would stop by the bookstore to receive jobs for Azriel.

* * *

Once Azriel finished eating her bread, Maylie handed over a water bottle from the basket.

“Thank you,” Azriel accepted it graciously. “I haven’t had anything all day. I feel like I can finally breathe now.”

“No problem. By the way, Azriel, how’s the preparation to leave going?” Maylie asked.

“I need to raise some more money. Whatever I do, I’ll have to bribe someone. I need to think about the cost of getting an identity and my living expenses until I get another job.”

“I hate to say goodbye to you… but you’d better leave quickly.”

“Why?”

Instead of answering her right away, Maylie carefully cut the chocolate pie in half. While handing it over to Azriel, she hesitated.