Chapter 31: The Saintess on the Corpse (3)

An alleyway tucked away in the imperial capital.

Beyond it, a gathering of vagrants.

Prostitutes, beggars, and drifters—people considered the “germs” of society—had gathered here.

After being abandoned by her parents, Charlotte was raised among them.

“Did you make it?! They’re not following us?!”

“They’re not!

Fourteen-year-old Charlotte was running through the alleyways, holding a bundle of stolen fruit in her arms.

Beside her ran a black-haired girl, and Charlotte, with her silver hair, dashed alongside her through the maze of

alleyways.

“This should be enough for the kids to eat.”

“Right? Let’s not go back there for a while though—if we get caught, we’ll be beaten to death.”

The two friends laughed, joking around, and took turns taking bites of one of the fruits they were holding.

Today was a good day.

The man at the fruit stall had fallen asleep under the warm sun, and they’d managed to steal over ten fruits.

They had stuffed their arms with so much fruit that their ragged clothes were about to burst.

They were almost home free, until the woman at the next stall shouted, waking the man up.

Then they ran like mad. If they were caught, they’d either be beaten or dragged off by the guards—neither outcome ended

well.

They dropped a few pieces along the way, but the fruit they still had would be enough for the kids at home to eat one full

meal today.

Charlotte smiled at that thought.

“Ray, don’t eat too much. We’re waiting for the kids.”

Ray shoved the half-eaten fruit into Charlotte’s mouth.

“You’re an accomplice now, too.”

“Swallow before you talk! Not like there’ll be anything left for us anyway.”

Ray giggled. She was the first friend Charlotte had made after being abandoned by her parents.

They’d fought like wild animals at first over turf in the alley, but now she was someone Charlotte couldn’t live without.

After turning and weaving through alleys, they arrived at a crumbling, abandoned house.

That was where Charlotte and Ray lived—an ownerless, broken-down place no one wanted.

As soon as the rotting door opened, five kids rushed toward them. All of them were abandoned children.

If left alone, they would surely have been found dead in the alleys.

So they stayed with Charlotte and Ray, at least until winter passed.

It was unavoidable, but after the winter, they would have to be sent away.

If they didn’t reduce the number, they wouldn’t survive either.

There was a limit to how many kids Charlotte and Ray could care for.

“Charlotte!! Ray!!”

“We’re back!”

“Wow!! Fruit!!”

“Wait, kids! Take it slow!”

The starving kids desperately reached for the fruit in Charlotte and Ray’s arms.

They wanted to divide it up fairly, but hungry kids lose sight of everything.

To fill their own stomachs, they needed to grab more, faster, before anyone else.

That meant some kids didn’t get any.

In an instant, all the fruit Charlotte and Ray brought was gone.

“Told you so, didn’t I?”

“I figured it’d turn out like this too…”

One child, who had just recently arrived, sat in the corner crying—left out and hungry.

She had white hair, red eyes, and pale skin—that’s why she was abandoned.

Maybe Ray noticed Charlotte looking at the child, because she pulled a fruit from her clothes and secretly slipped it into

Charlotte’s hand.

“When did you stash this?”

“I was saving it for myself… give it to that kid.”

“You…”

Ray waved her hand dismissively and walked off to check on the kids still devouring fruit on the floor.

Charlotte approached the little girl sitting in the corner.

Sensing her presence, the girl flinched.

want to eat this?”

The white-haired girl didn’t react. Her tiny shoulders just kept trembling.

“Hey! If you don’t eat it, I will!!”

One of the other kids tried to snatch it, but Ray ran over and smacked him on the head.

“You already had some!!”

“But! She’s not saying anything! She’s creepy! And the way she looks too!”

“You…!”

Ray raised her hand to hit him again but stopped when the white-haired girl cowered.

Ray knew too.

That this child was acting out of hunger.

That she knew she would die if she didn’t eat.

“Come with me.”
 I’m sorry, sis!”

Ray dragged the troublemaker away by the ear.

Charlotte held out the fruit again to the girl huddled in the corner.

The girl glanced up and slowly reached out.

Charlotte placed the fruit in her tiny hand.

“It’s yours.”

The girl looked uncertain, so Charlotte turned her head away to avoid eye contact.

Behind her, she heard the sound of the fruit being gobbled up in a hurry.

She looked maybe four, five years old at most.

How could someone so small be so scared?

When Charlotte turned back around, the girl had finished the fruit and was trying to eat the seed too.

“Don’t eat that part! Spit it out!”

“…No!! It’s mine!!”

Charlotte realized she made a mistake.

Because she said “It’s yours,” the girl thought everything, including the inedible parts, were hers.

Kids who were abandoned didn’t understand the concept of throwing things away.

If they could eat it, they would. If they could take it, they did.

Throwing something away was unthinkable—it mirrored their own pain of being thrown away.

This child was the same.

She believed she could eat the seed, so she refused to let go.

“You said it’s mine!! It’s mine!!!”

“You can’t eat that! You’ll get sick!!”

“It’s MINE!!”

Clutching the scraps of fruit tightly, the girl refused to let go.

Charlotte didn’t want to hurt her by forcing it out of her hands.

Eventually, Ray ran over again and forcibly took it away.

The girl cried and clung to Ray’s leg, begging for it back.

Charlotte felt bad, but there was no other choice.

If she ate it, she’d get sick for real.

Kids in the alleys died from even the smallest illness.

They had to prevent that at all costs.

The girl cried out, voice cracking.

Charlotte didn’t know what to do.

Ray, as if used to this, didn’t even look back.

Charlotte realized there was nothing more they could do.

They walked out, leaving the wailing child behind, to find more food.

“ tonight was a bust.”

“Yeah…”

They had run all over but came up empty.

Holding their growling stomachs, they slowly walked back toward the abandoned house.

But when they arrived, unfamiliar adult figures stood outside.

Who are they in front of our place?”

“Isn’t it that man who brings us bread sometimes?”

They thought it was the kind man who occasionally gave them bread, but instead, it was priests in white robes.

The robes were familiar and comforting—but this was the first time they’d come at night.

“What the hell?! Get lost!!”

“Ray!!”

Ray picked up a wooden stick nearby and threatened the priests.

One older priest, wearing a gold-threaded collar, looked directly at her.

“What do you want?!”

“Is this your home?”

“So what if it is?! Why are you here?! Get lost!”

The priest knelt and met Ray’s eyes.

Ray didn’t lower her guard.

“Winter is coming.”

“So what?!”

The priest calmly held out his hand with a warm smile.

“Come to our orphanage. You’ll be safe and warm through the winter.”

“…Don’t make me laugh. Why should we trust you?”

He said nothing, just smiled.

Then he took a basket full of bread from another priest and placed it in Ray’s arms.

“Don’t worry. We’ll come again tomorrow to check on you. We’ll even treat the sick children.”

The smell of warm, fluffy bread from the basket made the kids’ mouths water—even the ones hiding inside.

“Eat well.”

The old priest gently patted Ray’s dirty hair.

Ray looked like she was about to cry… but quickly scowled and swatted his hand away.

“Get lost!”

“Yes, yes. We’ll go now.”

The priests quietly left. Ray didn’t move until they were completely out of sight.

Ray…?”

“…We got bread! Everyone, come eat!!”

The door burst open, and the kids rushed out.

This time, they lined them up and handed out bread one by one.

The white-haired girl rubbed her swollen eyes and stood in front of Ray, holding out her hand.

Ray chuckled softly and placed a piece of bread in it.

Soon, only one piece of bread was left.

“You eat it.”

Ray tried to push it into Charlotte’s arms, but she tore it in half and held one piece up to Ray’s mouth.

“You need to eat too.”

“…Yeah.”

Ray bit into the bread, her face looking like she might cry again.

Seeing her, Charlotte made a decision.

She’d go with Ray to the orphanage.

They wouldn’t have to dig through trash anymore.

They could survive the coming winter—together.

That was the best choice. Charlotte believed that.

The next morning, the priests returned with freshly baked bread and meat stew.

Before anyone could stop them, the kids ran toward the food.

Ray clutched her head, overwhelmed—but seeing the kids’ happy faces, she smiled.

The white-haired girl came over, holding a piece of bread for Ray and Charlotte.

“Here.”

Yesterday she had cried so much.

Now she stood proudly, her red eyes shining as she shared her food.

“Thanks.”

“You too, big sis.”

Charlotte took the bread, but Ray didn’t. She looked annoyed and stared at it.

“Here!”

The girl practically threw the bread into Ray’s arms and ran off again.

Charlotte and Ray laughed.

What a cute kid.

She cried so much yesterday, and now she was handing out bread.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Being full makes people happy.

The kids were smiling and playing with the priests.

If this was what an orphanage was like, then maybe going there wasn’t so bad.

Charlotte smiled and asked Ray,

“Ray… should we go to the orphanage?”

“…Aren’t you deciding too fast?”

Trusting adults in the alleys was always a mistake.

But Charlotte wanted to believe.

If they could accept all of them—

If this scene could be their future—

Then going to the orphanage might be the right choice.

They locked eyes with the old priest from yesterday.

He smiled warmly and beckoned them over.

In his hand was a book too expensive for them to ever touch.

He was reading it to the kids gathered around him.

“Let’s go, Ray. If we stay here, we might live in this alley forever.”

“…Charlotte, I’m scared.”

“I’m scared of following adults.”

“Ray…”

Charlotte could see her small hand trembling in fear.

They had all been abandoned by adults.

Was it really okay to follow them now?

But winter was coming.

The kids could really die.

If there was even a sliver of hope, they had to take it.

Charlotte held Ray’s hand and interlocked their fingers.

“Are you still scared… even if I go with you?”

Charlotte smiled.

Ray looked like she might cry again… but quickly turned away.

“I’m more scared of going with you, you idiot.”

“What?! Idiot?!”

“…Fine. Let’s go. But the moment it feels wrong, we’re running. Got it?!”

Ray tightened her grip on Charlotte’s hand and ran to the priest.

“We… want to go to the orphanage.”

The priest gently placed his hand on Ray’s bowed head.

“You’ve made a good decision.”

He asked nothing else.

He simply patted their heads.

Maybe it was that warmth that had almost made Ray cry yesterday.

It was different from the adults who had always pushed them away.

Charlotte cried too.

“My name is Theodore,” the priest said.

“If it’s hard to say, you can just call me Grandpa.”

That was Charlotte’s first meeting with the man who would one day become the Pope.