CAM – 29

Shada came from a poor commoner family. Her father was an industrial laborer, and her mother picked up, cleaned, and delivered laundry.

When she was very young, she had two younger brothers; one died of smallpox, and the other died from tuberculosis.

Since they passed away when she was very young, the fact that Shada had younger siblings was sometimes hazy.

What I did remember was when my second brother died, my mother wailed, shrieking and sobbing. My father got furious, fighting while begging a man who was supposed to be a doctor.

Shada, then a young girl, put her eternally slumbering younger brother into a basket and buried him behind a nearby mountain because burying him in the cemetery cost money.

She could barely bring up her past feelings—everything was blurry, but she vaguely recalled crying a lot too.

Although there were such tragedies — which were familiar to ordinary people — fortunately, Shady grew up sheltered and became a maid in the royal palace. This was because he was a native of the capital, and her face was pretty and gentle.

Although she was skinny and plain in her young age, she was inconspicuous and mixed with maids her age, diligently learning to work.

She started working as a maid because she didn’t want to burden her family with an extra mouth to feed and wanted to make money.

It was her life’s joy to send a penny or two to her parents. Shada diligently saved money and dreaming of meeting a good man, marrying him, and having children, and so on.

As Shada became fourteen, her life became arduous. Her breasts swelled, her feminine figure emerged, her face turned creamy and charming, and the atmosphere around her changed little by little.

More and more men flirted with the pretty maid.

Among the dogs was the lover of the maid she was closest to.

Naturally, Shada was blamed. She became known as a bitch who snatched a friend’s man and was ostracized by the maids.

But the most painful thing was that around that time, both of her parents died in an accident. However, the hard work continued without stopping.

Being hit with a strict routine, Shada became increasingly passive and introverted–escaping reality and her thoughts by working like a donkey.

I was lonely, but at least I was less hurt if I chose to be alone.

She learned to hold on her own. She had lived for years like that until she met Princess Julia, and her life plummeted again.

Why do you hate me so much? I didn’t do anything. What great wrong did I commit?

Princess Julia’s beautiful face overlapped with the expression of her fellow maid and ex-best friend who slapped her in the face, inflamed with betrayal and jealousy.

In fact, Shada didn’t do anything to make her angry, but the Princess was malicious and unreasonable. Such evil came from insecurities and fears.

Shada became terrified and despised the Princess.

At first, she felt hesitant about whether she had done something wrong, but then one time, Shada was blamed when her hair got thicker.

At least, Shada knew she hadn’t done anything wrong that warranted being whipped.

For the first and last time, I ran away like a rebel. Then I met a man.

‘I like you.’

My heart and spirit that had shrunk with a lifetime of abuse, tension, and hypervigilance–was pounding crazily.

Oh, what should I do? What should I do? I am scared. Why is it him?

But… I knew I did not hate him approaching me.

Shada closed her eyes tightly.

***