A voice as crisp and pleasant as falling snow drifted down from above. Ruby Rowland sniffled, tilting her small face upward. Silhouetted against the light stood a young man in a crisp white shirt.
The glare obscured his features.
She scrubbed the tears from her cheeks with her tiny hands, but they only fell faster. Between soft hiccups, she offered a meek reply.
"I... I'm okay."
The young man let out a gentle chuckle before pressing a piece of candy into her palm. "Run along and find your parents. A little cub like you shouldn't wander off alone."
Ruby craned her neck, watching him turn away. He had the same snow-white hair as she did, though his fell to his shoulders. His retreating figure felt distinctly cold and detached, as if he existed entirely apart from the rest of the world.
Her gaze tracked his departure while her fingers curled tight around the sweet.
"You useless brat, you can't even keep up! It's your spiritual power that's trashed, not your legs!"
Elena Spencer had marched back, cursing up a storm when she realized the kid wasn't trailing her. It wasn't out of maternal concern. Whatever else the girl might be, she was the Russell Family's blood. Even if Elena couldn't use the brat to marry into wealth, she could still squeeze some serious cash out of the situation.
After pouring so much effort into this scheme, tossing the kid aside now would be a total waste.
Back in their squalid rental apartment, Elena warned Ruby not to go anywhere, then stepped out, locking the door firmly behind her. She needed to find a broker to contact the Russell Family. This dead weight couldn't drag her down any longer. She was still young; after extorting a hefty payout from the Russells, she could easily find a wealthy patron to bankroll her lifestyle.
The dim, cramped room reeked of cheap perfume and stale alcohol. Ruby was entirely alone now, a reality she had long grown accustomed to.
She padded over to the window and threw open the curtains to let the sunlight spill in, illuminating a floor littered with trash and empty liquor bottles. A frown puckered her exquisitely delicate, childish features. Soon, her tiny body sprang into action to tidy the mess.
Ruby was a very clean little cub. Even if dragging herself around to scrub the room spotless meant it would likely be a disaster zone again by tomorrow, she did it anyway. She sorted the recyclables into a large bag to sell later, then set to sweeping with breathless determination.
Because of her size, fetching water to mop the floor and wipe down the tables was a monumental task. She even had to drag a small stool around just to reach the higher surfaces. By the time she finished, she was drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted, and ravenous.
Her stomach emitted a hollow grumble. Pressing a hand to her belly, she pressed her small lips together and trudged toward her own gloomy little bedroom.
The tiny space, barely a dozen square meters, held a small cot and stacks of Elena's discarded junk. Yet, it was impeccably neat. Kneeling by the bed, Ruby struggled to pull a small lockbox from underneath. She carefully extracted a cheap nutrient pill from inside.
Its slimy texture tasted atrocious, but to keep the hunger pangs at bay, she forced it down.
The woman she called mother did not return that night. Initially, Ruby felt a wave of relief. No mother meant no beatings.
But when the second and third days passed without any sign of Elena, panic set in. Ruby had consumed her very last nutrient pill. The front door remained bolted from the outside. The food was gone. Was she going to starve to death in here? Desperate, she hammered on the door, utterly devoid of any way to contact the outside world.
"I'm so hungry."
Her palms throbbed from pounding the wood. The scabs from earlier falls tore open anew, and her naturally fair hands were inflamed and red. Sniffling, she slid down the back of the door and hugged her knees. Her dark, usually bright eyes stared blankly at the floorboards.
She really was going to starve to death. She was so useless. She had only been in this world for four years, and her life was already over.
The apartment was dead quiet and chillingly cold.
Ruby reached a trembling hand toward the sliver of sunlight slipping through the window, trying to catch it. Glistening tears welled up as she gazed outside. She didn't want to die in this freezing cage. If only she could die outdoors. Then she could gather a few wildflowers for herself. Surrounded by sunshine and little blooms, she wouldn't feel so alone.
Amidst her bleak thoughts, a sharp CLICK echoed from the lock behind her.
Ruby stumbled to her feet, her face dangerously pale and nearly translucent. She backed away unsteadily, pressing her pale lips together as her unfocused eyes locked onto the entryway. The door swung open. But it wasn't her mother who stepped inside. It was a strange man in a tailored suit.
"Ruby Rowland?" the man asked upon spotting the frail, ghostly pale little girl shivering in the foyer.
She stared at him for two seconds before her vision went black.
Muffled voices drifted through the haze of unconsciousness. She slept fitfully until a searing cramp of hunger in her stomach ripped her fully awake. Her translucent skin looked fragile enough to shatter at a touch. Her thick, dark eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, trembling as she slowly parted her eyelids.
The blinding glare of the lights forced her to squint.
"She's awake. Fetch a nutrient pill, quickly."
Hearing the voice, Ruby instinctively turned her head. Standing nearby was a spry elderly man dressed in a sharp black tailcoat.
Someone swiftly arrived bearing the requested nutrient pill. Ruby was starving. The moment the strawberry-flavored dose touched her lips, she sucked it down eagerly. But her body was sapped of strength. Despite her ravenous desperation, her movements were weak and sluggish.
It possessed none of that cheap plastic aftertaste, nor did it leave a nauseating, sticky film in her throat. Smooth and tasting of sweet strawberry jelly, it was undeniably the most delicious nutrient pill she had ever had since arriving in this world.
The single dose immediately soothed the burning acid in her stomach, though the lingering weakness of profound starvation remained.
"Th-thank you," Ruby mumbled softly.
She had no idea where she was. But it was certainly not that claustrophobic hovel. Everywhere she looked, the room was draped in an opulence she had never before witnessed. Clutching the soft duvet draped over her chest, she stared up at the stranger with the wide, terrified eyes of a cornered fawn.
"Who... who are you?"
"Do not be afraid, Miss Rowland. This is the Marshal's Estate, and I am the head butler. From today onward, this will be your home as well."
The Marshal's Estate. She had heard the woman mutter those words countless times. It was supposed to be the home of her current father.
The revelation offered no comfort. Instead, a wave of despondency washed over her tiny frame.
The spry old butler gazed affectionately down at the tiny figure huddled on the mattress. Seeing her pallid complexion and evident malnutrition, the butler launched into a vitriolic mental tirade against Elena Spencer. That vile woman had stolen the Marshal's genetics, birthed a child, and then completely neglected her. Did a bottom-feeder like that really believe she was worthy of entering the Russell Family? She could keep dreaming!