Cannon Fodder To Villainess

🏮3. Living with the Servants

Amber tied her olive green wrap dress securely, put on some rough looking leather flip flops, and covered herself with a long hooded cloak that she tucked her hair underneath. She was still covered in grime because her maid was nowhere to be seen even though she was supposed to have her bath brought over. She glared in irritation and made a mental note that she would have to figure out a way to deal with that bold slut at a later time. Perhaps she'll make a point of showing up at her maid and her unwanted fiance's date later, if she can find the time.

For now, the most important thing was to improve her living conditions and get some loyal people by her side. Although she felt confident in her abilities, she couldn't overcome all of her enemies single-handedly. She was never any good at making friends, she had a difficult time relating to people. She wasn't that bubbly popular girl that everyone seemed to naturally like. So as soon as she had enough money, she would buy subordinates instead. Perhaps it wasn't the best plan, but it was what she could work with for now.

Unfortunately, she was currently completely broke, and although she could likely sell the 'Know Your Heart' artifact for a fortune, obviously that wasn't something she was willing to part with. She had to find a better place to keep the book, but for now it would have to stay hidden in the bottom of her wooden chest. She'd pulled the dust cover off of an old children's book called 'Legend of Volpes' and wrapped it around the 'Know Your Heart' book to keep it better hidden. Now if anyone saw the artifact, they would just see a random kids storybook.

Amber pulled the raggedy curtain down that had tripped her earlier, and fashioned it into a rough looking cloth backpack by tying it into knots. It didn't have to be pretty. She just needed something to hold the different herbs that she was going to collect, while she searched for the mana pool. She dug around in the trunk and found a dark wooden flower vase, a dull little knife with a wooden cover, and a hair tie that had obviously been abused by her overabundance of hair. She braided her tangled hair the best she could. Then put the vase and knife into her makeshift backpack. She was on her way to the Shadow Forest in search of some herbs that she could sell.

Although she had studied modern medicine, she was also an herbalist. She felt very comfortable in forests. In Duchess Dash, Amber remembered that the Shadow Forest was on the outskirts of the impoverished village that her dad was supposed to manage.

Rafferty Village was on the outskirts of the empire of Verglas, where Emperor Gelid ruled. He was as scary as he was desirable to many. To her, he was the ultimate death flag incarnate and someone that she had to avoid at all costs. He was the man who had ordered her capture, torture, and finally her beheading.

In Duchess Dash, she had never gone into the Shadow Forest. Only highly trained hunters or people escorted by hunters went into the spirit beast forests. Shadow Forest was a spirit beast forest because it attracted the spirit beasts with its high concentration of mana. The outskirts of the forest were a great place for people to cultivate to raise their mana level. Usually the children of rich nobles would hire a large group of guards to protect their child or interest while they cultivated. Having strong magic ability was a matter of pride.

There were the annual magic games after all. Placing well at the magic games could gain a person a great deal of benefits. Better marriage prospects, legendary armor, weapons, elite job opportunities, and many other possibilities. Everyone with any power watched the games and took note of the victors. Currently her mama paths were blocked due to her fiance secretly poisoning her through her maid. She was not going to give up her chance to compete at the games, so she needed to gain enough money from selling trash herbs so that she could heal her mana paths and start cultivating.

She walked out of her room with her head lowered and her makeshift backpack. She didn't want to gain anyone's attention, because she was in no shape to face a confrontation just yet. Outside of her small room was a long hallway with many folding wooden doors along both sides. This building had been designed to be the quarters for the maids and other servants. Her dad had moved her in with the servants four years ago when he decided that he would move her little newborn brother into her old home.

Her family's estate consisted of three rectangle homes facing each other and a fourth large building for receiving guests up front; just past the entry gate. There were paths throughout the large courtyard in the center. The courtyard was currently overgrown with weeds. It had a large covered stage and gazebo which had once had wonderful plays performed there and lavish parties. Now nearly everything was in horrible disrepair. The only exception was the high stone fence and sturdy front gate that surrounded the estate. Her parents tried desperately to keep up appearances, but people still whispered behind their elaborately painted fans.

Her brother's house was at the back of the central courtyard. The maids quarters were to the left of her brother's house. To the right of his house was the storehouse. To the left of the central courtyard was her mom's house and on the other side of the courtyard was her dad's house. At the front of the courtyard was the family building for receiving guests and in front of that was the thick entry gate.

She slipped out of the servants quarters and continued to walk along the stone wall until she was halfway between the maid's quarters and her mom's home. That's where the servants were allowed to go in and out since they weren't allowed to use the front gate. It's not that she was supposed to use the maids gate, she technically wasn't allowed to leave the estate at all, because her parents didn't want anyone to see her. She kept her head low and didn't say a word to anyone as she slipped out through the side gate.