Reincarnated as the Villainess... Yeah, I'm Doomed

Chapter Fourteen: The Refugees

After my lesson, I decided to follow Connor home so I could visit Lily. With the promise that I wouldn't do anything dangerous, my parents had allowed me to go into the fief as long as I was accompanied by Vin, the guard squad commander who had volunteered to board the plague ridden ship. By the virtue of his selfless acts, my father promoted him to lieutenant on the request that he be my personal escort when I visited the port town. It was a bit embarrassing to make Vin stop whatever he was doing so that he could escort me, but he insisted that it was like a much needed break for him. I still felt bad.

"Lady Callista, it is good to see you." Vin greeted, helping me out of the carriage. Connor followed after me, giving Vin a friendly slap on the back.

"I'm happy to see you too Vin, how have you been these past few weeks?" I asked as we headed into town.

"Well, since I've recently been promoted I've been learning a lot, but I'm starting to get the hang things now." He smiled. Vin was as cheerful as ever. Once he had gotten more comfortable on the ship, he had opened up a lot. He was born and raised in this town, and still lived with his parents and younger sister. His sister was about my age, and while we were on the ship he would often talk about how similar the two of us were. It was cute.

The walk to Connor and Lily's house was about twenty minutes, so I had a good amount of time to see how the town was doing. Though I had my cloak on, some people still recognized me and bowed politely as I walked by. I tried my best not to look embarrassed.

The Walters' apartment was on the second floor of the pharmacy Lily ran. It was a cute apartment filled with many plants and books. Though I had only visited a few times, it had quickly become place where I could easily relax.

"Honey, we have a guest!" Connor called to Lily who sat hunched over a table covered in books, herbs, and small vials. The pixie like girl shot up from her desk and bounded towards me with a huge grin.

"Callie!" She greeted, pulling me into a hug.

"I didn't know you were coming today! Connie, you should have told me, then I could have prepared tea and cookies." She pouted, glaring at her husband.

"Sorry honey, I forgot." He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"And Vin, It's good to see you too," She smiled, pulling the lieutenant into a hug. It was a funny sight since he was still covered in chain mill armor.

Lily, Vin, and I sat down to chat while Connor prepared some tea. Surprisingly, the listless man was quite good at both making tea and baking cookies.

"I'm sorry this will be a short visit, I am going to the tenements with Connor to preform some check ups on the kids." Lily apologized after we finished our tea. The tenements... I had been wondering what kind of place that was since I knew it was home to many Cynth refugees.

"Can I come with you?" I asked. Lily smiled and shared a look with her husband.

"As long as it doesn't get me in trouble with the Duke, I am fine with it. Vin will have to accompany of course." Connor said, glancing at the lieutenant.

"It would be my pleasure," Vin smiled.

Once we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It was obvious that the hygiene here was poor, and there was no proper sewage system. It was a breeding ground for disease.

"Nabiyre," Lily greeted, but I couldn't understand the rest since she spoke to the woman in the language of Cynth. Once they exchanged greetings, Lily turned to me.

"Callista, Vin, this is Nabiyre, and these are her children Ahta and Thii." Lily introduced. Nabirye was tall and thin, with grey eyes resembling those of a cat and long jade hair. Ahta, her son, looked to be around the age of seven, while her daughter Thii looked about five. Though, since the children seemed to be malnourished, they may have looked younger than their actual age.