Climbing over the little bug’s stone nest was easy.
With a light leap over the high wall, Aurina landed softly in the grimy mud below.
Passersby turned their heads, staring at her in surprise.
She walked a few steps forward, leaving a neat trail of small footprints in the mud with her bare, spotless feet.
A few pedestrians halted in their tracks, staring in disbelief at the footprints behind her, then at her feet.
Aurina disliked being looked at by bugs.
She turned her head sharply and stared them down with regal authority, locking eyes with each of them and planting a seed of fear deep inside.
But to do so, she had to stand on tiptoe and tilt her head up.
It felt oddly empty beneath her.
She missed that dumb, clumsy beast she used to ride.
Now, she regretted not bringing it along.
She should’ve stormed her way straight to that Saint Barry Orphanage by the sea and kidnapped his whole family.
Thinking this, her gaze landed on the nearby wall—and her eyes lit up.
Why should the queen walk the bug path with the bugs?
She leapt onto the wall and strode forward confidently.
More and more bugs stopped in their tracks to look at her.
Clearly, it was her natural majesty that had overwhelmed them.
The crowd of bugs thickened, and whispers filled the air.
“What a cute little girl.”
“She’s got horns—whose little tiefling is that?”
“Could she be the rumored Red Dragon Princess?”
“Hey, did you hear about the dragonslayer Richard being into little girls?”
“Wait, really?”
Into little girls?
So many bugs were saying it—was that not completely normal?
Aurina tilted her head.
She didn’t get it.
But one thing was for sure—like the sun itself, she drew attention wherever she went from the lowly bugs squirming through the mud.
But attention came with risk.
What if Richard had already cured his weakness and came looking for her with that disgusting iron glove of his, trying to destroy the brilliance of her peerless mind?
Worried, Aurina picked up the pace, sprinting along the top of the wall.
Her crimson hair fluttered in the wind, moving so fast that the bugs couldn’t even see her clearly.
“I think something just dashed across the wall!” one bug exclaimed.
“Looked like a little girl?”
I really am brilliant.
Feeling smug, Aurina opened her mouth and reached inside, pulling out a hooded cloak.
She threw it over her shoulders, pulling the hood down to hide her dragon horns.
It was a gift from those two bugs—the fat one and the skinny one.
Funny, Richard had called them bad people and warned her not to believe everything others said.
Aurina knew better. Richard was just jealous.
But as she ran, she realized—she had no idea where that orphanage was.
So she crouched on the wall and waved at a random passerby.
“Hey! Garlic-nose uncle!”
The man holding a bottle of liquor turned, scowling at the voice—only to freeze when he saw a red-haired girl squatting on the wall.
Her flame-like hair spilled from her hood, her socked feet dangling over the edge, her plump toes peeking out like little mushrooms.
The man’s irritation vanished instantly.
“Yes, you, Garlic Nose!” she called again.
“Wait here,” the man told his companion.
“I’m gonna teach that brat some manners.”
He approached Aurina and looked up at her.
Up close, he realized what a beautiful creature she was under the cloak—flawless skin without a single blemish, her horns smooth like glass.
Her faintly mocking smile made it hard to get angry at her.
No.
This won’t do.
Garlic Nose shook his head.
For a girl this pretty, he had to teach her right—what if she strayed down the wrong path later in life?
He growled, “Hey, what’s the big idea? Don’t you know how to respect your elders?”
“How do I get to Saint Barry Orphanage by the harbor?”
Aurina asked.
“Tell me now.”
“It’s that way—just follow this street, take a right at the third intersection, and keep going…” he started, then added gruffly, “And remember to say please, you brat.”
“Garlic Nose,” Aurina said plainly, “that’s too much trouble. Take me there.”
“Don’t call me that! When someone helps you, call them a kind sir. And you say please when asking for favors.”
He flailed his arms.
“Or you’ll be a pain in society when you grow up! Say please, or I’ll teach you a lesson!”
“Just take me there, Garlic Nose.”
Grumbling, the man stomped ahead, muttering to himself, “Can’t be helped… Poor kid, so young and already heading to an orphanage.”
Aurina wasn’t interested in this chirping little bug. Only the strongest bug—Richard—deserved the attention of her genius.
Before long, they arrived.
Aurina had somehow managed to head in the right direction by sheer luck.
The orphanage stood on the edge of the harbor town, an old and weighty stone building cloaked in fog.
The outer walls were made of rough stone blocks, worn and weathered with deep grooves carved by time.
The tall iron gate was half open, rusted and creaking.
“We’re here,” Garlic Nose grumbled.
“You should thank the person who helped you.”
Aurina jumped down from the wall and dashed toward the half-open gate.
Watching her go, Garlic Nose softened, murmuring, “She’s just an orphan… poor kid.”
Aurina paused before the gate and peeked inside.
The courtyard was spacious, with an old well in the center.
A few ancient trees grew around it, their thick leaves adding some life to the lonely space.
At least, it didn’t look haunted.
Stone benches sat around the courtyard, covered in thick moss and worn down by years of exposure.
A faint mist swirled through the yard, carrying the salty dampness of the sea.
Within the fog, a group of orphans played.
They were dressed in patchy, worn clothes, crowded together in a game called The Emperor’s Messenger.
A boy with a cleft lip stood in the middle, wearing a crown woven from grass.
Despite his cleft, he spoke clearly, playing the emperor.
Aurina walked closer and pulled down her hood.
“Where’s Granny Raya?” she asked.
A hunched girl turned toward her and exclaimed, “Wow, such a pretty big sister!”
“Look, she has horns—just like us!”
A boy with pale, clouded eyes, clearly born with congenital cataracts, asked, “Are you here to play with us too?”
Aurina scanned the group.
“Is this where Richard grew up?”
“Richard?” a boy with mismatched legs—one shorter than the other—leapt up.
“Yeah! He’s our awesome big brother!”
“Granny Raya is really proud of him.”
A girl with a deformed right hand chimed in proudly, “He took down a dragon!”
“Aha! So you’re all Richard’s brothers and sisters, huh?”
Aurina said, hands on her hips, grinning.
“When I have time, I’ll recruit all of you to help me conquer the world!”
The disabled orphans cheered, “Okay!”
“Not fair!” the cleft-lip boy pouted.
“It’s my turn to be emperor, not yours.”
Aurina got straight to the point.
“Where is Granny Raya?”
The cleft-lip boy pointed toward the quiet stone building behind him.
“She just went inside with a bunch of men in black. She said not to let anyone disturb her.”
Aurina noticed a carriage parked in the courtyard.
“What’s with the carriage?” she asked.
“It came with the men in black.”
“Perfect,” Aurina rubbed her hands together. “Excellent.”
Not only could she take Richard’s whole family, she could even haul away all his property.
What luck.
She strode toward the carriage.
A bulky coachman sat atop it, whittling at his fingernails with a knife.
“Scram, brat,” he growled.
“Are you Richard’s family?”
Aurina asked sweetly.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m his old man—” he started.
“—Hyaa!”
Aurina launched a sudden rising uppercut into his gut.
Before he could react, she climbed behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and locked in a chokehold.
The coachman’s face turned bright red as he struggled to scream, but no sound came out.
Moments later, he passed out.
Aurina expertly tied him up and hoisted his hefty body onto her small shoulder, tossing him into the carriage.
She didn’t particularly mind killing Richard’s entire family—she never held back.
The orphans stared, completely dumbfounded.
“Stay right here,” Aurina said, yanking the grass crown from the cleft-lip boy’s head and plopping it on her own.
“Once I’m done, I’ll pack you all up and take you with me.”
The orphans nodded, dazed and confused.
Aurina shut the carriage door, strutted up the stone steps, and banged loudly on the wooden door.
“Is Richard’s whole family in there? Granny Raya, are you home?”