The Orphan Crown

The Orphan's Debt

“Look, it’s that little girl again…”

“Come on, don’t say that. Even though she’s adopted, she’s still our mistress.”

“Hmph! A weak deer, whose antlers haven’t even fully grown, what right does she have to be our mistress? Here, besides the master and mistress, only Lady Rebecca is the true mistress.”

“She’s such a herbivore. Just looking at her makes me want to commit a crime. Ha ha ha!”

“Shameless wretch. Look at her pretense. Who knows who she’s trying to seduce next.”

The rude remarks, the lustful glances of the guards, and the resentment and bullying of the maids were like thorns growing thickly under Franziska’s feet. No matter where she went, she couldn’t escape them.

When she was little, when Lady Catrina first brought her to the mansion, Franziska thought this place could truly become her home. She was given a spacious room, dressed in beautiful dresses, and fed hot meals. The maids and servants assigned to care for her always wore gentle smiles.

Frandiska was too naive to realize that those smiles were never genuine.

She innocently gave away all her trust and lived in that illusion for many years.

Until one summer night, when she turned eight.

That was also the time when the first horns began to sprout on Franziska's forehead.

The pain tormented her to the point of high fever, her consciousness wavering. In her delirium, Franziska heard some strange sounds mixed with fragmented conversations.

"Will doing that kill it?"

“I don’t think it’s very good. Maybe we should wait until its condition improves a little…”

“What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just a small piece of horn that needs cutting off, how could it die? The Lady only forbade us from drawing its flesh and blood, she didn’t say we absolutely couldn’t touch it.”

“Hmph! All that nourishing stuff wasn’t meant for it to eat for free.”

Franziska couldn’t help but recognize the owners of those voices.

Despite the pain making her head spin, she immediately recognized the voices of those who had always cared for and kept her company.

“Aki, Lia, Jen, and Biden.”

“They want my horn?”

“But why?”

“If my horn is cut off right now… it will definitely hurt a lot…”

In her delirium, Franziska tried to use her remaining strength to lift her heavy eyelids. She opened her eyes, looked at the blurry figures beside the bed, and whispered:

“Lia… it hurts so much… Lia…”

“…!”

Startled by her name being called unexpectedly, the maid Lia nearly dropped the small dagger in her hand. The others were also momentarily panicked.

Perhaps feeling humiliated, Jen, the guard assigned to protect Franziska, angrily snatched the dagger from Lia's hand.

"Let me do it."

He intended to do it himself.

Franziska watched the approaching figure through the hazy mist. The young man had glossy black hair and eyes like amber gems shining brightly in the night. He had once protected her from the mischievous antics of the other Leopards in the territory.