The Past Winter
Blood Spotting

Serena Mallory Tedrick, also known as Serena, was the first daughter of a Marquess noble to leave her home and volunteer at a southern border orphanage. For five months he volunteered and took care of the three alienated wild cats with great earnestness.

Today Serena came to the imperial capital to shop for her needs and to buy gifts for the three foster children she loved. Actually, he did not need to go far because the village where the orphanage he lived now also contained a large city with various clothing and toy shops.

But Serena was unable to pick many items she liked, none of which attracted her interest to buy. Not to be demeaning, but because Serena is a Marquess princess who is quite honorable, since childhood her life is always scattered luxury goods.

So the toys and dresses that were in the border town of the region did not attract her attention and felt her foster children could get even better, so Serena decided to go to the imperial capital that she was more familiar with than any other place.

“Thank you for shopping at our store Miss.” Said the head of the store and his staff paying their deepest respects to the young lady who had just left her shop carrying a lot of grocery bags.

“I buy what else yes..” He said cheerfully while walking through every shop there.

Several times Serena went in and out of the store and brought with her a bag of groceries afterwards. With a carefree look, he and his guardian knights went to look at the latest collections at each subscription store.

“Is this not too much, Lady?” Sir Galen said in the middle of a fun shopping event for the young lady he served.

Robert Riedl Galen, more familiar with the name Sir Galen, was a personal knight belonging to Serena who had sworn allegiance to serve and protect her, regardless of the status and position of her master, ready to give the best to the employer. Robert will always be loyal to be on Serena's side even though the woman ran away from home and took off her position as the first miss of the Marquess Tedrick family as it is today.

“Are you tired, Sir?” Said Serena who is still busy choosing dresses for her three favorite cats.

“No, not that.” Sir Galen said. “You are disguised as a commoner in order to stay in the orphanage, why did you buy these things?” Further.

Serena stopped her hand in mid-air, stunned for a moment and stared at the pile of groceries that were being carried by Sir Galen and some of his personal servants. Then his facial expression that seemed to say ‘True as well, they would suspect that I brought a lot of stuff like this from the capital.’ He also did not think that one dress he bought could support all members of the orphanage for two days.

From a small age, Serena's behavior often makes her personal knight sigh. Due to his careless nature, he always got into trouble. Serena does everything based on her ego first and thinks with her brain. Robert who grew up with Serena has been very familiar with his attitude like this.

“Riedl... How'this? I can't return all the items I bought to the store, right?”

Serena was confused herself. His face was clear and his brain was unable to work. Moreover, he had not long lived in an orphanage and claimed to be a commoner, he could be accused of being a thief if he brought a lot of goods to the orphanage.

If you are happy, Serena will forget all kinds of logic and possibilities. If Robert hadn't been protecting and guarding her all this time it might have been from a small woman that had been kidnapped and would have been somewhere. Robert could only shake his head and sigh at the behavior of this little friend of his.

“Ah! How about some of it go to your nephew?” Said Serena who had suddenly gotten an idea from the sky. “It so happens that the second daughter of the Count has been born right?”

“My niece's dress room is full, no more room. My sister's second daughter is newly born, where can wear a five-year-old child's dress.” Robert replied, sighing.

“Come Riedl... You'll just make a new dress room, what's the trouble?”

“That's hard my brother and my sister-in-law! Not long ago they gave up part of the workspace into a dress room, continue to want what else is left?”

“Your house is big must be a lot of unused space.” Serena continues to whine at Robert and still gets a strong rejection from her childhood friend.

Serena's steps came to a halt when she saw the crowd of people not far from where she was standing. Robert pointed to one of the servants to find out what was going on there. Before long the servant came back and said that there was a dirty little beggar who made the nobles uncomfortable, and the little beggar was being punished by a shopkeeper.

“The beggar is a little boy?” Ask Serena who is curious.

“True miss.” Answer the waiter.

Hurriedly Serena stepped closer to the crowd and looked with her own eyes. Robert was not calm, he felt that there would be a big problem that would happen to his best friend. Rushing he stopped Serena but was already out of the chase, the woman had reached the point of the crowd.

He saw three small children dressed in shabbiness with disheveled hair and wounds all over the body. How cruel the shopkeeper was to beat up little children who he said were harassing the nobles with whips.

Serena's eyes widened when she saw the face of one of the children who turned her head up while begging for mercy on the person who was whipping their small body. The woman darted through amidst the crowd and directly hugged the small bodies that had been covered in blood.

CTAS!

A loud whip ran down the back of the woman who had suddenly appeared. A red stain immediately imprinted on the outside of her dress. The whip from the shopkeeper's hand was forcibly taken by a knight who tried to protect his master.

“Business!” Shouted sir Galen to the shopkeeper whose whip was forcibly taken by him.

“Who are you! Move!” The shopkeeper orders haughty to Sir Galen and he attempts to snatch his whip back.

Robert, who only wore ordinary clothes because he was disguised as a commoner, was not recognized by the people who were there. “What's your name!?” Sir Galen said in anger.

“Reed Paige! I am the owner of five famous stores in this area!” His words show his greatness.

“Now no longer.” Sir Galen. “You heard! Starting today the entire Reed Paige store will be taken over by Count Galen!” Further.

“Who are you! How dare to say that honorable name out of your mouth!”

“I? I am Robert Riedl Galen, the second son of the late Count Galen the owner of this street, and the personal knight of Marquess Tedrick's first lady.” Said.

After the words spoken from Sir Galen's mouth all the nobles who had gathered there slowly began to leave the scene. They frowned upon hearing the names mentioned by the man claiming to be the knight of the first daughter of a very famous Marquess.

“If you don't believe, this..” Robert gave a token that had been perched on the left chest of his clothes, the gold token was the symbol of a family. Sir Galen gave it into the hands of the shopkeeper who now speaks a thousand languages.

“Go to the residence of Marquess Tedrick or Count Galen and show them this, you will get your answer!” Close Sir Galen, then he turned to Serena who was still hugging his three foster children with a trembling body to endure the pain.

Serena's wounds seeped into Robert's heart, how hurt it was to see the woman he was supposed to protect and got hurt by his negligence. “Quick bring the horse carriage here!” Sir Galen's orders directly bring a horse carriage with the Marquess Tedrick family symbolized clearly at the door.

Looking at the horse carriage with a high-ranking noble emblem in front of his shop, Reed Paige's body trembled even more, her breathing heavy, her body sweating, what misfortune befell her to make this kind of mistake. Reed Paige begs for mercy on sir Galen who is of course ignored. Robert who was only focused on Serena ignored Reed Paige's cry for mercy.