Even Though I'm A Former Noble And A Single Mother, My Daughters Are Too Cute And Working As An Adventurer Isn't Too Much Of A Hassle Pr

Chapter Prologue
Prologue

“What is this!? This hair and those eyes… How repugnant!”

The first words of that new mother were full of scorn, her face twisting as if she had just seen a hideous monster .

From a Hero who wields a saintly sword to the dragon who rules an entire continent by fear, from the unparalleled geniuses who built up an entire nation’s economy with a shrewd invention to vampires who ruled the streets at night, many myths and legends have shaped this world . But to the aristocracy of the empire, nothing is more ominous than the legend surrounding the White-Haired Demon .

Three centuries prior, a revolution against the excesses and cruelty of the n.o.ble cla.s.ses spread across the land, at one point holding two-thirds of the country under its sway . Its leader wore a frightening visage; hair as white as snow and eyes of differing colour .

This Hero of the common folk forced the n.o.bility to come to terms in a harsh peace . This White-Haired Demon forced the aristocrats to give up many of their ancient rights and privileges .

Although the aristocracy may have survived the revolt, they never forget the humiliation of defeat . To this day, anyone with white hair or heterochromia was treated like a viper in the crib, no matter what their true ability or personality may be .

It was into one of the largest n.o.ble families in the Empire, the House of Earlgrey, a child was born . With red and pale green eyes and white hair, her name was s.h.i.+rley Earlgrey . To possess not one but both of those hated features made s.h.i.+rley a cursed child from the beginning, treated like a snake despite her status as a high ranking n.o.blewoman .

Even n.o.bles well below her station mocked and ridiculed s.h.i.+rley . A long time ago, the aristocracy would simply abandon any child who was sickly, ugly or simply did not strike their fancy . However, since the revolution, n.o.bles were now beholden to the same laws as the commons .

But for s.h.i.+rley, perhaps being cut off from the n.o.bility would have been a blessing in disguise .

She was never called by name, only ever called a White-Haired Demon or Monster . Afforded none of the privileges of other n.o.ble girls, she was dressed in rags and was always given sc.r.a.ps to eat, far away from the family’s dining room . If she committed a mistake, she would be beaten mercilessly . If she caught the eye of someone in a bad mood, she would be scorned or kicked at . Members of families that were supposed to be va.s.sals to s.h.i.+rley’s treated her as if she were an animal, and the family servants never interfered in this treatment .

Even though she grew up in such conditions, every day she somehow only became more beautiful, as if it were inversely proportioned to the cruel treatment she received .

Her white hair bore the radiance of fresh snowfall, and those red and green eyes gleamed as if they were precious gemstones . Perhaps because of the depressing future she inevitably faced, her beauty was like a transient moon, something fantastical that seemed like it could shatter at the slightest touch .

It was Alice poured insults on her appearance the most, but in reality, she burned with jealousy for how beautiful her older sister s.h.i.+rley was growing up to be . Although also fairly pretty herself, her beauty paled in comparison to s.h.i.+rley’s . Despite being born from the same parents, Alice was the one who took the opportunities to torment her .

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry ‘Onee-sama’ . I seem to have dropped your meal . ”

Day after day, Alice’s violence and cruelty towards her only sister only became ever bolder as s.h.i.+rley grew ever more comely . She would constantly commit petty acts like forcing s.h.i.+rley to eat off the floor after ‘accidentally’ dropping her meal, or attacking her with a wooden sword under the excuse of ‘practicing swordsmans.h.i.+p’ . Such things that went far beyond mere pranks .

It was the definition of malice, to constantly inflict such cruelty on someone who had done no wrong and had no means of defense . This only intensified as there was no one to remonstrate with Alice .

The youngest daughter who received all the love her family could give, and the cursed child that was the object of all enmity . Even if it was cruel, those strange eyes and white hair were treated as a testimony of guilt, and whatever Alice decided to do was indulged .

—

s.h.i.+rley was already tired of life at the tender age of eleven .

One day, as s.h.i.+rley cradled her knees quietly in the corner of the gardens hoping to simply disappear, she heard the voice of an unfamiliar boy overhead .

“Hey, you, what are you doing in such a place?”

The Crown Prince, Albert Ragdoll . That was this boy’s name and station .

Also eleven years old like s.h.i.+rley, at the time he was visiting the Duke alongside his father the Emperor, and as he was exploring the mansion he spotted her completely by chance .

The boy was immediately taken in by her stunning beauty the moment she lifted her head to look at him . And upon learning the true reasons behind her bedraggled appearance, the ostracization inflicted upon her by her own family for her hair and eyes, he took s.h.i.+rley’s hand and rushed to the Emperor .

“Father! I have decided to take s.h.i.+rley as my fiancée!”

It was thus, on the momentum of love at first sight, that the engagement was unexpectedly accepted . Those features that were hated by the aristocracy, the Emperor viewed them favorably . Before the Revolution, the Emperor was merely a puppet in the hands of oligarchic n.o.bles . When that Hero with white hair took the country, he restored the Emperor to true power .

Although her lack of n.o.ble etiquette and education would be a problem at her age, s.h.i.+rley was willing to practice to the point of bleeding in order to master such things for the first person to ever show her love and kindness since the day she was born .

For eight whole years… she was happy .

As the fiancée to the Crown Prince, she was well out of reach of the tormenting hands of her family and especially her sister, and s.h.i.+rley grew up to be a lady of both intelligence and almost unreal beauty .

She also understood ‘pain’ better than anyone in the royal family, as she had gone through such ‘pain’ her whole life before coming to the capital . Her philanthropic nature and reputation of being kind to commoners and castle servants made her incredibly popular, and she became trusted by both the Emperor and Empress implicitly . Her relations.h.i.+p with Albert also stayed strong, and when they consummated the night before the marriage ceremony, she felt happier than she ever had been .

However, this Cinderella story was about to be torn apart under the cruel auspices of malice .

After eight long years, Alice’s envy had become similar to a maddening obsession .
Such a beautiful older sister, she couldn’t acknowledge its existence .

That older sister who had always secretly looked down on her, and now she was to be a member of the royal family?

And worst of all, she was an older sister full of vile and low cunning, who stole Albert away from her, even though she had loved him first .

“I hereby annul my engagement to s.h.i.+rley Earlgrey, and announce my new engagement to her sister, Alice Earlgrey!”

Due to various circ.u.mstances, Alberto and s.h.i.+rley had spent less and less time together as the years went on . Although s.h.i.+rley didn’t feel any anxiety about not being constantly at Albert’s side, as they were already formally engaged and she considered their relations.h.i.+p to be good, Alice’s plot had already taken root .

“On that day eight years ago, you cried crocodile tears and acted your best to fool me! And not only have you been utterly unfaithful to me with untold numbers of men, but you are also a disgraceful woman who has been tormenting Alice since the day of her birth and then accusing her falsely of doing such things to you!”

As she was restrained on the ground Alberto’s knight and close confidant, she simply couldn’t understand what Albert was saying . As she looked up at him, she saw Alice tightly hugging one of his arms .

“I… I don’t understand, Albert-sama…? These things you say, I have no memory of eve-”

“Don’t call me by my name! Truly, every time I think of the love I thought we shared, it leaves me feeling sick!”

The most beloved man in her world spat such words at her from the bottom of his heart .

“If you’re so insistent on feigning innocence, then so be it! I will tell you your crimes in detail!”

Guilty of tormenting Alice from a young age .
Guilty of adultery with an uncountable number of men .
Guilty of leaking state secrets to a neighbouring power .
Guilty of corruption and embezzlement of the national budget .
No proof of any accusation, all baseless claims .

“Such a thing… it fills my heart with sorrow, Onee-sama . Even though such unfortunate things happened when we were children, I hoped that one day we could live hand in hand as true sisters . ”

Albert feels true compa.s.sion for Alice, whose tears streak down her face . It was only when Albert hugged her that s.h.i.+rley was shown a vicious and ugly face of malicious triumph, that only she caught a glimpse of .

“Despite having such a gentle and n.o.ble girl as Alice for a sister…! The likes of you should never be Queen! Alice, more kind-hearted than any, is my one and true destiny!”

s.h.i.+rley’s fiancée embraced her little sister with pa.s.sion . Alice looked down on her with a sense of gleeful superiority in those tear-soaked eyes . For all those eight years, Alice’s harboured grudge had finally blossomed into this scene .

s.h.i.+rley does not understand how this came to be . It wasn’t just Albert that had been s.n.a.t.c.hed away by Alice, she had somehow turned all those trustworthy allies looking on against her as well .

“Besides, these past few years, I’ve been completely unable to stand the sight of you! Despite starting so late, you’ve already developed a sense of swordsmans.h.i.+p, letters, and magic that go far beyond anyone else’s! What kind of man would people think me to be, with such a woman at my side!? It kept me awake at night!”

It was those words that truly tore at s.h.i.+rley’s heart . All that effort that she made to support her Prince, hoping one day to stand alongside him and serve him when he was Emperor… Tears finally began to drop from those differing jeweled eyes .

“Th-that kind of… There must be some kind of mistake…! Please, see reason and look at the facts again…! I beg of you…! Please… Please believe me…! Alberto-sama…!”

“Silence! I don’t want to hear your poisoned words! Guards! Take this woman to a cell at once!!”

As her protests are swallowed up by the taunts and jeers of the people she considered friends and allies in the hall, she is roughly dragged out by the palace guards . Whatever pleas she made to the men carrying her away fell on deaf ears, and the dazzling dress she wore was swapped for a loose and torn rag worn by prisoners . s.h.i.+rley was imprisoned .

 

“He he he, now then, this business about selling state secrets… Let’s start seeing some honesty, huh!”

Tsssss.h.!.+

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

The chief torturer swings with all his might, and the whip leaves a burning laceration on that pure white skin .

s.h.i.+rley screamed in agony . No matter what she had suffered before, she had never felt anything like this .

“Oh! What a fantastic scream! Let me hear some more!”

He smiled s.a.d.i.s.tically and cracked the whip over her white limbs over and over again .

In order to get a false confession out of s.h.i.+rley, there was little hesitation about using torture .

In present times, the law in the Empire stated that in order to bring a defendant to trial, there must be reasonable evidence or a confession . If she could not get s.h.i.+rley to admit to these imagined crimes on her own, Alice was more than willing to use violent coercion to meet that end .

(It’s alright… This kind of misunderstanding… I’m sure it can definitely be solved someday!)

Despite being brought low by her sister, betrayed by her fiancée and in such horrid surroundings, s.h.i.+rley still didn’t give up hope .

Once Albert realized the truth, they could go back to how they were before . Using that as a foundation, she desperately tried to resist the torture, holding onto memories of happier times with Albert for comfort .

However, that fleeting hope the nineteen-year-old girl clung to was soon cruelly betrayed .

What followed made the whip seem cute .

Tearing out the nails with pliers . Burning on a Wooden Horse . Faced with atrocities that would make even the most mighty of warriors scream in delirium, that faint glimmer she held on to pa.s.sed into nothing .

She had become a shadow of her former self, no longer the beauty that turned heads and courted envy . Her skin patchy and rough, her limbs covered in wounds that she does not have means to heal, her once beautiful white hair shriveled and grey like an old woman’s . s.h.i.+rley had gone from a beauty to a sight one couldn’t bear to look at .

After a month had pa.s.sed, the dashed hope that Albert would come to his senses and end her imprisonment had given way to a burning hatred that was more pa.s.sionate than any love she ever felt for him .

“Gah… ah… haaaa… . !!!”

A voiceless cry creaks from her ruined throat .

(I will never forgive them…! That person… never…!!)

Those gentle eyes that were once filled with a charitable spirit had been replaced with eyes that blazed with hatred and the desire to kill .

Even if she sold her soul to a demon, or was dragged into the pits of h.e.l.l, she would drag all those who had done such wicked things to her down with her .

(My former father, mother, and brothers…)

Those who had made her life h.e.l.l just for the way she was born .

(To those with whom I thought I shared a bond…)

Either through guile or extortion, she had been cast aside by those she had held out a hand to in their times of need .

(My sister who would take everything from me…)

Alice had finally managed to steal even this happiness from her .

(And above all… the man that betrayed me…!)

She finally understood . Albert was s.h.i.+rley’s fiancée, but he had engaged in an affair with Alice .

Did he cook up this conspiracy because he thought she would interfere with his relations.h.i.+p with Alice? Well, not that it matters .

Even if Alice was working to deceive him, the fact that man was willing to believe the flimsiest accusations against a woman who he knew deep down loved him dearly, more than anyone… Makes him the most despicable of the lot .

(I’ll have my revenge…! Even if it means falling into h.e.l.l, I’ll still hammer in their skulls…!)

No matter how much energy she had, her dreams of revenge would be fruitless if s.h.i.+rley rotted away in this dungeon .

Perhaps some G.o.d or demon was listening in on s.h.i.+rley and accepted the offering of her soul, because a dramatic change soon occurred in her .

“W-what the h.e.l.l is this…!?”

The first one to notice was the head torturer .

He had begun to grow tired of treating s.h.i.+rley as his plaything and was only torturing her as work demanded now . But, as he opened the door to her cell, he was shocked by the stunning beauty of s.h.i.+rley, who looked like she had never been tortured once .

Her skin had regained its sheen, that straggly hair had become radiant once more and the twenty nails he had pulled out one by one were restored .

The unsightly and brutalized bag of bones that he had finished with yesterday had been replaced by someone who had stepped back through time .

“T-this is impossible! I have to report this…!”

Stunned by what he had seen, and in a rush to report the information to his masters… the door had been left ajar .

“…Ahh, what a shame . If only he had come closer, I could have plunged this into his neck…”

Charlie stands and discards the sharp stone she was hiding .

Anyone who knew her before would s.h.i.+ver at that low voice that casually lamented missing the opportunity to murder .

“This body… I’d heard of the legends, but to think it would happen to me… But, it’s turned out alright in the end . Even if that man was saved by his own b.u.mbling idiocy . ”

It’s not in a commoner’s nature to think much of locking up . With the exception of the methodical and organized clerks, servants not locking doors and chests was a constant source of ha.s.sle in the castle .

She had planned on using this to her advantage some day, but s.h.i.+rley was pleased it had come about so quickly .

“Well then, time to go . …There are certain people I’d love to see . ”

Stepping out of the cell, I managed to steal some unguarded servant clothes and slipped out into the grounds .

s.h.i.+rley, who hid her conspicuous white hair underneath a cap, stole a sword and began her journey towards the royal castle . Just the thought of seeing Albert’s frightened face filled her with glee and her eyes retained that murderous intent .

“Please wait just a little longer . Someday very soon… I’ll be able to watch you suffer fates worse than death…”

s.h.i.+rley pa.s.sed unnoticed through the city and hid in an abandoned forest hut far from prying eyes .

As an escaped convict, s.h.i.+rley had little hope of leveraging any political power .

So, what could she do? It didn’t take long to find an answer .

If you lack political influence, simply make up for it with overwhelming violence . To that end, the skill in magic and swordsmans.h.i.+p she developed as she wore herself to the bone trying to be a good fiancée for that hateful man will be useful .

Using her skills she would make a daring a.s.sault on the castle, break through the defenses, and visit a terrible fate upon Albert and Alice . She worked out scenarios in her mind to elongate Albert’s suffering, no matter how much he begged for death .

s.h.i.+rley’s preparations were proceeding well . Surprisingly, she had little trouble swinging the sword that was designed for use by the opposite s.e.x . She wasn’t confident she could kill a strong monster with such a thing, but it will be more than enough to cut down a knight .

s.h.i.+rley’s preparations were proceeding well . Surprisingly, she had little trouble swinging the sword that was designed for use by the opposite s.e.x . She wasn’t confident she could kill a strong monster with such a thing, but it will be more than enough to cut down a knight .

She stole what she needed from the city, other times she attacked bandit camps and took what she needed from their corpses . Slowly but surely, s.h.i.+rley began to set the foundation for her plan .

“Gah… hahh…!”

Two months to the date of her broken engagement, and one month after she had escaped jail, s.h.i.+rley was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of nausea .

At first, she wondered if she had taken ill . But, these symptoms were strange . It started similar to a strong cold, but then she had serious problems staying awake at times and also had pains in her stomach and chest .

As she began to wonder if she should threaten a doctor into treating her, she suddenly remembered something .

“When was it… my last period…?”

The only word that suddenly appeared in my mind was ‘Pregnancy’ .

As if to prove it, I slowly gained weight as the days rolled by . It didn’t take much thinking to realize who the only possible father was .

“How can this be…? That detestable sc.u.m’s child is inside me…!”

From the bottom of my heart, I resented Albert’s child that lay in my belly . s.h.i.+rley thought of slicing open her own belly and dragging it out herself, but she lowered her sword and sighed .

“I can’t do that, even if that man is its father, this child doesn’t bear his sins . I’ll bring it to term, and then find an orphanage to take it in . ”

s.h.i.+rley had not yet fallen far enough yet to take the life of an innocent .

A life on the run is perilous for an unborn child, and it’s no sure thing that it can be delivered safely . And although s.h.i.+rley won’t seek to abort the pregnancy, she doesn’t feel much emotion for the life she now bears within herself .

“I need to refrain from full-scale training preparations until I give birth, but fighting some lower ranked beasts shouldn’t be an issue . ”

Avoid strong monsters and ones that move at groups, strike at lone weak ones if at all possible . Continue to keep the sword arm strong, and practice magic daily . Even if she can’t move around as well, light training is still important .

Still, this is well beyond what a pregnant woman should ever be doing . Although she can imagine the look of horror on the faces of mothers and doctors the world over, s.h.i.+rley adopted a “Whatever happens, happens . ” approach to it all .

This ever-expanding belly of hers that demanded more and more nutrition was becoming a real disturbance to s.h.i.+rley’s revenge scheme .

It seems natural that man’s flesh and blood would also hinder her . If she managed to actually deliver this child, she plans to be owed some grat.i.tude .

“It’s strange, though . I’m finding it harder to focus on training recently . ”

At some point, she had begun feeling awkward cramps any time she had tried to swing a sword around, and no matter what she couldn’t take her mind off of it . It’s a feeling that grows day by day .

She shook her head . Desperately, she tried to reach for that burning hatred that had kept her going, but she found that her thoughts would always return to the life growing in her womb .

“These symptoms… this illness… it really is a pain…”

s.h.i.+rley tried to curse the child she bore, but the words clogged in her throat and she couldn’t get them out, leaving her all the more bewildered .

She didn’t know the reason . She didn’t know, but somehow it didn’t feel like something she should worry about .

“…Ah, it worked . ”

Her stomach swelled again, but this time it was an almost pleasant feeling . Touching her hand to her belly, she felt movement .

Even though she had barely practiced at all, she was feeling exhausted . Without her really noticing, the times where s.h.i.+rley found herself with a sword in hand became rarer and rarer .

“Thank goodness I stockpiled food and supplies . This way, I can keep myself healthy until the birth… Wait, what am I saying? I…”

She wrestled with doubt as she looked at her reserved supplies, did she really stockpile all this just for her child? s.h.i.+rley held a hand to her belly and waited until she felt movement, something which was becoming a routine .

This useless thing, that had no part to play in her revenge…

“At the very least, I’d really rather you not have his face . ”

She began to think of nothing but her child .

Whose face would it compare to? Because the father is that man, I’d rather if it resembled myself if at all possible .

Leaving it in the orphanage, and resuming the quest for vengeance… such thoughts caused her chest to tighten up .

—

The end of her full-term approached .

“It seems like it will be born soon . Finally, once the orphanage takes them in, I can continue with my revenge-”

“It seems like it will be born soon . Finally, once the orphanage takes them in, I can continue with my revenge-”

Just saying those words caused a chilling fright to run up her spine, her legs to tremble and her breathing became haggard .

The word she spoke . Even the sound of a word she had muttered over and over again caused an unfathomable fear to roll over her, and she gripped her enlarged belly .

The relief that washed through her when she felt a tiny heartbeat was immense .

—

“Ahhhhhh! Guh… Uwoaaaaaa…! Hiii… . ! Hiii…! Fuuu… . ! N, a… AHHHHHH!”

A few months later, around the time of her 20th birthday .

The time of the birth finally came . s.h.i.+rley didn’t call for a midwife, she suffered alone in that abandoned hut, trying to bring a new life into the world .

The pain in her womb far exceeded any pain she remembered feeling in that torture chamber .

But still, she did it . Not even s.h.i.+rley really understands just what pushes her to such lengths .

However, it was something instinctual that was forcing her to go through this .

“Haaah…! Haaaah…! Ah… It was born… It was… huh…?”

After a long labour, s.h.i.+rley finally gave birth to twin girls .

Both with s.h.i.+rley’s hair, white as snow . The eldest twin had pale green eyes, and the youngest bore crimson .

The cries from the two babies echoed around the small hut . And as those two little hands grasped s.h.i.+rley’s fingers, tears began to fall from those two different coloured eyes .

“Ah… . Uwaaaaaa… . !”

s.h.i.+rley cried .

The feeling she had that these children were a stain or a hinderance… Was completely replaced by overflowing love and affection .

Then she noticed . This nearly ended in tragedy for these girls so many times .

Recklessly swinging around a sword and fighting with these children inside her… When she thinks about how close she must have come to miscarrying, she s.h.i.+vers in horror .

And when thinking of leaving these two in an orphanage, she despairs .

Even if she accomplished her goal, it would mean nothing compared to the crime she’d be committing against her own children .

If she abandoned them now and walked the path of vengeance, fighting like someone possessed and taking joy in death, she could never turn back .

She wouldn’t even be human anymore . She would just be a blood-crazed monster, living only instinctually on madness and hatred .

It was the warmth of those children who now gripped her fingers that pulled s.h.i.+rley back from the brink, and she regained her humanity .

“If I don’t protect them… These children, they won’t have a future…”

All thoughts of vengeance were gone .

Finding a way to bring up these children was the only thing that mattered .

It doesn’t matter whose blood runs in their veins . To guide and protect the two children she now held, nothing else was important . Wrapping them both gently in blankets, and despite the pain in her belly not yet having receded, s.h.i.+rley finds the strength to leave the hut and begin her journey to the Empire’s border .

There was no place for s.h.i.+rley in the Empire anymore . She resolved to take her two daughters, and begin a new life in the neighbouring Kingdom .

Her social status gone, s.h.i.+rley would walk the path of an adventurer, one filled with danger and peril . But even so, she’d do everything she can .

And although she feared that the nature she had resolved to leave behind might return someday, She still swore that until such a time, she would strive to let these girls grasp a happiness she never had . She would never let go of their hands .

It was in this way, s.h.i.+rley who pledged to start a new life free from thoughts of murder and vengeance, arrived in a small frontier town within the Kingdom’s borders . And then, ten years pa.s.sed…

Hey y’all . So yeah, I just decided to pick this one up, I’m surprised no one else has done it since it’s so popular . Maybe they were scared off by the opening chapters? Also, apparently I can’t translate anything if the first chapter doesn’t deal with some kind of broken engagement it seems .

I swear this is a more light-hearted series than the opening suggests .

Also, I’m still continuing with The Villainess Blooms, and I’ll keep going so long as people are enjoying it . I haven’t worked out a schedule yet, but I’ll try and keep TVB daily for now since I hate bucking a good trend .

Anyways, let me know wha

Prologue What is this This hair and those eyes How repugnant The first words of that new mother were full of scorn, her face twisting as if she had just seen a hideous monster . From a Hero who wields a saintly sword to the dragon who rules an entire continent by fear, from the unparalleled geniuses who built up an entire nation s economy with a shrewd invention to vampires who ruled the streets at night, many myths and legends have shaped this world . But to the aristocracy of the empire, nothing is more ominous than the legend surrounding the White Haired Demon . Three centuries prior, a revolution against the excesses and cruelty of the n.o.ble cla.s.ses spread across the land, at one point holding two thirds of the country under its sway . Its leader wore a frightening visage hair as white as snow and eyes of differing colour . This Hero of the common folk forced the n.o.bility to come to terms in a harsh peace . This White Haired Demon forced the aristocrats to give up many of their ancient rights and privileges . Although the aristocracy may have survived the revolt, they never forget the humiliation of defeat . To this day, anyone with white hair or heterochromia was treated like a viper in the crib, no matter what their true ability or personality may be . It was into one of the largest n.o.ble families in the Empire, the House of Earlgrey, a child was born . With red and pale green eyes and white hair, her name was s.h.i.+rley Earlgrey . To possess not one but both of those hated features made s.h.i.+rley a cursed child from the beginning, treated like a snake despite her status as a high ranking n.o.blewoman . Even n.o.bles well below her station mocked and ridiculed s.h.i.+rley . A long time ago, the aristocracy would simply abandon any child who was sickly, ugly or simply did not strike their fancy . However, since the revolution, n.o.bles were now beholden to the same laws as the commons . But for s.h.i.+rley, perhaps being cut off from the n.o.bility would have been a blessing in disguise . She was never called by name, only ever called a White Haired Demon or Monster . Afforded none of the privileges of other n.o.ble girls, she was dressed in rags and was always given sc.r.a.ps to eat, far away from the family s dining room . If she committed a mistake, she would be beaten mercilessly . If she caught the eye of someone in a bad mood, she would be scorned or kicked at . Members of families that were supposed to be va.s.sals to s.h.i.+rley s treated her as if she were an animal, and the family servants never interfered in this treatment . Even though she grew up in such conditions, every day she somehow only became more beautiful, as if it were inversely proportioned to the cruel treatment she received . Her white hair bore the radiance of fresh snowfall, and those red and green eyes gleamed as if they were precious gemstones . Perhaps because of the depressing future she inevitably faced, her beauty was like a transient moon, something fantastical that seemed like it could shatter at the slightest touch . It was Alice poured insults on her appearance the most, but in reality, she burned with jealousy for how beautiful her older sister s.h.i.+rley was growing up to be . Although also fairly pretty herself, her beauty paled in comparison to s.h.i.+rley s . Despite being born from the same parents, Alice was the one who took the opportunities to torment her . Oh, I m terribly sorry Onee sama . I seem to have dropped your meal . Day after day, Alice s violence and cruelty towards her only sister only became ever bolder as s.h.i.+rley grew ever more comely . She would constantly commit petty acts like forcing s.h.i.+rley to eat off the floor after accidentally dropping her meal, or attacking her with a wooden sword under the excuse of practicing swordsmans.h.i.+p . Such things that went far beyond mere pranks . It was the definition of malice, to constantly inflict such cruelty on someone who had done no wrong and had no means of defense . This only intensified as there was no one to remonstrate with Alice . The youngest daughter who received all the love her family could give, and the cursed child that was the object of all enmity . Even if it was cruel, those strange eyes and white hair were treated as a testimony of guilt, and whatever Alice decided to do was indulged . s.h.i.+rley was already tired of life at the tender age of eleven . One day, as s.h.i.+rley cradled her knees quietly in the corner of the gardens hoping to simply disappear, she heard the voice of an unfamiliar boy overhead . Hey, you, what are you doing in such a place The Crown Prince, Albert Ragdoll . That was this boy s name and station . Also eleven years old like s.h.i.+rley, at the time he was visiting the Duke alongside his father the Emperor, and as he was exploring the mansion he spotted her completely by chance . The boy was immediately taken in by her stunning beauty the moment she lifted her head to look at him . And upon learning the true reasons behind her bedraggled appearance, the ostracization inflicted upon her by her own family for her hair and eyes, he took s.h.i.+rley s hand and rushed to the Emperor . Father I have decided to take s.h.i.+rley as my fianc e It was thus, on the momentum of love at first sight, that the engagement was unexpectedly accepted . Those features that were hated by the aristocracy, the Emperor viewed them favorably . Before the Revolution, the Emperor was merely a puppet in the hands of oligarchic n.o.bles . When that Hero with white hair took the country, he restored the Emperor to true power . Although her lack of n.o.ble etiquette and education would be a problem at her age, s.h.i.+rley was willing to practice to the point of bleeding in order to master such things for the first person to ever show her love and kindness since the day she was born . For eight whole years she was happy . As the fianc e to the Crown Prince, she was well out of reach of the tormenting hands of her family and especially her sister, and s.h.i.+rley grew up to be a lady of both intelligence and almost unreal beauty . She also understood pain better than anyone in the royal family, as she had gone through such pain her whole life before coming to the capital . Her philanthropic nature and reputation of being kind to commoners and castle servants made her incredibly popular, and she became trusted by both the Emperor and Empress implicitly . Her relations.h.i.+p with Albert also stayed strong, and when they consummated the night before the marriage ceremony, she felt happier than she ever had been . However, this Cinderella story was about to be torn apart under the cruel auspices of malice . After eight long years, Alice s envy had become similar to a maddening obsession . Such a beautiful older sister, she couldn t acknowledge its existence . That older sister who had always secretly looked down on her, and now she was to be a member of the royal family And worst of all, she was an older sister full of vile and low cunning, who stole Albert away from her, even though she had loved him first . I hereby annul my engagement to s.h.i.+rley Earlgrey, and announce my new engagement to her sister, Alice Earlgrey Due to various circ.u.mstances, Alberto and s.h.i.+rley had spent less and less time together as the years went on . Although s.h.i.+rley didn t feel any anxiety about not being constantly at Albert s side, as they were already formally engaged and she considered their relations.h.i.+p to be good, Alice s plot had already taken root . On that day eight years ago, you cried crocodile tears and acted your best to fool me And not only have you been utterly unfaithful to me with untold numbers of men, but you are also a disgraceful woman who has been tormenting Alice since the day of her birth and then accusing her falsely of doing such things to you As she was restrained on the ground Alberto s knight and close confidant, she simply couldn t understand what Albert was saying . As she looked up at him, she saw Alice tightly hugging one of his arms . I I don t understand, Albert sama These things you say, I have no memory of eve Don t call me by my name Truly, every time I think of the love I thought we shared, it leaves me feeling sick The most beloved man in her world spat such words at her from the bottom of his heart . If you re so insistent on feigning innocence, then so be it I will tell you your crimes in detail Guilty of tormenting Alice from a young age . Guilty of adultery with an uncountable number of men . Guilty of leaking state secrets to a neighbouring power . Guilty of corruption and embezzlement of the national budget . No proof of any accusation, all baseless claims . Such a thing it fills my heart with sorrow, Onee sama . Even though such unfortunate things happened when we were children, I hoped that one day we could live hand in hand as true sisters . Albert feels true compa.s.sion for Alice, whose tears streak down her face . It was only when Albert hugged her that s.h.i.+rley was shown a vicious and ugly face of malicious triumph, that only she caught a glimpse of . Despite having such a gentle and n.o.ble girl as Alice for a sister The likes of you should never be Queen Alice, more kind hearted than any, is my one and true destiny s.h.i.+rley s fianc e embraced her little sister with pa.s.sion . Alice looked down on her with a sense of gleeful superiority in those tear soaked eyes . For all those eight years, Alice s harboured grudge had finally blossomed into this scene . s.h.i.+rley does not understand how this came to be . It wasn t just Albert that had been s.n.a.t.c.hed away by Alice, she had somehow turned all those trustworthy allies looking on against her as well . Besides, these past few years, I ve been completely unable to stand the sight of you Despite starting so late, you ve already developed a sense of swordsmans.h.i.+p, letters, and magic that go far beyond anyone else s What kind of man would people think me to be, with such a woman at my side It kept me awake at night It was those words that truly tore at s.h.i.+rley s heart . All that effort that she made to support her Prince, hoping one day to stand alongside him and serve him when he was Emperor Tears finally began to drop from those differing jeweled eyes . Th that kind of There must be some kind of mistake Please, see reason and look at the facts again I beg of you Please Please believe me Alberto sama Silence I don t want to hear your poisoned words Guards Take this woman to a cell at once As her protests are swallowed up by the taunts and jeers of the people she considered friends and allies in the hall, she is roughly dragged out by the palace guards . Whatever pleas she made to the men carrying her away fell on deaf ears, and the dazzling dress she wore was swapped for a loose and torn rag worn by prisoners . s.h.i.+rley was imprisoned . He he he, now then, this business about selling state secrets Let s start seeing some honesty, huh Tsssssh Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The chief torturer swings with all his might, and the whip leaves a burning laceration on that pure white skin . s.h.i.+rley screamed in agony . No matter what she had suffered before, she had never felt anything like this . Oh What a fantastic scream Let me hear some more He smiled s.a.d.i.s.tically and cracked the whip over her white limbs over and over again . In order to get a false confession out of s.h.i.+rley, there was little hesitation about using torture . In present times, the law in the Empire stated that in order to bring a defendant to trial, there must be reasonable evidence or a confession . If she could not get s.h.i.+rley to admit to these imagined crimes on her own, Alice was more than willing to use violent coercion to meet that end . It s alright This kind of misunderstanding I m sure it can definitely be solved someday Despite being brought low by her sister, betrayed by her fianc e and in such horrid surroundings, s.h.i.+rley still didn t give up hope . Once Albert realized the truth, they could go back to how they were before . Using that as a foundation, she desperately tried to resist the torture, holding onto memories of happier times with Albert for comfort . However, that fleeting hope the nineteen year old girl clung to was soon cruelly betrayed . What followed made the whip seem cute . Tearing out the nails with pliers . Burning on a Wooden Horse . Faced with atrocities that would make even the most mighty of warriors scream in delirium, that faint glimmer she held on to pa.s.sed into nothing . She had become a shadow of her former self, no longer the beauty that turned heads and courted envy . Her skin patchy and rough, her limbs covered in wounds that she does not have means to heal, her once beautiful white hair shriveled and grey like an old woman s . s.h.i.+rley had gone from a beauty to a sight one couldn t bear to look at . After a month had pa.s.sed, the dashed hope that Albert would come to his senses and end her imprisonment had given way to a burning hatred that was more pa.s.sionate than any love she ever felt for him . Gah ah haaaa . A voiceless cry creaks from her ruined throat . I will never forgive them That person never Those gentle eyes that were once filled with a charitable spirit had been replaced with eyes that blazed with hatred and the desire to kill . Even if she sold her soul to a demon, or was dragged into the pits of h.e.l.l, she would drag all those who had done such wicked things to her down with her . My former father, mother, and brothers Those who had made her life h.e.l.l just for the way she was born . To those with whom I thought I shared a bond Either through guile or extortion, she had been cast aside by those she had held out a hand to in their times of need . My sister who would take everything from me Alice had finally managed to steal even this happiness from her . And above all the man that betrayed me She finally understood . Albert was s.h.i.+rley s fianc e, but he had engaged in an affair with Alice . Did he cook up this conspiracy because he thought she would interfere with his relations.h.i.+p with Alice Well, not that it matters . Even if Alice was working to deceive him, the fact that man was willing to believe the flimsiest accusations against a woman who he knew deep down loved him dearly, more than anyone Makes him the most despicable of the lot . I ll have my revenge Even if it means falling into h.e.l.l, I ll still hammer in their skulls No matter how much energy she had, her dreams of revenge would be fruitless if s.h.i.+rley rotted away in this dungeon . Perhaps some G.o.d or demon was listening in on s.h.i.+rley and accepted the offering of her soul, because a dramatic change soon occurred in her . W what the h.e.l.l is this The first one to notice was the head torturer . He had begun to grow tired of treating s.h.i.+rley as his plaything and was only torturing her as work demanded now . But, as he opened the door to her cell, he was shocked by the stunning beauty of s.h.i.+rley, who looked like she had never been tortured once . Her skin had regained its sheen, that straggly hair had become radiant once more and the twenty nails he had pulled out one by one were restored . The unsightly and brutalized bag of bones that he had finished with yesterday had been replaced by someone who had stepped back through time . T this is impossible I have to report this Stunned by what he had seen, and in a rush to report the information to his masters the door had been left ajar . Ahh, what a shame . If only he had come closer, I could have plunged this into his neck Charlie stands and discards the sharp stone she was hiding . Anyone who knew her before would s.h.i.+ver at that low voice that casually lamented missing the opportunity to murder . This body I d heard of the legends, but to think it would happen to me But, it s turned out alright in the end . Even if that man was saved by his own b.u.mbling idiocy . It s not in a commoner s nature to think much of locking up . With the exception of the methodical and organized clerks, servants not locking doors and chests was a constant source of ha.s.sle in the castle . She had planned on using this to her advantage some day, but s.h.i.+rley was pleased it had come about so quickly . Well then, time to go . There are certain people I d love to see . Stepping out of the cell, I managed to steal some unguarded servant clothes and slipped out into the grounds . s.h.i.+rley, who hid her conspicuous white hair underneath a cap, stole a sword and began her journey towards the royal castle . Just the thought of seeing Albert s frightened face filled her with glee and her eyes retained that murderous intent . Please wait just a little longer . Someday very soon I ll be able to watch you suffer fates worse than death s.h.i.+rley pa.s.sed unnoticed through the city and hid in an abandoned forest hut far from prying eyes . As an escaped convict, s.h.i.+rley had little hope of leveraging any political power . So, what could she do It didn t take long to find an answer . If you lack political influence, simply make up for it with overwhelming violence . To that end, the skill in magic and swordsmans.h.i.+p she developed as she wore herself to the bone trying to be a good fianc e for that hateful man will be useful . Using her skills she would make a daring a.s.sault on the castle, break through the defenses, and visit a terrible fate upon Albert and Alice . She worked out scenarios in her mind to elongate Albert s suffering, no matter how much he begged for death . s.h.i.+rley s preparations were proceeding well . Surprisingly, she had little trouble swinging the sword that was designed for use by the opposite s.e.x . She wasn t confident she could kill a strong monster with such a thing, but it will be more than enough to cut down a knight . She stole what she needed from the city, other times she attacked bandit camps and took what she needed from their corpses . Slowly but surely, s.h.i.+rley began to set the foundation for her plan . Gah hahh Two months to the date of her broken engagement, and one month after she had escaped jail, s.h.i.+rley was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of nausea . At first, she wondered if she had taken ill . But, these symptoms were strange . It started similar to a strong cold, but then she had serious problems staying awake at times and also had pains in her stomach and chest . As she began to wonder if she should threaten a doctor into treating her, she suddenly remembered something . When was it my last period The only word that suddenly appeared in my mind was Pregnancy . As if to prove it, I slowly gained weight as the days rolled by . It didn t take much thinking to realize who the only possible father was . How can this be That detestable sc.u.m s child is inside me From the bottom of my heart, I resented Albert s child that lay in my belly . s.h.i.+rley thought of slicing open her own belly and dragging it out herself, but she lowered her sword and sighed . I can t do that, even if that man is its father, this child doesn t bear his sins . I ll bring it to term, and then find an orphanage to take it in . s.h.i.+rley had not yet fallen far enough yet to take the life of an innocent . A life on the run is perilous for an unborn child, and it s no sure thing that it can be delivered safely . And although s.h.i.+rley won t seek to abort the pregnancy, she doesn t feel much emotion for the life she now bears within herself . I need to refrain from full scale training preparations until I give birth, but fighting some lower ranked beasts shouldn t be an issue . Avoid strong monsters and ones that move at groups, strike at lone weak ones if at all possible . Continue to keep the sword arm strong, and practice magic daily . Even if she can t move around as well, light training is still important . Still, this is well beyond what a pregnant woman should ever be doing . Although she can imagine the look of horror on the faces of mothers and doctors the world over, s.h.i.+rley adopted a Whatever happens, happens . approach to it all . This ever expanding belly of hers that demanded more and more nutrition was becoming a real disturbance to s.h.i.+rley s revenge scheme . It seems natural that man s flesh and blood would also hinder her . If she managed to actually deliver this child, she plans to be owed some grat.i.tude . It s strange, though . I m finding it harder to focus on training recently . At some point, she had begun feeling awkward cramps any time she had tried to swing a sword around, and no matter what she couldn t take her mind off of it . It s a feeling that grows day by day . She shook her head . Desperately, she tried to reach for that burning hatred that had kept her going, but she found that her thoughts would always return to the life growing in her womb . These symptoms this illness it really is a pain s.h.i.+rley tried to curse the child she bore, but the words clogged in her throat and she couldn t get them out, leaving her all the more bewildered . She didn t know the reason . She didn t know, but somehow it didn t feel like something she should worry about . Ah, it worked . Her stomach swelled again, but this time it was an almost pleasant feeling . Touching her hand to her belly, she felt movement . Even though she had barely practiced at all, she was feeling exhausted . Without her really noticing, the times where s.h.i.+rley found herself with a sword in hand became rarer and rarer . Thank goodness I stockpiled food and supplies . This way, I can keep myself healthy until the birth Wait, what am I saying I She wrestled with doubt as she looked at her reserved supplies, did she really stockpile all this just for her child s.h.i.+rley held a hand to her belly and waited until she felt movement, something which was becoming a routine . This useless thing, that had no part to play in her revenge At the very least, I d really rather you not have his face . She began to think of nothing but her child . Whose face would it compare to Because the father is that man, I d rather if it resembled myself if at all possible . Leaving it in the orphanage, and resuming the quest for vengeance such thoughts caused her chest to tighten up . The end of her full term approached . It seems like it will be born soon . Finally, once the orphanage takes them in, I can continue with my revenge Just saying those words caused a chilling fright to run up her spine, her legs to tremble and her breathing became haggard . The word she spoke . Even the sound of a word she had muttered over and over again caused an unfathomable fear to roll over her, and she gripped her enlarged belly . The relief that washed through her when she felt a tiny heartbeat was immense . Ahhhhhh Guh Uwoaaaaaa Hiii . Hiii Fuuu . N, a AHHHHHH A few months later, around the time of her 20th birthday . The time of the birth finally came . s.h.i.+rley didn t call for a midwife, she suffered alone in that abandoned hut, trying to bring a new life into the world . The pain in her womb far exceeded any pain she remembered feeling in that torture chamber . But still, she did it . Not even s.h.i.+rley really understands just what pushes her to such lengths . However, it was something instinctual that was forcing her to go through this . Haaah Haaaah Ah It was born It was huh After a long labour, s.h.i.+rley finally gave birth to twin girls . Both with s.h.i.+rley s hair, white as snow . The eldest twin had pale green eyes, and the youngest bore crimson . The cries from the two babies echoed around the small hut . And as those two little hands grasped s.h.i.+rley s fingers, tears began to fall from those two different coloured eyes . Ah . Uwaaaaaa . s.h.i.+rley cried . The feeling she had that these children were a stain or a hinderance Was completely replaced by overflowing love and affection . Then she noticed . This nearly ended in tragedy for these girls so many times . Recklessly swinging around a sword and fighting with these children inside her When she thinks about how close she must have come to miscarrying, she s.h.i.+vers in horror . And when thinking of leaving these two in an orphanage, she despairs . Even if she accomplished her goal, it would mean nothing compared to the crime she d be committing against her own children . If she abandoned them now and walked the path of vengeance, fighting like someone possessed and taking joy in death, she could never turn back . She wouldn t even be human anymore . She would just be a blood crazed monster, living only instinctually on madness and hatred . It was the warmth of those children who now gripped her fingers that pulled s.h.i.+rley back from the brink, and she regained her humanity . If I don t protect them These children, they won t have a future All thoughts of vengeance were gone . Finding a way to bring up these children was the only thing that mattered . It doesn t matter whose blood runs in their veins . To guide and protect the two children she now held, nothing else was important . Wrapping them both gently in blankets, and despite the pain in her belly not yet having receded, s.h.i.+rley finds the strength to leave the hut and begin her journey to the Empire s border . There was no place for s.h.i.+rley in the Empire anymore . She resolved to take her two daughters, and begin a new life in the neighbouring Kingdom . Her social status gone, s.h.i.+rley would walk the path of an adventurer, one filled with danger and peril . But even so, she d do everything she can . And although she feared that the nature she had resolved to leave behind might return someday, She still swore that until such a time, she would strive to let these girls grasp a happiness she never had . She would never let go of their hands . It was in this way, s.h.i.+rley who pledged to start a new life free from thoughts of murder and vengeance, arrived in a small frontier town within the Kingdom s borders . And then, ten years pa.s.sed Hey y all . So yeah, I just decided to pick this one up, I m surprised no one else has done it since it s so popular . Maybe they were scared off by the opening chapters Also, apparently I can t translate anything if the first chapter doesn t deal with some kind of broken engagement it seems . I swear this is a more light hearted series than the opening suggests . Also, I m still continuing with The Villainess Blooms, and I ll keep going so long as people are enjoying it . I haven t worked out a schedule yet, but I ll try and keep TVB daily for now since I hate bucking a good trend . Anyways, let me know wha