Gardenia’s Heart

It was a little past eight in the morning when the brightness was enough for the woman to begin her day. Removing the thin white sheet covering her and getting out of bed with gentle movements, she headed to a small trunk to fetch a change of clothes.

With an indifferent look, she chose the clothes for the day and began to dress. For today, her outfit consisted of a single brown shirt and leather pants. Some annoying people would tell her to choose better clothes, but cost and comfort were on opposite sides of her mind's balance. Thus, she always chose practicality over appearance.

Despite all this, even though the clothes were simple and second-hand, they did nothing to detract from her stunning beauty. Looking at herself in the mirror, the girl studied her appearance for a short period.

Thin, slightly pink lips, skin so clear it resembled ivory and a sharp jawline. All of this was complemented by silver hair as pure as snow, flowing down to her waist. Putting her right hand on the corner of her mouth, she tried to curve her lips into a smile to eliminate her cold expression, but her lifeless expression only made it all seem artificial.

With no more time to lose and finishing her small routine in silence, she opened the door of her house, which consisted of a single room. The characteristic cold of the region brushed against her skin, yet she didn't flinch an inch. Although the sun should have already risen on the horizon, the girl could barely see its rays through the clouds of mist.

As she stepped out of her stone and wood house, she carried a basket of clothes on the right side of her body, supported by her only arm.

“Good morning, Lily," a voice reached her ear.

Turning around, the silver-haired girl, Lily, spotted an elderly lady. She obviously knew her. Her neighbor waved lightly as she walked back inside with a bucket of water on her head.

"Good morning, ma'am."

With her only hand holding her basket of clothes, Lily saw no alternative but to bow her head. Her speech was short and cold, just like her expression. Without wasting any more time and with the risk of starting a conversation intensifying every second, she continued on her way.

Inside the village, the landscape was not very observable due to the thick fog. Still, she managed to move carefully. The wind pushed her silver curls, and it was slightly uncomfortable. Lily always left her hair loose, as tying it up with only one hand every morning would take up the time she didn't want to waste.

To anyone's view, it seemed like she didn't pay attention to how it was, but even she always made sure to methodically arrange her bangs to cover half of her face. The reason? To avoid curious comments about the absence of her left eye.

Ignoring a few more ladies who passed by her and using quick steps, Lily advanced through the small village, which had approximately 100 residents. As expected from such a small place, there was no sewer system. Therefore, the residents fetched water from rivers and wells.

As the road widened, Lily could see the river descending from the mountain. On the banks, some women were already on the riverside fetching water and washing clothes. Even from this distance, it was possible to hear the cheerful and relaxed conversations.

A few meters away from the water, Lily spotted some men chatting. Although they were guards and should protect the village from monsters, each of them had a drink in hand. Her forehead couldn't help but furrow when she noticed that they didn't even try to disguise how they looked at the wet clothes of the women, clinging to their curves due to the moisture.

Approaching a little closer, she was soon noticed, and as was the case every day they met, the man was the one to start the conversation.

"Well, look who it is, our icy queen, came to play with us?" 

"You're already eighteen, right? Don't you think about finding someone to marry?" The man laughed as he took another sip of his cheap beer. "I'm sure there are many candidates who would still accept you."

"And I'm one of them." The first man slapped his thigh as he observed Lily's ample breasts. "If you want, I can show you how well a mana user can perform in bed, I'll make sure to entertain you all night long."

The men's comments were disgusting, but Lily just bowed her head and quickly moved on. The mere idea of ​​responding to their blatant provocations and giving them the chance to continue the conversation made her nauseous. As she searched for a spot on the riverbank, she could feel her back burning with the men's gaze fixed on her butt and legs.

Still with her unchanged expression, she squatted on the riverbank. Then, she dropped the laundry basket and, taking each piece one by one, began to scrub them in the water using a piece of soap she had.

Scrubbing and washing with only one hand was difficult, but after doing it for years, she could do it effortlessly. Since she had few clothes, the task that needed to be done every few days was being finished quickly.

Although her hand was busy washing the clothes, her uncovered right eye traced the surface of the river. She could see some children playing in the cold water, being careful not to stray too far from the adults and venture into the fog.

"!"

For the first time in a long time, Lily let out a low exclamation of surprise as she observed something floating in the river. Finding dead fish or floating garbage was not uncommon to the point of being rare, but this was nothing like that.

On the water's surface, a colorless sphere, ten centimeters in diameter, was lightly covered by a purple liquid. Anyone in the village would know what that was.

"A metamorph...?" Her voice was low enough that no one but her could hear it.

The training they received in the village instructed them that, when encountering a monster, they should notify a guard.

"Is everything okay, Lily?" The woman closest to her must have heard the rare sound emitted by the girl. If it were from anyone else, it would easily be ignored, but coming from Lily, it was such a rare event that it caught her attention.

Turning her head slightly, Lily noticed the woman's curious gaze. Without any change in her expression, she used her single eye to observe the two drunken guards. They had lost interest in her and were now leering at the younger women working with disgusting looks on their faces.

Although they were incompetent, if Lily were to alert them of the creature, they would deal with it quickly.

However, she did something that people with common sense would never expect.

"It's nothing. Now, if you'll excuse me."

With agility, Lily slid the injured metamorph into her laundry basket. She stood up and quickly left the river.