The Bloom of Violet

The morning sun rose in front of her, and she bent her waist, gasping for breath. Nausea surged. Ann gagged, her empty stomach turning over violently.

She grabbed onto a tree for support, panting, then blankly let the wind blow over her. The season was nearing summer. The cool morning breeze tousled her hair, and her eyelids fluttered slightly. After a while, she began to walk again, but her steps didn’t lead her back to her aunt’s house.

From that day on, Ann became an orphan wandering the streets. During the day, she sold flowers, and at night, she lay under piles of discarded trash.

There were many days when she didn’t even have a single meal, but her mind was at ease. There was no need to watch her back or endure any more slaps from adults in the street life. Even if she were to die like this, it was better than bouncing from one relative’s house to another.

But not everything about her life was fulfilling. In fact, it was horrific. How could anyone say living on the streets was a good thing? But for Ann, there was nowhere else to go.

“Hey.”

Ann woke up when something nudged her. It was a familiar sensation. Through her blurry vision, she saw the worn-out tips of shoes. It was David, a boy who dragged his shoes along the ground, the tips worn out, his clothes hanging loosely.

She looked up at him blankly. David, two years older than her, was the right-hand man of Oliver Maluke, the leader of the “Oliver gang.”

“Today’s collection day.”

“I’ll give it to you tonight.”

David reached out his hand like a thug coming to collect the money he was owed. Ann was frightened by his rough appearance. She didn’t know what right Oliver’s gang had to collect money, but she couldn’t resist them.

They claimed this whole area as their territory, and every orphan passing through had to pay them. It didn’t make sense— they weren’t the rulers of Bluebilt. But no orphan dared to defy them.

“What time tonight?”

“Nine o’clock.”

By the time she sold all her flowers, it would probably be that time. She didn’t know how much she would have left, but at least she would have the money for Oliver’s gang.

“Fine. I’ll let you off.”

“……”

“You’re pretty, so…”

David cleared his throat awkwardly. Ann looked at him with a blank expression. She thought of Oliver. He was fifteen, and he had a girlfriend two years older than him, Sally, was it? She had wavy blonde hair and beautiful wall-colored eyes.

“By the way, Oliver wants to see you today.”

“Why?”

“He’s having a party.”

“What kind of party?”

“You’ll find out when you come.”

David replied casually. Ann watched him silently as he turned and walked away. She sighed.

Ann met him deep into the night. She had spent the evening wandering the streets of Loaderville, selling flowers until ten o’clock. There were no buyers in Bluebilt, and there weren’t many flower-selling houses either. So, every day she took her basket of flowers from the shop and headed to Loaderville.

Bluebilt and Loaderville were less than an hour apart, but with a ten-year-old’s pace, it took over two hours. Yet Ann made this journey every day to sell her flowers.

After selling her flowers until ten o’clock, Ann went to the place where Oliver’s gang was throwing the party. It was well past midnight when she arrived. Oliver and his gang were drinking in the abandoned inn that had been turned into a makeshift bar.

Ann noticed the scattered empty bottles, realizing that the party had started much earlier. As she listened to the laughter of the boys and girls, she approached Oliver.

“Oh? You’re here?”

Oliver, with the beginnings of a beard, greeted Ann in a gravelly voice. It was surprisingly warm. Ann shrank a little and looked up at him. His girlfriend, Sally, with heavily painted eyes, scowled. Oliver, oblivious, smiled broadly. Ann pulled out 4 dant from her pocket.

Suddenly, a loud “Hahaha!” echoed. Ann turned her head to see where the laughter came from. Oliver laughed too, holding his stomach.

“Look at that! The Count’s little colt is peeing!”

David’s voice, which seemed to be his, echoed through the abandoned building. Ann found the frivolous shout strangely eerie. She watched Oliver, who was laughing, holding his stomach without taking the money she offered. His girlfriend, too, giggled along with him.

Ann hesitated to turn around, but suddenly, with a sharp sound, she flinched and spun around. Around the bonfire, the Oliver gang formed a circle, laughing at someone. It was probably that “Colt Count” they were mocking.

Ann felt an uneasy sense of foreboding and started to turn away, but then she caught sight of a boy stumbling, collapsing between the gang members. Her heart dropped.

David, casually tapping the bleeding boy, muttered, “This one’s gone,” and Ann’s heart started to race. It felt as though tears were welling up. She gathered her hands against her chest and glanced at the half-open door. If she ran out of the abandoned building now, nothing bad would happen. But…

“Remember one thing,” came the voice of an orphan girl Ann had met under a pile of refuse earlier that day. “The orphans of Bluebilt—just don’t get on the wrong side of Oliver’s gang, and you’ll be fine. Understand?”

The girl, who had been beaten by Oliver’s gang after challenging Sally, had gone blind in one eye. Ann couldn’t bear to look her in the eye. It was terrifying and awful.

But Ann still had no desire to return to Aunt Paola’s house. In the end, she decided to live like a dead mouse, quietly, drifting through life. She told herself that when she got a little older, she would leave the streets and find work wherever someone would take her. For now, she could only sell flowers.

“Hey, look at this!”

David was pointing at the unconscious boy, twitching on the ground. A harsh shout rang out: “Why’s this nobleman so weak if he’s bleeding blue?” Ann shuddered and halted in her tracks at the next coarse shout.

“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be a prince? Huh? Can’t even handle this?”

It was David’s voice. Ann turned around with a pale face. David was roughly shaking the neck of the bloodied boy, who was slumped and unconscious. Ann watched, shivering, and squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the sickening sound of the boy’s head hitting the ground.

“Damn idiot! This is why we can’t trust the Lowderville guys! See? He’s so weak.”

“Right. He said he was a prince!”

After David threw the boy aside, another boy nodded. Laughter echoed through the group, and Oliver stepped forward, cutting through them. The boy, now drenched in blood, squirmed and crawled across the floor.

“What? You want some water?”

Oliver asked, and Ann watched as he started to remove his pants. He then urinated on the boy, receiving something in exchange. When he opened it, the smell of oil filled the air. The crowd quickly grew silent, waiting for Oliver’s next move.

Ann realized he intended to burn the boy alive. That thought made her feel a surge of courage, though she didn’t understand why. Like a moth to a flame, she rushed forward.

“I know this kid!”

“What?”

“Th-this one…”

Ann trembled violently, trying to speak. Oliver’s viridian-colored eyes glimmered like a snake’s, cold and calculating. He was a true thug, someone who didn’t fear the law. The other children said he was feared because he wasn’t afraid of death, and that’s why he became the leader of his gang. At least, in the alleys of Bluebilt, he was like a king.

“This one… is the Baron of Vansweeds’ distant cousin. I heard he came here recently with the Baron’s relatives.”

“Baron Vansweeds?”

David asked, his voice harsh and filled with anger. Ann, trembling, nodded. She had no idea who Baron Vansweeds was, but when she stayed at Aunt Dora’s house, she heard a lot of noise when the Baron came to visit. She couldn’t say for sure whether this child was really the Baron’s cousin, but she was confident Oliver wouldn’t be able to confirm it.

“How do you know that?”

Oliver asked sharply. Ann swallowed dryly, her legs shaking and her stomach churning. Oliver stared at her, his lips trembling in silence.

“How do you know that?”

“W-well, my aunt works at Lord Rendmore’s mansion… I… I’ve been there too. I saw this kid there. He’s the Baron’s cousin. I saw him getting off the carriage with the Baron.”

Ann clenched her fists, trying not to urinate herself. The smell of the unconscious boy overwhelmed her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She felt dizzy, thinking that if she made the wrong move here, she’d end up like that boy. But she couldn’t deny knowing this child. If she had, her life would’ve definitely been at risk.

“Hmm, so that’s true?”

“Y-yes!”

“There’s nothing I can’t verify in this world. You understand what I mean?”

Oliver’s lips stretched into a sinister grin. Ann felt a chill run down her spine as she watched him smile.

“Yeah. If what you say is true, this could be a problem.”

Oliver smiled again, and Ann’s blood ran cold. He signaled to two boys standing beside him. Ann found herself quickly bound by her arms.

“Such a shame, isn’t it?”

“O-Oliver, I… I….”