Chapter-77

What could she do to make them like her?

Was something about her off?

Her hair maybe?

Her face?

Her eyes?

She spent nearly half an hour in front of her mother's mirror, exploring the various items on the desk, from a hairbrush to red nail polish.

Did she need to be like her mother?

Her mother always had a warm smile and was adored by many.

Even when she tried to smile like her mother... it just wasn't the same.

She felt the need to change, to become someone different, someone who could have friends, someone who could find happiness. Picking up a pair of scissors, she snipped a few locks of her hair. After a few snips, she applied lipstick, albeit somewhat clumsily.

Did it make her prettier?

Did she resemble her mom now?

"Azula?"

She accidentally broke the lipstick, staining her hand red. Anxious to clean up the mess, she began wiping it off with a tissue. However, her mother had already arrived, offering a reassuring smile as she wiped the stain away.

"Calm down, dear," Ursa said, kindly and gently. "What are you doing here? The party is downstairs."

"I don't like those people."

"Neither do I," Ursa agreed, finishing her daughter's hand. But she noticed scattered hair strands and her daughter's haphazard lipstick application. "What happened, honey?"

"I wanted to be like you, Mom." Azula's gaze remained fixed as she turned to face the mirror. She knew she didn't resemble her mother much. Her mother was beautiful and adored by many, and people always sought her attention, something her father rarely cared about. Few things seemed to interest her father.

"Be like me?" Ursa knelt to meet her daughter's gaze through the mirror. "Why?"

"I want people to notice me... Even Mai keeps looking at Zuko," Azula grumbled, irritated by the girl who always seemed to be staring at her older brother. She felt he wasn't as interesting as her, yet Mai remained captivated by him.

On the other hand, Azula noticed the fearful and anxious looks in the eyes of both children and adults, reminiscent of the expressions they wore when her father appeared.

"Do you want to make friends?" she asked curiously.

"Why do I want friends?" At the tender age of four, Azula, despite her remarkable intelligence and keen perception, struggled to express her true desires. Friendship was one of those things she couldn't quite grasp. Was it akin to the loyalty soldiers held for her father?

"Friends are people you can trust," her mother explained. She gently wiped her daughter's face and used a red ribbon to tie up Azula's roughly cut hair into a ponytail. "Friends are those who will support and help you when you need it most. To make friends, you don't need to try to be like others; you just have to be yourself. Only true friends will appreciate you for who you are."

"You are beautiful and brilliant, my daughter. Never doubt that. I know one day you will have good friends..."

It had been three weeks since Azula had been taken in by the girls at the brothel, where she worked as the "garbage collector." Anyone who dared to cause trouble faced the fierce princess who didn't hesitate to use force to do her job efficiently.

During the day, she received an affection she had never experienced before. She was treated as an equal, and the girls appreciated her, treating her as one of their own. They joked with her, cooked with her, and even defended her when it wasn't necessary. One time, a client tried to make advances, and the other girls fiercely protected her purity.

She also received gifts, simple ones like clothes and invitations to dine in the city's tourist areas. Yet there were more special gifts.

"I know it's spring... But I hope you like it!" Azula's heart skipped a beat as a shy Rína handed her a hand-knitted red wool scarf. "Hina helped me make it... I hope you like it."

The scarf felt incredibly soft in her hands. She handled it with care, wrapping it around her neck. Her heart raced as she looked at the other girls, anxious to hear their opinions.

"Is this a joke? It looks amazing on you!"

"Yes, it makes you look slimmer and more elegant."

"You were already beautiful, but now you're showing off."

"Hey, it's true, you're making the rest of us look bad."

"In the end, everyone will come just to see the sexy and pretty bodyguard girl. You'll put us out of business!"

Amidst the praise and jokes, Azula felt a jumble of emotions in her chest. She hesitated, but her hands caressed the soft scarf. Her gaze shifted to Rína, who was still standing before her.

"Thank you..." Azula's voice was an admission of gratitude, and while her expression remained cold and firm, her eyes betrayed the warmth she felt. With a radiant smile, Rína hugged her at the waist.

"You're welcome, Zu…"

The night continued as the other girls kept working on the ground floor, unaware that Azula was sitting on the rooftop, perched on the window frame, her expression inscrutable.

She absentmindedly touched the scarf around her neck, finding comfort in this simple gesture.

"Hello."

Azula turned slightly to see Caede climbing onto the roof. She didn't respond and continued to gaze at the starry sky.

"I found it odd that you disappeared. Rína was asking about you." Caede moved closer to the window and leaned against it beside the princess.

"Your debt has been settled. We're even now."

"I'll be leaving early tomorrow." Azula's quick response surprised the bartender, but she didn't comment on it.

Azula brought her hands together, trying to conjure a small flame, but nothing happened. She felt a growing sense of frustration and turned her gaze back to the sky, which was slowly lightening.

Jokes? Cooking? Gifts? Friendship? When had she become entangled in this strange game? At first, it was just about repaying a favor to Rína. That's what she believed. She never expected to deal with these unfamiliar emotions that clouded her mind.

"You can stay," Caede's words snapped Azula out of her thoughts, and she stiffened. Caede moved closer with a warm smile and playfully tapped Azula's shoulder.

"I plan to leave with my girls in a few months. We're going to a town far from this war to start over with a restaurant. Everyone is excited, especially Rína. She'd be thrilled if you joined us."

"..."

"She likes you. I've rarely seen her connect so well with someone."

"She's... a good girl."

"She looks so much like her mother." Caede's expression darkened. Her eyes reflected the starry sky. She opened her jacket to reveal a third-degree burn that spanned her chest.

"What was your mother like?" Azula remained silent as she listened to the story. She couldn't help but glimpse the painful reminder of war etched on Caede's body.

"Some Fire Nation soldiers attacked our village, where Haru and I grew up. Our parents died, and we barely escaped. I was lucky to get away with just this scar. Others weren't so fortunate. We wandered until we met Rima. She was carrying a newborn Rína, malnourished and exhausted. Even in that state, she was still smiling. She confessed to doing something she deeply regretted, something she swore never to do again. She only did it to keep Rína from falling into the hands of Fire Nation soldiers who would've killed her. Rima was a remarkable woman. She accompanied Haru and me, along with other survivors, to this town to start anew, to live in an unconventional way."

Azula stayed silent, absorbing the story that underscored the harsh choices people made to survive in times of conflict.

"We acquired this bar from a loser. We pooled our meager resources to buy it and transform it into what it is today. Rima was our pillar of support, fending off anyone who sought to exploit us. You wouldn't want to see that woman angry. It was like facing the devil himself." Caede smiled wistfully but with a hint of bitterness. "Losing her a few months ago was hard. She fell ill one day and never recovered."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because I want you to come with us. I don't know what troubles have brought you here or what you're escaping, but I'd like you to join us, to start anew."

"..."

"I'll give you some time to think about it." saying that, Caede stood up to leave Azula alone, who remained motionless looking at the sky.

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