The Birth of an Unwanted Child

Mariel was pregnant, and she was ashamed at the prospect of having a child. However, the circumstances of her pregnancy were frowned upon in their kingdom, and she knew that having a bastard child would bring nothing but shame and dishonor to her child limiting its future

Mariel was forced to live in the slums, where she found a small, rundown shack to call her own, thrown out of their home, with nothing but the clothes on her back and a pair of crutches.

Her existence was stricken off the family records, and her entire being denied by every known official.

Her lover was killed in secret and his remains were fed to wild beasts, everything that involved her existence was brought to ruin or eradicated, as such a shame can not be associated with the Grand Duke's name.

Living life in this dilapidated hut months pass.

Despite the pain and discomfort of her pregnancy, Mariel was determined to give birth to a healthy child. She went into labor one evening, alone in her shack, and the pain was unbearable. She cried out in agony until she passed out.

After silence pervaded the room an older lady came in to assist her hurriedly.

"Oh thank the heavens Miss, is giving birth to a boy, this old lady will have a Young Master!" the old lady exclaimed

"This will be the last time this lady can help you, Miss, Old Master has been catching on to my absence." She whispered

If Mariel was awake she would have recognized this old lady, this was her handmaid from her family's estate from when she was younger. This handmaid was the one who secretly took care of her throughout this period of time, if not Mariel would have died long ago.

With a wave of her hand, a warm light landed on Mariel's body easing some of her pain and complications. After ensuring that both lives were not at risk she stepped out of the hut and vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of her existence.

After several hours of silent intense pain, Mariel gave birth to a baby boy. When she woke up Mariel was exhausted and weak, but she managed to hold her son close to her chest, cradling him in her arms. He was small and frail, but he was alive, and Mariel felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Time passes

In the slums of the kingdom, life was tough for everyone, especially for a young kid. The boy's name was Damien, and he was only nine years old with a crippled mother. She had been weak since giving birth to him, but her condition worsened when she was kicked out of their house and left to fend for themselves.

A small child covered in dirt, with messy black hair, and purple eyes similar to the color amethyst, a small frame that has been developed due to the lack of food, this kid is Damien.

Kneeling at the bedframe Damien was feeding his mother the scraps he could find during today's scavenged goods. In the slums. They were meager, but it was better than nothing. Damien knew that his mother's health was deteriorating rapidly, and he was afraid that she would not make it through the winter.

Despite his young age, Damien had to learn to take care of himself and his mother. He scavenged for food daily, begged for scraps from nearby stalls, and even stole when he had to. It was not an easy life, but he was determined to survive, for his mother's sake.

As days passed Mariel's strength has begun to slowly fade and her lapses of consciousness were cutting short, there wasn't enough food or care for her that a nine-year-old boy can provide, she pretended to be okay but Damien noticed his mother's figure and aura slowly diminishing throughout the days.

Walking through the slums Damien was set on listening to the gossip between the thieves and prostitutes to collect a bit of information that could turn his life around.

Similar to the stories his mother used to tell him about the hero who saves all, with a horse and shining armor almost.

As he walked through the slums all you can hear are low mutterings and whispers

"Did you hear about the new shop that opened, I heard they sell wild beast meat"

"I heard that one piece of meat can give you the strength of an ox and the vitality of a tiger, so you can last all night"

"Who is dumb enough to open a store near the slums that sell such a precious resource it must be fake or a scam"

Hearing this Damien's ears perked up, in his head all he could think was that this was his moment, his chance to break past his current limits and soar to the skies in one fell swoop. If he could get his hands on one piece of high-tier wild beast meat his whole life could change, his mother would suddenly become better and they could a normal life.

He was determined to save both of them from their current life, so with a determined expression on his face, he takes his small body and runs towards the edge of the slums where it begins to approach the inner kingdom.

The kingdom where they resided was broken into three segments with a layer of walls and guards in the intermediary points in between. The core, where the imperials and high-level aristocrats reside, the inner city where naturalized citizens and the moderately wealthy resided, and then the shield from the outside world, the slums. The shield was built by the rich to block any initial attack, the lives in the slums were equated to nothing.

As he approaches the area where the slums begin to recede and paved roads start, he sees a new shop that wasn't there before. Granted his mother only instilled so much knowledge into him so his ability to read is limited.

But with his very own eyes, he can see pieces of meat hanging in the window and is convinced that this must be it, and with a goal in mind, he now knew what he had to do to survive and change his fate.